Warning! Do not install fw 1.9! Lost I1

Gerson Morelli said:
The sole purpose of my post is to warn of other potential losses from other members of this community and to raise awareness for the lack of reliability of DJI fw developmemt rather than to comfort myself from losing a drone.
Click to expand...
Total misunderstanding of my reply ... I wasn't judging you. All I was trying to say that machines are getting broken, worn out, malfunctioning. It is a possibility that your bird had a failure of some sort not related to the latest FW upgrade. Cold soldering, loose connector, fried capacitor, whatever. After every FW update a handful of pilots is reporting problems of various nature without any conceivable pattern, while the other 257748 of us is flying updated Inspires as usual with no issues whatsoever. These few complaining users assumes that when something went wrong, than the one and only thing to blame is this infamously messed up firmware. It may be true in your case, may be not. Instead of sending alarming message worldwide perhaps you should cool down, wipe off your tears and finally realize the vulnerability factor of this business ...
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli and gregdd
it said there was an ESC status error and it wouldn't turn the engines on. Asked me to restart the aircraft and if the problem persisted to contact DJI. After rebooting the I1 and rc for five or six time,

This would the first case of an Inspire1 'spiralling' down after a firmware update.
To my knowledge there haven't been any issues before with engines or esc's giving up because of a firmware issue. And considering it came down spiralling as the OP says, and the status error 5 or 6 times before starting, this was a malfunctioning ESC.

the I1 went into a deadly spiral

Which is normal behaviour when a quadcopter loses one of the four propulsion units.

The latest issue concerns the barometer and compass and is easy to tackle if you know how to fly in Atti. And by downgrading of course.

Undeniably a pilots error. The ESC was telling the pilot over and over again it was failing.

After such a message I would not fly at all. Even the first message alone is enough to start to investigate. I would mention it in my logs and I would ground it until I'm sure enough there's no issue. Any error concerning ESC's is most serious and needs to be eliminated, and not just by rebooting 6 times.

edited for typos
 
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Reactions: gregdd and The Editor
licensed pilot said:
"
[...]
Why doesn't DJI place a warning in big read letters on the download page: IF YOUR BIRD IS FLYING JUST FINE, STAY AWAY FROM THIS FW UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE A BETA TESTER. PS- WE ARE NOT REPLACING YOUR BIRD IF YOU CRASH.
[...]
Click to expand...

Well, it is not in big red letters but they have it more or less:


That's customer service par excellence.

Chris
 
Reactions: Area21
Hey doods!

First time posting to this forum. Thanx for having me. I know this information is probably old, but here goes anyway...

According to the published firmware release notes, update v1.09 simply updated and expanded the NFZ database. This raised a flag, because my partner was out on a job, and his Inspire wouldn't launch within 1.5 miles of the airport (had COA, 333, NOTAM, etc. for the flight). Hmmm... Because of this, I decided I would research the firmware updates to see when NFZ "feature" was implemented. Turns out the firmware release notes don't share that information, and the DJI chat "technicians" haven't a clue, either.

Also, turns out that DJI doesn't have many of the firmware versions .bin files available as stand-alone files on their website. But, instead (according to the log files), roll v1.06 into the v1.08 update, and roll v1.06 and v1.08 into the v1.09 update. I suspect the NFZ "feature" was rolled into v1.08. But because v1.08 has many other important updates (like addressing an inaccurate battery warning issue), I decided not to push too hard for v1.06. My objective was to NOT have to deal with NFZ's (one of my clients was right next to an airport). So, instead of updating my new bird to v1.09, I updated to v1.08 (from v1.04 out of the box), and she's been flying great.

Note: Though I was able to start the motors near our International Airport, once I connected the iPad (and therefore the DJI Go app), I was no longer able to start the motors, but instead faced the dreaded "NFZ" warning. Interesting. So there may be a hack to get around the NFZ's completely. Because I don't ever fly near our International Airport, I don't really care too much about the present NFZ coverage area. Maybe someday I'll seek out a hack around this, but I digress...

After a half dozen successful flights on v1.08, for grins, I updated her to 1.09. Turns out my GF's house is 4 miles from a small, private airport. Therefore v1.09 flashed a warning up on the screen (with 2 check boxes and an "agree" button) that I was in a "warning zone." In order to fly the bird, I had to agree that I understood this. This doesn't just pop up once, but every time one flies. Forget that. Hello v1.08. Without a single flight, I rolled her back to v1.08.

As far as I can tell, update 1.08 addressed all battery, motor, ESC, IMU, PMU, FC, GPS issues - and a few other issues. So I'm good with v1.08. v1.09 just expands the NFZ database (says so right there in the release notes). Forget that.

I'm of the school, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." So I plan on staying with v1.08 for the life of the bird. The caveat is a "firmware update required" warning pops up every time I open the DJI app. Closing this warning is a single click.

Fly effectively! (Mike Rowism)

Donnie Frank
 
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Reactions: AngelAndres and Gerson Morelli
lake_flyer said:
Undeniably a pilots error. The ESC was telling the pilot over and over again it was failing.
Click to expand...

Just received the following e-mail from DJI:

"Dear Gerson,

After having our data analysis team take a look at the flight log from the flight in question, we were unable to determine the cause of this unfortunate event.

There does not seem to be any user error.

With that being said we have decided to cover your unit by warranty, and offer the craft only at no cost to you."

First I need to take back what I said about DJI's customer service. They were very helpful and prompt about my case.

Secondly, I will once again say that the only reason I posted this is to warn other users that could or may have had similar issues not to vent or b*the about my misfortune.

Thirdly, I want to thank you all "Mr. Know It Alls". And remember that the only certainty about this beautiful hobby (hobby in my case) is that one day the equipment will fail on you. And when this day happens and you watch it smash into the ground, remember all your assumptions that the equipment is flawless and you are the one to be blamed.
 
