Success! I was able to roll back the firmware on my Mavic Pro Platinum to the release I was looking for. I'm going to try to provide as much detailed information as I can in my post, but please bear in mind that this was only my experience and may not be accurate for everyone, however because I had to piece together information from several sources, I thought that I'd put everything into a single post for everyone else who might be running into the same issue.
Here is where I started:
- Mavic Pro Platinum built in November of 2017
- Shipped with firmware version 1.04.0100
- Updated to firmware version 1.04.0200 before first flight.
Here is what I used:
Here's how I got it to work:
When I first started the rollback process, I was trying to go from the current 1.04.0200 back to the 1.03.0XXX version and got a wide range of errors spit back at me. When I began to step backwards with the firmware releases, the process became longer, however it was successful. I know that this process will be the subject of much debate, however this is what worked for me. Here is how I stepped backwards in the firmware downgrades.
- v1.04.0100
- v1.03.1000
- v1.03.0XXX - This was my last firmware downgrade
After each downgrade of the firmware, I would disconnect the bird, power up the remote and check for any system errors. If there were any errors, I would restart my laptop, and re-run the downgrade process to make sure that it was successful. Because my Mavic was built in November, there was a hardware change by DJI that prevents the downgrade beyond firmware version 1.03.1000 on Mavic Pro birds with build dates after Sept 19, 2017 and Mavic Platinum birds built after Oct 28, 2017. If you're wondering how to determine your build date, you can reference the key posted here to use your SN to identify the build info:
Mavic Pro Build Info - Serial Number?. The hardware change was the exclusion of an internal sd card that was previously used to store the flight recorder information. The slot for the sd card is still there, however the card itself was excluded and the firmware after 1.03.1000 began using internal flash memory to store the data. Here is a link to the source of that information:
https://dji.retroroms.info/howto/recorder-sdcard-fix
Picture of a Mavic built after the dates shown above with no sd card:
Picture of a Mavic built before the dates listed above with the sd card in place from DJI:
Bottom line here is that if you are planning to downgrade your Mavic's firmware beyond 1.03.1000 you will need to check your build date to ensure that you have the internal sd card. If you don't have it, you will need to be willing to damage / brick your bird as well as void your warranty to get it done. Definitely not for the faint of heart! If you do decide to proceed and decide that the juice is worth the squeeze, then you'll need to remove the top cover of your Mavic to access the SD Card slot location. Here is a video on the top cover disassembly:
If you do decide to remove the cover and add the sd card, understand that you are doing so at your own risk and will void your warranty. Although the units originally shipped with a 4GB card, 16GB cards have been successfully tested. I would highly recommend that you get to your desired firmware through the downgrade process and confirm in the DJI GO 4 app that you only have the flight controller or sd card error before you even think of removing the first screw. Once you are there you'll want to gather a few tools to complete the process. You will need at least:
- 1.5mm Hex head driver
- 16GB or smaller micro sd card
- X-Acto knife with new blade
- Your wife or girlfirend's eyebrow tweezers
- A lucky rabbit's foot
I hope that this post has helped and saved a few people some time when looking for the same answers I needed. I also wanted to thank Halloweenmaster and Xphantomflyer for their help in pointing me in the right direction!
I also have a MPP and have been looking into modding it.
