Crashed My P3A: Can I DIY Repair it Quickly???

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I crashed my P3A into an oak tree and it tumbled down bouncing off branches about 50 feet into a creek.

Fortunately, we have been having a drought here in California for like 300 years or so and the creek was bone dry. It landed on its back.

Of course, I need it for some jobs right away.

Is there a way to (try) to DIY repair it quickly???

NO IMAGE FROM CAMERA AND GIMBAL HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN.

I am not able to move the gimbal at all with the remote. When the power is off, the gimbal seems to be able to tuck underneath itself pretty far (further than I remember it being able to do before). Also, I don't get any image from the camera. And the camera menu / settings in the app is grayed out.

Aside from that, this is what else I see:

It has some "minor" hull damage.

One of the covers for the running lights came off and got lost.

I took the props off. The RC connects to the AC, the map / home point are correct, it acquires satellites.

All four motors start up fine (had to take the props off because one of the props will contact the frame where it bulges up due to the crash).

No obvious problems with compass or IMU

In the Battery Menu, the voltage is listed in RED color. Is that bad???

So I am wondering if I could / should open the frame up and if there are any cables that may have come disconnected? Looking on the OUTSIDE of the gimbal I see two cables and they appear to be fine and connected to the gimbal / camera.

Thanks in advance.

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Last edited:
You'll need a new shell, probably a screw kit, and the gimbal could be any number of things. It could be as simple as a disconnected wire to a broken cable to a board being dead in it. It's not going to be a quick repair, either. Go look up shell replacement, that will tell you how much work you're in for. Plus, you have to find and wait for the parts to be shipped to you, and you have to experiment with the gimbal and hope for the best of it only being a disconnected cable. If it's not, you'll have to keep experimenting with the cable and the boards.
 
You'll need a new shell, probably a screw kit, and the gimbal could be any number of things. It could be as simple as a disconnected wire to a broken cable to a board being dead in it. It's not going to be a quick repair, either. Go look up shell replacement, that will tell you how much work you're in for. Plus, you have to find and wait for the parts to be shipped to you, and you have to experiment with the gimbal and hope for the best of it only being a disconnected cable. If it's not, you'll have to keep experimenting with the cable and the boards.

Thanks for the input. Does the fact that both the gimbal and the camera have problems make it easier to narrow down? for instance,is there some piece that handles BOTH the camera and gimbal?
 
You'll need a new shell, probably a screw kit, and the gimbal could be any number of things. It could be as simple as a disconnected wire to a broken cable to a board being dead in it. It's not going to be a quick repair, either. Go look up shell replacement, that will tell you how much work you're in for. Plus, you have to find and wait for the parts to be shipped to you, and you have to experiment with the gimbal and hope for the best of it only being a disconnected cable. If it's not, you'll have to keep experimenting with the cable and the boards.

Assuming it is one of the boards, how much would a replacement board cost, and is it something I can install myself?

Just wondering if it is time to think about selling for parts and getting a P4P???
 
Assuming it is one of the boards, how much would a replacement board cost, and is it something I can install myself?

Just wondering if it is time to think about selling for parts and getting a P4P???

Looking for it, I couldn't even find a source for the camera sensor board. The basic parts can be found, but boards are extremely specialized and are often difficult to find.
 
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Looking for it, I couldn't even find a source for the camera sensor board. The basic parts can be found, but boards are extremely specialized and are often difficult to find.

Thanks for the note.

Ok, well, I guess the "quick fix" entails me buying another aircraft off of craigslist.

I almost bought a P3A off of ebay for $200... then realized that it didn't have a gimbal or camera, so... that's a nope.

Darn... I really wanted to save up for a P4P.
 
Thanks for the note.

Ok, well, I guess the "quick fix" entails me buying another aircraft off of craigslist.

I almost bought a P3A off of ebay for $200... then realized that it didn't have a gimbal or camera, so... that's a nope.

Darn... I really wanted to save up for a P4P.

Remember, the P4 Advanced is the P4P without the dual band and the side/rear sensors. If you want just the camera, you don't have to get the Pro.
 
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A Brief Update:

After looking more closely, I can definitely see an unplugged white cable between the gimbal and body of the aircraft. This cable is close to the area where the image sensors are.

(it seems like there are two white ribbon cables, one closer to the nose of the AC, and one further back. This one is further back).

Thinking this would be the first thing to check since most of the problems are related to the camera.
 
Ok, I plugged in the cable from the gimbal in to the port in the housing where the visual sensors are located and the gimbal and camera SEEM to work fine. Phewww!!! I say SEEM to work fine because I only tried it out in my living room with the motors turned off and the props off.
 

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