WARNING - Firmware 5.24

[Droider]

We have found a glitch in the new firmware and I only just realised what it was while flying with Eyeball on Wednesday.

I kept getting weird flash combination while in GPS and then unexpected wanderings of the craft. What we have realised is that the new feature that automatically swithech the craft back to atti id GPS is lost or the GPS module fails or falls off id WAY WAY to sensitive.

With 9 satellites seen on both my onboard Spektum unit and a Garmin on the ground the craft would drop into atti and take a few seconds to regain, sometimes just a flick of to atti and then back to GPS worked but it was a real head scratcher at first. I noticed it while doing very long slow following shots on a subject on the last shoot we did. It was almost like we the craft went to fail-safe and at first thats what we thought was happening as we where at quite a range.

It was only when doing much closer shots of the same thing we noticed the weird flashing pattern, delving back into the manual and lookng at the scores of flashing combinations did it click and Eyeball also then realised he had the same issues on his X4.

MY advice, go back to 5.22 until they sort it.

Dave

PS if this has been posted before apologies but I have been working away and had little chance to do much forum work.
.

 

[Droider]

Mmm. Cant seem to roll back!

Has anyone tried a roll back with these latest releases?

Dave

 

[Droider]

Bugger! Now I have a frozen unit with just blue solid light any clues?

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

I've been trying to roll back from 5.24 but i keep getting 'upgrade interrupted'. If you find a way, let me know!

 

[Droider]

I've been trying to roll back from 5.24 but i keep getting 'upgrade interrupted'. If you find a way, let me know!

You need to roll back to an older version than 5.22. I rolled back to 5.20 then upgraded to 5.22. Warning though, if you have a bluetooth module you will not be able to use the app to connect to it as it just says you need to upgrade to latest firmware!

Now I am trying to find out how to reset the blue tooth module and delete registered configurations.. butnoi joy it would seem once you have assigned the BT module a name and config then thats it, you cannot delete that profile!

Dave

 

[nigelbrogan]

What is the problem with 5.24? How does it affect the hexacopter. Please put it in noobs terms.

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

You need to roll back to an older version than 5.22. I rolled back to 5.20 then upgraded to 5.22. Warning though, if you have a bluetooth module you will not be able to use the app to connect to it as it just says you need to upgrade to latest firmware!e

Droid ear, if I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like the issue you are describing is because you have the latest iPhone app. 5.22 of the WKM isn't compatible with the latest app. I gave up two weeks ago because getting the old iPhone app is nearly impossible... At least, I found no way to downgrade the app.

 

[Droider]

What is the problem with 5.24? How does it affect the hexacopter. Please put it in noobs terms.

Its not safe if relying on GPS mode or using come home/failsafe

Dave

 

[Droider]

Droid ear, if I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like the issue you are describing is because you have the latest iPhone app. 5.22 of the WKM isn't compatible with the latest app. I gave up two weeks ago because getting the old iPhone app is nearly impossible... At least, I found no way to downgrade the app.

Double bugger.. thanks for saving anymore of my time..

Dave

 

[nigelbrogan]

Thanks Dave.

 

[nigelbrogan]

So is it safe to fly in atti mode?

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

So is it safe to fly in atti mode?

From reading the other thread Droider wrote, it seems like the answer is yes. The WKM just ocassionally drops out of GPS mode into Attitude mode.

Droider, is there any chance that it is your GPS? I'm just curious because this hasn't been reported previously in the 3ish weeks its been out.

 

[nigelbrogan]

What was the flashing combination? It's not a lot of fast flashing red lights?

 

[Droider]

From reading the other thread Droider wrote, it seems like the answer is yes. The WKM just ocassionally drops out of GPS mode into Attitude mode.

Droider, is there any chance that it is your GPS? I'm just curious because this hasn't been reported previously in the 3ish weeks its been out.

No its definitely 5.24. I will live with out blue tooth for now coz this machine is totally dialled in and does 90% of our work. Eyeball is probibly the best builder in the UK and he was wondering if he had a fault GPS but when mine started doing it after the upgrade he knew it want the GPS. I have downgraded to 5.22 which did not have the function and I will see what that is like if I aint happy Ill go back to 5.20. We have a busy week this week and the last thing I need is gremlins!

Dave

 

[Droider]

What was the flashing combination? It's not a lot of fast flashing red lights?

No a weird combination of yellow with the odd green one...

