My Phantom 1 has worked great ever since I got it. But then today when I put both control sticks down to the bottom left to start the rotors, only one rotor started. The other 3 rotors just kind of "jittered" back and forth. Any thoughts???
Desperately need HELP!!!
- Thread starter dlettow
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Did you put the original screws back in or the same ones that held the prop guards on?. The ones that hold the prop guards on are too long when you remove the prop guards and screw into the motors.
I have tried it with and without the prop guards and I still have the same problem. I even tried it without any screws and I get one rotor that spins and three that just "jiggle".
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The long prop guard screws can make contact with the motors if the prop guards aren't there (and if you tighten the living heck out of them, they can make contact even with the prop guards). It sounds like you put the longer screws in without the prop guards. The screws will only damage the motors if you fire them up with the long screws there. If they're not working, the damage is already likely done. They don't give you any warning about this, so it seems to have happened to a lot of people. You're probably looking at installing new motors, unfortunately.
If anyone else reads this, the best way to check is to be familiar with how the motors turn normally. They turn to a point and stop, then turn and stop again, stopping about 13 times in a rotation. It should turn very easily by hand. If it turns without making he stops, and it takes a little big of force to turn it, the screws are hitting the motor. Do this check on each motor before or after taking the prop guards off. If it is not turning correctly, either replace the screws, or back them off.
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If anyone else reads this, the best way to check is to be familiar with how the motors turn normally. They turn to a point and stop, then turn and stop again, stopping about 13 times in a rotation. It should turn very easily by hand. If it turns without making he stops, and it takes a little big of force to turn it, the screws are hitting the motor. Do this check on each motor before or after taking the prop guards off. If it is not turning correctly, either replace the screws, or back them off.
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This issue is not necessarily that the screws bump into a moving part of the motor and prevent it turning.
The screws align with the internal wiring (aka windings) of the motor and either break the wires or short circuit them together when you use screws that are too long.
So just trying the test of seeing if you can turn the motors with the screws in place doesn't guarantee you have not damaged the windings.
Note. I barely grazed the windings on 3 of my 4 motors by fitting prop guards, and this prevented the motors from working apart from appearing to jitter around
The screws align with the internal wiring (aka windings) of the motor and either break the wires or short circuit them together when you use screws that are too long.
So just trying the test of seeing if you can turn the motors with the screws in place doesn't guarantee you have not damaged the windings.
Note. I barely grazed the windings on 3 of my 4 motors by fitting prop guards, and this prevented the motors from working apart from appearing to jitter around
Oh man. Just went thru all this. 4 motors and two ESC's later
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RogerClark said:
This is probably true. I had my screws in too tight once and the we're making the motor not spin. Caught it before I fired it up, and everything is ok. But the test probably won't tell you if you mess up other stuff. The main thing is, I guess
If you're going with prop guards off and it seems to take forever to put the screws in, they're probably the long ones. Changed them out.
If you're going with prop guards, get them tight, but don't over tighten the living day lights out of them.
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Is there a tutorial somewhere showing how to replace the motors? I took the shell off and see that the wires coming out of the motor are soldered into the board. Is this a task that will require soldering or do the wires somehow unplug from the motor?
Need to unsolder the old motors from the ESC and then re-solder the new motors. Make sure you put the correct motors in each arm and make sure you take photos so you know the colour coding of the wires on each arm.
DJI **NEEDS** to include some strongly worded documentation to tell users to only use the short screws when not using prop guards.
...this kind of instance seems to happen all too regularly.
...this kind of instance seems to happen all too regularly.
it's almost as if people do the research after they b0rk it or don't notice the LONGER screws they fitted with the guards... 
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