Smart Controller - just out of box, firmware will not update.

[Nigelpugh7]

We had ours for a month, All was good, performed great, and all updates worked via WiFi too.

Then a week ago we had an error message that looked like a stack memory overflow during a flight.

This then prevented us from using the controller again, as it was stuck at the start up prompt despite trying everything to access the internal memory or attempts to update the firmware using dji assistant 2.

The whole package of controller and Mavic 2 Pro has now gone back to jessops as they supplied it here in the uk.

I returned I to my local jessops store, after speaking to their support line, the lady told me they have had lost of issues with the smart controller and they are currently not shipping any units out at all to customers.

From your problem with the device out of the box, I suspect there are some major issues with the smart controller.

I hope DJI Fox this Mess soon, it cant be good for them!

 

[validatekev]

I missed my delivery slot today and after reading the thread Im tempted to say I have moved and ask for a refund

 

[Plusone6]

Same issue here. Tried everything you tried and got the same results you did. Yeah this is a bad product.

 

[buckdharma]

I had a very similar problem with my smart remote. I was glad that I bought it from B&H Photo. They sent me a prepaid return label and exchanged it for a new one. No problems with the replacement. Good luck on getting your problem resolved.
Don

 

[1919Films]

We received a Smart Controller yesterday. We charged it up (which was strange enough, because the LEDs were blinking really rapidly, but eventually they went solid), but we've had no luck with the update. We've changed storage settings, removed a microSD card (which we only inserted so we could remove it per an onscreen notice concerning "failure to update"!).

I guess we'll have to return it, and wait until they get their act together. I'll gladly pay for the return shipping. I already don't trust this thing, and we're not paying $649 for a refurbished one. I think it's pretty obvious they rushed through production/QC too fast when they saw the demand for the unit.

 

[coltwest]

I received a pre-paid return/refund shipping label today from DJI.

I plan on waiting until the major bugs are worked out before I try this product again.

 

[coltwest]

I received a pre-paid return/refund shipping label today from DJI.

I plan on waiting until these major bugs are worked out before I try this product again.

 

[coltwest]

Several others are reporting this same issue now here.

 

[Zandian]

Had the same problem. It wasn’t the first batch. Just received it this week. Downloaded the newest version just fine but when it went to update sat on 0% for hours. I downloaded the newest version of DJI Assistant for Windows. Make sure you get the one for the Mavic 2. There are two versions. Having the one for the Mavic Pro original May be why some are not connecting.

When I plugged in the usb-c I did not answer the question as to what way I wanted to use the usb. I just left that window showing.

Then I had a problem with Windows 10 blocking the running of the new DJI Assistant program. Running as administer didn’t work, white listing didn’t work. Then I found this article. Followed Step 1 and was able to successfully install and run DJI Assistant.

3 Ways to Fix 'This app has been blocked for your protection'

Assistant then saw the controller and downloaded the new version. But failed to update like 4 times. Made sure the controller stayed on through the whole download and update process. It wanted to time out and shut down. Finally after about the fifth time I got it to install!

What a pain, but it’s on there now. Not sure if this will co time to be a problem for future updates but at least I finally have it up and ready for the rain to finally stop around my house.

Z

 

[validatekev]

Echo the thread above. Alas as a technophobe I have yet to successfully upgrade. That said I am not getting the frozen detail!
Why have dji made this upgrade so d£$n difficult? Better still why have they not released specific instruction of how to successfully carry out the upgrade!

 

[Vlaak]

Yep, same problem here. My controller came in Tuesday but I haven't had time to play with it until tonight. Powered it on, it had me put in my WiFi info, then log in my DJI account. First thing it did was download an update and sure enough, stuck at 0% installing it. Never had an SD card anywhere near this thing yet. I tried resetting it, turning the WiFi off and back on, nothing works. I am currently trying to install via the DJI Assistant software on my PC. I had to do the same for my DJI Goggles when I first got them (pro tip, don't get them, they don't allow you to go more than 600-800 meters out on a M2P, what a ******* joke).

It just failed to upload via the DJI assistant too, as I was typing the above paragraph. It downloaded the update, then moves int o a phase called uploading where after about 40% my Smart Controller started beeping loudly and then after a couple seconds it said the update failed.

This will be my last piece of hardware from DJI. I'm tired of buying stuff that doesn't work, or only works half ***. Yes, DJI is ahead of everyone else, but honestly, their stuff is just broken. Its like the ultimate tease.

 

[Vlaak]

Update, got it to install finally using the DJI Assistant tool from my Windows machine. It goes in 3 phases. First, it downloads the software. Second it "transmits" which I dont know wtf that means. Third it installs and this takes some time. It stopped in several places for a few minutes each. 5%, 16% etc... but it eventually finished. Thanks to Zandian above for the info about this.

The only thing now is how to update the DJI GO4 app. I've read that it needs updating but there is no app store so I'm not sure how to go about updating it. I'll keep digging. Those if you that have the 0% bug, if you use DJI Assistant it might work. Sucks that its so broken though

 

[Vlaak]

Connected the new controller to the MP2 and it says the MP2 needs a firmware update. I'll give you one guess how that went.... update failed, multiple times in a row. Shocker. Man DJI's software is such trash. I guess I'll try updating the drone via the stupid windows software like I had to do with the controller, and if that fails I can rebind it to the original controller and use that to update the firmware via my phone.

I can't imagine how frustrating this must be for those of you who got the package deal and don't have the normal controller to fall back on.

