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Want to Test firmware? Maybe make some $$ doing it?

This all seems pretty cut and dry. Lots of questions for the guy who is passing on the information. All optional. This seems like a great way to become a part of the growing company. I do not have the time with all of my other stuff going on or I'd be all over this. Thanks for the info Blade.
 
I think this is a great idea. I keep seeing the biggest comments of "haven't we already been Beta testers" but from a manufacturing position I will say this.

I have no doubt that DJI DID and HAS done a lot of testing on the firmware version prior to release. However as a person who tests firmware on computer based products I will say that DJI could literally have 20, 40, 60, 100 people at their company testing their products (Firmware, software final production products) before release and they could do this for years and STILL once the product is release into the field there will always be somebody that will find that one particular way, during that right temperature, during a particular operation at a certain time of the day with this button pressed before that button and the sun is pointing a certain way that WILL always find new bugs.

Ultimately regardless of how much testing goes into a product there will ALWAYS be hidden bugs in firmware. The fact is its still hand written code by an engineer(s) and it only takes one keystroke or not thinking of a certain equation that could possibly be used that could cause a problem.

Lets look at Microsoft, remember Microsoft Windows XP? Microsoft has THOUSANDS of code writers to write that program and still even 12 years after its release they were still fixing bugs (not counting security updates) in it. When it comes to ANYTHING with a processor in it, especially when it has thousands, in this case millions if not billions of variables you can only test so much as a company in every way that you as a company can image the product will be used and then you have to release it. At that point be ready to get the updates done because consumers WILL find issues regardless of how much testing you have done.

If you have issues with this possibility please disconnect yourself from technology as a whole because whether its cell phones, washers and dryers, audio products, toasters, electronic pencil sharpeners the keyboard and the computer you are typing on and even your car you drive it all has the same common factor... A computer that had code written by a person.

As long as DJI continues to do updates and do diligent testing prior to release and continue to support the product and guarantee the product if there is any major errors as a direct result of the updates then I am fine with it.

For me my concern is what position will DJI take on units after they are 1 year old and the factory warranty is expired and a customer has a critical issue as a result of a firmware update. Will they still support and grantee the product or take a much less desired path?

The moral of the story, the best critics and people for feedback are your consumers.


Also for those that have never seen what something like code looks like here is a sample. Now imagine hand entering 500,000+ or even a million plus lines of this?

image001.jpg


As long as DJI wants to guarantee the product for testers and maybe even expedite repairs if it comes to that so that if there is issues I am not spending most of my first year with my bird in service I would be happy to sign up, take a chance and help out.
 
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Reminds me of Margaret Hamilton and her code for the Apollo missions. Hand written.
 
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I think this is a great idea. I keep seeing the biggest comments of "haven't we already been Beta testers" but from a manufacturing position I will say this.

I have no doubt that DJI DID and HAS done a lot of testing on the firmware version prior to release. However as a person who tests firmware on computer based products I will say that DJI could literally have 20, 40, 60, 100 people at their company testing their products (Firmware, software final production products) before release and they could do this for years and STILL once the product is release into the field there will always be somebody that will find that one particular way, during that right temperature, during a particular operation at a certain time of the day with this button pressed before that button and the sun is pointing a certain way that WILL always find new bugs.

Ultimately regardless of how much testing goes into a product there will ALWAYS be hidden bugs in firmware. The fact is its still hand written code by an engineer(s) and it only takes one keystroke or not thinking of a certain equation that could possibly be used that could cause a problem.

Lets look at Microsoft, remember Microsoft Windows XP? Microsoft has THOUSANDS of code writers to write that program and still even 12 years after its release they were still fixing bugs (not counting security updates) in it. When it comes to ANYTHING with a processor in it, especially when it has thousands, in this case millions if not billions of variables you can only test so much as a company in every way that you as a company can image the product will be used and then you have to release it. At that point be ready to get the updates done because consumers WILL find issues regardless of how much testing you have done.

If you have issues with this possibility please disconnect yourself from technology as a whole because whether its cell phones, washers and dryers, audio products, toasters, electronic pencil sharpeners the keyboard and the computer you are typing on and even your car you drive it all has the same common factor... A computer that had code written by a person.

