DJI FPV Goggles vs DJI Digital FPV System Goggles

*** UPDATE ***

The DJI Goggle V2 is exactly the same whether bought as a stand-alone model or as part of the DJI FPV Drone.

There is one very important step that needs to be taken to allow the DJI Goggle… the one included with the DJI FPV Drone to work like the stand-alone.

The Country Code needs to be set on the Goggle.

Fresh from DJI Support after losing my cool trying to explain the situation.

3. If the FPV Goggle V2 cannot switch the DJI Digital FPV System mode, you need to pair the Goggle V2 with the FPV aircraft before switching. Please connect DJI FLY or DJI Assistant software to the goggles to refresh the country code, the goggles will recognize whether the current location supports the use of 5.8G frequency band (150 mode).
For North America, the current country code supports the 5.8G frequency band, and the 150 mode switch option is enabled.
Since your Goggle V2 are bought from the dealer, the factory default of the goggles from the DJI FPV combo is 170 mode. If you would like to switch to 150 mode for the first time, you need to update to the latest firmware and switch after connecting to the FPV aircraft. 

I was unable to set the Country Code on the DJI FPV Combo using DJI Assistant, nor was I able to accomplish this indoors. I needed to have the aircraft bound to the remote, goggle linked to the aircraft, and the goggle connected to DJI Fly on my Android, outdoors in my backyard.

DJI Assistant sees the new firmware on the goggle and prompts to downgrade. I’m not touching it; it finally works.

*** ORIGINAL POST ***

Two Goggles, identical in every sense. One you get when you buy a DJI FPV Combo (the new DJI FPV drone), or you can buy the goggle as a stand-alone or part of the DJI Digital FPV System.

Clear as mud right?

I have both, and started looking them over the other night. I even got my old-man glasses on to read the black on dark-gray part numbers silk-screened onto each.

Identical part numbers, all the way down the line.

How are they different?

I didn’t go and take these apart to compare individual part number or components, but when presented to the DJI (FPV) assistant, these identical goggles show different available firmwares. These firmwares could not be more different.

The DJI Digital FPV System Goggle firmware, at the time of writing the latest is v01.00.06.06

The DJI FPV Goggles, 1.01.000.

Here’s where an eyebrow goes up. If you get your DJI Digital FPV Goggles firmware to 1.00.06.06, it offers you a mode, under Settings->Device that allows you to swap the goggle to become compatible with the DJI FPV Drone, and under the “About” menu, an option to go back to DJI Digital FPV Goggles. This is really cool, and could only be cooler if ALL the goggles worked on the same build of firmware and offered all the same functions.

This works 100% on the DJI Digital FPV Goggles, but no amount of foolery will get the identically numbered part (DJI FPV Drone goggle) to go to v01.00.06.06.

I’ve tried some tricks, plugging both in, starting the upgrade and unplugging the DJI Digital FPV Goggle in hopes of fooling it; DJI Assistant wouldn’t have it.

Short of a tear-down that’s been commented-on as a solid 10/10 difficult, my Spidey-sense tells me DJI has made this so, that by model or serial number, the appropriate firmware will be dolled out.

So the next best thing to see if there is an actual difference between these devices was to put a serial port sniffer on the DJI Virtual Com port that is created during the installation of the DJI FPV Assistant.

The DJI FPV Combo goggle, included with the drones shows an identifier of GL170

The DJI Digital FPV goggle, bought as stand-alone for use with the Air-Unit (or with the DJI FPV as of fw v01.00.06.06 ), as a GP150.

This can also be seen in the bones of the json files the DJI assistant leaves behind. (my hashes sanitized)

[2021-04-13 22:34:29:742][info] [ws] event: { DEVICE_STATUS: 'normal',
  DEVICE_TYPE: 'gl170_gl',
  EVENT: 'device_arrival',
  FILE: '1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
  FILE_NAME: 'COM13',
  NEED_UPGRADE: false,
  PRODUCT_TYPE: 'Gl',
  SERVICE_LIST: 
   [ '/config/glass/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/controller/flight_record/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/controller/module_activate/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/controller/p4_ext/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/controller/upgrade/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/data_clean/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111',
     '/upgrade/1111111111111111111111111111111111111111' ],
  SN: '',
  SUB_DEVICE_TYPE: '',
  UPGRADING: false,
  VERSION: '00.00.0000' }
  
  
  [2021-04-20 20:52:50:411][info] lstore removeDevice, current devices [ { DEVICE_STATUS: 'activated',
    DEVICE_TYPE: 'gp150_gl',
    EVENT: 'device_arrival',
    FILE: '0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
    FILE_NAME: 'COM13',
    NEED_UPGRADE: false,
    PRODUCT_TYPE: 'Gl',
    SERVICE_LIST: 
     [ '/config/glass/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/controller/flight_record/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/controller/module_activate/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/controller/p4_ext/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/controller/upgrade/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/data_clean/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
       '/upgrade/0000000000000000000000000000000000000000' ],
    SN: 'ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ',
    SUB_DEVICE_TYPE: '',
    UPGRADING: false,
    VERSION: '00.00.0000' } ]

You know, I could dig into this more, see if I could play a trick on it, but you know what, I won’t. DJI has already played us all dirty. Identically labeled goggles, same part numbers, look 100% the same, but they NOT the same. The DJI FPV Combo, the drone, the marketing material is happy to say that it comes with a DJI Goggle V2. in the box:

Yet, on the DJI Digital FPV System page:

We are being mislead and the only thing DJI should do to make this right, if the “guts” of these things are in fact the same and able to both run firmware v01.00.06.06 is to let firmware v01.00.06.06 out and quit dicking us around.

DJI Goggle V2 != DJI Goggle V2. WTF? Is DJI O3 a difference on identical part numbers?

Who’s gonna open theirs up? I’m too chicken. (GreenMonkeyFPV did it here)

Thinking on this further, why have two different technologies? It’s about receiving HD video and telemetry. Having two tech stacks makes little sense.