P3 Firmware Beeeeeeeeeep of Death on attempted FW Update (1.06.0040)

Dorian Taddei · Feb 29, 2016

What a shock. I haven't flown for several months and I start of the Go App and it wants me to upgrade. I do. I see no image on the screen from my camera and think nothing of it.

I download the FW 1.06.0040 FW and try updating the bird. Seems OK, but then, rather than completing the upgrade — the beeps going from Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep ... to Beep ---- Beep, Beep ... Beep ----Beep, Beep, I hear a long beep that has no breaks. Just a beep-buzzing. The batteries are not showing me any blinking lights either and say NO SIGNAL. The camera records (video and stills) and all controls work, but there is NO GIWNAL coming bak to the iPad and Go app!

Doesn't seem to let me roll back to 1.5 FW either. What a load...

Anyone have any ideas. I think I am doomed!?

I canot believe DJI implements their FW so poorly?

It seemed the the Signal Problem was there perhaps even before the forced FW upgrade (via GO App) but I cannot be sure.

Was I supposed to load in v 1.05.xxx before I upgraded?

Can I back out and restore older FW? Anyone else get the FW Update Beeeeeeeeeeeeep of death?

Anyone have any ideas? THANKS

P.S. Message (.txt) on the microSD card tells me to try reinstalling the upgrade. Useless!

MrMcfly · Feb 29, 2016

If your firmware was older than 1.04, you were supposed to upgrade to 1.04 first, then to 1.06.

You said the .txt file said to try to reinstall the update..... did you?

1.06 f/w has a battery firmware update in it as well, for my update it took a bit longer.

SanCap · Feb 29, 2016

The transmitter should be off when you are updating the software.

tcope · Feb 29, 2016

You can _always_ update to the latest firmware, you don't need to jump from one to another.

Watch the camera light, don't listen to the beeps. Also, read the RESULTS txt file.

If the beeping much louder?

Place the bin file in the root folder of the SD card and start all over again. The camera light should be flashing red and green. If it's doing this put the drone some place and walk way. The update may now take 30 minutes. Just let it do it's thing and come back to it later.

DJI gives instructions on how to upgrade and they need to be followed. They have always told people to read the RESULTS text file and, for the past few updates have stated to watch the lights on the camera.

Dorian Taddei · Feb 29, 2016

I've been updating using DJI FW for a couple of years now. The Auto FW upgrade that ran in the background on the RC prompted the FW upgrade. I was at 104 before the 106 upgrade. Since I did not see any warnings not to upgrade to 105 before 106, I just went directly to 106.

The LONG BEEEEEEEEEEEP noise that follows the beginning of the update on the bird is NOT normal. it sounds like something is terribly wrong, not merely happily chugging away. This failure cannot be UNDONE as it will not take the 105 FW downgrade at all.

.tex file revealed errors and as seen in other's reports simply says "reinstall."

The following ScreenGrab reveals that the numbers look fine to the Go App. MY suspicion is that there was some conflict between this FW update and SOME existing FW that links LightBridge to the RC. It may be that they updated some related EPROM or ROM and not all, and that this batch had conflicts? They are known for never admitting such things. This is a typical corporate strategy (not just a Chinese strategy). Apple's been guilty of similar things, however, Apple has stores in every city in the US. To fix this requires shipping a $1,000.00+ item ... literally. .. half way around the world. Now, that may be fiscally prudent for DJI, but it shows no real interest in catering to clients; clients that by-and-large are professionals TRYING to make a living with these tools.

Now, we can pay them more to make the sort of warranty repairs they HSOULD be doing in the U.S. easier for us. This seems really nice of them, but it is (when all is said and done) manipulative.

The only hoe is that they might not want to pay for broken parts back in their ship, and may be more careful with FW updates that cause these craft to fall from the sky ... if the repairs are PARTLY on their dime?

Dorian Taddei · Feb 29, 2016

Thanks (tcope) for your advice on the Camera light, by the way. I just have too much paranoia to let a machine make such a sound indefinitely. The sound it makes might be the sort of sound you'd imagine emanating from MrMcFly's face! : )

Dorian Taddei · Feb 29, 2016

This is what the Go App sows me. It all looks "hunky Dory" (and I'd know : )

MrMcfly · Feb 29, 2016

Dorian Taddei said:
Thanks (tcope) for your advice on the Camera light, by the way. I just have too much paranoia to let a machine make such a sound indefinitely. The sound it makes might be the sort of sound you'd imagine emanating from MrMcFly's face! : )

Hey! I resemble that remark!!

It's my understanding that IF your firmware was PRIOR to v1.04 you need update to v1.04 prior to updating to current.
You do not have to run every firmware update in succession. I started with 1.04, so I'm going by what others have posted.

It won't harm anything to run the update again, (DAMHIK) the .TXT file on the microSD card will just confirm you have the
latest firmware successfully installed. When you're sure you have the right f/w on there, you might want to do cold IMU
calibration.

Dorian Taddei · Feb 29, 2016

Well, the P3 won't let me do anything any more. I might have had a 1.3 version in it at the time, but have no way of knowing. I THOUGHT I had 1.04 loaded when I /L 1.06. It's too bad they can make the App smart enough to D/L what it needs, but the 'copter is still DUMB. One way or the other, I'm screwed. The bird goes to LA for a fix now, and I am out one camera-in-the-air for weeks. At least it is now, and not high season in the NW (when the rain stops) which is basically mid-June. We get about 3 months of perfect (California style) weather here in the summer. Lots of ops for shooting from about mid May on, however. Everything is green and lush in the late spring too, so I hope this is back in my hands within 2-3 weeks?

Anybody have experience with turn-around times using DJI's lLos Angeles repair facility?

hdpro · Feb 29, 2016

It's my understanding that the CALI "repair facility" is just a location where they put things in a container back to China for repairs. Plz correct me if I'm wrong and someone has factual info otherwise...