Help! My P4P camera is schizophrenic!

Delphi · Mar 29, 2017

It finally happened: My P4P caught a limb this weekend and ended up in the local river for about 30 seconds. The battery is done, of course, but the P4P itself has dried out and flies great. I feel very lucky and embarrassed. However, the camera wasn't as lucky. After trying many of the traditional remedies (sun dried outside in TX shade, immersed in rice for several days, checked internal vibration dampers for damage (none), gimbal/IMU/compass calibration/firmware/app un/install), it is now experiencing the following:

1.) Constant, random and inconsistent twitching
2.) Inability to autofocus- stuck on extreme near-sightedness
3.) Crooked horizon, unable to stabilize
4.) "Gimbal motor overloaded" (which seems to have disappeared in the last day)

This combined cocktail of calamities has me fearing the worst. I searched here and elsewhere but cannot seem to properly diagnose, I am technical but hardly a drone expert (obviously). The internals are dry and nothing appears damaged- it was a relatively benign "crash." But I thought I would inquire here for ideas...

> Any ideas or method of trial-and-error on what I could do next on my own to investigate and remedy the situation?
> If this appears unrepairable, where do I go to get help?
(I purchased the P4P off Amazon, live in rural Texas and don't have a nearby resource to turn to.)

Any feedback would be much appreciated. I love this thing and hate that it's no longer usable in it's current form. I took some video of the P4P and from the P4P for reference:

Raptorman0909 · Mar 30, 2017

I think you are going to need to send it back for repair and since it was crashed the cost will be out of your pocket -- sucks, but that's the price you sometimes have to pay for crashing and drowning it.

Brian

Mook · Mar 30, 2017

Looks like you'll need a new gimbal assembly. The online repair service is pretty good - they'll arrange collection and delivery etc. But, be warned, that looks like a $750 repair if a new gimbal is needed.

DJI Repair Service Center

OOO · Mar 30, 2017

Parkinson disease would be a more accurate diagnosis for this case. $750 for a new gimbal? I would prefer to buy a new P4P.

Mook · Mar 30, 2017

Yep, not cheap! They'll add an hour or two service charge as well.

OOO · Mar 30, 2017

It seems that the most fragile part of the P4P is the most expensive one. Good work DJI!

Daskid · Mar 30, 2017

Woah! That is an expensive repair quote. DJI should've stated "beyond economical repair" in this case. Leads one to wonder if you can purchase a used P4 and swap the gimbal with the P4P.

Traveler · Mar 30, 2017

I have read, but never personally tried, removing water from other electronics, i.e., cell phones, with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I was thinking that the camera could be dipped into a quantity of alcohol, agitate, drain and repeat.
Questions to the membership:
Could this make things any worse?
Could this hurt the sensor or is it fully sealed?
Would this remove any needed lubricants?
Would this cost the OP more than the cost of the alcohol?

Of course no cleaning is going to repair a damaged component, but I can't imagine how to otherwise ensure that all water and hopefully minerals are removed.

Thoughts please.

Melt in the Sun · Mar 30, 2017

If it's broken as-is, what do you have to lose? I'd open it up and see how it looks, and clean with alcohol if needed.

Mook · Mar 30, 2017

Daskid - the bottom line on that repair quote isn't too bad at all. That includes tax at 21%

If there's been water in there then it's too late to try removing it. It's been powered up so any damage will have already been done. IPA can act as a water displacer, or leaving it in a bag of rice for a day or two works a treat.

Daskid · Mar 30, 2017

Mook said:
Daskid - the bottom line on that repair quote isn't too bad at all. That includes tax at 21%

If there's been water in there then it's too late to try removing it. It's been powered up so any damage will have already been done. IPA can act as a water displacer, or leaving it in a bag of rice for a day or two works a treat.

Well at least they offered free shipping.

mrirad · Mar 30, 2017

sorry to hear of the drowning! may be worth checking your homeowner's insurance to see if it could be covered. i have a rider for my photo gear including my drone and have a $250 deductible. also, some credit cards have loss and damage protection as a built in feature. if you purchased it with one of these cards and it wasn't too long ago, it may be covered. if you don't have one of these cards, might consider getting one. good luck! -steve