I bought a Phantom Pro 3 new in December 2015. No live feed on DJI GO right out of the box. Tried many tablets and phones, updating firmware but never got anywhere. Everything else worked great and you could take pictures or video but no live feed. We got burned out after buying such an expensive item and it didn't work so we have rarely used it. A few weeks ago I bought a refurbished Phantom 3 Pro and it has worked great out of the box. Live feed and works on whatever IOS device we put in it. I decided to mess with the old Phantom 3 Pro and it still won't live feed with the same IOS device, same USB cable, same DJI GO app. We even synced it to the newer controller with no luck and then synced our old controller to to the new Phantom 3 pro and it did live feed.
So... it is definitely the old Phantom 3 pro that is the problem. I tried to update it to the firmware 1.11.20. It ended up giving me the error sound when done. i tried again several times with same rusult. On the DJI Go app, it shows the Aircraft at version 1.11.20 but the text file on the micro sd card says it failed to load and to try again. I guess I first need to get the firmware to load properly so please help me with that, but I still suspect the wifi module has been bad from new and is probably the cause of never having live video feed. Please elaborate on tha problem too.

The Phantom 3 Pro never had a WiFi board, it does not use WiFi at all, so that is not the cause of the problem.

It's a puzzle why you didn't have a warranty repair or at least a conversation with DJI in 2015.  Could have been a RC/AC FW mismatch.  We'd need the prev RC/AC FW to speculate on that.  Then when you went to update recently, the AC may have overheated which is a known problem with the P3P.  A fan on the gimbal would have kept it cool.  

It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.
Everything else on the control panel will work, the camera included, just no live feed. (See Photo).
You will need to send the drone away for repair.

Mark The Droner Posted at 3-10 02:53
It's a puzzle why you didn't have a warranty repair or at least a conversation with DJI in 2015.  Could have been a RC/AC FW mismatch.  We'd need the prev RC/AC FW to speculate on that.  Then when you went to update recently, the AC may have overheated which is a known problem with the P3P.  A fan on the gimbal would have kept it cool.

We had many DJI conversations back then. They kept blaming it on our mobile device, or the app, or needing the newest firmware (which we installed back then), or the RC and the AC not being paired correctly, or the usb cord not the right one.  Anything BUT being a defective aircraft. We got tired of spending hours trying to research or fiddle with settings. We saw many other posts where people were having the same problem and not getting any help. If its the AC having problems, they could have let us know and widely disseminate it and what exactly the problem was. They had to be repairing many of them and could let us know the parts that are failing. It is still hard to find out what component we need to replace. The only reason I started up again to fix this AC is the fact that i have an identical one so I have eliminated all the mickey mouse excuses as to why my new (back then) AC won't work. Now I know it is the AC so I don't have to mess with all the other fluff they try to tell you is wrong besides a defective AC.

Geebax Posted at 3-9 18:08
The Phantom 3 Pro never had a WiFi board, it does not use WiFi at all, so that is not the cause of the problem.

OK, I must have been drifting through Phantom 2 posts when I took hold of that idea. What goes out on the Phantom 3 pro that needs replaced?

Nic6 Posted at 3-10 04:47
It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.
Everything else on the control panel will work, the camera included, just no live feed. (See Photo).
You will need to send the drone away for repair.

Does it also not want to accept the current firmware upgrade correctly? Can we just get parts and replace the circuit board ourselves? As long as I don't have the sd card that i put the update on, My AC still acts like it always did: everything works as it should except for the live feed. If I put that particular sd card in it, it tries to update for a few seconds and then buzzes and diables the AC>

Quote from main drone fixer in the United Kingdom....

10/03/2019 3:20 pm    Doctor Sheldon

Hi Nic, Thanks for getting in contact. The fault you describe is not uncommon and could be the "08-15 error", which occurs after a failed firmware update. Unfortunately the only fix for this is to replace the camera/gimbal unit and this is a problem since DJI stopped manufacturing them some time ago. We may be able to repair the unit in house however with this fault it cannot be guaranteed, and if not we'd have to forward the unit to DJI's Holland service centre where they still have some stock of new camera/gimbal units.

So although the camera works the whole gimbal and camera has to be replaced because DJI knowingly and recklessly put a firmware upgrade out which wasn't tested, this is why the Phantom models are being discontinued...

I will keep you updated ...

Nic6 Posted at 3-10 04:47
It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.
Everything else on the control panel will work, the camera included, just no live feed. (See Photo).
You will need to send the drone away for repair.

'It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.'

Not true at all. Firmware upgrades CANNOT destroy circuit boards, that is complete rubbish. You are spouting unfounded and unsubstantiated rumours based on a non-existent knowledge of electronics, stop this BS.

If your refurbished aircraft works OK with the original RC unit, then there is a fault in the aircraft. As there are no circuit diagrams for these aircraft, you should send it to be repaired.

You have telemetry?

The latest firmware update for the Phantom 3 damages the drone, it's common knowledge, DJI know it too.
Mine worked perfectly before the update and Drone Doctor based in Brighton, England are well aware of it.
Look at post 4, the Phantom 3 Professional has hardly been flown and is in very good condition, everything works, the camera records video and takes photos and stores them on the SD card, just no live feed
because of the latest firmware.
DJI and others are in denial...

