Concerns about buying a Vision+ V3

UKFlyer · Mar 4, 2015

Hi all, its been a while since i was here as i sold my Vision+ last year as i decided i had no time to use it, i upgraded the pilots side antennas with the stage 2 kit from fpvlr and loved every minute of flying and never had any issues.
Since reading about the new V3 which launched last november i really wanted one again, the new transmitter looks great with the rechargeable battery and new control for the gimball which is much better than only on the app, with new motors and compass and sheilding for the gps on the quad ( i done this myself on my previous vision+ as many owners did)
DJI have sorted out the previous problems with the new V3 and with the latest price at £850 with 2 batteries it seems like the time to buy one is now.
However i have been reading about the issues with some of the early V3 esc's and motors being the wrong type? Was it only the v3 launch models?
I live in the UK and my question is does anyone know the best place to purchase one with the best chance of getting a latest model? I brought my last vison+ from midland helicopters in leicester, they say they have fresh stock in this week. Buzzflyer had new stock in two weeks ago, and firstpersonview have them in stock, as fpv are official dji dealers would this be the best chance of getting a latest model? From what i've read do i have nothing to worry about if the esc's are the 2.1 version?
I also plan to upgrade the antennas on my new V3 pilots side only like i did before, is there any problem fitting the fpvlr stage 2 kit as i hear the wifi module is slightly different on the new v3 model but i'm not sure in which way.
I'm sorry about all the questions but i'm on the verge of buying one now and want to have the best chance of getting a later model and very much looking forward to getting up in the air again, happy days.
Thanks for any advice or help.
UKFlyer.

rmhome · Mar 4, 2015

I got my V+ from Marionville Models based in Edinburgh - Latest version with the corrrect ESC's/Wifi etc - There's also someone else on the forum who purchased from the same place well before I did and they have the correct components. HTH.

landmannnn · Mar 4, 2015

I bought my phantom from heiliguys.com. Pretty helpful, i rang them and asked which type they had and they know their stuff.

gary1968 · Mar 4, 2015

I bought mine from marionville models in edinburgh also. Ricc, the owner, assured me that there was nothing to worry about, I have had it a month now. Flies great and is more steady in a hover than my mates P2V+ v2.

UKFlyer · Mar 5, 2015

Thanks for all the replies, has anyone purchased their V3 from either midland helicopters, Buzzflyer or firstpersonview lately?
Hi Tony, good to know the stage 2 kit fits on the v3 no problem, i see the design has changed a bit as my first stage 2 kit was seperate antennas but the new style seems even easier to install as you can now leave the stock 5.8ghz antenna in place and you just need to drill a new hole in the top of the controller to install.
I will be ordering the kit today in smokey colour if possible please? I take it the postage costs to the UK will be on your order page?
Thanks again.

UKFlyer · Mar 5, 2015

My V3 has been ordered with the extra battery

I decided to buy from firstpersonview because after speaking to them today they say that they are familiar of the potential issue and do not have any old V3's in stock after making sure they had none left up to a couple of months ago, he seemed to know what he was talking about and reassured me that all their stock have 2.1 ESC's. They did confirm that they are the UK's largest dji dealer so surely dji knows about this? When it arrives i will report back with my findings.
Also ordered a backpack and just about to order the stage 2 kit from fpvlr, i love the new design of the new antennas from fpvlr as they look a lot better to mount.
Already got the app ready on my galaxy s5, and the rc and vision assistant set up on the pc ready and waiting, i see the new rc firmware has recently been updated to 3.12 version and there are as usual warranted concerns in the forum.
I always kept my previous pv2+ firmwares all up to date and never had any issues, so i will be doing the same with this one when it arrives. Very much looking forward to getting it now especially with the gimball control on the tx now making it much easier to tilt.
Let you know how i get on.

CloudsNeverDie · Mar 5, 2015

If you want to be 100% sure you get all the latest equipment in your Phantom (ESC v2.1, foil shielding behind the GPS, motor wires glued in place, v2.3.0.2 batteries, vented WiFi etc.) the only way to do that is to buy directly from DJI. It doesn't take that long, they ship special FedEx priority, mine was picked up in China on Monday and arrived on my doorstep two days later on Wednesday, complete with the latest everything fresh from the factory. Shipping is free and you can also get 2% off if you use this link: http://dji.com/?r=sLoz3V

