Mavic suddenly a MESS after sitting in the case!

[Jr. Stafford]

Had flown my Mavic Pro maybe 6 or 8 months ago, and all was well. Took it out today and charged batteries and controller, and it's an ABSOLUTE MESS!

Right off the bat, I noticed that the camera was not showing a picture on the DJI go 4 app. Also noticed that the little wheel on the controller that moves the camera up and down does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. When the drone boots up, the camera spins and whirls and does it thing, but once booted up, I have no control of it with no picture on the app. If you leave the app on for a while, a picture might show up, but it freezes about as quick as it shows up, worthless. Also, the SD card I have always used, now is not recognized by the drone. I even took it out and formatted to Fat32 on the computer and put it back in, still 'No SD card' is what I see. Decided to 'refresh' the latest firmware on the drone with DJI Assistant 2, and get the same thing. I see people talking about online, gets to 40% and FAILS every time. The whole thing is a complete mess, and worked perfectly fine last time I used it.

Anybody seen this or have any idea what has happened? The only thing different is that I got a nice new phone, a Samsung S23 since I last used the drone. But even if I completely take the phone from the equation, I can fly, but the wheel on the controller still won't move the camera. (Maybe it don't, without the app, because there would be no need for the camera to move?)

Any thoughts would be great.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Where did you store it and what were the storage conditions ? Do you still have the old phone, if so have you tried that ?

 

[Jr. Stafford]

Yes, tried the old phone and same stuff. Sitting on a closet shelf like always. DJI assistant 2 constantly says it is the correct firmware, but the app always says firmware needs updated. If I try to update on Assistant 2, it fails at 40%. If I update thru the app, it fails at 67%. Over and over......

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Any chance spiders etc. got into the drone ?
Or has the drone or controller previously got wet ?
Do you have access to a different controller and or a different type of phone e.g. an iPhone, I.e. a phone that would require a different controller-to-phone cable?
Or disconnect the cable from the controller's side port and use the large USB port that lies between the controller's arms

 

[Exphantomflyer]

Had flown my Mavic Pro maybe 6 or 8 months ago, and all was well. Took it out today and charged batteries and controller, and it's an ABSOLUTE MESS!



Any thoughts would be great.

Daft question but you havent put it in WIFI mode have you, its an easy mistake, the switch is under the cover on the right side of the quad.
Try using drone-hacks tool to flash firmware its a much better system
As for the phone i remember something about the processor not being compatible, best bet is to check it on the preferred list of devices

Best Tablets and Phones for DJI GO & DJI Fly (Updated Daily) | Phantom Help

Phantom Help is a site for help with DJI Phantom drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.phantomhelp.com

 

[Felix le Chat]

Had flown my Mavic Pro maybe 6 or 8 months ago, and all was well. Took it out today and charged batteries and controller, and it's an ABSOLUTE MESS!

Right off the bat, I noticed that the camera was not showing a picture on the DJI go 4 app. Also noticed that the little wheel on the controller that moves the camera up and down does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. When the drone boots up, the camera spins and whirls and does it thing, but once booted up, I have no control of it with no picture on the app. If you leave the app on for a while, a picture might show up, but it freezes about as quick as it shows up, worthless. Also, the SD card I have always used, now is not recognized by the drone. I even took it out and formatted to Fat32 on the computer and put it back in, still 'No SD card' is what I see. Decided to 'refresh' the latest firmware on the drone with DJI Assistant 2, and get the same thing. I see people talking about online, gets to 40% and FAILS every time. The whole thing is a complete mess, and worked perfectly fine last time I used it.

Anybody seen this or have any idea what has happened? The only thing different is that I got a nice new phone, a Samsung S23 since I last used the drone. But even if I completely take the phone from the equation, I can fly, but the wheel on the controller still won't move the camera. (Maybe it don't, without the app, because there would be no need for the camera to move?)

Any thoughts would be great.

Use your old phone. Boot the drone & controller. Wait for connection (ignore the fact there's no live image). Power off the drone only, leave the controller and the app on. Tap the three spots (top right of screen). Select the controller icon. Select 'calibrate controller'. Run through the test sequence. Does the test screen show relevant input from both sticks and the friction wheel?

Get rid of the flight app you've downloaded from the DJI site, there are some reports of compatibility issues with older drones running older firmware. Download one of the older versions of the GO4 flight app from:

You searched for DJI go - APKMirror

You searched for DJI go - APKMirror Free and safe Android APK downloads

www.apkmirror.com

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Daft question but you havent put it in WIFI mode have you, its an easy mistake, the switch is under the cover on the right side of the quad.

Good question!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Use your old phone. Boot the drone & controller. Wait for connection (ignore the fact there's no live image). Power off the drone only, leave the controller and the app on. Tap the three spots (top right of screen). Select the controller icon. Select 'calibrate controller'. Run through the test sequence. Does the test screen show relevant input from both sticks and the friction wheel?