Reactions: AeroVisionz, Donnie Frank and AngelAndres
Dji from day 1 have had issues with all their machines and fw!
Definitely not user error!

I have been flying with a parachute attached for the past 2 months.
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli
mr336 said:
Cheers to the original poster for the warning info and holding the message steady considering all of the boneheads and their replies. Saved my bird.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind message. I'm glad it served you a good purpose as it has been my only intention.
 
Great reply!

I totally have a sore spot for those who immediately go into "blame the user" mode instead of asking for/analyzing all of the facts. Keep standing up for yourself. It helps all of us.

Oh, and thank you for the very appropriate and timely warning.

-Angel
 
Reactions: AlienWarrior, Donnie Frank and Gerson Morelli

Thank you for the message.

I assume it is safe to say that if DJI had not identified a serious flaw in the 1.9.1.10 fw, they would not be so condescending as to cover the warranty for a new aircraft (worth mentioning I bought the Inspire on day 1, hence over a year ago). This is very humble and client-oriented attitude from their part, which has changed my mind in terms of their post-sales service.
 

Excellent point!

If the instructions from DJI direct the operator to restart once and THEN call DJI if the problem persists, then it follows that if the problem DIDN'T immediately persist for Gerson Morelli after he/she restarted, he/she has little reason to doubt DJI's directions and little reason continue down the troubleshooting path. This is an error with the directions from DJI, not Gerson.

However, I'm not mad at DJI. They have been around for years serving a market of DIY assemblers successfully. I'm realizing now that we consumers have allowed DJI (and numerous other companies) to get lazy with their after sales support by accepting user forums (no matter how helpful they can be) as a replacement for quality, thourough and thoughtful post-sales support.

Want them to do better? Well, we get what we demand from our companies and companies like DJI only listen when we vote with our wallets.

So a huge thank you Gerson. You have put out an honest warning to those looking into purchasing DJI as an option. I will still use my Inspire 1 but will now do so with even more caution.

Thanks,

-Angel
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli
I never update anything on the first launch of an update "why" do it if everything works great. Not my Mac, iPhone, Drone, nada. It's also why I don't do Kickstarter or buy a first run product. Silicone Valley for the last 30 years has trained the consumer to accept less than perfect software and hardware, through the disguise of 'Beta" We are so used to stuff not working right, that we accept sub-standard and download, the next 'thing/up grade' So I didn't up grade, I figure I'd sit back and enjoy the show here, then wait till DJI fixes everything with 1.9.2
 
Reactions: AngelAndres

Ah ha!

That is very honest. A warning to everyone looking into DJI products:

Buying DJI can reward you with wonderful platforms to get your work done. But, don't buy DJI unless you are ready to take on some expensive risks.

If you are looking into DJI, all of their products have shortcomings (particularly on their support front) like products from other companies. These DJI shortcomings can subject you to monetary losses ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars.

Then, if you try to recoup your money from DJI, you are generally stuck unless you have bought DJI's additional insurance and proven their fault.

Agiain, thank you Gerson Morelli for bringing up this super important and often forgotten aspect of purchasing DJI.

Keep flying and safety first.

-Angel
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli
Truth!
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli

Agreed. Probably the wise attitude. Unfortunately, I have always been an early adopter... Lesson learned I guess.

Nonetheless, this does not redeem software / hardware makers to release faulty updates.

Obviously with DJI things are more apparent given the nature of their products... One bad fw and a drone could be flying / falling away from you to remote places. Whereas the worst thing that has happened to a bad iOS update is a malfunctioning app, as far I know.

Also, worth mentioning that I do not live in the US. I live in Brazil, where bringing the whole thing was a big hassle and expensive... So taking the aircraft to service is almost a remote possibility, unless I personally bring the whole thing back to the US to ship to service in LA. Obviously, I knew that from the beginning, and it's not DJI'S fault by any means in this respect.
 

My I1 also displayed errors after fw 1.9. After the error were reported to me, I completed the IMU recalibration and the engines started as normal. 3 minutes into the next flight the DJI Go app started reporting faulty altitude readings (by a huge margin) and the A/C began to ride and fall without regard to the throttle settings attempted. Since the I1 was only about 50 feet high and the weather and field were ideal, a harder that recommended landing on grass was all I suffered. Went back to FW 1.8 and have logged 8 flights of normal stability. The point I feel we are trying to make to the DJI Corporate types in this thread is that we are not beta testers, nor should we be asked to be without being requested to participate as such BEFOREHAND. Of all the forum reports I have read of fw 1.9 irregularities, the VAST percentage were I1's. My I1 with X5 kit installed took on 1.9 without incident (so far) I understand the challenge of a manufacturer who is writing software for retrogrades to be able to own ALL applicable OEM models in OEM condition and test each upgrade on ALL, but it either has to be done, or the customer redress policy for those models not tested has to be very lenient. Or your US business model come crashing down. Our company DOES NOT OPT for choice three.
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli and AngelAndres

Yes!

Give credit where credit is due. Go DJI!

Thank you for following up here Gerson. That boosts my confidence in DJI and encourages me to play by their rules in case something like this happens to my ship.

Next stop for me... parachute shopping. Lol!

Gratefully,

-Angel
 
Reactions: Gerson Morelli
You obviously had an ESC going bad, and were warned a half a dozen times and chose to fly anyway. The crash characteristics you describe are hallmark of an ESC not responding properly. You should have contacted DJI, as you were instructed to by the aircraft.

This one's on you. Glad DJI took care of you, but heed the warnings in the future. These are very reliable aircraft, and I think that makes us become complacent with them and ignore the complexity of them and how many things have to 'work right' for it to fly. If it says somethings wrong, somethings probably wrong.
 
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