 

[jhardway]

Dave

I believe DJI still has some GPS issues, and that is possibly why they added the going into att mode when gps losses a differential ability (3D mode). I actually think when the GPS unit is on the verge of Diff mode, in certain situations, the mysterious flip of death may come into effect. I am a person who had the flip take place, twice!!!

If I look at all the elements when the flip took place, it was a different frame, motors set, esc's, WK-M unit. The only commonalities between the two situations was a FC type (wk-m), each were in a questionable GPS Lock, and in both case the motor closest to the North revved up to full throttle and flipped the copter.

I am on the theory that when the wk-m drops from GPS lock and comes right back in, before you will see it in the LED, I think there could be some type of glitch and that may be the reason they have made the software convert into att, it results in a safer situation?????.

When GPS is in 2d mode, less than 4 satellites, it still will have a decent accuracy, one that I would prefer over switching to ATT mode, but since that is what they are now doing makes me think, they may not have that completely figured out yet.

With that said I did go up to 5.24 and flew fine however when I was sent another unit for other reasons, I loaded 5.24 and found it not working the way I liked it, I rolled it back to 5.22 and that is where I am right now.

 

[Droider]

Dave

I believe DJI still has some GPS issues, and that is possibly why they added the going into att mode when gps losses a differential ability (3D mode). I actually think when the GPS unit is on the verge of Diff mode, in certain situations, the mysterious flip of death may come into effect. I am a person who had the flip take place, twice!!!

If I look at all the elements when the flip took place, it was a different frame, motors set, esc's, WK-M unit. The only commonalities between the two situations was a FC type (wk-m), each were in a questionable GPS Lock, and in both case the motor closest to the North revved up to full throttle and flipped the copter.

I am on the theory that when the wk-m drops from GPS lock and comes right back in, before you will see it in the LED, I think there could be some type of glitch and that may be the reason they have made the software convert into att, it results in a safer situation?????.

When GPS is in 2d mode, less than 4 satellites, it still will have a decent accuracy, one that I would prefer over switching to ATT mode, but since that is what they are now doing makes me think, they may not have that completely figured out yet.

With that said I did go up to 5.24 and flew fine however when I was sent another unit for other reasons, I loaded 5.24 and found it not working the way I liked it, I rolled it back to 5.22 and that is where I am right now.

I never had any issues what so ever before upgrading to 5.24, always solid, always flew, always landed! and thats on all my MR's. The craft flies fine, takes off fine and landed fine its just the un-expected GPS flight loss that is wrong. I am also wondering if its anything to do with IMU stab. In saying that when Eyeball and I tested it it was in perfect conditions, and in a GPS lock hover and as I have said even with 9 sats ofn the Spektum telemetry AND on a Garmin it would just flash yellow and the odd green and drift off.. anyway rolled back to 5.22 but need to now go and test her prior to this weeks coming work.

Thanks for the input, just hope DJI are looking at this to.

Dave

 

[ChrisViperM]

I am really very critical against DJI, but the fact that lot's of crash-reports related to GPS are somehow "concentrated", meaning that for a week there is almost no crashes, and than within a day or two we can read reports about GPS failures, crashes or fly-aways almost every hour made me think.....


Here is my conclusion:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/solar-flare-electronics.htm

http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/earth-will-have-15-minutes-to-protect-electronics/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130514083539.htm

http://www.dw.de/scientists-warn-of-possible-peril-from-2013-solar-flare-activity/a-6041386



Checking the actual solar activity before a flight should be a must these days: http://www.n3kl.org/sun/noaa.html



I guess it's nothing we can afford to just ignore



Chris

 

[Bengit]

I never had any issues what so ever before upgrading to 5.24, always solid, always flew, always landed! and thats on all my MR's. The craft flies fine, takes off fine and landed fine its just the un-expected GPS flight loss that is wrong. I am also wondering if its anything to do with IMU stab. In saying that when Eyeball and I tested it it was in perfect conditions, and in a GPS lock hover and as I have said even with 9 sats ofn the Spektum telemetry AND on a Garmin it would just flash yellow and the odd green and drift off.. anyway rolled back to 5.22 but need to now go and test her prior to this weeks coming work.

Thanks for the input, just hope DJI are looking at this to.

Dave

Dave, have you reported this issue...thanks for the heads up, have backed up to 5.22, now have a useless BT unit sat on my multi ffs.....

 

[Teamflail]

Thanks for the heads up Droider. I had put 5.24 on my unit and got the white flashing when in either GPS or Alti mode. Rolled back to 5.22 today and it is flying fine. Always love moving to the latest and greatest. I mean, after all, what could possibly go wrong????