I am hoping someone can answer this question...where does the firmware that controls our quadcopters reside? is it in the board above the camera? or deeper in the shell of the craft?...DJI KEN can you answer this? or perhaps one of the members?

Why is this important to know?

The answer is 'many places'. Firmware is employed in a number of sub-sections of the aircraft and controller, each section may have its own set of firmware to control it. There is no one place it is contained, however the main operating firmware is within an FPGA chip on the main board of the aircraft. The board above the camera has a programmable chip and therefore firmware, but it is solely to do with processing the images.

Airspace Explor Posted at 2016-6-21 15:58
Why is this important to know?

Good question in my book.

I wanted to know for a few reasons..the craft fascinates me is the first..I try to learn something new about it each day. Secondly I wondered if the craft crashed and destroyed the camera and the board above it if I could just buy those parts from another person that destroyed everything but those parts and they would be able to merely plug in and are ready to fly, or if this is where the firmware reside so that I would have to install proper firmware to make it functional. Thanks for the answer Geebax

Waxwings Posted at 2016-6-21 17:20
I wanted to know for a few reasons..the craft fascinates me is the first..I try to learn something n ...

So, besides curiosity, what you really want to know is the firmware versions of the various components. Then, if new hardware is assembled, compare the firmware versions and bring those up to date as needed.

This is a great question/ thread.

Thank you.

Geebax Posted at 2016-6-22 07:22
The answer is 'many places'. Firmware is employed in a number of sub-sections of the aircraft and co ...

This is pretty accurate, there are several modules on the aircraft and depending on what modules of the aircraft require the new firmware.

These are the modules I can think of on the Phantom 3 that receives their own firmware:

1. Flight Controls - Main board (IMU, navigation, compass, propulsion, etc.)
2. Camera+Gimbal - Could be two separate modules or combined, not sure
3. Intelligent Flight Battery
4. Remote Controller

There's a reason DJI call it the All-In-One firmware.