I just bought a Phantom 2 Vision + very reasonably. The previous owner apparently was a roofing company and they used the quad for video and pictures of their work for advertising purposes. They had some wifi issues with the Phantom and I guess just shelved it and bought newer.  The entire quad/controller is immaculate with no scratches or evidence of misuse or accidents. The controller has the wifi extender (?) and I've charged that as well. Battery seems to be good as it seemed to charge properly. (Both sat unused for a year or so. I understand from reading forums that there was/are issues with the wifi. Before I go any further with this are there software/firmware updates I should look into? I've not read enough into the issues yet to know what steps I should take.


Thanks
Wayne

First thing - read the manual at least twice.  

Also read the battery safety guidelines at least twice.  Be advised - the Phantom 2 battery does not have a auto-discharge system like the more modern batteries, so if you leave your flight battery fully charged for an excessive length of time, it will become bloated and you'll have to retire it.  

You likely have all the current firmware updates already installed as there haven't been any since 2015.  But you're going to need to download the Phantom 2 Vision Assistant software and the Phantom 2 RC Assistant software onto your desktop or laptop, and you'll need to download the DJI P2V+ flight app onto your mobile device.

When you get a chance, power everything up on your kitchen table with props removed and tell us if you have FPV and/or telemetry showing up on your mobile device.  

OK, as best  can tell there is some telemetry from Phantom. The phone (iPhone 5s) is showing altitude figures and they slightly change as the quad sits on the table. It's also showing battery life on the craft as well.
I can connect the Phantom to my phone's wifi but a moment later the phone says (under the Phantom's name) "no internet". I can initialize the quad using the control sticks and then it responds to control inputs.
Fwiw--I have several years experience flying r/c fixed wing so very familiar with all the proper handling of lipo batteries. No camera action of any kind other then the gimbal action of the camera's servos when power is first applied. I think I followed the instructions pretty carefully concerning the app etc. But still no camera communicating with phone. Suggestions?

What you are seeing is normal (no internet).

So you're saying telemetry is working, but otherwise you have a black screen with no FPV.  Correct?  

Yes a blank screen.
I can use the photo/video buttons on the phone screen--tap one and hear a shutter action sound from the gimbal mounted camera on the quad. Also see an led just above the
camera flash/change color etc when the functions are tapped on the phone screen. It appears at least some funtions of the camera are working although I can't make any change in the direction of the
camera. It does try to maintain it's position when moving the quad around.

Is this the wifi extender issue I've read about?


Wayne

Black screen.  Not blank screen.  It's a black screen.  Correct?  

Yes I black would be a good description. There is the background info within the app, telemetry etc but no video signal. I have seen something like the iris of a camera opening and closing on the phone screen but no indication of any video signal. Am I describing this correctly or clearly?

Yes, thank you.  There is an issue with your FPV transceiver which can be repaired by flashing the NAND, but there's a work around which works for most people - maybe everybody - and it works for me.  This won't repair the transceiver but it will allow you to get your FPV anyway regardless of the problem provided you follow the procedure with precision.  Somehow it forces the FPV to work.  So here's something to try.

First make sure everything is off.  

Try this:

1)  Turn on Range Extender.

2)  Wait 30 secs.

3)  Turn on controller

4)  Turn on AC

5)  Wait 30 secs.

6)  Turn on mobile device and let it boot up.  

7)  Enable Airplane Mode within your mobile device.

8)  Go to Settings of mobile device where you can find the WiFi connections.  Turn Wifi back on if airplane mode turned it off.

9)  Manually choose to connect to the Phantom_xxxxxxx wifi signal.  Wait for it to connect successfully.

8)  Back out of Settings.

9)  Load your flight app.

10)  Wait about 30 secs after it loads and see if the black screen disappears and you get your FPV.  

Good luck

Well you got my hopes up.........but no difference

If you're sure you did it correctly and it still won't work, you'll have to move on to something else.

Next best thing is to flash the NAND which is a bit involved.  You can find out how to do it on youtube.

If you're not up for that, there's a guy on eBay who will repair your module for $80.  

You can always buy a used module, but that gets pricey.  

Good luck.

Well I tried it twice but I'll give it another shot. Curious.....I've seen two different camera assemblies. One is the ball looking camera but mine is one with the couple arms and integrated servo assemblies.
Other than appearance is there a technical difference?

The P2V has the egg shaped camera and the transceiver is in the camera and it includes a little fan to keep things cool.  The P2V+ is the one you have with the transceiver attached to the AC's centerboard with no fan.  If you have a V3, the module has a perforated cover - DJI's attempt to cool it more efficiently.  I don't know what the technical differences are other than the P2V+ has a stronger transmitter and therefore overheats more easily.  