Geebax Posted at 3-10 12:25
'It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.'

Not true at all. Firmware upgrades CANNOT destroy circuit boards, that is complete rubbish. You are spouting unfounded and unsubstantiated rumours based on a non-existent knowledge of electronics, stop this BS.

It is not refurbished it was purchased new.

Mark The Droner Posted at 3-10 12:33
You have telemetry?

You don't seem to want to answer.  

From your photo above, you are getting feedback from the AC, so the airside transmitter is functioning, but the FPV, and possibly some other functions don't work.  

You want to blame a FW update.  But you write:  the Phantom 3 Professional has hardly been flown

There's your likely problem.  By your own admittance, you've hardly flown it.  If you dont fly for long periods, you are begging for problems because you are creating the opportunity for a corrupt Nand.   

This appears to be the same problem which has been known for quite a few years now.  Here is a thread on it from several years back.  The OP was posted in 2016 and edited in 2017.

https://phantompilots.com/thread ... sistant-tool.77073/

To summarize, here is a copy and paste from the OP of that thread:

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

This is a problem of the "nand flash". This problem is common to a lot of modules from Dji (p3p no signal, rc transmitter inspire no signal, vision plus live view not working, etc. etc.).
The problem appears when people use LB ( and other devices from Dji) few times during the year, leaving long period where they don't use the device.
Bad blocks in the memory grows up continuously, but if you once a month start the device, Linux marks bad blocks, and it changes the system parameters, "repairing" the memory.
But if you don't use it for 3-4-5 month (in my case 1 month), bad blocks corrupt the flash in the UBL component area or in the U-BOOT component area, and you will no more be able to boot it.
In Phantom4 Dji removed this memory and this kind of problem should not appear.
The solution is to flash again the firmware on the internal memory of the LB.

...

Read the thread's OP for a solution if you'd like to try to fix it yourself.  Or send the AC and controller into DJI for repair.  Or send it in to somebody else for repair.  Or either replace the camera/gimbal unit yourself or replace the controller yourself - whichever has the bad module.

Good luck.

This sounds exactly like my problem. I've left my Advanced in the box a few months, and now I have no live feed and the PC wont connect to the USB post on the gimble. I also have no light on the gimble.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9d15em8xt4pfap/VID_20190315_161814.mp4?dl=0

Is this the real problem?

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

This is a problem of the "nand flash". This problem is common to a lot of modules from Dji (p3p no signal, rc transmitter inspire no signal, vision plus live view not working, etc. etc.).
The problem appears when people use LB ( and other devices from Dji) few times during the year, leaving long period where they don't use the device.
Bad blocks in the memory grows up continuously, but if you once a month start the device, Linux marks bad blocks, and it changes the system parameters, "repairing" the memory.
But if you don't use it for 3-4-5 month (in my case 1 month), bad blocks corrupt the flash in the UBL component area or in the U-BOOT component area, and you will no more be able to boot it.
In Phantom4 Dji removed this memory and this kind of problem should not appear.
The solution is to flash again the firmware on the internal memory of the LB.

Marcus F Posted at 3-16 01:34
This sounds exactly like my problem. I've left my Advanced in the box a few months, and now I have no live feed and the PC wont connect to the USB post on the gimble. I also have no light on the gimble.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e9d15em8xt4pfap/VID_20190315_161814.mp4?dl=0

Does your camera work, if you take photos and record video are the files written to your SD card?

Nic Adair Posted at 3-16 01:44
Does your camera work, if you take photos and record video are the files written to your SD card?

I've not tried, i'll have a go and see what happens.

Nic Adair Posted at 3-16 01:44
Does your camera work, if you take photos and record video are the files written to your SD card?

I've not tried, i'll have a go and see what happens.

Marcus F Posted at 3-16 02:04
I've not tried, i'll have a go and see what happens.

OK, so I've started Drone and controller up, started the app.. Pressed the record buttons on the controller and nothing has recorded? Does this tell me anything?

I get this image when I connect the Gimbal to the PC?

If you don't start the drone within a certain time period the Lightbridge module becomes corrupt and MUST be replaced.
Make sure your drone is booted up at least once every 3 weeks.

Phantom 3 Video Downlink Module V14 is the faulty part.

Sent drone to Holland for repair, cost £190 (215 Euros).

Geebax Posted at 2019-3-10 12:25
'It's the firmware upgrade that destroys circuits on the board, DJI know about this problem and have decided to turn a blind eye.'

Not true at all. Firmware upgrades CANNOT destroy circuit boards, that is complete rubbish. You are spouting unfounded and unsubstantiated rumours based on a non-existent knowledge of electronics, stop this BS.

You must think wider. The update will not break anything programmatically, but there might be  a flaw. Eg. if the program loops endlessly while waiting for something that is not happening, it is quite possible to have the board heat up too much.

joshoreefe Posted at 6-30 21:28
You must think wider. The update will not break anything programmatically, but there might be  a flaw. Eg. if the program loops endlessly while waiting for something that is not happening, it is quite possible to have the board heat up too much.

More gobbledegook. None of what you say I makes technical sense. You have no idea of how things work electronically. Do everyone a favour and go join the 5G nut jobs in England. Your knowledge of electronics would be well suited to their cause.