New firmware practically "bricked" my Phantom 4 – “thank you” DJI…

[Riker]

One year ago I’ve bought Phantom 4. Two days ago I’ve upgraded firmware to newest version. Before upgrade drone was flying without issues. Unfortunately after upgrade there are serious malfunctions. The drone is practically inoperable.

The most important issues:
After several seconds in air there is “broken” connection (video) error message on tab. The app reports weak transmission signal warning. The signal strength indicators (both control and video link channels) are full, but in a moment there is blank screen instead of normal image. In this moment recording stops and does not resume automatically. Then (very often) gimbal moves to strange position – view on landing leg or red position light. When it happens sometimes it slowly goes back to its correct position, sometimes I have to land and restart to correct camera position. These issues occur even when drone flies few meters from me!
The other problems are: IMU calibrate warning, sudden, unexpected rapid movements even in just hovering. Communicates about strong wind even when there is practically no wind.

Before upgrade drone was flying fine in various weather, even when there was strong wind there were no problems at all! Yesterday the weather was lovely, and I had plenty problems mentioned above.
DJI have released crappy firmware which is completely untested and makes many problems – not just me, a lot of people have reported this same issues. And despite this reports DJI don’t care. DJI are pretend that there is no problem! They are unable to admit to make mistake. This is f****ng joke not serious company!

I have paid a lot of money – not to have a drone to working as child toy from dollarstoe.

Short clip showing one of problems:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/c3f9so0gar05er1/new_fw_problem.mov

 

[Sprtbkryder]

How did the firmware brick your Mavic?? My goodness how did you get that camera to turn that far around??

 

[Suhail78]

The IMU Calibrate warning and the wind warnings are known issues, and can probably just be ignored....i wouldn't worry so much about those.

Did you do an IMU and Gimbal calibration after the update? Also sounds like you updated the bird first instead of the controller, so i would try to re-link it to the phantom 4.

I also bought my P4 almost 1 year ago, and after the update the only issues i have are the IMU warning and the high wind warnings which can both be ignored, the flight is stable, and the video feed is fine, but im using an iOS device, not an android.....i seems that android devices dont really work that well in general, get an ipad.

 

[Riker]

Thank you for quick replay. The video I’ve posted show camera issues caused by new firmware. It happens shortly after takeoff and sometimes camera return to normal position and sometimes not. Of course I did calibrations after firmware update. I did update on devices in correct order (also battery update). I’m using iPad Air2 as my main tablet for drone.
To be exact – I can fly, but described problems makes all flights unusable (there is no fun when I have strange issues all the time).

 

[Sprtbkryder]

Thank you for quick replay. The video I’ve posted show camera issues caused by new firmware. It happens shortly after takeoff and sometimes camera return to normal position and sometimes not. Of course I did calibrations after firmware update. I did update on devices in correct order (also battery update). I’m using iPad Air2 as my main tablet for drone.
To be exact – I can fly, but described problems makes all flights unusable (there is no fun when I have strange issues all the time).

Yes I can understand your frustration.

 

[Suhail78]

Thank you for quick replay. The video I’ve posted show camera issues caused by new firmware. It happens shortly after takeoff and sometimes camera return to normal position and sometimes not. Of course I did calibrations after firmware update. I did update on devices in correct order (also battery update). I’m using iPad Air2 as my main tablet for drone.
To be exact – I can fly, but described problems makes all flights unusable (there is no fun when I have strange issues all the time).

Strange, i updated my Phantom the same day the firmware was released, did an IMU calibration and gibmal calibration and flew it several times and have not noticed anything besides the IMU error message during warm up, but that clears up after a minute or two and then it says ready to fly (GPS), and i get the high wind warnings, but that is a known issue, and those can be ignored.....i also have seen the IMU Redundancy switch message a couple of times, but it has not affected my flights.....as a matter of fact my gimbal is perfectly level now, when before i always had a tilted horizon.

Sorry to hear your having problems, hope you get them sorted out quickly! good luck!

 

[Americanwigeon]

Feel your pain. Same problems, DJI is no help. Might as well get used to people telling you that whatever your problem is......it has to be something you did! It's seems to be a 50/50 shot when you upgrade. I played the odds & lost!

 

[wa5tef]

From my brief experience with DJI in February, they had rather lie to you and have to work twice as hard answering future questions than tell the truth and get to the bottom of the problem. I corresponded with five different employees there and none of them knew what the others had said or did! Total incompetence! Too bad they make a great drone! I just wish they had the customer service to go with it.
Thanks,
Jim
WA5TEF

 

[ajyak]

I got lucky on mine--and I mean that--purely lucky.
It certainly appears from all I've read that trying to get this addressed by driving the issue 'from bottom up' (via forums and complaints to DJI support) is completely ineffective. This type of issue is brand-damaging and maybe a better approach is for all to carpet bomb all forms of social media--if the CEO doesn't want their brand further damaged, the solution (and needed resources allocated to the fix) will then come from 'the top down' instead. It's just a matter of priorities with DJI at this point.

 

[Notchiro]

I got a Phantom 4 Pro and I had to return it and get a new unit because every time I would fly to the right side the gimbal would flip the other way and look straight down. Now this new unit works fine but that issue was just weird.

 

[Riker]

I’ve found interesting video (link beleow) showing problems exactly these same as mine. Author suggested changing video setting to lower (eg. 4k PAL 25fps). To this moment I was flying using best video settings (4k NTSC 30fps). I’ll try lower and we will see if that helps…

I also wrote DJI customer service, let you know when they respond.

