Gimbal Problem

[Rodrigo Leal]

My gimbal seems to have a problem, it works fine but from time to time it kinda drops, like it powers off or something and then it recovers immediately, in my phone a gimbal error appears and says that something is obstructing the motor or something similar. I will try cleaning the motor with compressed air but if anyone has any idea on how to fix it please let me know.
P.S. I've had my PV2+ for only 1 week.

 

[ThePhantom]

Why try to fix it? If its only a week, return it and get it replaced with a new one.

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

Why try to fix it? If its only a week, return it and get it replaced with a new one.

It is an option, but having it bought in amazon, i would have to send it back to us and then bring the new one to my country, and that would be at least $150 just for shipping so i rather fix it if i can

 

[Marlin009]

If you mean Amazon.com, they should cover the shipping. Duties may be another issue though.

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

If you mean Amazon.com, they should cover the shipping. Duties may be another issue though.

They cover the shipping IN USA, because they do not send it directly to my country, i sent it to Miami, and a third party brought it to me, so again, it would be somewhat expensive to claim warranty.

 

[CityZen]

First easy thing to check is that the wires are all plugged in securely.

 

[ThePhantom]

Try contacting DJI. If there is a service center near you, they'll fix it. From the problem you stated, theres definitely something wrong with your unit

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

First easy thing to check is that the wires are all plugged in securely.

first thing I did of course, tried to calibrate too, other thing i noticed is that the gimbal protector doesn't fit like it used to, but i have to apply some strenght to make it fit.

 

[CityZen]

Does it move freely along all axes? Or can you feel any resistance?
Also, when you power it up, does it line up level (roll-wise)?

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

Does it move freely along all axes? Or can you feel any resistance?
Also, when you power it up, does it line up level (roll-wise)?

it does move freely and works fine, just from time to time, and mostly when tilted to the right, it drops the camera as if it would shot down. I also noted that the camera is a little tilted but that is something i know how to fix. I will upload a video of it as soon as I get home tonight.

 

[CityZen]

Try turning on the Phantom, the holding it and rolling it slowly to the left and right.
Does it exhibit the problem doing that? If so, does it always happen at a specific angle?

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

Try turning on the Phantom, the holding it and rolling it slowly to the left and right.
Does it exhibit the problem doing that? If so, does it always happen at a specific angle?

it always happend when I roll it to its right side and it seems to be always at the same angle i'm guessing about 25 degrees

 

[CityZen]

In that case, I'd guess that the position-sensing potentiometer on the roll servo is cracked and needs to be replaced. If you have experience with SMD rework (or know someone who does), you can handle it. It's not so difficult as far as SMD rework goes. (I use Chip Quik and a fine-tipped soldering iron for this.)

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

In that case, I'd guess that the position-sensing potentiometer on the roll servo is cracked and needs to be replaced. If you have experience with SMD rework (or know someone who does), you can handle it. It's not so difficult as far as SMD rework goes. (I use Chip Quik and a fine-tipped soldering iron for this.)

I have a slight idea of how to, but since i've only had it for a week it might be better to claim the warranty... But how could i know if the roll servo is cracked? and why would this happen

 

[CityZen]

You said that the protector doesn't fit like it used to, so this indicates that the gimbal may have been subjected to mechanical stress at some point. Stress on the shafts can damage the pots.

It's possible to look at the pot, but it's a very delicate operation. First you remove the 3 screws from the back of the roll servo and remove the cover. You'll see the pot as the D-shaped component. You'll have to very carefully pry off the black cover to see the "track" of the pot. This is the delicate part, since you don't want to damage the cover or any nearby components.

See the picture in this post for what I'm talking about: http://www.phantompilots.com/thread...zy-p2v-camera-gimbal.20514/page-7#post-277348
In that picture, you'll see a crack in the pot's track. You'll also see the tweezers I used to pry off the cover, and a 4x magnifier to help examine small parts. There's other useful info in that thread.

See this post for some more replacement info: http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/gimbal-chicken-dance-most-common-reason-and-repair.36509

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

You said that the protector doesn't fit like it used to, so this indicates that the gimbal may have been subjected to mechanical stress at some point. Stress on the shafts can damage the pots.

It's possible to look at the pot, but it's a very delicate operation. First you remove the 3 screws from the back of the roll servo and remove the cover. You'll see the pot as the D-shaped component. You'll have to very carefully pry off the black cover to see the "track" of the pot. This is the delicate part, since you don't want to damage the cover or any nearby components.

See the picture in this post for what I'm talking about: http://www.phantompilots.com/thread...zy-p2v-camera-gimbal.20514/page-7#post-277348
In that picture, you'll see a crack in the pot's track. You'll also see the tweezers I used to pry off the cover, and a 4x magnifier to help examine small parts. There's other useful info in that thread.

See this post for some more replacement info: http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/gimbal-chicken-dance-most-common-reason-and-repair.36509

well I will try to fix it tonight, and i will take some pictures and video to demostrate the problem, maybe that way it will be easier for you guys to help me.

 

[Rodrigo Leal]

well I will try to fix it tonight, and i will take some pictures and video to demostrate the problem, maybe that way it will be easier for you guys to help me.

I think i found the problem, one of the gimbal pieces is not straight, i'm beginning to think my brother crashed it and didn´t tell me. And i´m guessing that voids the warranty too. you can see it clearly in image 4987

 

[CityZen]

That could be the problem too. Assuming there's a motion sensor in the camera, things will be out of whack when the gimbal thinks it needs to turn a certain way to make it level, but because it's bent, turning that way doesn't make it level.

Repairing that will be very tricky, since you don't want to apply any pressure to either motor shaft. Of course, it's also still possible that there's damage to the pot as well.

I'd suggest PM'ing one of the guys on the board who does this kind of repair work (burlbark, hunch, and someone else I've forgotten).

 

[burlbark]

Yep that needs to be completely disassembled and straitened. If you try to straighten it in place you will break something and and cause serious problems. More than likely its binding when you go past a certain amount of roll and it powers down. If you continue to allow it to bind you will burn up the motor controller or the main board. I have repaired 200+? this year alone.

Jeremy

 

[Marlin009]

I think i found the problem, one of the gimbal pieces is not straight, i'm beginning to think my brother crashed it and didn´t tell me. And i´m guessing that voids the warranty too. you can see it clearly in image 4987View attachment 16419 View attachment 16420 View attachment 16421

Have you talked to bro?