 

[Nigelpugh7]

Connected the new controller to the MP2 and it says the MP2 needs a firmware update. I'll give you one guess how that went.... update failed, multiple times in a row. Shocker. Man DJI's software is such trash. I guess I'll try updating the drone via the stupid windows software like I had to do with the controller, and if that fails I can rebind it to the original controller and use that to update the firmware via my phone.

I can't imagine how frustrating this must be for those of you who got the package deal and don't have the normal controller to fall back on.

Yep that’s. Us sadly, the package had to be returned complete so we lost both the drone and the remote! So today we have an £1800 hole on our credit card, and nothing to snow for it!

 

[Zandian]

Yep, same problem here. My controller came in Tuesday but I haven't had time to play with it until tonight. Powered it on, it had me put in my WiFi info, then log in my DJI account. First thing it did was download an update and sure enough, stuck at 0% installing it. Never had an SD card anywhere near this thing yet. I tried resetting it, turning the WiFi off and back on, nothing works. I am currently trying to install via the DJI Assistant software on my PC. I had to do the same for my DJI Goggles when I first got them (pro tip, don't get them, they don't allow you to go more than 600-800 meters out on a M2P, what a ******* joke).

It just failed to upload via the DJI assistant too, as I was typing the above paragraph. It downloaded the update, then moves int o a phase called uploading where after about 40% my Smart Controller started beeping loudly and then after a couple seconds it said the update failed.

This will be my last piece of hardware from DJI. I'm tired of buying stuff that doesn't work, or only works half ***. Yes, DJI is ahead of everyone else, but honestly, their stuff is just broken. Its like the ultimate tease.

One reason it beeps like that is because the normal function of it is to time out at a certain point and shut down. I’m guessing to save the battery. The beeping is to alert you to bring it active again or it will shut down. What I did was two the screen from time to time the whole time during the update to keep the screen live. I also wasn’t sure what to do when it asked what to use the USB for, either charging or storage. I simply didn’t answer the question. So I kept it at that prompt and tapped the screen so it wouldn’t shut down. That combination worked. It may have also worked by choosing one of the options but I know it worked without choosing.

Good luck. I do enjoy flying it better than with my iPhone X Max. Screen seems so much brighter and the detail better. Once I got past the update is had been pretty enjoyable. The share function with the phone doesn’t work properly with the QR Code, but does by manually signing into WI-FI. Otherwise pretty cool. Worth the initial trouble.

Z

 

[ff22]

I *THINK* you can change the timeout (auto turn off) function in the Main settings. Folks might try tampering with that option before starting the upgrade firmware process. Controller is elsewhere at the moment so I can't check on the suggestion.

 

[Zandian]

Update, got it to install finally using the DJI Assistant tool from my Windows machine. It goes in 3 phases. First, it downloads the software. Second it "transmits" which I dont know wtf that means. Third it installs and this takes some time. It stopped in several places for a few minutes each. 5%, 16% etc... but it eventually finished. Thanks to Zandian above for the info about this.

The only thing now is how to update the DJI GO4 app. I've read that it needs updating but there is no app store so I'm not sure how to go about updating it. I'll keep digging. Those if you that have the 0% bug, if you use DJI Assistant it might work. Sucks that its so broken though

Glad it worked for you.

Hope this is a one time thing and the WiFi update works from now on because it is a pain. I’m also not comfortable with having to disable all my computer’s protections just to get it to work. I might not be so nervous if this wasn’t a Chinese government backed company...but hopefully it’s just an innocuous bug.

Z

 

[Zandian]

I *THINK* you can change the timeout (auto turn off) function in the Main settings. Folks might try tampering with that option before starting the upgrade firmware process. Controller is elsewhere at the moment so I can't check on the suggestion.

I’ll check it out. It does seem to shut down a bit soon.

Z

 

[GDadd]

After receiving a new Smart Controller directly from an order with DJI, I went through most of the reported frustrations regarding firmware 0% complete and difficulty running the Windows version of DJI Assistant.

The resolve for me was to open a command line prompt with admin rights (I'm on Windows 10), navigate to the DJI Assistant app and run it. It opened, recognized that I had connected the Smart Controller, and the firmware update went just fine. I linked my M2P as well as my M2Z and setup the DJI Go 4 app with no problems.

I was able to format a 128GB SD card and set the DJI GO 4 app prefs to save items to that card. I was also able to tryout a new set of Epson BT-35E Smart Glasses by connecting its USB-C connector (handles video and power to the glasses) and that worked on the first try.

Flew all day both days on the weekend with no Smart Controller issues at all. The screen brightness is terrific, and I even had a moment where I lost contact with the M2P for a brief period and the RTH initiated as it is supposed to until it connected once again - loss of contact was from momentarily being on the other side of a hill, not an issue with the SC - same happens with the regular controller.

The only issue I had was with the flight logs. Last night I went to sync them via GO 4 and they were nowhere to be found. I used the file navigator and there were no traces of them anywhere I looked.

I know it should work, because when I initially tested it, it generated a couple of logs which synced to the DJI cloud with no problem. I haven't retraced all my steps yet, but I suspect it will work out.

While the Smart Controller is nowhere as seamless and simple as the controllers which come with the M2's themselves, it's one heck of an upgrade once you work through the hassles.

As someone who tends to be an early adopter with varying tech, I can vouch for having to be patient with bugs that are not worked out, which happen for reasons ranging from developer/QC oversight to company pressures on product revenues.

 

[kejoal11]

I too have a Mac and had the same issue. I downloaded the dji assistant for mavic 2 on my MacBook and it worked. Wish it was something they made known instead of us spending hours trying to figure it out.