Please note that fan system shut down during flight when camera shut down. I’m worried how this affect safety of flight…

 

[ryanmanchester]

Can everyone decode their serials on DJI Serial Number Decoder and post:

[Manufactured: DATE MM/YY]
[Update: Success or Fail]
[Update: Sequence RC/AC or AC/RC]
[Method: Assistant SW or GoApp]


Trying to find link between the 2.

 

[Riker]

Manufactured: Friday, July, 22nd 2016
Update: 100% Success
Update: Sequence: Drone by Assistant, Radio by GoApp

 

[Gary Kinsey]

How did the firmware brick your Mavic?? My goodness how did you get that camera to turn that far around??

No effort at all for the camera to do that. Mine does it too. Mine is 2 months old. And was shipped to DJI, for God who knows how long, to repair. I photographed everything including the S/N and videoed the way it was acting.
I have absolutely no trust in DJI any longer. I have reported what happened to the CPSC. Suggest everyone else do as well. The firmware has made many unstable. It's only a short trip for someone to get hurt because of DJI's negligence in their efforts to be Big Brother and not allowing a reversion on the firmware.

 

[Gary Kinsey]

Can everyone decode their serials on DJI Serial Number Decoder and post:

[Manufactured: DATE MM/YY]
[Update: Success or Fail]
[Update: Sequence RC/AC or AC/RC]
[Method: Assistant SW or GoApp]


Trying to find link between the 2.

Mine was July 28 2016- Bought new from Buydig 10 weeks ago

 

[Goof]

I got lucky on mine--and I mean that--purely lucky.
It certainly appears from all I've read that trying to get this addressed by driving the issue 'from bottom up' (via forums and complaints to DJI support) is completely ineffective. This type of issue is brand-damaging and maybe a better approach is for all to carpet bomb all forms of social media--if the CEO doesn't want their brand further damaged, the solution (and needed resources allocated to the fix) will then come from 'the top down' instead. It's just a matter of priorities with DJI at this point.

Won't mean a thing while their youtube partners are still gooing and gaaing over new features like tripod mode etc.

You need for these guys to get a hold of the problem drones and start broadcasting these problems to their subscriber base before you'll get anything resembling a top down approach to.... actually supporting their (DJI's) customers.

 

[pyrophantom]

personally I hate this preferred way to update, I think the old bin file to the SD card way was far more reliable and less likely to introduce potential errors......I daren't even update mine to the latest firmware

 

[Russ43Phantom]

For a while, I was using BOTH the P4P+ controller (for normal flights) and the P4P controller for third party software flights. I had to keep the software/firmware in sync for the drone and both controllers.

My recommendation, before you do any updating, is to go to the DJI site and confirm the current update version level for the software for you controller and for your drone. Then check the update version on both to see where you are. Then, if needed, update your devices by downloading the correct updates. Keeping updates in sync is important. It seems to require administrative attention to details.

 

[rodgerbwg]

One year ago I’ve bought Phantom 4. Two days ago I’ve upgraded firmware to newest version. Before upgrade drone was flying without issues. Unfortunately after upgrade there are serious malfunctions. The drone is practically inoperable.

The most important issues:
After several seconds in air there is “broken” connection (video) error message on tab. The app reports weak transmission signal warning. The signal strength indicators (both control and video link channels) are full, but in a moment there is blank screen instead of normal image. In this moment recording stops and does not resume automatically. Then (very often) gimbal moves to strange position – view on landing leg or red position light. When it happens sometimes it slowly goes back to its correct position, sometimes I have to land and restart to correct camera position. These issues occur even when drone flies few meters from me!
The other problems are: IMU calibrate warning, sudden, unexpected rapid movements even in just hovering. Communicates about strong wind even when there is practically no wind.

Before upgrade drone was flying fine in various weather, even when there was strong wind there were no problems at all! Yesterday the weather was lovely, and I had plenty problems mentioned above.
DJI have released crappy firmware which is completely untested and makes many problems – not just me, a lot of people have reported this same issues. And despite this reports DJI don’t care. DJI are pretend that there is no problem! They are unable to admit to make mistake. This is f****ng joke not serious company!

I have paid a lot of money – not to have a drone to working as child toy from dollarstoe.

Short clip showing one of problems:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/c3f9so0gar05er1/new_fw_problem.mov

You and everyone else! DJI's days are numbered. I was already to put $10K into an Inspire 2. Not now. No more Phantoms as well.

 

[Arbutus]

I bought a P4P+ in December 2016. The aircraft flew perfectly until January when an Air Encoder Error (0x20) grounded the aircraft. It was returned to DJI Santa Clara after a long diagnosis, denial by DJI that there could be a problem and multiple arguments on the phone. I received a replacement aircraft (a refurb unit with a different s/n) at the end of MAY and I flew it briefly to check things out.

No problems at all.

Except that it had been in DJI's pile of broken junk for 3 months. Why?

With the replacement refurb now on the workbench, the controller reported that a firmware update was required, so I did that. This is a P4P+ with the DJI screen built into the controller and updates are via the Assistant app.

The aircraft then reported a firmware update was required, so I did that.

This is what I see now:

After the updates - which were attempted multiple times, the system still seems to want an update.

So after another round of arguments the bricked refurb was sent back to DJI's blackhole repair center. That was a month ago. A third replacement from DJI is expected sometime in the next three months. Meantime I fly Yuneec, Pixhawk and 3DR aircraft without any issues.

Pretty much any other company on the planet has a functioning customer support system. Or at least products that work. DJI seems to have neither.