P3 Advanced with a 4k Camera

Isn't the processor board in the gimbal?
The sensor of the P3A and P3P is the same. It seems that inside the camera there is not much more than electronics to drive and read out the sensor. Look at this picture from a video where the replaced the lens.
View attachment 44883
Maybe the camera (including board) is also the same, except for the marking 4K.
Could the only difference be the gimbal board and the ventilator on the gimbal?

That is what I am thinking. From a cost perspective it makes sense to just mass order one camera and gimbal unit. I still think that the 4K camera has the extra 4K processor chip as I read somewhere, that makes sense. So essentially in production they use the same parts but for the top section of the camera/gimbal unit they supply it with the 4K motherboard, and a nice 4K stamp on the front. I would do the same if it kept production costs low. They can also use universal parts in the repair center. I could even see a possibility where if the 4K capable boards were cheap enough they would simply lock down some as 2.7K with chip firmware. Didn't they already do that with Naza and Naza 2 or something like that? I was an electronic field repair tech for many years. The boards or even whole modules are so cheap these days the company I worked for would throw complex boards away rather than ship back for even simple repairs.

P.S. Look at what they already did. 1080p became 2.7k with some firmware magic.
 
So you can you can upgrade the advanced 2.7K camera to 4K with just the processing board from the top section correct?
Yes. You also need to upgrade to Pro FW.

You will need an additional fan to cool the heat generated during heavy processing.

I believe DJI can make more profits by limiting to just one 4K version (A& P) and keeping an intermediate price :) usually marketing people don't agree to such suggestions as they like to offer solution for each segment: beginners, advance and experts. As this is a flying camera, word 'expert' probably got changed to 'professional'
 
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I totally agree. The pricing scheme was a marketing thing. It is nothing new. Look at GM. The Suburban and Escalade are a great example of marketing. They also have 20 versions in between. I was willing to commit a certain amount of money to this hobby and felt good to be way above the standard but was OK with 2nd best for image quality at my price point. I now want the 4K ability mainly for the 10MB bit rate HDMI out that I will probably use in the future. If I can get it with a little hardware swap for buying a ~$100 broken P3P camera and a firmware flash, that is a good deal for me.

P.S. I still wonder why someone from China has not cloned the HDMI out board to sell for $19.99? Maybe they have honor among thieves and only rip off foreign product copyrights?
 
dfdddda0bc18baa38d604a08f5bfe7db.jpg



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P.S. I still wonder why someone from China has not cloned the HDMI out board to sell for $19.99? Maybe they have honor among thieves and only rip off foreign product copyrights?

That's because there's complex firmware in it that can't be stolen so easy from FPGA chips ... and reverse engeneering it is very expansive.
 
Whoa! That last aentence was pretty loaded! Haha
I am just saying it like it is. I love buying the stuff cheap but most great products we buy on the cheap from China started with innovation right here in the USA. First transistors, then microprocessors, Televisions, etc. We invented most of it. I am not complaining though. Imagine if the P3 was made by a company in Iowa. It would probably cost $2,000, even with the parts coming from China, Malaysia and Japan. But that is another discussion, I should stay on topic.
 
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dfdddda0bc18baa38d604a08f5bfe7db.jpg



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THANK YOU! It is nice that someone has the apples to apples right there in one image!
 
THANK YOU! It is nice that someone has the apples to apples right there in one image!

I can't take credit for the photo !! I found it in my searches and saved it !!! I can only take credit for the share !! Lol


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Thanks for sharing. It answers a lot of peoples questions.
 
P.S. does anyone know if the gimbal is controlled by that same camera motherboard?
 
P.S. does anyone know if the gimbal is controlled by that same camera motherboard?

Yes the gimbal board controls the camera assembly (gimbal included) and also provides telemetry data.


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OK that's what I thought.
 
I am just saying it like it is. I love buying the stuff cheap but most great products we buy on the cheap from China started with innovation right here in the USA. First transistors, then microprocessors, Televisions, etc. We invented most of it. I am not complaining though. Imagine if the P3 was made by a company in Iowa. It would probably cost $2,000, even with the parts coming from China, Malaysia and Japan. But that is another discussion, I should stay on topic.
I wasn't necessarily disagreeing. Was just jarring to see such a loaded thought process packed into one tightly knit set entrance. Was a compliment really.
 
I didn't take it as an insult. I got the humor. :)
 
THANK YOU! It is nice that someone has the apples to apples right there in one image!

I agree, it is nice to learn more about the inner workings of these wonderful pieces of technique.
Here is another link with more pictures:
DJI Phantom 3 camera wiring diagram

How far are we with the differences of the P3A and P3P:
RC: identical
AC: identical except for the gold stickers?
Gimbal: two different boards. P3P also has a ventilator
Camera: board probably identical. Sensor identical. P3P has other marking (4K).

So you can safely replace the P3A gimbal/camera with the P3P gimbal/camera.
You only need to change the firmware and then it is a P3P?
It also means that you could probably use a crashed P3P camera with mechanical damages to replace the gimbal box of a P3A and you'll end up with a P3P?
 
I converted my P3A to P3P by replacing Cam/ Gimbal to 4K. What a difference in picture quality! I am impressed. I will never go for resolution less than 4K ever :)
 
The person who did this stated that the app worked perfect.
I think it's in the firmware in the camera. I wonder if you put a P3A camera into a P3P if it would recognize it as a P3A camera and not list the 4K option? I think it would not list the 4K option. Since the P3A doesn't have the fan to keep the processor cool during 4K operation it's probably just firmware limited in the camera processor itself IOW No fan=No 4k. I'm not even sure there is a real difference in the firmware for the P3A and P3P. Maybe it just recognizes what model it is from some internal write-only software data on the P3 board and also on the camera board. These are mass produced in such large numbers it's quite likely the same assembly line till it gets to the camera mounting, then the case top and stickers.
 
There are BIG differences besides just that little fan. It is what the fan is cooling and that is several extra chips to process video way better than the P3A camera can.

I just sold my P3A and got someone else's P3P for a good price. Even after losses from selling one and buying another I almost broke even and now have a 3rd battery and an extra backpack I need to sell off. I am also impressed at the P3P video quality. I also realize my PC cannot handle 4K at all. My videos look clear but stutter on playback. I can work on that. I am just glad that my Lightbridge video feed looks better now as well.
 
I would assemble my camera, used now in the aircraft Pantom 4k, in the advanced model, I would like to know if it's possible, and also I'm worry about if this aircraft has problems, when I'll connecting his camera maybe it does not fly anymore.
Since I have the opportunity to test it before buy it? I would not damage my camera. can someone help me?
thank you and regards
 

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