As long as DJI continues to do updates and do diligent testing prior to release and continue to support the product and guarantee the product if there is any major errors as a direct result of the updates then I am fine with it.

For me my concern is what position will DJI take on units after they are 1 year old and the factory warranty is expired and a customer has a critical issue as a result of a firmware update. Will they still support and grantee the product or take a much less desired path?

The moral of the story, the best critics and people for feedback are your consumers.


Also for those that have never seen what something like code looks like here is a sample. Now imagine hand entering 500,000+ or even a million plus lines of this?

View attachment 903


As long as DJI wants to guarantee the product for testers and maybe even expedite repairs if it comes to that so that if there is issues I am not spending most of my first year with my bird in service I would be happy to sign up, take a chance and help out.

Bravo, you get it.

By the way, warranty has nothing to do with testing. If you are a tester you will be covered if it was firmware related.

I have been testing for dji for over 2 years now. They do take care of people that take care of them.
 
Bravo, you get it.

By the way, warranty has nothing to do with testing. If you are a tester you will be covered if it was firmware related.

I have been testing for dji for over 2 years now. They do take care of people that take care of them.

Tha'ts good to hear Blade.

I test beta firmware for a living and have been thru the good and the bad, comes with the territory. From one of my favorite movies, Office Space one of my favorite sayings I tell people - "I deal with engineers so others don't have to" lol....

As Beta testing does hold its risks that's why I always have that concern. But then again at work if what Im testing goes south and blows up everything else down the line I simply invoice our more stuff to engineering and go to the warehouse and grab more. lol

Blade I put in my app however my bird is at DJI so I don't have the serial number on me (noted it in the app) and also had to send my CADL as my passport is with the US DOJ having pages added and I don't have it back yet.
 
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Hi Bladestrike,

I'd love to be involved however it is coming up to winter here and it gets dark pretty early in the evenings so the daylight hours I have for flying are too limited. I For one have plenty of faith in DJI and would be very keen to be a beta tester. I think what you see here are a number of people who don't understand how advanced the Inspire is and therefore what is involved in ironing out glitches in the systems. I guess a few folks expected their Inspire to work 100% straight from the box. In an ideal world they would but for those of us who have had a little more experience flying and building hex's and quads we realise that DJI run along the same lines as Toyota with a philosophy of continuous improvement.

It was less than a year ago that folks over on the Phantom forum were bitching and moaning that the Groundsation app wasn't available and that DJI had duped all their customers into buying the expensive hardware set up for a system that didn't exist. Well it did exist and was being tested. When it was released it worked flawlessly and is an amazing piece of technology. Likewise DJI also fixed the TBE that Phantoms had as well as other smaller issues. They listen to their clients and they improve their products. I love my Inspire and also my Phantom, they're the most fun I can have with my pants on!

Mate, you must get so pissed having to deal with people who are suspicious, untrusting, ungrateful, unreasonable and unrealistic. I hope that you realise that those folks are usually the most vocal. For every grumpy and unhappy Inspire buyer out there, there are probably 3 or 4 like myself who are actually very happy and not unhappy to wait. Like I said at the start of this piece I'd be happy to be a beta tester but I don't feel that I could dedicate the amount of time to the project with the seasonal changes here making any flying time a luxury.

Cheers, keep up the excellent work.
 
I need my in my work, so that beta testing seems a bit risky, even if it feels like you are already doing it.
When one is dependent on a functioning drone, it feels like a big risk in any case.
Or do they have a next day delivery, if something were to happen? :)
 
I think this is a great idea. I keep seeing the biggest comments of "haven't we already been Beta testers" but from a manufacturing position I will say this.

I have no doubt that DJI DID and HAS done a lot of testing on the firmware version prior to release. However as a person who tests firmware on computer based products I will say that DJI could literally have 20, 40, 60, 100 people at their company testing their products (Firmware, software final production products) before release and they could do this for years and STILL once the product is release into the field there will always be somebody that will find that one particular way, during that right temperature, during a particular operation at a certain time of the day with this button pressed before that button and the sun is pointing a certain way that WILL always find new bugs.

Ultimately regardless of how much testing goes into a product there will ALWAYS be hidden bugs in firmware. The fact is its still hand written code by an engineer(s) and it only takes one keystroke or not thinking of a certain equation that could possibly be used that could cause a problem.

