Greetings from Florida. I'm a 63 year old retiree with a Phantom 3 Pro I have had for years but was not flying it much when I was working. After retiring I tried to fly it 2-3 years ago but could not get the connection to my iPhone 12 to work where I could see where I was going. It will fly and is controllable. but won't go over about 100-150' high, the 'invisible ceiling'. I'm a licensed private pilot but have hung up the flying days and really want to get into flying my drone and get it all working or else buy a new one! I won't ask any questions at this point, will try to see if anyone else has experienced what I am currently dealing with first. But this looks like a great site with some cool and talented folks engaged on here. Looks like a great community!
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- Thread starter Contender25
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Check not in beginner mode and check you logged in or signed in to app
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Agree. Sounds like beginner mode. Check all your settings on the app for your preferences......like what you want the drone to do due to loss of signal........autoland, hover, return to home point, etc.
And DON'T update the firmware just yet.
Welcome to the forum from KFHB.
And DON'T update the firmware just yet.
Welcome to the forum from KFHB.
RodPad
Premium Pilot
Yes, Firmware is the last try.
Questions.
Did you buy this new?
Have you been able to view live in the past?
It wont go over 100' did it before?
"Looks like a great community!" ?
You are totally wrong!!
It is the best!!
But Ignore me.
Almost forgot.
Welcome to the Forum!
Rod ..
Questions.
Did you buy this new?
Have you been able to view live in the past?
It wont go over 100' did it before?
"Looks like a great community!" ?
You are totally wrong!!
It is the best!!
But Ignore me.
Almost forgot.
Welcome to the Forum!
Rod ..
Thanks for the warm welcome. I will check settings but the DJI Go app is just not showing the camera view in the screen of my iPhone 15, which, when I called DJI back in 2020 trying to get it sorted out, they said the iPhone 12 I had at the time was not compatible and to get an old phone (I think an iPhone 6 thru 8 maybe were supposedly compatible... with that said, it felt like I was calling a typical foreign EASL type helpline where you get pleasantries but no actual help. In any case I will see if I can find where to turn off beginner mode... and to answer RodPad, yes, bought new, I was able to view live in the phone when I had older iPhones. These machines are amazing and I hope I can get back to what I had previously. I flew it probably a half mile away and way out over the large lake we live on and it was like I was back in the Cessnas and Pipers I used to fly.
Ok, I think I have it figured out... with the newer iPhone 15, the connections I made on the controller were a daisy chain of connectors to get the new type connected to my phone. the old style USB port is the ONLY port that works, the other, small Micro Port shows in the manual as 'reserved' so I found a way to use the old style USB, connected to my phone and voila, trying it in the house, the camera feature works. So now to carry it outside to try to get the compass calibrated, etc. and see how it flies and the images it will take. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the encouragement and the tip about the Mode... a deep dive to ALL connections is what lead me to what I think will be success. I will report back!
Well..... unjustified exuberance. Even though I had success getting the camera command to populate on my phone when connected in sequence as per instructions, the drone is not sending camera signal to the RC & Phone. As well, when I took video, it was really garbled mixed in with some mostly clear images but the color was incomplete. Does that sound like a bad camera ribbon connection? What might be causing the camera signal not to come to the RC & phone? I would think it would at least send the garbled/distorted image as captured on the SD card to the phone.
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RodPad
Premium Pilot
Summery of your last few posts.
You could view the camera on your mobile device within your house, but when you were outside it got all goofy?
I'm also confused about the SD card to phone thing.
You find a lot info from @msinger site.
Compatible devices, how toooo'ssss, eettcc...
www.phantomhelp.com
One other link all should know is the compass calibration thing.
A short explanation of compass function, calibration and errors.
It is the same on Phantoms.
Rod ..
You could view the camera on your mobile device within your house, but when you were outside it got all goofy?
I'm also confused about the SD card to phone thing.
You find a lot info from @msinger site.
Compatible devices, how toooo'ssss, eettcc...
DJI Phantom 3 Professional Accessories & Tips | Phantom Help
Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom 3 Professional drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.
www.phantomhelp.com
One other link all should know is the compass calibration thing.
A short explanation of compass function, calibration and errors.
It is the same on Phantoms.
Rod ..
Thanks for responding Rod.Summery of your last few posts.
You could view the camera on your mobile device within your house, but when you were outside it got all goofy?
I'm also confused about the SD card to phone thing.
You find a lot info from @msinger site.
Compatible devices, how toooo'ssss, eettcc...
DJI Phantom 3 Professional Accessories & Tips | Phantom Help
Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom 3 Professional drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.
One other link all should know is the compass calibration thing.
A short explanation of compass function, calibration and errors.
It is the same on Phantoms.
Rod ..
Until this morning, I had been having difficulty even getting the "Camera" button to appear on DJI Go app on my phone. I was wired into the wrong USB port on the RC(my bad); when I tried to take pictures inside, it took reasonably normal clarity, focus colors, etc.. However, when I flew with it the bright areas were blotted out with thin straight lines and the areas of the image that it did get were horribly washed out and the colors were not even close to being right. I brought it back inside as it's been really windy here in Florida today and now it's raining. In spooling up inside the house with props off, I get the following messages I'll attach. Signal is intermittently lost and the yellow 'signal interference' warning keeps popping up, and the gimbal, although it functions in moving, goes back and forth between being red as lost signal as well. I thought that I might have a bad SD card but that doesn't seem to be the case. I formatted one thru the Camera/RC and the AC and when it dries out here I'll see if that and the camera shutter and aperture is perhaps at least part of the issue. I'm craving getting the darned phone/RC/AC in synch so I can fly out of visual range.