Just curious, is it necessary to switch the MP on and off in order to gain access to controller calibration ? My recollection of other drones is that the controller can by calibrated whenever the drone is not connected to the controller.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Just curious, is it necessary to switch the MP on and off in order to gain access to controller calibration ? My recollection of other drones is that the controller can by calibrated whenever the drone is not connected to the controller.

That's the sequence I go through with my two old girls. Recommended in the DJI bumf.

 

[Jr. Stafford]

Use your old phone. Boot the drone & controller. Wait for connection (ignore the fact there's no live image). Power off the drone only, leave the controller and the app on. Tap the three spots (top right of screen). Select the controller icon. Select 'calibrate controller'. Run through the test sequence. Does the test screen show relevant input from both sticks and the friction wheel?

Get rid of the flight app you've downloaded from the DJI site, there are some reports of compatibility issues with older drones running older firmware. Download one of the older versions of the GO4 flight app from:

You searched for DJI go - APKMirror

You searched for DJI go - APKMirror Free and safe Android APK downloads

www.apkmirror.com

I actually tried my old phone last night and no go. I want to download one of the APK listed above, but EVERY SINGLE fails because Avast says they are infected? Also tried the calibration, but it gets stuck on the second screen, the one for the camera wheel. It wants me to turn to the right to the circle, I do that fine, but it does nothing after that.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

What version of the app is on the old phone ?

 

[Jr. Stafford]

What version of the app is on the old phone ?

4.3.54

 

[Jr. Stafford]

Any chance spiders etc. got into the drone ?
Or has the drone or controller previously got wet ?
Do you have access to a different controller and or a different type of phone e.g. an iPhone, I.e. a phone that would require a different controller-to-phone cable?
Or disconnect the cable from the controller's side port and use the large USB port that lies between the controller's arms

No chance on wet or spiders, it was on a shelf in the bag. Have tried both ports on the controller. Installed DJI Go 4 on daughters phone from where ever Iphone gets apps, and same exact thing. So it's not my phone, it's either the drone (which makes no sense), or the app its self.

 

[Jr. Stafford]

No chance on wet or spiders, it was on a shelf in the bag. Have tried both ports on the controller. Installed DJI Go 4 on daughters phone from where ever Iphone gets apps, and same exact thing. So it's not my phone, it's either the drone (which makes no sense), or the app its self.

Even went all the way back to several phones ago, a Samsung S7. Used to fly it with that. Same error messages, so can't be the phone. Every phone says to update the Aircraft, but have tried a dozen times, always fails at 40%.

 

[Starz]

Updates are NOT required. That’s just DJI wording.
Have you tried hitting the ignore button?

 

[Jr. Stafford]

The ENTIRE thing solved, as far as I can tell, with a different SD card! Seems weird, but now it's all good. Even says 'Current Firmware' now, even though it said it 'Failed at 40%' the last time. I think I had the different SD card in while updating. How on EARTH a bad SD card can make the whole thing seem cratered is beyond me. But it did.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

, with a different SD card!

Glad it seems sorted.
Have a look at the files on the 'bad' card, a misnamed file or corrupt file can sometimes screw up the connecting process.
I have seen that happen with my mavic 2 but I don't recollect the error messages you are seeing. From memory it was because I had changed a photo's name and left a gap in it.

 

[waynorth]

The ENTIRE thing solved, as far as I can tell, with a different SD card! Seems weird, but now it's all good. Even says 'Current Firmware' now, even though it said it 'Failed at 40%' the last time. I think I had the different SD card in while updating. How on EARTH a bad SD card can make the whole thing seem cratered is beyond me. But it did.

Many people with the same error message (Aircraft Encoder Error) have solved it simply by replacing the sd-card.

Actually if you get some strange unexpected error messages when starting your drone, one of the first things to try is shut the drone down, remove the card, then start up. If it works then, try inserting a different card. This has solved many problems.

 

[Capt KO]

Glad it's fixed. I was going to recommend for you turn on the remote, it's often overlooked after turning on the app especially if not having flown in awhile. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Many people with the same error message (Aircraft Encoder Error) have solved it simply by replacing the sd-card.

Actually if you get some strange unexpected error messages when starting your drone, one of the first things to try is shut the drone down, remove the card, then start up. If it works then, try inserting a different card. This has solved many problems.

I wonder if this kind of behaviour stems from the drone using the microSD card as an extension of internal memory? (the same way a phone installs apps to memory card instead of internal storage).

Noticed a significant drop in reported free capacity with the two identical cards fitted in my mav. 2's. Odd considering the 8gb internal memory built in to the Mavic 2 series (which is formatted every time I format the card after a shoot).

Both my microSD's are 128gb 90+Mbps write speed, quality brand, straight from manufacturer. After formatting: both report a 10gb drop in available space.