I’ve already tried two of the three. I’ve checked the gimbal ribbons for fraying and connections…they look good. And I’ve tried three different USB cables. With my neighbor having several devices that we know work with his P3 Pro, it won’t be a problem to substitute a mobile device. I guess we are in the process of elimination phase now. If you wouldn’t mind, could you give me a quick course on why this is still flying with a bad gimbal board. If the RC is giving the AC flight directions, where is that being picked up? Is there a separate unit that takes care of flight control inputs and motor speeds? And where is that located? And why is the camera position dial still functioning? What are the common causes of a bad gimbal board. Is replacing them a chore or not too bad. I’ve read they heat up during downloads. I see them for sale on Amazon out of China. Do you have any experience with them and advice on the best place to source them? Excuse me if I’m asking too many questions but I’m very curious how all of this works and you seem to be a very knowledgeable guy. I’m sure other readers are learning too. The only stupid questions are the ones that aren’t asked. Thanks again for your time with this.
Easy answer. You can fly these without a device at all. The device is primarily for FPV and Flight Data. The visual device is not required.
Never replaced one myself, but it should not be overly difficult although tedious due to the small connections. There are many sources that you can check for instructions such as you tube, or see the Phantom Pilots forum for tons of info. I primarily review flight data.
Thank you again for sharing your time and knowledge. I have been reading some of your posts where you try to help guys find lost drones by reviewing their flight data…pretty amazing technology.
If you want a confirmation of the bad board ( Which by now is fairly assured ) look in your device for a .txt flight log from a recent flight. If there is not one, then you will know that the data is not being transmitted.
I could not find a flight log anywhere in my device, but I’m not sure which page to use to look for that info. The MC Settings page deals the most with flight characteristics. Am I close?
Look here at this link. You can upload flight data here, but the instructions will also tell you how to get to the file. You do not need to do an upload. Just read the instructions to find the file if there is one.
Just a quick comment, might have already gotten past this: And I have the Pro, not Adv, so this might not apply.
On the Pro, there are two multi-connector-pins going from the camera/gimbal package and the controller board. If your Adv has those (rather than being hard-wired), check to see if those were loose.
Or I could be (and often am) off-base. Either way, good luck and happy flying!
Chris
Just had to chip in here - quister, Fly_Dawg is AMAZING! Stay with him, have patience and you’ll get sorted! He sorted me out when a complete novice and his knowledge is second to none, as is his patience!
I guess my plan is to first thoroughly check the wiring and connections by taking some stuff apart. I would still like to practice flying and I have several questions. With the gimbal board not functioning does the AC still have “Return To Home” capability? When the AC is turned on and connecting with the RC the AC’s status lights are flashing “yellow” (they look white) - what is it doing in that pre-flight status before the status lights blink green. Does it have GPS capability to hover too? I’m just trying to understand the systems better.
I think I’m right in saying:
The pre flight checks involve things like setting the home location, making sure all systems are operative.
The return to home is nothing to do with the camera/gimbal. There is a GPS receiver mounted in the dome bit between the four arms.
GPS is used to hover but if you look underneath you will see three sensors which are also part of the hover/height setting. They are both visual and sonic sensors.
If you have no video I strongly recommend that you keep the drone in line of sight!!!
Quister if you are still working on this, the flat cable connections (white) to the main gimbal board from the drone (grey cables) each have a retention clip that needs to be depressed to release the connection, it took me a while to spot that when I was trying to disconnect the gimbal assembly
Thanks Sean, I have been looking more and more into the volume of videos Online about all things
DJI drone related and found a nice video of a guy completely disassembling a P3 Standard. It was very informative showing all the antennas, the main board and the connections including the those used with the flat cable. I also watched a video of a guy replacing a broken gimbal mount…same great information and the the close-up video was amazing. He specifically addressed those connections.
You are welcome