Hi,

Be prepared: I'm not a native english speaker!

It seems that many Phantom 3 standard pilots an me too have problems with thair product after processing auto firmware upgrade with the DJI Go App.

I would like to point to another forums thread:
www.phantompilots.com -  Phantom 3 Standard Range Issue is a Common Problem

The Quad works well at first. Then after a firmware upgrade, the App looses signal with the quad nearly randomly at ranges between 40 and 100 meters from the home point. The controller led indicator goes red, the app says "No Signal". It sometimes reconnects. I was always able to reconnect if I fly the quad closer to me.

As seen in the linked thread it's alwys the same story. Getting a new phantom 3 standard and everything fine, then after an firmware upgrade the problem occurs. The problem exists atleast since end of 2015 and is sill not fixed. I could not find a solution for this problem on the internet. Most peaple end up getting some range extending equipment or what seems to help is to send the Quad to DJI for repair.

If it is repairable the problem must be known to DJI.

So I have the following questions:

Is DJI working on this issue?
Will it be fixed with another firmware update in the future or do I need to send it to repair?

The Steps :
1. Download the firmware at http://phantomhelp.com/Mobile/Phantom-3-Standard/#FirmwareArchive and select the fw that you want .bin file format

2. Insert the file to sd card, outside folder, and must be the only one .bin file format

3. Turn on the RC and the drone without sd card until it connect (RC and Drone)

4. Connect to DJI GO App (to see downgrade status stay at front page of the app)

5. Insert the sd card. Then the downgrade process is starting and rear led will turn to yellow and there will be beep sound from the drone (it is normal). See at DJI GO app, there will be status bar show the downgrade process. If the rear led becomes green it means the process is complete, you also can see the succes notice at DJI GO App.

6. Restart the RC and Drone, connect DJI GO App, check the FW. Finish.


I hope it can help the issue of 1.6.80 firmware for Phantom 3 Standard


NOTE : DO IT WITH YOUR OWN RISK!

So did this work for you?

"Do it on your own risk!" means this will cause loosing my warranty?

Actually I have a nearly new drone with full warranty. In my opinion the drone has a problem, so I would better try getting a new one from my dealer instead of risking to loose warranty by trying to repair this one myself. Its a shame but this thing is way to expensive to either risk killing it or having to keep it as it is - as it is nearly useless actually.

Hello Rentner, could you synchronize your flight record and post your DJI account as well as the upgrade log here? This is the method to find the hidden log file:
1. Enable the option of viewing hidden files in your OS. Below are the websites where you can check how to show the hidden files in your PC.
For The Windows System:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en- ... den-files=windows-7
For The Mac System:
http://ianlunn.co.uk/articles/qu ... mac-os-x-mavericks/
2.Enter the root directory of the SD card, then find the hidden folder MISC and enter it. There is LOG folder in it.
3.The LOG txt file is under the LOG folder

The same thing for me, but I'm still flying on an old firmware. Can't get my P3S more than 65 m altitude without loosing signal or get the distance of 80 m over schools stadium in direct line of sight. On DJI Go app I see good signal (full bars), but suddenly it says no signal and red led on a remote. But I'm still able to control the quad and get it back. So I think this is more related to video feed transmission problems.

P3C_FW_RESULT_AB.txt:

========== 2016.05.07 15:25:19 =====================
Packet: P3C_FW_V99.99.9999.bin
Upgrading ...
Result: Success.

========== 2016.05.14 13:35:02 =====================
Packet: P3C_FW_V99.99.9999.bin
Upgrading ...
Result: Success.

P3C_FW_LOG_AB.txt:
[00898039]========== 2016.05.07 15:25:19. boot(1) ============
[00898161]Packet [C:\P3C_FW_V99.99.9999.bin] detected, card sn [0xc09f7e31].
[00898196]Packet upgrade start...

[00898238]Packet checking...
[00898276]Packet vlink 01.05.0070 <-> 01.04.0060.
[00898347]Done.

[00898387]Version checking[1]...
[00898422][01 00][00] v1.13.4312 -> v1.14.4920 need upgrade
[00898459][01 01][00] v1.13.4312 -> v1.14.4920 need upgrade
[00898540][03 06][00] v2.4.10.7 -> v2.4.14.5 need upgrade.
[00898587][04 00][00] v1.41.0.0 -> v1.44.0.0 need upgrade.
[00898648][09 00][00] v0.1.0.9 -> v0.1.1.0 need upgrade.
[00898757][11 00][00] v1.7.0.0 -> v1.8.0.0 need upgrade.
[00898791]Done.

[00900825]Waiting for user confirm...
[00910869]Timeout, start upgrade automatically.

[00910945]Firmware upgrading[1]...
[00927191][01 00] Firmware upgrade start...
[00013938][01 00] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00013996]Done.

