DJI has released new firmware v3.06 for Phantom 2 series

[helishmeli]

I'm guessing...they new about it first, they wanted this large community to be well informed as representives of the firmware authors. What does it really matter who posted it? This is really off topic and clutter for the real technical discussion on the firmware.

I guess I was just checking out the mods. I use a lot of internet forums and frequently see power hungry mods make many rules. I just got a Phantom 2 in June and started using this forum and saw a mod move a post. At the new post I noticed I saw someone telling something to a mod, and the mod's response was not very pleasant. I guess I was just seeing how this place is.

 

[gunslinger]

I'm guessing...they new about it first, they wanted this large community to be well informed as representives of the firmware authors. What does it really matter who posted it? This is really off topic and clutter for the real technical discussion on the firmware.

I guess I was just checking out the mods. I use a lot of internet forums and frequently see power hungry mods make many rules. I just got a Phantom 2 in June and started using this forum and saw a mod move a post. At the new post I noticed I saw someone telling something to a mod, and the mod's response was not very pleasant. I guess I was just seeing how this place is.

I'm not sure what happened in that instance or who the mod was, but I've found the mods on this forum to be very fair and very concerned about how we're perceived by the forum users. None of us are the least bit power hungry and we tend to put more rules on ourselves than on the forum users... Hope you enjoy the forum and if you have any issues or questions, please don't hesitate to ask...

-slinger

 

[helishmeli]

I'm guessing...they new about it first, they wanted this large community to be well informed as representives of the firmware authors. What does it really matter who posted it? This is really off topic and clutter for the real technical discussion on the firmware.

I guess I was just checking out the mods. I use a lot of internet forums and frequently see power hungry mods make many rules. I just got a Phantom 2 in June and started using this forum and saw a mod move a post. At the new post I noticed I saw someone telling something to a mod, and the mod's response was not very pleasant. I guess I was just seeing how this place is.

I'm not sure what happened in that instance or who the mod was, but I've found the mods on this forum to be very fair and very concerned about how we're perceived by the forum users. None of us are the least bit power hungry and we tend to put more rules on ourselves than on the forum users... Hope you enjoy the forum and if you have any issues or questions, please don't hesitate to ask...

-slinger

thank you slinger, i was probably just being stupid. if i find the reference i will let you know. you are right. this site seems to be very generous, organized, and fair.

 

[nhoover]

I finally upgraded my p2V+ from 3.02 to 3.06 and it seems to work pretty well. Then I upgraded the Android app from 1.0.50 to 1.0.52 and flew again. Works ok so far. I am not positive the J-Hook problems I've had since January are really fixed, but it seems to work pretty much ok. I am far from home in Montreal, Quebec - will see how it works back in California in a couple of weeks. Horizontal speed seems slower but that's ok. I did hit over 45mph with a 7-8mph tailwind in ATTI mode. Satellite count seems a little higher but I only have a couple of flights here to compare to. Have to test more. I plan to keep my P2V on 2.00 or put it back to 1.08 for speed runs etc. But I think I'll keep this on the P2V+. Need to try an autonomous flight too.

 

[helishmeli]

I finally upgraded my p2V+ from 3.02 to 3.06 and it seems to work pretty well. Then I upgraded the Android app from 1.0.50 to 1.0.52 and flew again. Works ok so far. I am not positive the J-Hook problems I've had since January are really fixed, but it seems to work pretty much ok. I am far from home in Montreal, Quebec - will see how it works back in California in a couple of weeks. Horizontal speed seems slower but that's ok. I did hit over 45mph with a 7-8mph tailwind in ATTI mode. Satellite count seems a little higher but I only have a couple of flights here to compare to. Have to test more. I plan to keep my P2V on 2.00 or put it back to 1.08 for speed runs etc. But I think I'll keep this on the P2V+. Need to try an autonomous flight too.

You have a vision and a vision+? That's cool.

I apologize for asking I just started this hobby in June, but could you elaborate on keeping your P2V in 2.00/1.08? Can you download previous firmwares? What is the benefit of 2.00 and what is the benefit of 1.08 for speed?

 

[macheung]

I finally upgraded my p2V+ from 3.02 to 3.06 and it seems to work pretty well. Then I upgraded the Android app from 1.0.50 to 1.0.52 and flew again. Works ok so far. I am not positive the J-Hook problems I've had since January are really fixed, but it seems to work pretty much ok. I am far from home in Montreal, Quebec - will see how it works back in California in a couple of weeks. Horizontal speed seems slower but that's ok. I did hit over 45mph with a 7-8mph tailwind in ATTI mode. Satellite count seems a little higher but I only have a couple of flights here to compare to. Have to test more. I plan to keep my P2V on 2.00 or put it back to 1.08 for speed runs etc. But I think I'll keep this on the P2V+. Need to try an autonomous flight too.

