Spark bricked?

[Abelf]

Hello everyone, new to the forum. Greeting from Honduras, central America.
I just got myself a brand new spark. Boy is this drone a cutie, the problem is, I haven't been able to get it flying! I get a "Battery signal error" message in the dji go4 app and it won't take off or even spin up the props. When I turn it on, it goes through the normal initial beeps, props move a bit, rear light flash green, Yellow and red and then they all stay solid red, which means "critical error".
I have tried updrading it with an iPhone and Android phone but a 99%, the update fails, I also tried with dji assistant and the same thing happens. Dji assistant tells me the battery is below 50% and it can't continue, but the battery has 3 solid lights + 1 blinking. I bought the drone with 3 batteries and same thing happens with all of them.

I also own a mavic pro and have had no problems with it in the 6 months and hundreds of flights I have been using it, so I am somewhat familiar with dji go app and these devices. Has anyone had a similar issue or can point me to a solution? Please help!

Thankyou
Abel

 

[Dronason]

Hi and welcome

Probably the message comes because the Spark cannot talk with the intelligent battery or there is some issue with the "brain" of the battery.

You can try also using the DJI software Assistant 2 (on a computer) to check if there is not a firmware mismatch, there are firmwares for the Spark but also for the battery.

Check if when inserted it is really fully and well seating in the Spark.
Check if there is no durt or debris near or in between the battery contact, both on Spark and the battery.
Check if the 6 pins for the battery in the Spark are not bend, damaged or missing.

Last could be also just a defective battery. Can you try another one?

Feel free to post picture of these contacts if you have doubt.

 

[Abelf]

Hi and welcome

Probably the message comes because the Spark cannot talk with the intelligent battery or there is some issue with the "brain" of the battery.

You can try also using the DJI software Assistant 2 (on a computer) to check if there is not a firmware mismatch, there are firmwares for the Spark but also for the battery.

Check if when inserted it is really fully and well seating in the Spark.
Check if there is no durt or debris near or in between the battery contact, both on Spark and the battery.
Check if the 6 pins for the battery in the Spark are not bend, damaged or missing.

Last could be also just a defective battery. Can you try another one?

Feel free to post picture of these contacts if you have doubt.

Hi Dronason,

Thanks for your reply. Yes I have tried with 3 other batteries with no success. Trying to update with dji assistant fails too. The pins on the drone and the batteries seem fine, I have attached a picture of them and of the error messages I am receiving.



Looking forward to your help getting this to fly.

Thank you,
Abel

 

[Dronason]

So to summarize:

• The Spark battery pins looks fine.
• All your batteries have same problems, no info can be retrieved from them.
• Update via DJI assistant software fail, didn't start at all. It seems in red at bottom that there is a message about minimum battery level required. So I suppose that without battery operating there is no way to update using DJI assistant.
• Update via GO4 app fail but at 99%.
• SD card is reported as "slow".

Sounds more like an issue with the Spark itself.
Can you try with another SD card or if not with no SD card at all in the Spark.
Did you retried to upgrade via the Go4 app or only one time. 99% progress sounds not too bad.
Was the app or Assitant 2 asking you to update or did you try yo do a refresh? DJI assistant say it Update/Upgrade to 1.00.0900 which is from December last year.

 

[Abelf]

So to summarize:

• The Spark battery pins looks fine.
• All your batteries have same problems, no info can be retrieved from them.
• Update via DJI assistant software fail, didn't start at all. It seems in red at bottom that there is a message about minimum battery level required. So I suppose that without battery operating there is no way to update using DJI assistant.
• Update via GO4 app fail but at 99%.
• SD card is reported as "slow".

Sounds more like an issue with the Spark itself.
Can you try with another SD card or if not with no SD card at all in the Spark.
Did you retried to upgrade via the Go4 app or only one time. 99% progress sounds not too bad.
Was the app or Assitant 2 asking you to update or did you try yo do a refresh? DJI assistant say it Update/Upgrade to 1.00.0900 which is from December last year.

Yes Dronason, that is right, you can ignore the part about the sd card though, I tried with no sd card and with a proper fast one, that just happened to be an old slow card I also tried.

I have tried several times using the go4 app, on both an ios and an android device, same results on both.

The app is telling me I have to do a mandatory update since the first time I turned it on.

This is really frustrating, I really want to get this little bird up in the air.

Thanks Dronason, any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Abel

 

[Dronason]

Did you retry to finalize the update through the Go4 app? (I am almost sure you try it already several time), but try with each of your batteries?
What are the current versions of firmware/software, General settings / About in Spark camera view?
Sounds like an issue with the Spark itself. The firmware refresh or downgrade looks like the single option before calling DJI for a repair. If it is under warranty, should be ok, but in South-America it can be complicated.