Lets look at Microsoft, remember Microsoft Windows XP? Microsoft has THOUSANDS of code writers to write that program and still even 12 years after its release they were still fixing bugs (not counting security updates) in it. When it comes to ANYTHING with a processor in it, especially when it has thousands, in this case millions if not billions of variables you can only test so much as a company in every way that you as a company can image the product will be used and then you have to release it. At that point be ready to get the updates done because consumers WILL find issues regardless of how much testing you have done.

If you have issues with this possibility please disconnect yourself from technology as a whole because whether its cell phones, washers and dryers, audio products, toasters, electronic pencil sharpeners the keyboard and the computer you are typing on and even your car you drive it all has the same common factor... A computer that had code written by a person.

As long as DJI continues to do updates and do diligent testing prior to release and continue to support the product and guarantee the product if there is any major errors as a direct result of the updates then I am fine with it.

For me my concern is what position will DJI take on units after they are 1 year old and the factory warranty is expired and a customer has a critical issue as a result of a firmware update. Will they still support and grantee the product or take a much less desired path?

The moral of the story, the best critics and people for feedback are your consumers.


Also for those that have never seen what something like code looks like here is a sample. Now imagine hand entering 500,000+ or even a million plus lines of this?

View attachment 903


As long as DJI wants to guarantee the product for testers and maybe even expedite repairs if it comes to that so that if there is issues I am not spending most of my first year with my bird in service I would be happy to sign up, take a chance and help out.
same way i think. my question is /would be that if i'd want to work with it, it says no commercial use... in private i will not really get those chances like filming a property for a realestate or a house or a advert... why is commercial use not granted?
just asking...
 
in private i will not really get those chances like filming a property for a realestate or a house or a advert... why is commercial use not granted?
just asking...
The info states .. Users are required to record the flight video from the onboard camera and a third-person perspective video that shows how the Inspire 1 performs during each test flight.
DJI are wanting testers to put in quite a bit of effort - not just do their normal flying and report back.
You wouldn't be able to carry out your own commercial flying AND satisfy DJI's requirements.
DJI are asking for quite a bit of effort from testers
 
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well i think i could manage that... there isways someone on set that could record... i would love to test but since i don't have a second i1 and will do work with it i guess i am not eligble or?
 
Submitted. Then read the whole thread and couldn't refrain from crying a little..

For those who can't figure out how to apply when all the info on how to do so is attached at the end of the post, then repeated below as an answer to other people who already couldn't find... think a little bit about how you're going to follow a meaningful testing protocol and know what to expect to be able to detect unusual behavior.
By definition when beta testing you are going into something that may not be documented and will require you to find out things by yourself.
 
I think is this an excellent move by DJI. Being in software development for 30 years, I feel this is a great position for DJI to take. They're currently positioned where they can't win. Users complain of poor firmware quality vs. time to release. I think this is will have a HUGE impact on :
A - User community participation
B - Good feedback loop for DJI
C - Better quality over all
D - and the list can go on.

Bravo!

And yes - I will be signing up for the Beta program.
 
I like the idea but unfortunately I am unable to participate.
I live in a Middle Eastern country that has no dealer or repair facilities close.
I wish all those you are able and willing the best of luck!
 
Its a public beta why do you feel that your not qualified? As long as you fly, use most functions and can provide the necessary feedback then I would say your good.
I'm trying to send my Flightlog to DJI Beta, but i keep doing it wrong.. :p

Does the Flightlog have a fixed size? I see people report that they are from 1-3GB, while I got like 37 files and everyone is like 50-150mb in size..

DJI Beta
We requires the flight log exported from the aircraft instead of APP, should be named as "FLYxxx.DAT". A PC is required to export this flight log. Thanks.

I upload it to my domain\webserver and sent them.. the file size is around 70mb.

Then

Sir, the link you shared is difficult to download... Could you please change a web drive?

Fair enough, so i uploaded it to dropbox and gave them a "Download" link.


Then i get:
Sir, the log is not flying log. Could you please have a quick flight and export the latest one?

Is there no way to see if its a "log from the air" or not? :p Gonna do a quick flight tomorrow morning then try and resend them.
Been much back and forth (mainly my fault), just want to make sure that the next time i send them something it works.. im sure they are pretty annoyed by me now.. :D
 

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