You have a vision and a vision+? That's cool.

I apologize for asking I just started this hobby in June, but could you elaborate on keeping your P2V in 2.00/1.08? Can you download previous firmwares? What is the benefit of 2.00 and what is the benefit of 1.08 for speed?

Quick recap on versions (all changes cumulative unless stated otherwise)
V1.08 original p2 release
V2.00 added ground station support, max descent speed reduced to 3m/s
V3.00 added flight restrictions (around airports and other locations), added 3d gimbal support
V3.04 reduced horizontal speed by about 30%, max descend speed further reduced to 2m/s
V3.06 fixed j hook issues in high magnetic declination locations, altered low battery go home behavior

There are some other minor stuff, but the above are the main points.

Do you have the 3d gimbal? If so, then you should update to v3.06, if not, then there are more considerations as the updates are not all positive for all users.

If you fly in areas with low magnetic declination, with 5 degrees of 0, then use v1.08 or v2 depending on whether you need ground station If you fly in areas of moderate declination (5-15), then you'll have to make a call to upgrade to v3.06 with all the pro and cons. Personally, I will not upgrade unless you do a lot of flying in gps mode. If you fly in areas of high declination above 15, then you probably should update as gps mode would be dangerous to use.

You can attempt to downgrade by loading previous versions of the assist. However, the firmware itself is stored on dji servers so that method may not work in the future. Also, You cannot downgrade certain components, so there may be points of no return if you update past certain levels, I believe v3.02 was one such threshold.

 

[Rok]

The compass at Phantom is not showing 0 as North like Your Suunto Compass, 0 at your Phantom is straight forward (the heading you had during power on is recorded after 30 sec.) In NAZA mode you can reset Compass to 0 during fligth also, that come in handy when using the course lock mode. If you want Phantom to show the same as your Suunto Compass, let the Phantom face 0 degrees (North) during power up.

I don't think it is correct. It doesn't matter how my phantom is heading at start. Every time the bearings difference is about 10 degrees.

 

[gunslinger]

I was finally able to get my P2V up in the air after the updates and IMU recal. It was still wandering around in a hover when I brought her up to fifteen feet. I also noted a bit of a weird vibration. I took her back down and changed out a pair of props, one of which I'd taped up for balance... No more vibration.

It was still wandering a bit, then I remembered the KP index was 4 yesterday and then again today. So... Not a great time for GPS testing... Monday/Tuesday looks to be down in the 2KP range, so I'll test it again. I did get satellite lock much faster and was at nine satellites in my side yard where I usually max out at seven... Nice!!!

-slinger

 

[ToddSmi]

I was finally able to get my P2V up in the air after the updates and IMU recal. It was still wandering around in a hover when I brought her up to fifteen feet. I also noted a bit of a weird vibration. I took her back down and changed out a pair of props, one of which I'd taped up for balance... No more vibration.

It was still wandering a bit, then I remembered the KP index was 4 yesterday and then again today. So... Not a great time for GPS testing... Monday/Tuesday looks to be down in the 2KP range, so I'll test it again. I did get satellite lock much faster and was at nine satellites in my side yard where I usually max out at seven... Nice!!!

-slinger

if your drifting/wandering happens to be related to magnetic declination, it will take a couple of batteries before it "learns" enough to fully correct the behavior. So maybe it will improve for you over time. I know it did for me.

 

[gunslinger]

I was finally able to get my P2V up in the air after the updates and IMU recal. It was still wandering around in a hover when I brought her up to fifteen feet. I also noted a bit of a weird vibration. I took her back down and changed out a pair of props, one of which I'd taped up for balance... No more vibration.

It was still wandering a bit, then I remembered the KP index was 4 yesterday and then again today. So... Not a great time for GPS testing... Monday/Tuesday looks to be down in the 2KP range, so I'll test it again. I did get satellite lock much faster and was at nine satellites in my side yard where I usually max out at seven... Nice!!!

-slinger

if your drifting/wandering happens to be related to magnetic declination, it will take a couple of batteries before it "learns" enough to fully correct the behavior. So maybe it will improve for you over time. I know it did for me.

Interesting... I'm not sure if magnetic declination is an issue in Southern New England... I'll look into that, though...

Thanks...
-slinger

 

[Joel_t]

I also noted a bit of a weird vibration. I took her back down and changed out a pair of props, one of which I'd taped up for balance... No more vibration. -slinger

I'm also getting some weird vibration since 3.06. Maybe just a coincidence but in a hover with no wind it was vibrating around a bit for no real reason.

