Donnie, so far you have called me "lazy" and a "liar" ; I assure you I am neither.
I called you neither. But I apologize if that's the message you got.
If you could refer to my ORIGINAL post, you will note that I stated concisely that I use Pilot app 1.0.2 (not DJI Go) and an iPad2 mini. The screen shots are authentic. Obviously my software and firmware are legacy, so you might ask yourself why on earth I chose not to upgrade.
Apologies. I see that you DID mention the Pilot App specifically. My bad.
So....I suggest you use give the Go App a try. So...download the Go App. If you're feeling saucy, download v3.1.1 (.ipa file). Unfortunately, downloading and installing legacy apps on ANY Apple product is a big deal...and quite honestly a hack. But I can see that you're comfortable with getting under the hood. So getting you into the "zone" may be very doable here.
Note: If you're concerned about "contaminating" your drone with the Go App, then PM me and we'll see if we can't get you hooked up with a legacy version that I BELIEVE will not "contaminate" your Firmware. Clearly, it would be prudent to disconnect from the Internet BEFORE connecting the iPad to the RC.
I bought my Inspire when it first came out, and at THAT time, the software and firmware updates DJI was foisting were problematic. I followed the DJI users forum very closely and was agast at the restrictions DJI was imposing unilaterally to stay PC with the FAA and FCC.
Yep. When I first got mine it came with FW v1.08.xx. My partner purchased 2 Inspire 1's, both donning the same firmware. After doing a FW update, I quickly pushed all 3 drones back to FW v1.08.xx.
Worth noting, I chose to stay with v1.08.xx because it seemed to be the last FW update with actual IMPROVEMENTS instead of just "Nazifying" my drone. I also believe that back in 2016, DJI was still being forthcoming with their release notes. Because I was shooting in the film industry, gimbal and camera improvements were a carrot for me.
There were restrictions on altitude, maximum forward speed, numbers of channels, available,no fly zones (originally more restrictive than NOW) etc and they started making the firmware upgrades MANDATORY, or they would LOCK your drone.
Well...the good news is that the NFZ's in v1.08.xx are still fairly liberal, limited to Class C and B airspace. I believe Class D is still open, as my GF lives in Class D space, and I have flown my Inspire 1 there often.
Even better news, the Inspire CAN be hacked to fly in NFZ's, but I honestly haven't found the need for that, so I haven't implemented those hacks yet.
Regarding "mandatory updates," I'm not seeing that. I'm not sure which version started that nonsense, but I have a feeling it's far beyond version 1.08.xx. Perhaps v1.11.xx???
I wont bore you with my libertarian beliefs other than to say that DJI violated contract law by unilaterally downgrading the capability of the drone AFTER it was purchased.
I understand and agree 100%. I've heard nasty rumors that Tesla is following this same model. I'm sure Tesla's EULA probably allows for random, erroneous "changes" in function. It's one of the reasons I will probably never own a Tesla.
But what is an individual to do against a foreign corporate giant? Also, back in 2015, forum users were pleading with me to post Pilot app 1.0.2 on the internet so they could downgrade from the f@#%ed up software DJI came out with ( see my my historical postings)
Very interesting. Seems your ownership predates mine by a few months. I purchased mine around Summer of 2016. I never used the Pilot App. I must say I'm intrigued.
At any rate, my solution was to jailbreak my iPad and put a firewall on it so I could stop the DJI software from phoning home. This worked perfectly well for 5 years until this May when I unpacked it after not using it for 6 months through the winter. I think my firewall was down and something autoupgraded or at least notified DJI that I was being bad.....
Interesting. The hacks I have done have NOT included a firewall for the iPad. I was never a fan of Apple products, but found them to be a necessary evil for professional use. What I CAN say is that, while my present configuration DOES give me reminders and notices, they are easily clicked through and ignored. As you have eluded to, subsequent versions FORCE the user into submission. With the Go App, this starts at v3.1.1.54 (maybe v3.1.54????). I had accidentally allowed the Go App to update and sure enough, I got stuck on a job site unable to fly until I took some godforsaken test or whatever. Fortunately, my SPARE drone and iPad were uninfected by the Naziware, and I was able to finish the job. I rolled back the Go App on the "infected" iPad as soon as I got home. But LESSON LEARNED.
I now have an exit strategy that I can uninstall the Go App and re-install the legacy version in the field via my laptop in minutes. A slight inconvenience is that I lose settings and the 32-channel hack has to be restored, which takes only an extra minute or so.
So I had previously concluded that I would probably have to upgrade everything to get it working again, but I wanted to pick the brains of you forum guys to see if I had any other options...
Well....hopefully I have given you some options here. It sounds like you follow my paradigms to a tee. I have a formula that has kept all three Inspire 1's working perfectly for years. FWIW, I fly my Inspire 1 Professionally about 10 times a month. She's uber reliable and never lets me down. BUT...a modicum of diligence is required to NOT press the WRONG buttons. But I don't think that that would be a problem for someone like you.
Now it was odd that my video feed was out and that I needed to replace the HDMI board to fix it. It is also odd that I have no GPS signal, at least that is being shown on my app. If I must upgrade everything, can I ask which firmware versions and app versions are recommended?
Yes. Here's a copy of my Inspire 1 nomenclature, copied from the Inspire 1's "About" file:
Go App: v3.1.1
App database: v00.00.01.04
Aircraft: v1.8.1.00
Remote: v1.6
X3 Camera: v1.8.1
X5 Camera: v1.11.1.50
NOTE: I have been able to use several X5 cameras with no issues, all with different FW versions.
Here's a video to get you started.
There is a Part 2 that I link to at the end of Part 1. Watch them both. READ THE DESCRIPTION SECTIONS. I think you will find them to be helpful and informative.
D