[00014047]Packet [C:\P3C_FW_V99.99.9999.bin] resumed, card sn [0xc09f7e31].
[00014091]Packet vlink 01.05.0070 <-> 01.04.0060.
[00014159]Version checking[2]...
[00014240][01 00][05] v1.14.4920 -> v1.14.4920
[00014281][01 01][00] v1.13.4312 -> v1.14.4920 need upgrade
[00014347][03 06][00] v2.4.10.7 -> v2.4.14.5 need upgrade.
[00014393][04 00][00] v1.41.0.0 -> v1.44.0.0 need upgrade.
[00014451][09 00][00] v0.1.0.9 -> v0.1.1.0 need upgrade.
[00014568][11 00][00] v1.7.0.0 -> v1.8.0.0 need upgrade.
[00014614]Done.

[00014656]Firmware upgrading[2]...
[00014826][01 01] Firmware upgrade start...
[00045204][01 01] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00045248][11 00] Firmware upgrade start...
[00093716][11 00] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00093982][03 06] Firmware upgrade start...
[00496352][03 06] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00496414][09 00] Firmware upgrade start...
[00539347][09 00] Firmware upgrade finish without reboot.
[00569383][09 00] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00569450][04 00] Firmware upgrade start...
[00628541][04 00] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00628575]Done.

[00628611]Version checking[3]...
[00628648][01 00][05] v1.14.4920 -> v1.14.4920
[00628685][01 01][05] v1.14.4920 -> v1.14.4920
[00628804][03 06][05] v2.4.14.5 -> v2.4.14.5
[00628846][04 00][05] v1.44.0.0 -> v1.44.0.0
[00628904][09 00][05] v0.1.1.0 -> v0.1.1.0
[00629064][11 00][05] v1.8.0.0 -> v1.8.0.0
[00629101]Packet upgrade finish successfully.



[00150086]========== 2016.05.14 13:35:02. boot(15) ============
[00150122]Packet [C:\P3C_FW_V99.99.9999.bin] detected, card sn [0xc09f7e31].
[00150156]Packet upgrade start...

[00150195]Packet checking...
[00150244]Packet vlink 01.06.0080 <-> 01.05.0070.
[00150280]Record vlink 01.05.0070 <-> 01.04.0060 (flow = 0).
[00150316]Done.

[00150355]Version checking[1]...
[00150438][03 06][00] v2.4.14.5 -> v2.4.15.5 need upgrade.
[00150478]Done.

[00152515]Waiting for user confirm...
[00162561]Timeout, start upgrade automatically.

[00162634]Firmware upgrading[1]...
[00162913][03 06] Firmware upgrade start...
[00517536][03 06] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00517571]Done.

[00517617]Version checking[2]...
[00517710][03 06][05] v2.4.15.5 -> v2.4.15.5
[00517754]Packet upgrade finish successfully.

I will perform one more test flight tomorrow (bad weather today) at a location I already flew before the problem occurs. I will post more detailt information and account name here afterwards.

@emkisb: Did you ever upgrade or downgrade the firmware?

@rentner_im_alte: No never upgraded or downgraded. My P3S is quite new one week old. Was thinking on upgrading to 1.6.8 but after reading many posts I decided to wait.
I want try it in another locations and see how it performs with a current firmware, and if it will be the same, I will try to upgrade.

Default firmware on my P3S is something like 1.2.5. And the firmware before 1.6.8 was 1.5.7 if i'm not wrong. Still have not updated mine to 1.6.8.

As I promised yesterday I took my phantom to the same location I flew before the firmware update. I syncted my flight records. My account name should be "rentner323".

The date of the first flight was 08.05.2016. In the flight records you will see that I flew very big circles more then 100 meters away from the home point at a height of 100 meters without any problems.

Yesterday (21.05.2016) I tryed to do the same thing. But due to the massive signal losses this was not possible.
On the first part of the flight I tryed to check control range. I flew quite high (200m) to check if its still controlable during signal loss which was alwys the case. It seems that the signal loss is not recorded in the flight records, instead, the flight records are splittet. So you will find 15 flight records alwhough I only landed and started 3-4 times at the home point. The signal loss occurs quite randomly at distances at about 40 to 100 meters (view line distance) from the home point (controller). It will reconnect if I fly the drone back to 40-50 meters. So staying at a distance at about 40 to 50 meters will cause nearly random signal loss and reconnects.

This is very annoying, having a 2 week old phantom 3 and it already has become unusable!

If this can't Be fixed  by dji . This is the last time I buy a Drone from dji
One week old Drone and its usseles now after firmware update
Also no option to downgrade in the dji go app??? Why? Advance and pro have the option.
Is my money not good enough?
More then 1000 euro for a Drone is not in my budget and was so happy That there was finaly a Drone in my budget
But I regrat That I buy this piece of crap.

