Although I'm new to this forum, I've been an active member on RCgroups for a while now. I fell in love with this hobby a couple a years ago and am always looking for ways to support my hobby habit by making products for other hobbyists. The latest project I've been working on should fit in great with this group!
If you're like me, you've just realized that your shiny new DJI Phantom 3 is far from indestructible. Even a "rough landing" can cause enough damage to your camera gimbal that your only option may be to completely replace the whole camera/gimbal assembly!
Every once in a while, there's an "Option B": Buy someone else's broken gimbal and hope that you can piece together one working gimbal out of the two. You might be upset with DJI for making such a fragile gimbal, but that's the price you pay for the great flight time.
I'm here to offer a third option, and I truly believe that it should be considered "Option A". I've spent weeks testing and refining a 3D printed alternative for DJIs aluminum Phantom 3 gimbal arms. I've assembled a gimbal repair kit that includes the yaw arm, roll arm, specialized tools, and video instruction on how to perform the repair. I also offer email and phone support to anyone who buys my kit.
I know many of you are skeptical about a 3D printed part being strong enough to replace the stock aluminum arms. It's a justified concern, but not all 3D printed parts are created equal. There are many people out there selling parts who don't have the necessary skills or experience to print quality parts. About 80% of parts being sold aren't even designed by the people who print them. I'd like the chance to prove to you that the "average" 3D printed part doesn't even come close to showing the full potential of what is possible with 3D printing technology. 3D printing is as much an art as it is a skill. The best comparison to working with a 3D printer is woodworking. When you print with plastic, you need to consider the "grain" of your part the same as if it were made of wood. Your print is going to be stronger in one direction than another, this needs to be considered in the design phase. A good designer can use these characteristics to their advantage to turn weakness into strength and impossible into incredible.
I'm not going to try to convince you that these parts will hold up better than the stock DJI parts because that might not be true. These parts will likely break in the same conditions that break the DJI parts. I could make them stronger than DJIs parts, but that would do more harm than good in a crash. If the arms don't break in a crash, the motor shafts will. If the arms are the weak spot, good! That is the cheapest repair. I can say with confidence that the parts I'm selling are strong enough to be a solid and reliable replacement for the stock DJI parts. Some extra care is needed during assembly because of the small screws, but that's common sense stuff and is covered in the instruction video. Once your gimbal is assembled, the replacement parts are very sturdy and don't require any special treatment. This kit is designed to use all original screws. If your yaw arm broke at the motor shaft, you may need to buy a new M3x4 set screw to use with the new yaw arm.
This kit includes:
•Yaw Arm
•Roll Arm
•Roll motor alignment tool
•Hardware layout sheet
•Video instruction guide (link to my YouTube videos)
•Email and phone support
Things you will need:
•Philips screwdriver #PH0
•Allen driver 1.5mm
•Torks driver #T6
•Hobby knife or small pick
•All original screws
I chose not to include a new ribbon cable (DJI Phantom 3 Part 49) in this kit because not everyone will need one. You can salvage the original if it's not damaged. Just be careful, a replacement will cost you about $50.
Here's the videos I've made to help with the repair.
Video #1 shows disassembly:
Video #2 shows assembly:
Video #3 shows yaw arm replacement only:
Video #4 shows a powered test of gimbal movement.
Video #5 shows test flight footage.
I made a few small changes to the design of the roll arm since the assembly video. The parts in the photos and powered tests are the final version.
*There is no guarantee that this kit will fix everything that's wrong with your gimbal. This will only replace the bent or broken arms.
I'm selling these kits on eBay for $75 + shipping.
DJI Phantom 3 Gimbal Repair Kit
You can buy the yaw arm only for $40 + shipping.
DJI Phantom 3 Gimbal Yaw Arm
