Phantom 3 Pro Gimbal goes limp...

Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 3, 2016

Hey Guys!

So, I'm pretty sure I got a killer deal even if i have to replace the camera. I found a Phantom 3 Advance with the Pro camera installed on it on Craigslist. The guy said he bought the camera off ebay and could never get it working; wanted to sell the whole thing for parts... (!!!!!!) got the whole thing, remote, battery and all for $250.

Once I got it home, I got it flying, everything works great. vision positioning, transmitter, everything is SOLID except the camera. When you turn it on, it goes through its boot up sequence, gimbal moves around, goes strait, and about 15 seconds later it goes limp... looks like he loaded the Pro firmware on the bird, which I confirmed with DJI, works. they said the advance and the pro camera are interchangeable, and that firmware should go with whatever camera is on it.

here's what I've done:
- Attempt to update firmware - no flashing light on camera at all... doesn't seem to even read the SD
-fittled with formatting etc of the SD card. confirmed with DJI it was all correct
- replaced the cables going from the P3A to the cameras... no fix
- hard reset/GMU calibration, etc. same issue
- Firmware update on the transmitter
- a whole lot of digging on forums and youtube

I've found a few people that had the same issue, but no posts on how it was fixed, besides "replaced cable, fixed issue" etc...

here's a video i posted of what it's doing:

My next move is to replace the ribbon cable of the camera/gimbal itself... has anyone else had this issue? was there another way it was fixed? I'll post a video so you guys can see whats going on. Id prefer not to drop $300 on another camera and see how I can salvage all of this!

Thanks in advance (Haaaa....)

Meta4 · Sep 3, 2016

Nick Del Vecchio said:
Once I got it home, I got it flying, everything works great. vision positioning, transmitter, everything is SOLID except the camera. When you turn it on, it goes through its boot up sequence, gimbal moves around, goes strait, and about 15 seconds later it goes limp...

Help please Limp Gimbal/Camera

Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 3, 2016

Meta4 said:
Help please Limp Gimbal/Camera

Thanks for the reply! I've used a couple different types (64gb and 8gb, both with 80mbps transfer)

Are there "approved" versions of the SD card?

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Meta4 · Sep 3, 2016

Nick Del Vecchio said:
Thanks for the reply! I've used a couple different types (64gb and 8gb, both with 80mbps transfer)
Are there "approved" versions of the SD card?

As long as it meets DJI specs, the Phantom will take plenty of different cards
Supported SD Card TypesMicro SD
Max capacity: 64 GB. Class 10 or UHS-1 rating required

But sometimes the camera will take a dislike to one particular card and appear to be dead like you described.
Removing the card or replacing it with another will bring the camera back to life.
I've seen this twice and heard of it a few times.

Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 4, 2016

Meta4 said:
As long as it meets DJI specs, the Phantom will take plenty of different cards
Supported SD Card TypesMicro SD
Max capacity: 64 GB. Class 10 or UHS-1 rating required

But sometimes the camera will take a dislike to one particular card and appear to be dead like you described.
Removing the card or replacing it with another will bring the camera back to life.
I've seen this twice and heard of it a few times.

Sweet. I'll try it again later today... it unfortunately does this with or without an SD card. I'll make sure to get one that we know for a fact fits into those specs and see where we get.

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rjohnson45 · Sep 4, 2016

Had the same issue ..... I ended up having to send my in due to bad firmware .... When you check the logs all looks good except there's one part in the file that tells you to send it in only dji can fix it ....... I Ts for weeks and read anything I could to try from me not having to .... Trust me stop right now box it up and send it in save yourself from more added frustration

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 4, 2016

rjohnson45 said:
Had the same issue ..... I ended up having to send my in due to bad firmware .... When you check the logs all looks good except there's one part in the file that tells you to send it in only dji can fix it ....... I Ts for weeks and read anything I could to try from me not having to .... Trust me stop right now box it up and send it in save yourself from more added frustration

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Bummer. Not what I want to hear haha. How much did it cost you to get it fixed?

My worry is mine is an advance, guy I bought it from put the "pro" camera on it and loaded the pro firmware on it (confirmed with DJI this is completely fine) apparently the aircraft is the same, the only difference is the camera and charger. I'm just worried because I bought it used in going to get charged an arm and a leg to get this thing in the air...

