Autel continues to provide decent customer service, but they haven’t adequately addressed user complaints regarding the V2 firmware update. Many users, myself included, have experienced video disconnects and the dreaded “red screen of death” with the V2 firmware. This has significantly impacted the enjoyment of using the drone, leading to a desire to revert to the more stable V1 firmware.
Unfortunately, both Autel and community forums confirm that downgrading firmware is not officially supported. Numerous troubleshooting steps have been attempted, including cleaning gimbal contacts, reinstalling apps on various iOS and Android devices, using different USB cables, and more. None of these solutions have resolved the issue.
Upon replacing the drone’s shell, I discovered an SD card on the motherboard. This raises the question: could installing a blank SD card potentially trigger the system to load an older firmware version? I have archived the binary files for all firmware versions installed this year. Finding an older version of the Autel app might also be necessary, but that’s a secondary concern.
While I plan on attempting this myself, I’m curious if anyone else has experimented with using a blank SD card to revert to older firmware on an Autel drone, specifically a 2017 model. Any insights before I undertake the arduous task of disassembling the drone again would be greatly appreciated. Has anyone else had success with this or another method? What other potential solutions or workarounds exist for addressing the V2 firmware issues?