 

[helishmeli]

I finally upgraded my p2V+ from 3.02 to 3.06 and it seems to work pretty well. Then I upgraded the Android app from 1.0.50 to 1.0.52 and flew again. Works ok so far. I am not positive the J-Hook problems I've had since January are really fixed, but it seems to work pretty much ok. I am far from home in Montreal, Quebec - will see how it works back in California in a couple of weeks. Horizontal speed seems slower but that's ok. I did hit over 45mph with a 7-8mph tailwind in ATTI mode. Satellite count seems a little higher but I only have a couple of flights here to compare to. Have to test more. I plan to keep my P2V on 2.00 or put it back to 1.08 for speed runs etc. But I think I'll keep this on the P2V+. Need to try an autonomous flight too.

You have a vision and a vision+? That's cool.

I apologize for asking I just started this hobby in June, but could you elaborate on keeping your P2V in 2.00/1.08? Can you download previous firmwares? What is the benefit of 2.00 and what is the benefit of 1.08 for speed?

Quick recap on versions (all changes cumulative unless stated otherwise)
V1.08 original p2 release
V2.00 added ground station support, max descent speed reduced to 3m/s
V3.00 added flight restrictions (around airports and other locations), added 3d gimbal support
V3.04 reduced horizontal speed by about 30%, max descend speed further reduced to 2m/s
V3.06 fixed j hook issues in high magnetic declination locations, altered low battery go home behavior

There are some other minor stuff, but the above are the main points.

Do you have the 3d gimbal? If so, then you should update to v3.06, if not, then there are more considerations as the updates are not all positive for all users.

If you fly in areas with low magnetic declination, with 5 degrees of 0, then use v1.08 or v2 depending on whether you need ground station If you fly in areas of moderate declination (5-15), then you'll have to make a call to upgrade to v3.06 with all the pro and cons. Personally, I will not upgrade unless you do a lot of flying in gps mode. If you fly in areas of high declination above 15, then you probably should update as gps mode would be dangerous to use.

You can attempt to downgrade by loading previous versions of the assist. However, the firmware itself is stored on dji servers so that method may not work in the future. Also, You cannot downgrade certain components, so there may be points of no return if you update past certain levels, I believe v3.02 was one such threshold.

Okay, so I am almost a little upset.
They lowered max speed by 30% in v.04? As soon as I read this jut now I want to dji.com and checked the phantom 2 max speed, sure enough it says 15m/s and I am pretty sure it said 20m/s when I first bought it. I knew something was up and it wasn't just me, why the hell can't I fly 20m/s? Is there anyway to get around this? I know I sound like I am overreacting but my god this really irritated me. If I put it in attitude, then can I hit 20m/s?

Also, I do have the 3D gimbal, but why must I update to v3.06 because of the gimbal? I already did update to v3.06 but still notice the same gimbal randomly yawning left problem.

Lastly, if v3.02 was the final threshold like you said, then that means I can't go to v2.00 but can do v3.02, meaning I can unlock the 20m/s speed limit.


Seriously this speed limit crap sucks. If they want to change it that's fine, but give me the option to get rid of it in assistant software.

 

[helishmeli]

I was finally able to get my P2V up in the air after the updates and IMU recal. It was still wandering around in a hover when I brought her up to fifteen feet. I also noted a bit of a weird vibration. I took her back down and changed out a pair of props, one of which I'd taped up for balance... No more vibration.

It was still wandering a bit, then I remembered the KP index was 4 yesterday and then again today. So... Not a great time for GPS testing... Monday/Tuesday looks to be down in the 2KP range, so I'll test it again. I did get satellite lock much faster and was at nine satellites in my side yard where I usually max out at seven... Nice!!!

-slinger

if your drifting/wandering happens to be related to magnetic declination, it will take a couple of batteries before it "learns" enough to fully correct the behavior. So maybe it will improve for you over time. I know it did for me.

Interesting... I'm not sure if magnetic declination is an issue in Southern New England... I'll look into that, though...

Thanks...
-slinger

I am also in Southern New England.

A couple of batteries? I usually toilet bowl in the beginning of a flight, by the end it is over. So hopefully it won't take too long for my P2 to get the hang of it.

I am in RI, are you in CT?

 

[ToddSmi]

Just looked it up. That region has a magnetic declination of approximately -15 degrees. You should see a big improvement when flying in GPS mode under the new firmware, once you have flown through a couple of batteries. I know I did in a 13 degree MD area.

 

[helishmeli]

Just looked it up. That region has a magnetic declination of approximately -15 degrees. You should see a big improvement when flying in GPS mode under the new firmware, once you have flown through a couple of batteries. I know I did in a 13 degree MD area.

I knew the magnetic declination was around 14 here, but I did not know this is high. I just found out earlier in this thread that the new updates limited speed. User macheung explained that previous versions can be used to go faster, and by faster I mean the original speed advertised by DJI. But this is not recommended for users in high magnetic declination areas.

I still can't get over this, how they limited speed.