Please fix it ASAP DJI!!!

I wish I Never sold my parrot DroneI always works

Have exactly the same problem. It's a lot of threads already. Going to try downgrading today. But I'd like real suggestions from dji. It seems like a global problem after update. I can't fly!!!!

I had some mail exchange with DJI support.
Seems like they are not willing to give any technical information regarding this issue - but it seems to be known to them because they offered me to send it to repair whithout any further questions regarding the problem.
{:4_110:}

rentner_im_alte Posted at 2016-5-22 23:26
I had some mail exchange with DJI support.
Seems like they are not willing to give any technical inf ...

"but it seems to be known to them because they offered me to send it to repair"

You're making a a huge assumption here. Asking you to send it to them is NOT an admission that there is a known problem.

I posted in a thread I started and pretty much got mixed advice. Half saying yes update to the latest and the other half saying hold off. I really have no idea what to do. I have a brand new P3P with AC=1.4.10+ and RC = 1.5.70.

I have a P3S which i can easily fly 1 mile away but I'm afraid to try it with the P3P due to this issue. I don't know if the firmware I have has this issue and whether or not I should upgrade.

I wouldn't update to the latest firmware with all the problems, i haven't updated mine and it still works great. I am using the current dji go apps for android and ios though.

@Not A Speck Of:
There were a few other sentences in a e-mail from a german dji support technican that makes me think he defenetly knows whats the problem.

rentner_im_alte Posted at 2016-5-22 17:26
I had some mail exchange with DJI support.
Seems like they are not willing to give any technical inf ...

GOT the same mail. I am not gone send it back. You have to pay before you getting it back. I am not crazy henkie ( dutch saying) just bring the right firmware out DJI DON' t want to wait for two months to get it back and pay extra money

There are a few more new threads here in this forum related to the same issue. So the faulty firmware 1.6.80 is still available over auto update.
So wouldn't that be the first thing to remove it from the auto upgrade process to prevent more and more drones being damaged?
You all gys have to mail to DJI support!
Its a shame there is still no official reaction from DJI!

Edit:
I uploaded the fligh records to this tool:
LogViewer
Just for info, this tool shows "Downlink lost" as error message when the problem occurs.

titanflyers55@g Posted at 2016-5-23 08:55
Yeah guys... we all should complain them again and again.. lets give them shi$%t storm that they can ...

Anyone know if I can take the gimble out of my P3S and put it on my V912 HELICOPTER ?  IT GOES FARTHER THAN MY P3S THATS FOR SURE.   Thanks DJI.

Canadian-based Phantom 3 Standard owner.
I bought my drone a few weeks ago, updated it right out the box to 1.5.70 (didn't know better at the time). First few flights went great, flew 120 up and almost 500m out no problem, then after about 5 or so flights, all of a sudden I couldn't fly 50m away (a lot farther than that when I'm out in a open field with no electricity nearby, but still, around houses and such it's not even worth flying) without the dreaded RC signal lost warning. I have been flying my drone very little since then, hoping for a new firmware update. a few weeks ago DJI released a 1.6.80 but apparently that's worse than the 1.5 so I'm not updating. Have any of you guys tried it? Do you guys know when DJI is releasing another update to fix this issue? Does down-grading to the factory firmware help?

Just to give an update:
I got my drone back from DJI support.
The Repair reciept tells me they replaced the remote controller (If I look at the "about" page in the DJI Go App, the Flight Controller SN is still the same ... quite strange isn't it?).
The DJI Go App now tells me Firmware-Version 1.5.70+ whatever that means.
So far it looks like the problem is fixed. Range is still not great but the random disconnects at very low distances have disappered. I was able to fly 200 meters away in 150 meters height in a area quite close to a town so ... yeah ... I am able to use this drone again!

As far as I read about the issue, it seems like not every Phantom 3 Standard updated to version 1.6.80 has this problem. I also found older posts pilots telling the same story while updating to older firmware versions. So as far as I can tell it seems like it is more related to the firmware update process then to the firmware version itself.
So guys don't wait for a new firmware release to fix the issue. Use your warranty and send it for repair.

rentner_im_alte Posted at 2016-6-7 22:10
Just to give an update:
I got my drone back from DJI support.
The Repair reciept tells me they repla ...

Yes you are right,i think that it's the process and not the firmware itself.
Infact i try to downgrade my p3s but the rage issue still remain.

Guys, send your drone back to dji, if they receive hundreds drone back maybe they will test twice the next update ;)

emkisb@dtiltas. Posted at 2016-5-20 09:13
The same thing for me, but I'm still flying on an old firmware. Can't get my P3S more than 65 m alti ...

I have exactly the same problem with my PS3, I have forward the issue to DJI waiting for their answer.