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rjohnson45 · Sep 6, 2016

They fixed it for free

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 15, 2016

rjohnson45 said:
They fixed it for free

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That's good! I've got mine in with DJI right now - waiting to hear back... I bought it used, so I'm afraid I'm "out of warranty"...

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 16, 2016

rjohnson45 said:
They fixed it for free

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So I just got an update from DJI - they are doing it free of charge, even without a proof of purchase! Stoked to get it back and use that camera!

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Loz · Sep 20, 2016

Hi Nick - I'm in similar boat, bought a pre-loved phantom 3 Pro that is exhibiting all the same symptoms as you both described and in your video. I'm in Melbourne Australia so getting to DJI less easy I suspect. Wondering if you gained any view of what DJI did in their repair of yours that I may try before I too bite the bullet? Thanks

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 20, 2016

Lawrie said:
Hi Nick - I'm in similar boat, bought a pre-loved phantom 3 Pro that is exhibiting all the same symptoms as you both described and in your video. I'm in Melbourne Australia so getting to DJI less easy I suspect. Wondering if you gained any view of what DJI did in their repair of yours that I may try before I too bite the bullet? Thanks

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That was my original thought process... I'm waiting for them to ship mine back to me (hopefully today) but from what I've read from other people, it's a firmware error... there's no way we as consumers can re-flash the firmware or wipe the bird.

I tried everything I could that other people said would work, but in the end I gave in. The good news is they'll cover it, even though I bought pre owned, they still sent me a shipping label and are doing the repairs for free! I haven't dropped a dime on it (outside of replacing those cables on my own)

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rjohnson45 · Sep 20, 2016

Cool cool glad to hear ...... I hope you didn't go threw as much frustration as I did before sending it in

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 20, 2016

rjohnson45 said:
Cool cool glad to hear ...... I hope you didn't go threw as much frustration as I did before sending it in

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Ha. I did a lot before finally giving in. I'm glad I did though, just got shipping confirmation that it's on its way home. I'm SO ready to fly again.

Loz · Sep 21, 2016

Thanks for reply Nick - very interested in your result once you get it back. Likewise I've spent a massive amount of time trying to resolve this. Guess I need to contact DJI as well. Thanks & good luck

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 21, 2016

Lawrie said:
Thanks for reply Nick - very interested in your result once you get it back. Likewise I've spent a massive amount of time trying to resolve this. Guess I need to contact DJI as well. Thanks & good luck

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Yeah, I would contact them if you're having the same problems - it's a firmware issue... nothing else I did worked. I changed cables tried multiple versions of firmware, all sorts of calibrations, and any other crazy "tricks that worked" online.

According to the tracking number, I'll receive it tomorrow - I'll give an update and maybe a video once I've got it up in the air.

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 21, 2016

Lawrie said:
Thanks for reply Nick - very interested in your result once you get it back. Likewise I've spent a massive amount of time trying to resolve this. Guess I need to contact DJI as well. Thanks & good luck

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Also, it might be worth a look to see if they have a repair office in OZ. You'd think hey would. I'd love to see some of your shots of Melbourne when you get it working! Melbourne was amazing when I visited. I lived up north in Townsville for a couple years before coming back to the states!

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 22, 2016

UGH. So. I got the drone back today. so far so good! I haven't gotten it in the air, but i've powered it up and tested it. gimbal is responding/recording etc. I'm about to take it outside when I notice the gimbal says "Phantom ADV". I sent it in with the 3 Professional 4k gimbal. not the advanced gimbal. I'm pretty frustrated they didn't catch that. Apparently chat support is down, and they're closed in the US. yay... time to wait. again. I'll post an update when I get a response from DJI.

Loz · Sep 22, 2016

Feel your frustration, but sounds like they fixed it, just not like you expected. I'll need to check what they have here - getting restless to have fixed now as Spring is upon us..

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Nick Del Vecchio · Sep 22, 2016

Lawrie said:
Feel your frustration, but sounds like they fixed it, just not like you expected. I'll need to check what they have here - getting restless to have fixed now as Spring is upon us..

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Yeah... I'm super happy that it's fixed, I think it was just an oversight; i'm talking to support now. It says on my shipping confirmation they were shipping a phantom 3 professional camera with it... so there is documented proof thats what it was supposed to be