Firstly, I have to admit that I haven’t actually flown my drone for a couple of years now. I’ve just got fed up with all the people moaning whenever I fly it I also find that the software and my phone seem to constantly get problems. Litchi does seem a lot better than the DJI Go app. Fortunately, I have kept the batteries charged.
Anyhoos. I tried to use it a few months ago and had all manner of issues trying to update the software. I eventually managed to do it in DJI Go, by firing up an old Samsung S5 I had in the cupboard, as it just won’t run on my S10+. I contacted DJI and they say it simply doesn’t work on an S10 and they’ll look at it someday!
So today, I thought I’d try a simple flight around the garden, just to help me remember how to use it! DJI GO simply can’t connect to it. Litchi did eventually, but when I try to take off, I get an error saying that it failed to take off due to an (unspecified) SDK error and to contact DJI.
Help - please! Otherwise, I may just sell it and give up
Because you haven’t flown in so long and you’ve updated Litchi, there is a good chance that you have an incompatible combination of Litchi and the firmware installed in your drone. If you are using a recent version of Litchi but have not updated your drone in years, there is a good chance the firmware is out of date and is no longer compatible with the latest version of Litchi.
Updating the drone firmware using DJI Go4 is easy. If you cannot do that, download “DJI Assistant” for your drone from the DJI web site. Connect your drone to your computer and with “DJI Assistant” you can update your firmware.
I did go through the rather painful process in July of updating the firmware. I had to download an old version of DJI Assistant, as the current version doesn’t work on my Macbook. I’ve just run it again and it says the firmware is up to date (although it shows that to be dated 9th April 2019)! I refreshed it anyway, but I’m guessing it will be the same software. I also recalibrated it in DJI Assistant while I was at it.
Does the controller need any updates to software too?
It would depend on what version your controller has installed now. You can check all of the firmware versions using the DJI Go4 app.
Press ‘3 dots’ (upper right), ‘General Settings’, then scroll all the way down and press ‘About’
I sadly can’t get Go4 to work on any of my devices. On the tablet (Samsung A8), it just fails to load and says there is a bug in the software, wait until the developer fixes it. On my S10, it doesn’t work - I contacted DJI support and they know this is an issue that they will “maybe fix one day” (unfortunately, I can’t afford to follow their advice and buy a newer phone just to get Go4 to run). Go4 WILL run on my old S5. I can get as far as step 4 in the connection dialogue, but it never gets a connection. I don’t think I can update software in Litchi, so I have to use the old version of DJI Assistant on my Macbook. Does that allow updating the controller software?
On the plus side, I HAVE eventually got the thing to fly using Litchi on my tablet!
I first had the SDK error again.
I recalibrated the compass.
Then got another error saying (quite helpfully) “Unknown Error”.
Then I got an error saying something like “check the throttle stick is in a central position” (it was sitting on the table at that point, so no idea why it thought it wasn’t.
Then I did what all good engineers do and switched everything off and back on again. Hey presto, lift off!
Yes. Here is a video (scroll down a couple of posts) for Assistant 2 but you already have an older version of Assistant running and connecting to your drone, based on an older post from you
I also find that the software and my phone seem to constantly get problems. Litchi does seem a lot better than the DJI Go app. Fortunately, I have kept the batteries charged.
