DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Troubleshooting

When you go to start the motor, nothing happens.

Go outside with the drone and check to see if it connects with a satellite. If the drone does not connect, open it up and look at the GPS module. If it is unplugged, plug it back into the flight controller. If the GPS module is damaged, it will need to be replaced.

The motor will not start unless there has been a compass calibration, which needs to be done outdoors. To calibrate, tap the aircraft status bar at the top of the camera screen then press calibrate and follow the instructions.

To turn the safety off, which will allow the drone to fly, press both sticks on the controller down. This is also referred to as arming the drone.

If the motor still has not turned on, check the battery life of the drone. If the battery life is low, charge the battery.

If you controller is charging ok, e.g. lights indicate its taking charge and increases as such, but when you try to turn on controller the red light blinks to indicate low battery, you need to check two things

to do this check, after charging for some time (e.g. 30mins +), on controller click and hold, C1, Photo button and Power - You should see a green/blue light and controller should indicate level of charge. If no charge, likely to be a battery problem, However if 2/3/4 white lights show, the problem is elsewhere.

Assuming you have followed above step, The problem is likely with the regulator for the battery charging and release. There is a control unit which regulates the charge to the battery and also the release of charge. Its a 17.4 DC charger, but battery is 8.3v and this is in the design of the controller.

I am not 100% certain on how to fix this, but will come back later to update once resolved.

The battery does not charge when plugged into the charger.

If the battery was recently used in a flight, it may be too warm and will be unable to charge. Let the battery sit for a few minutes to let it cool off.

To force the battery to be in charging mode, press the battery button once and then immediately press and hold it down. Each LED will turn on until they’re all on. Once they are all on, some will turn off and then the current battery charge level will be displayed. Plug the battery into the charger. If the battery is kept on charging mode and doesn’t need to be charged, hold the button until all the lights turn off. This will save battery power.

If the charger is unable to charge other batteries, the charger may be faulty and may need to be replaced.

If your charger is able to charge other batteries, the battery may be faulty and may need to be replaced.

When flying, the live video feed is not horizontal.

In many cases, the gimbal is simply misadjusted within the DJI app. If this is the case, you can access the gimbal settings within the DJI pilot app, and adjust the roll settings there.

Sometimes, the most recent firmware update from DJI fixes many past glitches that may cause your gimbal to tilt slightly. To be sure about which firmware you need, check DJI’s website to confirm the latest firmware.

The IMU, or the control board, controls the gimbal, so it is important this is calibrated correctly. In order to calibrate the IMU, the drone needs to be safely placed on a level surface. The IMU, along with other sensors, can be recalibrated through the DJI Pilot app.

If none of this helps, your gimbal may be faulty, and may need to be replaced.

After turned on, the status indicator repeatedly flashes red, yellow and green and it is hard to get the drone off the ground.

The red, yellow and green flashes mean the IMU data is abnormal. To calibrate the IMU the drone needs to be safely placed on a level surface. The IMU, along with other sensors, can be recalibrated through the DJI Pilot app.

After arming the quadcopter, the motors won’t turn on, and “ESC Status Error” is displayed.

Sometimes the IMU can cause the user to see this error, so it is important to calibrate the IMU correctly. To calibrate the IMU the drone needs to be safely placed on a level surface. The IMU, along with other sensors, can be recalibrated through the DJI Pilot app.

The ESC's within the control board may be faulty. If this is the case, the entire board must be replaced. To replace the control board, follow our Flight Control Board Replacement