First P3 Crash today!

[Mark Klee]

Okay, so I'm a newbie and overestimated my abilities - probably not the first to be guilty of that one. The screen on my iPad went blank as I was climbing up a gentle slope and I hit a tree ... hard!

Only REAL damage appears to be to the case - and specifically to the motor mount on one arm.

Can this be fixed??? I was thinking of pushing it all back into place and coating with epoxy to hold everything together. I know, I know ... a new case isn't that expensive BUT I live in Africa and can't get to the parts for another couple of months.

My real question, I guess, is do the motors have to be precisely aligned or is the computer/accelerometers able to correct for any imprecisions? Everything else seems to be working fine. Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[stargater07]

It should hold. But you are right about the instruments, they could be off. I would turn it on and check in settings the readouts on the compass, iMu and probably recalibrate everything ...readouts should read 0 as a rule of thumb when on a level surface, you will be able to tell straight away if something is not right....

After a couple of trys recalibrating it doesn't fix it... It's gonna need to go back to DJI... I would hold off epoxing until you know the full extent of the damage.

Good news is that it is a tough bugger and the shell probably absorbed the majority of the kinetic force...

 

[bobmyers]

Since you are not close to a new shell on cant get one for a while, push I back in place and pour some epoxy in the shell filling around the motor mount seats level to the top. That is the method some of the lads here have used to reinforce their bottom shell at the motor mounts. Should be a good interim fix until you can get a new shell.

 

[bobmyers]

It should hold. But you are right about the instruments, they could be off. I would turn it on and check in settings the readouts on the compass, iMu and probably recalibrate everything ...readouts should read 0 as a rule of thumb when on a level surface, you will be able to tell straight away if something is not right....

After a couple of trys recalibrating it doesn't fix it... It's gonna need to go back to DJI... I would hold off epoxing until you know the full extent of the damage.

Good news is that it is a tough bugger and the shell probably absorbed the majority of the kinetic force...

He cant check anything regarding the IMU or anything else until it is repaired, and back together and he can turn everything on including the device. In this condition, it is dead in the water.

 

[stargater07]

He cant check anything regarding the IMU or anything else until it is repaired, and back together and he can turn everything on including the device. In this condition, it is dead in the water.

Didn't he say apart from the one arm it's pretty much in tact... Thing is if you go and epoxy everything before hand and later find out its FUBAR and needs to perhaps go back to DJI, then wouldn't it be silly to break it all open again to sort out? Especially if he can't get another shell!

I understand the issue in Africa. You can't exactly post expensive items through the post there... My missus is south African and they stole snowglobes in the post sorting office which were meant for family members...

OP I hope the issue is fixed without any internal work needing done

 

[Mark Klee]

Everything else "seems" fine ... just the underneath side of the case where the motor mounts. Gimbal still works and camera transmits great pictures. My only concern was about the motor alignment. Seems like I could go ahead and epoxy it and see if it works. Worst case is that it doesn't work and I have to wait until Christmas in the States to get a new shell - right? Does anybody see any other possible complications?

 

[bobmyers]

Didn't he say apart from the one arm it's pretty much in tact... Thing is if you go and epoxy everything before hand and later find out its FUBAR and needs to perhaps go back to DJI, then wouldn't it be silly to break it all open again to sort out? Especially if he can't get another shell!

I understand the issue in Africa. You can't exactly post expensive items through the post there... My missus is south African and they stole snowglobes in the post sorting office which were meant for family members...

OP I hope the issue is fixed without any internal work needing done

The fact that it is open has voided the warranty-- so it you send it back to DJI, they will charge to fix it and have it awhile. It is a owner repair now unless he wants to pay a dealer or DJI to fix it. That is definitely the old shell but the cracks were caused by a crash, so DJI probably would not pay for the shell or the labor.

 

[bobmyers]

Everything else "seems" fine ... just the underneath side of the case where the motor mounts. Gimbal still works and camera transmits great pictures. My only concern was about the motor alignment. Seems like I could go ahead and epoxy it and see if it works. Worst case is that it doesn't work and I have to wait until Christmas in the States to get a new shell - right? Does anybody see any other possible complications?

IMHO, fix it--

 

[Mark Klee]

I posted this thread a few days ago and then got sick and haven't fixed my P3 yet - but I still have ONE question: How important is the precise alignment of the 4 motors? My plans are to spot superglue the engine mount where it looks like it's aligned, do a simple test flight only to hover, then flood the engine mount area with epoxy to strengthen the mount and the broken parts.

Also, can I do a hover indoors without the top on the case? I'm trying to avoid putting the case back together due to the effort in getting it apart with the locking tabs.

Thoughts?

 

[bobmyers]

I posted this thread a few days ago and then got sick and haven't fixed my P3 yet - but I still have ONE question: How important is the precise alignment of the 4 motors? My plans are to spot superglue the engine mount where it looks like it's aligned, do a simple test flight only to hover, then flood the engine mount area with epoxy to strengthen the mount and the broken parts.

Also, can I do a hover indoors without the top on the case? I'm trying to avoid putting the case back together due to the effort in getting it apart with the locking tabs.

Thoughts?

The motor alignment is important. The repair would should work if it is done with the mounts in the designed location. I wouldn't try to fly it without the top in place-- that would disable the GPS.

Wouldn't it just be simpler to order a new shell and do an change out.

 

[Mark Klee]

I agree - I just live in Africa and won't be able to get replacement parts until Christmas. I'm anxious to get it back in the air if possible. As you can see from the pictures, the plastic bent back a bit before it broke so it's tough to get back into the exact location. I was just wondering if the computer compensates and adjusts for mis-alignment. Worth a try I guess

 

[nathanpaviator]

A friend of mine tried to place epoxy (super glue) on his first crash when his motor started to pull from the mount.. Bad idea.. Motor still pulled from mount blade hit shell severed each line. Looking at the pic best quick fix may be a hairdryer (to bend mold plastic), a brace (stiff lightweight sturdy material, best if not metal) and some duct tape in thin strips around that brace. If the insides aren't damaged and u can line up the rotors to a direct parallel line of sight, the components will straighten it out if it's stable, however it's risky. When u power it back up if it doesn't want u to fly.. Don't. Send it in if u r not a mechanical/ electrical engineer.

 

[mirrorimage]

You can by a whole new shell on Amazon for $85.

 

[Mark Klee]

Okay, so I glued it temporarily to see if everything else worked and it would hover but I've had some more problems. Two different errors keep coming up randomly. Once in a while it will start up and appear to be working fine (didn't have the props on) but most of the time I either get "Warning: Unkonwn Error (code 45), cannot take off - please contact DJI support" or "ESC error - please restart aircraft. If problems persist, contact DJI support ".

Anybody familiar with these errors?