New P3S - firmware update out of the box - did not initiate

[jettabrett92]

A little scared right now...

So, I literally powered on my Phantom 3 Standard for the first time tonight. I immediately see flashing lights and hearing the rythmic beep associated with updating the firmware. The problem is that I didn't initiate this update - I hadn't even connected to its wifi yet. I'm letting it run its course right now, but I'm paranoid it's not going to finish. Not sure if this is something new that DJI is doing where it starts the update for the end user or what. I bought from a reputable online retailer (Adorama), and it appears to be new (no marks/scuffs on body and all stickers looked new).

Has anyone heard of this? I haven't even tried powering it off yet. I'm too scared I'll corrupt the firmware update. I'm about 30 minutes in, so I'll give it another and then I'll do it.

Also, if it means anything, the unit is broadcasting wifi. I connected to it, but there's no messages/status on the firmware update - it just says to "activate unit".

 

[LuvMyTJ]

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Phantom Pilots forum. I hope that you will take advantage of the benefits that come with membership and that you will be able to use the forum for the exchange of innovative ideas and as a resource for current developments in Phantom quadcopter’s.

I recently purchased a P3S also and it did not force me to update. In fact I have yet to update and I have been flying it. Updating would require it was connected to your home network to download it... did you set up the wifi?
And it does take a while, so just let it go till it is done. Some report long waits.

 

[jettabrett92]

Thanks for the reply. I gave it an hour, but it never finished.

I connected to the unit's wifi, but I get prompted to activate the unit. I go through the process of activation in the app, which requires me to disconnect from the unit's wifi because I need an internet connection. So I finish the activation and the app opens normally. However, I have to reconnect to the unit's wifi at this point. I then open the app and it prompts me to re-"activate phantom 3 standard". So, it's like the app is looping. Rebooted phone and uninstalled/reinstalled app, but same issue. I read about other people having the issue, but there's not a clear consensus on what fixes it.

Regardless, the Phantom should not have made this noise the first time I powered it on. Only thing I can think of is that the firmware was somehow corrupted from the factory. I think I'm just going to return it. This experience kind of me spoiled it for me. I researched for weeks and watched several tutorials/unboxing/set up videos and never saw anything like this.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

It should beep when turned on. They all do.
I have heard of people having to do the process several times for it to take.

Maybe a chat with DJI support will get you in the air.

 

[jettabrett92]

It should beep when turned on. They all do.
I have heard of people having to do the process several times for it to take.

I hear the normal "welcome beep" when I turn it on, then a few seconds later it starts making the firmware update sound - beep-beep....beep-beep....beep-beep). It did that the very first I turned it on. Like I said, I in no way initiated the firmware update.

I'm going to try posting this on the DJI forums, and calling first thing Monday.

 

[TrynFlyn]

Remove the SD card from the gimbal and fire it up.

 

[jettabrett92]

Remove the SD card from the gimbal and fire it up.

Unfortunately, I tried that too, but no change. Thanks though.

 

[Jay H]

hey, take a deep breath, its not broken. if it was your first time powering up the phantom, it wont be updating the firmware yet.

I had a problem with activating because i was using my wifi only tablet to try and activate it/ kept asking me to change wifi to reactivate as well. I ended up downloading the app on my phone so i can connect to the phantom via wifi and to the internet to activate via my cell service at the same time. that way i didnt have to change wifi when trying to activate it.

after you activate it, the next time you open the GO app, you will get a red status message asking you if you would like to upgrade the firmware. after that, you will be given instructions to connect to your home wifi to download actual firmware, then install the firmware through the prompts on the dji go app. to check the upgrade worked or not, take the sd and put it into a usb card reader and open the document file from the sd card on your computer, it will either say SUCCESS or FAILURE depending on whether or not it worked.

 

[jettabrett92]

UPDATE - I was able to get it all working. Let me just say thanks for all the replies and encouragement. I was ready to ship it back, but spent a little more time on it and it payed off.

I'll try to summarize: out of the box, my Phantom3 Standard was making the repeated, rhythmic beep, exactly the same to what you hear when you update the firmware. I had no problems binding the controller and connecting to the unit's wifi. However, the app appeared to "loop" on me, continuously prompting me to "activate" the phantom (I activated several times).

Long story short, I hit the back button several times at the activation screen, and somehow that did it - it loaded the normal main-menu to the DJI-GO app. From there, I was able to download/install the most recent firmware update.

Now, here's what's funny - the rythmic beep i heard when I first turned it on repeated even after the firmware update. It wasn't until I did an IMU calibration that the noise went away. I've watched a lot of unboxing/tutorial videos and have NEVER seen this behavior. Maybe mine's a fluke (hopefully so).

 

[bobmyers]

UPDATE - I was able to get it all working. Let me just say thanks for all the replies and encouragement. I was ready to ship it back, but spent a little more time on it and it payed off.

I'll try to summarize: out of the box, my Phantom3 Standard was making the repeated, rhythmic beep, exactly the same to what you hear when you update the firmware. I had no problems binding the controller and connecting to the unit's wifi. However, the app appeared to "loop" on me, continuously prompting me to "activate" the phantom (I activated several times).

Long story short, I hit the back button several times at the activation screen, and somehow that did it - it loaded the normal main-menu to the DJI-GO app. From there, I was able to download/install the most recent firmware update.

Now, here's what's funny - the rythmic beep i heard when I first turned it on repeated even after the firmware update. It wasn't until I did an IMU calibration that the noise went away. I've watched a lot of unboxing/tutorial videos and have NEVER seen this behavior. Maybe mine's a fluke (hopefully so).

maybe, but others will get the benefit of your OP and the final results. Thanks for sharing.

 

[RodPad]

Yep, that was a good summery and I just now figured out (OP)