Attachments
Update: I formatted the SD card and had another go at it when the rains passed thru. Although quite breezy, I managed to snap a dozen or so photos and shot some film. It all came out fine. There was some pesto-bismal colored lines running thru some of the film, not sure why.... but most of the stills and video came out as it did when the drone was new. Now the last remaining puzzle is the camera not connecting with my RC & phone. If the AC camera is shooting video and stills okay... could it be a damage to just that part of the system or is there any adjustment to AC or RC that might get the two talking? The LED light on the AC gimbal body is green and RC status light is also green for connection between AC and RC.
Attachments
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
You may want to try numerous different USB cables to link the R/C and phone. Many knock-off, cheap USB cables are just poor copies of high quality cables. There have been many here who have changed USB cables and solved their issues. Can't hurt to try.
I tried without an SD card and I tried a different cable and still no joy on the camera function. I noticed on the DJI site that the IOS update is v.3.1.13 and the Android version is 3.1.8... and in looking at my screens it shows I have 3.1.8 even though my phone is definitely an iPhone 15 with IOS.... Surely Apple Store doesn't have Android downloads (nor would it download to my iPhone).... but grasping at straws at this point. Probably a typo on the DJI site. Is there a benefit to downloading DJI Fly and/or Litchi to see if either of those solves the phone to camera connection?
Can also check transmission channels, default on auto , has custom to where you can select a channel that might be better than auto pre selecting to see if gets better
One thing I unsure about is the MODE 3 under RC setting, cant say I seen that before ,
Mode 1 changes throttle to right stick and left stick steering
Mode 2 most use being throttle left stick and steering ,foward reverse, right stick
How's mode 3 work ?
I not check on what's latest version of firmware because I tend to avoid because of my unsurity and leave that for others to advise,
Green lights good on gimble and rc but no live view , I'd check transmission channels ,if that dont change nothing , as you probably seen here some firmware updates can cause grief so hold off on any updates , could also be caused by bad ribbon cable from the gimble, phantoms hate to sit dormant and somehow makes ribbon cable go bad,,I'm still lost on the mode 3 though
Off to search on that 1
Quick job to do I check back soon
One thing I unsure about is the MODE 3 under RC setting, cant say I seen that before ,
Mode 1 changes throttle to right stick and left stick steering
Mode 2 most use being throttle left stick and steering ,foward reverse, right stick
How's mode 3 work ?
I not check on what's latest version of firmware because I tend to avoid because of my unsurity and leave that for others to advise,
Green lights good on gimble and rc but no live view , I'd check transmission channels ,if that dont change nothing , as you probably seen here some firmware updates can cause grief so hold off on any updates , could also be caused by bad ribbon cable from the gimble, phantoms hate to sit dormant and somehow makes ribbon cable go bad,,I'm still lost on the mode 3 though
Off to search on that 1
Quick job to do I check back soon
Last edited:
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
I've only used two solutions for the 'no camera image' issue....but I've got P3 Standards....not a P3 Pro.
First was a complete shutdown and restart of all components....drone, r/c, app, and device (IPad) . Restarted them as directed and issue solved.
Second was (after power down) unplug and replug in the ribbon cable on camera/gimbal. Then full restart as above. No further issues. As @IANZONE said, ribbon cables are notorious for failure.
First was a complete shutdown and restart of all components....drone, r/c, app, and device (IPad) . Restarted them as directed and issue solved.
Second was (after power down) unplug and replug in the ribbon cable on camera/gimbal. Then full restart as above. No further issues. As @IANZONE said, ribbon cables are notorious for failure.
I'm fairly good in figuring out mechanical and even electrical issues.... to a point. However, this P3P is so small, the components very difficult for me to even see. I have looked at that ribbon and it looks like it has a protective plastic coating that is lifting off in a couple of places but not torn or broken. Thinking logically (dangerous I know), the camera is taking good stills and video now that I've jiggered with the shutter speed and aperture settings. So the camera itself is sending images to the SD card. I'm not experiencing any control issues with the joy sticks so that is working, and the GPS, etc. is giving me a good representation of my flight paths, altitude, time, etc.. So all of the send/receive signals are working except the visual on the camera thru to my phone. Is it possible to physically tether RC and a props removed AC together to see if the hard wire connection would send signal to the phone screen as to what the camera is seeing? Not that the AC or RC couldn't defective... but I like to start simple before diving into difficult or expensive parts replacements that might not be necessary! Totally open to any and all thoughts and ideas!! I did have a blast flying it today and it would be 100x better with the phone/visual connection working!
captainmilehigh
Premium Pilot
Starting simple is best. I'm still thinking there's an issue between the r/c and the phone (USB cable) or the gimbal and the camera (flat ribbon cable). Since the images make it to the SD card, the camera is working. But somehow the images aren't being broadcast from the bird to the R/C.
To rule out the phone, are there any other phones or iPads you could try? Not sure of compatibility issues with other phones or iPads, but it is worth a shot. (The compatibility chart is listed on msingers's site 'Phantomhelp.com'.)
As for the tether idea, I'm not sure. But you DO have the right idea.......PROPS OFF for bench testing.
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