Hardware Failure (Firmware update) of Parrot Rolling Spider

Hi!

I am trying to complete the hardware setup wizard for the Parrot Rolling Spider via Matlab. When I get to write the firmware via the hardware setup, it eventually fails. I have tried different cables and ports, but it still does not work. I have not been able to pass this point with two different rolling spider minidrones.

Here are some additionnal tests I performed: I tried to use the hardware setup wizard after have updated the parrot rolling spider using the wifi method and the computer method suggested by parrot. I have tried the same thing after reinitializing the parrot (holding the power button for more than 10 seconds). Nothing works.

Matlab is never able to correctly install its firware onto the parrot.

Jérémie Pilon

[Jeremie Pilon]

We are able to successfully install the firware on a fresh out-of-the-box parrot using Matlab 2017a with the Simulink Support Package for PARROT Minidrones but with the version from december 22 (17.1.2). The FW version of the parrot out-of-th-box is 1.0.80.

However, any other installation attempt with the newest version of the add-on or with matlab 2017b is not successful. Then, any other attempt (even with the previous successful method 2017a/17.1.2) does not work.

It seems that a failure to install the firmware correctly prevents any other attempts to be successful (even with a factory reset of the parrot).

[John Judge]

I am having the same problem, and I have tried both Matlab 2017a and b and the update will not work. if you used an older version, how did you roll it back?

[Jeremie Pilon]

A friend in my lab had installed the support package a long while back and he hadn't updated it since.

[Ankur Bose]

Please see the below answer for resolution to this issue.

Answer 1

[Ankur Bose]

Hi All,

We have contacted Parrot regarding this issue and they have provided us a workaround to resolve this issue. The fix has already been published in R2017b in the support package version 17.2.3. Please upgrade your support package version to 17.2.3 in R2017b and perform the hardware setup for Parrot Rolling Spider once more.

If you do not wish to upgrade your support package, you can follow the below steps to resolve this issue.

1. Connect the Parrot Rolling Spider drone to PC. Wait for the LEDs to stabilize to RED and GREEN.
2. If you are working in Windows PC, install RNDIS as mentioned in this link. Please note that drone has a timeout period of approx 60 seconds after which it automatically disconnects from PC. Hence please complete the RNDIS installation as fast as possible.
3. Open Windows command prompt. Execute the below command in the command prompt as shown in the snapshot.

telnet 192.168.2.1

If you get an error 'telnet' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file, you need to enable telnet in your Windows PC. Follow the instructions in this MATLAB answer to enable telnet in your PC.

If the command prompt displays the message Connecting to 192.168.2.1...... for a long time and then it fails, it might be that the drone has timed out or the RNDIS installation has not gone through.

Reconnect the drone and repeat Step 3. If you still get same error, you need to install RNDIS on the host computer again as mentioned in Step 2. Complete the RNDIS installation as fast as possible.

On successful execution of the command you should see a command prompt window as shown in the snapshot.

1. On the Delos prompt in the command window, execute the below command

echo "1.99.2" > /version.txt

This would create the missing version.txt in the root folder of the drone, that is required for the firmware update to be successful.

If you get any write permission error while executing this command, try rebooting the drone and repeat the above steps.

After successful execution of the above command, complete the hardware setup screens in MATLAB. They should go through without any issue.

Answer 2

[BENAS GRIAUZDE]

i found a problem in /factory/FVT1.txt

look mac adress:

MGET_TESTBENCH_SOFTWARE

> 0 : Version : DLL version V1.2.0.9 (May 28 2014, 16:42:57)

> 1 : Version : Script version V1.5.0

> 2 : Bluetooth : Load checking Mac Address pattern: 90:03:B7: A0:14:3D:

> 3 : Network : Network C:\tars\ is available

> 4 : Network : Network p:\ is available

>duration : 0.016

>end_time : 0.016

cat /factory/mac_address.txt

got

A0:14:3D:48:F7:61

anyone knows how to fix it?