Many thanks! Much to learn for a 63 yr old..."old fart".

Wayne

In other words, you're as old as the rest of us  

Edit:  That usb cord coming from your phone.  That's a charging cord?  

Yes I had the phone charging at that time. Would that matter?

I doubt it but still I'd try it again without it

Just got a long procedure from DJI. I emailed customer service. I’ll describe it more when I get home from work.

Wayne

Well it wasn't a long procedure, looked long on my phone. Customer support wanted me to upgrade to in his words controller firmware vs 3.8. I wonder if he meant main controller firmware 3.08. The newest is 3.14 which I have.  I've tried it all over again with still no video feed. Although I've verified the camera works as I could see stills and videos thru the app (stored on memory card). Also the vertical panning control is working. I guess I'm a little bit closer. I've emailed CS back to see if I need to try to roll back to an earlier version.

Wayne

Update:  I tested mine yesterday - tried to fly with FPV - and it wouldn't work.  Took it home.  Tried 5-6 more times on the kitchen table.  Didn't work.  Shoot.  I was pretty much resigned to have to flash the NAND.  I even put some things in my Amazon cart.  

I researched a little more.  Somebody posted that they put their AC in the freezer for a few mins and got FPV that way.  Hmm.  It was in the 80s F yesterday when I tried it.  So this morning with the temps cooler - below 70 F - I tried again.  It worked first time!  :-D  

Wow...maybe I should try cooling the machine down and see what happens. I'll report back.

An update after a long absence.  Life sometime gets busy even for a retired guy. The V2+ sat on the shelf for a year or so occasionally flying just LOS. Finally got motivated to try the NAND flash.  I can handle most small electronics work but I enlisted the help of a friend for the finer nuances of the programming/reflashing work. It took us a bit longer than we expected (maybe 4 hours) I think mainly due to locating the proper files online as well as one wiring mistake on the small usb/ttl interface.  But we finally had success and now all functions as it should. But before I reattach and secure the top half of the vehicle is there modification that would help going forward? As I understand it some think this is a heat related failure and others a DJI forced firmware update. Maybe both?
Maybe I should tape an ice cube to the top before each flight.......

You noticed some thermal compound at the top of the module.  You might consider adding some if you think it needs it.  Arctic Silver is popular.  But doing that won't keep the NAND from failing again.  The best thing you can do if you're not going to fly for a while is to start it up at least once a month.  Keep it on for at least a minute.  Then turn it off.  I start mine up every three weeks just to be sure.  Starting it regularly is the most productive thing you can do to help ensure a long life.  

Here you can see my P2V circa 2013 is still operating like new.  




Otherwise, as far as heat, don't fly it in the middle of the day in the summer.  And don't idle it for long periods without the props/motors on because the prop wash is what cools the interior.  

Congrats on flashing the NAND!

Good luck

Nice video!

Thanks for the quick response and the tips.  Curious as to how far out do you feel safe flying? I fly fixed wing at our local R/C club (mostly 2  meter+ wingspan powered gliders). I've not flown much in two years as other issues got in the way. Our field is directly in the approach of a small local airfield so now we're limited to a 500' diameter circle from the center of the field. The 400' altitude restriction was never a real issue but the combination of the two has encouraged me to push my R/C addiction in other directions. Hence taking a second look at the Phantom. I also have an unfinished 100" wingspan Vista Grande that's simply too large for my field. I have a close friend who wants me to come fly from his property. He has 100+ acres with one clearing that's maybe 5+ acres directly in front of his house. I'll just have to avoid his four horses and the landmines........and the trees.

Just thought of another question.  On the camera shock mount. Should all 4 corners have that clear pin that snaps in or just 2?  Mine has two opposite corners pinned.

Just two.  Good luck.

Beemerider Posted at 2-13 03:49
Nice video!

Thanks for the quick response and the tips.  Curious as to how far out do you feel safe flying? I fly fixed wing at our local R/C club (mostly 2  meter+ wingspan powered gliders). I've not flown much in two years as other issues got in the way. Our field is directly in the approach of a small local airfield so now we're limited to a 500' diameter circle from the center of the field. The 400' altitude restriction was never a real issue but the combination of the two has encouraged me to push my R/C addiction in other directions. Hence taking a second look at the Phantom. I also have an unfinished 100" wingspan Vista Grande that's simply too large for my field. I have a close friend who wants me to come fly from his property. He has 100+ acres with one clearing that's maybe 5+ acres directly in front of his house. I'll just have to avoid his four horses and the landmines........and the trees.

Haha yeah you need to find a new spot for your fixed wing!  

How far out do I feel safe flying?  I haven't lost one yet, so - pretty far out.  

Check this guy:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dyxrdphjay3iwqg/P3_85430feet.mp4?dl=0