jonstatt · Mar 6, 2015

UKFlyer said:
My V3 has been ordered with the extra battery I decided to buy from firstpersonview because after speaking to them today they say that they are familiar of the potential issue and do not have any old V3's in stock after making sure they had none left up to a couple of months ago, he seemed to know what he was talking about and reassured me that all their stock have 2.1 ESC's. They did confirm that they are the UK's largest dji dealer so surely dji knows about this? When it arrives i will report back with my findings.
Also ordered a backpack and just about to order the stage 2 kit from fpvlr, i love the new design of the new antennas from fpvlr as they look a lot better to mount.
Already got the app ready on my galaxy s5, and the rc and vision assistant set up on the pc ready and waiting, i see the new rc firmware has recently been updated to 3.12 version and there are as usual warranted concerns in the forum.
I always kept my previous pv2+ firmwares all up to date and never had any issues, so i will be doing the same with this one when it arrives. Very much looking forward to getting it now especially with the gimball control on the tx now making it much easier to tilt.
Let you know how i get on.

The serial number on my UK unit, starts 646 which is a new number range and has the correct ESCs but I didn't buy from firstpersonview. I am still yet to find anyone else with a 646 serial number, so if firstpersonview really have fresh stock, it will be interesting what serial number yours has. The trouble was that the ESC parts got muddled up in the factory making it a lottery, lucky dip, which ESCs were put in. However, I think we are clear of the December confusion now, and I suspect all are okay now.

robinb · Mar 6, 2015

I bought one from dji directly last month, they have stock in UK and it shipped from London to me.

It had all the latest mods on it.

With the volume shipping I don't think there will be any hanging around anywhere.

UKFlyer · Mar 10, 2015

I purchased my new V3 from firstpersonview after speaking to them about my concerns, they had assured me they had the latest stock direct from dji and it arrived yesterday

True to their word the serial number starts with PH646 which i've read is the latest model and it was very satisfying to see the new 2.1 esc's, vented wifi, gps shielding and sheilding with ferrite beads on the video and gps cables i think? Also good to see both batteries are the new PH2 self discharging type.
After charging up all the batteries i plugged the V3 into the pc to update the firmware, now in naza assistant it told me there was an update for the 3.12 firmware so i just decided to click the "upgrade all" at the bottom and a message popped up saying Status ok or something and no need to upgrade so after a basic imu calibration, tx calibrated in rc assistant all was good to go for my first flight today.
After a compass calibration i noticed how quickly it was connected to 10 satellites and up she goes, it flies flawlessly and holds a perfect hover, what amazed me the most was the fact that i was using the highest preview setting at 640x480x30fps and the live video was perfect on my galaxy s5, i only flew out to around 1000ft with about 180ft height but the video never lagged or anything. My old vision+ used to lag a bit on the high preview setting until i upgraded the antennas to the fpvlr stage 2 kit but this V3 is totally stock, no booster was used either because i forgot to turn it on. I've got the stage 2 kit on its way for this V3 so should be good for a bit of distance too when i fit those.
The new scroll/tilt on the tx is great too and just the job, a very smooth tilt is now possible and your finger is naturally placed there.

After todays perfect short flight i plugged it back into the naza assistant to set my parimeters and such and i noticed i had been flying on the 3.08 firmware!
That "upgrade all" button at the bottom is very misleading, it was not until i clicked on the actual update 3.12 a page come up saying do i wish to upgrade? so upgraded to 3.12 and done the usual power cycle. I wondered why i did not see any downloading or power cycle yesterday, looking back it did actually tell me their was an update but i closed the page without realising, the thing is why did it not upgrade to the 3.12 when i clicked "upgrade all"?
So the good news is that i can tell you she flies perfectly on the 3.08 firmware but i've not tried the 3.12 yet, wish me luck.
My V3, serial number starting PH646.

New 2.1 esc's, the wires look skinny though. Is this still a concern? I moved the wired off the mosfets and straightened the wires as best as i could.

GPS and plug now shielded.

vented wifi unit, sheilded cable with ferrite beads.

more shielding and ferrite beads.

PH2 battery.

serial number 646 is the latest model i hear?

I will let you know how i get on with the new 3.12 firmware.

UKFlyer · Mar 10, 2015

Before and after the 3.12 update, from a thread i made about "update all" not working in naza.

UKFlyer said:
After plugging in my new V3 in the naza assistant yesterday a pop up appeared saying the new 3.12 update is available, i read the new features and closed the pop up window. Once setting up my parameters and such i went to the Upgrade tab, saw the new"upgrade all" button at the bottom of the screen. clicked it and it said staus ok, no need to update or something similar so thinking i was now updated to the new 3.12 firmware it for her first flight today, it flew flawlessly but it was not until i was on naza assistant today i realised i still had the 3.08 firmware.
When you click on the actual "latest version 3.12" tab a page appeared with the upgrade button at the bottom. Once clicked it then downloaded and the usual power cycle message came up.
So a word of warning, if you close the pop up that appears when you plug into naza informing you of an update and you close that window then you need to click on the actual update itself because the "upgrade all" tab at the bottom does nothing.

