We’ve been flying the DJI Inspire 2 since it launched. Over the years we’ve experienced pretty much all of the quirks and oddities that the Inspire 2 has.

Make no mistake, it is still one of our favorite machines to operate, it just needs a little coaxing from time to time.

Tips and Tricks to fix some common issues on the DJI Inspire 2:

• Help, my Inspire 2 Controller screen stays black, and camera feed won’t show. What do I do?
  • This is a common issue with the Inspire 2, especially in older models. Some things that may cause this issue:
    • Firmware mismatch between the different components: remember, there are many components on the Inspire 2 that require updates, not just the drone. Be sure that your camera, batteries, drone, controller and mobile device app have all been updated to the latest version of the software
    • Clean the connectors on the Zenmuse camera: using a Q-tip with some rubbing alcohol will usually do a great job cleaning the contacts between the camera and the drone. Also make sure that all the contacts are straight and unbent or you won’t have a good connection
    • Replace your vibration absorbing board (part 23): probably THE most common cause of not seeing a camera feed on your Inspire 2 controller. There is a ribbon cable that runs under this board that occasionally gets pinched or worn out. The only option is to replace the whole vibration absorbing board (bit of a pain to replace to be honest!).
• The camera gimbal on my Inspire 2 suddenly resets mid-flight, how do I fix it?
  • This is similar to the issue above, typically caused by a worn or faulty Vibration Absorbing Board. If your camera feed also cuts out at the same time it is almost guaranteed to need a replacement board.
• Getting random “Obstruction” or “Obstacle” notices on my Inspire 2 controller (even though there are none!)
  • One of the main reasons this occurs is that you are getting indirect sun in the front obstacle sensor. Typically flying into the sun is not an issue, however flying at an angle towards the sun can cause some flare in the obstacle sensors that can trigger this warning. If you switch to Sport mode this disables the front sensors and will ensure smooth flight (but you lose any obstacle avoidance of course!)
• Getting the warning “Video Format not supported with the current activation key. Cannot record by SSD”
  • Another annoying DJI error, typically due to a firmware glitch. Restarting the Inspire 2 will usually fix this error. If not, you may need to connect your tablet, phone or CrystalSky to WiFi or to a hotspot so that DJI can verify the license against it’s database

• Tried calibrating the Inspire 2 vision system but DJI Assistant is showing “device not supported”, what do I do?
  • This is typically an issues that Mac users encounter. If you’ve confirmed your Mac is updated and you’ve already tried reinstalling the Assistant software it may be time to try a Windows laptop. It seems DJI, although they seem to design their drone apps around iOS, they seem to prefer Windows devices when it comes to updating software or calibrating sensors.
• Help, my DJI Inspire 2 arm twisted and now the propeller hits the drone!
  • We’ve experienced this problem ourselves (luckily happened when about only 2 feet from the ground resulting in minimal damage). This is caused by the middle arm clamp (the clamp that holds the arm at a specific angle) wearing out and not holding the ribbed arm mount in place. This problem manifests itself especially in cold weather when vibrations are higher (due to a stiff airframe) and on Inspire 2 drones that have a lot of flight hours. There are several fixes for this but the easiest one (and the one that we’ve used for the past few years without issues) is simply wrapping a single strip of black electrical tape around the ribbed portion of the arm and tightening the clamp back up again. This eliminates any slack in the clamp and it holds tight. BE SURE TO DO BOTH SIDES!

Any other topics you’d like to see covered? Let us know!