*up*grading to .509

Joined
Dec 29, 2016
Messages
1,659
Reaction score
912
Location
Adirondacks, NY, USA
Folks,

Before I go thrashing around trying things I thought I’d ask here. I’ve downgraded P4Ps to 509 version before using special software. I now find myself in possession. Of a new vintage P4P with an even older firmware. Flies great. But I’d like to bring it up to .509. Assuming I have the file, does anyone remember If I can just load it with a version of Flight Assistant or if I need to use the same special software used to downgrade?
 
What would be the reason for updating when it “flies great”.
Just curious. I’ve not looked at the release notes to see what advantage the .509 has.
 
Fair question. It’s a balance between being on the latest and greatest but not tooo latest. I don’t believe in blind upgrades by any means all. .509 ir pretty universally accepted as a must stable release before they started mucking things up.

But to address your question specifically :) I’ve been flying on .509 for years. This is a replacement drone. I’d like to make it the same as what I’m used to and not stub my toe on wierd things that got fixed in between.

Or maybe I just want it “bug compatible” with what I had - to put it in software engineer jargon.
 
What would be the reason for updating when it “flies great”.
Just curious. I’ve not looked at the release notes to see what advantage the .509 has.
I’ll give a small example of a firmware problem where it “flew great” but caused me many hours troubleshooting video results. Long story short, if you used H.265 instead of H.264, when it rolled to the new file after 4GB, it would freeze 10 frames. I documented this thoroughly. I thought it was a drone fault. In my troubleshooting I turned back to H.264 for grins. And problem went away.

DJI QC isn’t what it should be. So when I’ve got a version that’s rock solid for me for years, I bow at its altar. ;-))
 
Here’s my suggestion.
Take your time. Fly it like it is. Get used to what it does or doesn’t do.
At some point, if you feel the need, plug it in and alter its center parts.
On the flip side, think how long ago you .509’d the last one.
Has DJI altered the .509 firmware since then…………………………..?
 
Here’s my suggestion.
Take your time. Fly it like it is. Get used to what it does or doesn’t do.
At some point, if you feel the need, plug it in and alter its center parts.
On the flip side, think how long ago you .509’d the last one.
Has DJI altered the .509 firmware since then…………………………..?
Thank you for your advice. But I asked a specific question. I’d like to return the thread to that question. You may scour the forums for the many people that rely on this version. How to get there is the advice I’d like. Not whether yo get there. I’ve been doing this long enough.
 
Sorry.
Answer. Plug it in to assistant and see what is available for download.
Thanks again. But the first sentence of my question reads “Before I go thrashing around trying things I thought I’d ask here” ;-))
 
You might try sending a PM to John Locke. He is very knowledgeable of the 509 software. Haven't seen anything from him lately on this forum, but it looks like he is active on the Mavic site.
 
Thank you. I’ll reach out. I don’t want to brick that nice shiny new drone. ;-)
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigL
If I remember from a few years ago when I was in the same spot, I think you can just load the 509 bin file directly using the same program you used to downgrade. After all, you're just loading a binary file and it doesn't matter if it is newer or older-the principle remains the same. Its been years for me but I think you can just throw it into dumldore? and call it a day.
 
If I remember from a few years ago when I was in the same spot, I think you can just load the 509 bin file directly using the same program you used to downgrade. After all, you're just loading a binary file and it doesn't matter if it is newer or older-the principle remains the same. Its been years for me but I think you can just throw it into dumldore? and call it a day.
Thanks. That’s what I’ll end up doing. I just hate the chance of bricking it LOL.
 
Folks,

Before I go thrashing around trying things I thought I’d ask here. I’ve downgraded P4Ps to 509 version before using special software. I now find myself in possession. Of a new vintage P4P with an even older firmware. Flies great. But I’d like to bring it up to .509. Assuming I have the file, does anyone remember If I can just load it with a version of Flight Assistant or if I need to use the same special software used to downgrade?
It's been years since I rolled back the firmware on my P4P. I use DUMLdore for firmware installation and a hacked version of Assistant 2 for firmware hacks.

Because your question is so specific, I don't think you're going to get a succinct answer. Based on the replies, it looks like I'm correct. So I can only give an educated opinion, but not an exact answer That said...

It's been my experience that upgrading to newer firmware can always be done via standard DJI tools. It's rolling back that's tricky. That said... DJI likes to force-feed upgrades to their latest/greatest firmware...so that may not be a viable option. I know that DJI allows the user to roll back controller firmware via the Go App (haven't tested the Go 4 app for roll back ability), but not the bird.

If I were in your shoes - and I were feeling intrepid - I would peruse the release notes to see exactly what was "fixed" or "changed" between your present firmware and the preferred 509 firmware.


From there I would decide if I wanted to experiment with the firmware I had installed.

OR....

If I were NOT feeling intrepid and just wanted to get my bird in the air safely and reliably, I would use your firmware program to "force feed" your .bin file into the P4P. I don't know which third-party program you're using, but I prefer DUMLdore V2. I don't think DUMLdore cares one way or the other if you're rolling back or upgrading your firmware.

And FWIW, like you, I use 509 and have for years with great success. I'm pretty sure that I was one of the first UAV pilots to push 509 as the "sweet spot" for the P4P.


I also use v4.0.8 of the app. But you have to have a legacy iPad running legacy iOS to use that app version.

I hope this helps.

D
 
Last edited:
Thanks! Yeah I’ll probably try dumldore. It’s been awhile since I used it too
 
  • Like
Reactions: Harleydude
Using the correct version of Assistant, you can set parameters on .0509 (and earlier) without other software. This was the last fw where it was possible to simply use Assitant in debug mode to set parameters to your liking.
If you don't have a copy of .0509, you can grab the .0509 bin from here:

 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BigL
Using the correct version of Assistant, you can set parameters on .0509 (and earlier) without other software. This was the last fw where it was possible to simply use Assitant in debug mode to set parameters to your liking.
If you don't have a copy of .0509, you can grab the .0509 bin from here:


Thank you
 
Got it done with DUMLdore. I had some trouble due to the fact that my windows machine is a virtual machine on the Mac. But it sorted out. Now if the fog would lift I can test fly it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigL

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,066
Messages
1,467,358
Members
104,936
Latest member
hirehackers