Before i clicked on the actual 3.12 it looked like this.

After clicking on the "latest update 3.12" i then got the upgrade page, downloaded , power cycled and i now have the 3.12 update as you see.

The "update all" button is misleading and you can easily forget to update if you close the initial upgrade page.
Hope this helps someone.

lalvar40 · Mar 10, 2015

I like this thread as I am going to get a V3 to replace my Phantom 1 v1.1.1 and there are many V3 bad comments around. It seems the issues have been solved. Any other area I should be aware of before I buy my new V3?

UKFlyer · Mar 10, 2015

lalvar40 said:
I like this thread as I am going to get a V3 to replace my Phantom 1 v1.1.1 and there are many V3 bad comments around. It seems the issues have been solved. Any other area I should be aware of before I buy my new V3?

As i say mine is flies perfectly with the 3.08 firmware, not tried the new 3.12 yet but its fully updated now and ready to go. It seems the concerns with the V3's were only really with the launch models as they somehow put the wrong type of esc's in some, as the months passed by this was sorted with the new 2.1 version and also adding vented wifi, shielding with ferrite beads and so on. Most shops would of sold out of all the old stock now so i think there would be no worries from anywhere you buy, just make sure to either buy from dji direct or a dealer.
Some are saying the wires are too thin on the new 2.1 esc and looking at them they do look a lot thinner than my old model, the wires are single core instead of multi strand and this is where a potential problem could be because they could possibly fracture under vibration. To be honest i'm taking my chances and will enjoy flying it as the are.

clayton4115 · Mar 10, 2015

thanks for this information ?UKFlyer will probably now lean towards to Phantom+ V3 as it looks like the problems have been sorted out, will buy directly from the dji website within the next few days.

UKFlyer · Mar 11, 2015

According to some a major problem still has not been fixed. The wires on the esc's are the single strand type and are worried they may break at the solder joints under vibration, BUT i've not seen or read any evidence about this so in my opinion its all speculative and hype, i will carry on flying the way they are for the time being.

UKFlyer said:
burlbark said:

How in the world can you say this?

The Version 3 Visions have been losing a motor midflite and crashing to the ground and people open them up and find a broken motor lead. DJI has started to try and issue fixes, silicone or shrink wrap to keep the wires from vibrating.

How can you say its "speculative" or "not backed by hard evidence"....You cant. To do so is the definition of stupid. No pun or offense intended.

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I've not read about any V3's falling out of the sky due to the wires breaking, can you show me any threads about it with pictures and i may think otherwise? Also mine is the latest PH646 model and i see no silicone or shrink wrap on the wires, why did they stop doing this?
In my opinion this is all speculative without any evidence and i will carry on flying as they are.

gingerbloke · Mar 11, 2015

I bought mine from Heliguy in early February - I asked if this V3 has the 2.1 ESC and this was confirmed before purchase. My serial n starts PH645xxx

Presales and postsales support have been excellent so far.

I really enjoy my PV2+ but with just over 10 uneventful flights (hand-catching) on it there are already cracks around the motor mounts on all four arms. I'm hoping this is a molding defect and not a design fault. You see/hear of people with 300+ flights so I'm hopeful.

Adam

gingerbloke · Mar 11, 2015

Dealer reply is:

"...could take up to 12 weeks Looking on DJI's website they state there is no warranty on the actual shell itself"

Pretty poor from DJI if that's really the case.

Apparition · Mar 11, 2015

New shell is reasonably cheap, buy a new one from Heliguy. Looks like the screws may have been the problem.

gingerbloke · Mar 11, 2015

Let's be clear, this is a one month old V3 with about 3 hours flying on it - those screws are DJI screws put in by DJI workers.

A new shell may well be cheap, but I'd much rather move the electronics across to something that doesn't look like it was made in a Buzz Lightyear factory :lol:

Apparition said:
New shell is reasonably cheap, buy a new one from Heliguy. Looks like the screws may have been the problem.

burlbark · Mar 11, 2015

gingerbloke said:
Let's be clear, this is a one month old V3 with about 3 hours flying on it - those screws are DJI screws put in by DJI workers.

A new shell may well be cheap, but I'd much rather move the electronics across to something that doesn't look like it was made in a Buzz Lightyear factory :lol:

Apparition said:

New shell is reasonably cheap, buy a new one from Heliguy. Looks like the screws may have been the problem.

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