 

[ToddSmi]

Just looked it up. That region has a magnetic declination of approximately -15 degrees. You should see a big improvement when flying in GPS mode under the new firmware, once you have flown through a couple of batteries. I know I did in a 13 degree MD area.

I knew the magnetic declination was around 14 here, but I did not know this is high. I just found out earlier in this thread that the new updates limited speed. User macheung explained that previous versions can be used to go faster, and by faster I mean the original speed advertised by DJI. But this is not recommended for users in high magnetic declination areas.

I still can't get over this, how they limited speed.

Ya, I hear you there. I do wish DJI allowed the option to change that in the software. When flying in manual, the limits are removed but most folks don't want to fly that way. ATTI is a good option for many pilots as you can go much faster than in GPS mode. IIRC, over 40 mph is doable in ATTI, and the descent speeds are faster as well.

Oh, and lots more on MD here if you've got extra reading time:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10317

 

[helishmeli]

Just looked it up. That region has a magnetic declination of approximately -15 degrees. You should see a big improvement when flying in GPS mode under the new firmware, once you have flown through a couple of batteries. I know I did in a 13 degree MD area.

I knew the magnetic declination was around 14 here, but I did not know this is high. I just found out earlier in this thread that the new updates limited speed. User macheung explained that previous versions can be used to go faster, and by faster I mean the original speed advertised by DJI. But this is not recommended for users in high magnetic declination areas.

I still can't get over this, how they limited speed.

Ya, I hear you there. I do wish DJI allowed the option to change that in the software. When flying in manual, the limits are removed but most folks don't want to fly that way. ATTI is a good option for many pilots as you can go much faster than in GPS mode. IIRC, over 40 mph is doable in ATTI, and the descent speeds are faster as well.

Oh, and lots more on MD here if you've got extra reading time:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10317

Oh holdup, so that speed limitation is removed in atti? It's just in gps?

I agree with you on the manual mode, I would like to learn to fly on it (I have it set on my switch instead of failsafe) but am too scared to try it.
I wonder why DJI even limited speed in the first place, and I wonder if they limited it by decreasing the max pitch angle.

 

[ToddSmi]

Oh holdup, so that speed limitation is removed in atti? It's just in gps?

I agree with you on the manual mode, I would like to learn to fly on it (I have it set on my switch instead of failsafe) but am too scared to try it.
I wonder why DJI even limited speed in the first place, and I wonder if they limited it by decreasing the max pitch angle.

You are correct in that the speed limitation is really set by the max pitch angle allowed. ATTI is still limited, but not as much as GPS. I believe it's a 10 degree difference in allowed pitch between ATTI and GPS. Both ATTI and GPS were throttled back around v3.0 I believe, so you will still have to decide if it's worth the upgrade for you. For me personally, I did the firmware update and when I want to fly fast I just switch to ATTI mode. That probably works fine for most people, but not everyone...the super long range flyers in particular can't afford to lose any speed because otherwise they won't make it home before the battery dies.

Anyhow, I don't want to hijack this thread, but there's a lot more discussion on this topic in this thread here if you need more details to help you in the decision and don't mind using the thread search tools (as it's a very long thread).

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2048910

 

[helishmeli]

Oh holdup, so that speed limitation is removed in atti? It's just in gps?

I agree with you on the manual mode, I would like to learn to fly on it (I have it set on my switch instead of failsafe) but am too scared to try it.
I wonder why DJI even limited speed in the first place, and I wonder if they limited it by decreasing the max pitch angle.

You are correct in that the speed limitation is really set by the max pitch angle allowed. ATTI is still limited, but not as much as GPS. I believe it's a 10 degree difference in allowed pitch between ATTI and GPS. Both ATTI and GPS were throttled back around v3.0 I believe, so you will still have to decide if it's worth the upgrade for you. For me personally, I did the firmware update and when I want to fly fast I just switch to ATTI mode. That probably works fine for most people, but not everyone...the super long range flyers in particular can't afford to lose any speed because otherwise they won't make it home before the battery dies.

I think I am a slave to the upgrade because of the magnetic declination in my area, otherwise I would upgrade to get my speed back. Like you I switch to ATTI when I want to go faster but I do not think it's right that I have to push it just to hit 18 m/s, I wish enough people complained for DJI to give us more freedom.

And one of my goals is super long range, so speed is necessary for me, but for now I do not go too far. I usually fly FPV and hardly ever do LOS, I am typically too far away to see it. I bought it for long range (long range relative to multirotors), which is why I am so mad with this speed thing.

 

[macheung]

It isn't always about long range, but speed us also necessary to film fast moving objects like boats and jet skis. I am disappointed that dji added this restriction without notice and refused to give us the freedom to choose. That is precisely the reason I am moving over to Walkera's h500 instead.