I finally crashed my 6 week Phantom 2...

LarryLeisure · Apr 14, 2014

Broke the Gimbal, the Naza, and the main circuit board underneath the Naza (it landed upside down, which is weird)

This was a night flight. I GPS Locked it, went up approximately 600ft, then let it hover. I did a slow 360 degree spin to capture the surroundings. It then spun faster and faster, and finally came down uncontrollably, and hit with the the top headfirst onto asphalt (exactly where it took off from!)

Although visible damage was minimal (rotors where intact, and the GoPro was undamaged), one motor had unwound coils, and after having it diagnosed, the naza got damaged as did the circuit board underneath it. I never fly aggressively as my main goal is to capture smooth footage. In this case, I think a motor died. It wasn't pilot error (but then again, who knows what happened). Also, the memory card from the go pro became dislodged during the spin, so the actual descent/ crash wasn't captured. The SD card did stay in and I am uploading footage now. One power plug from the ESC was disconnected.

Aerial Media Pros (Super great outfit by the way) Is asking for $400 to fix it w/o the gimbal (new NAZA, logic boar, labor, etc). The shell is totally ok.

So, I figure with a new Gimbal. I'm in it for $800

Should I spring for a new one and use this one for parts?? Can I buy a P2 w/o remote? Go for the Vision+?

What do you guys suggest?

I miss my P2...this happened last week

http://youtu.be/CNBErzY3v7g

OI Photography · Apr 14, 2014

Are you sure the NAZA itself is toast? It could very well be, but that's the bulk of your repair cost, and if the only other internal component that's broken is the mainboard, you can get that part for $60.

However, there could be more wrong than you see initially, and I'm guessing there's a good chance the GPS board or at least antenna may be damaged in the lid of the shell.

If the Phantom was really "totaled" and it was my money, I'd just bite the bullet and get a new one from scratch. Save the corpse for your spares bin...there's probably at least $100 or more worth of parts that could still be salvaged for future needs, even beyond the battery. Maybe see if just the gimbal can be repaired for less than a new one.

LarryLeisure · Apr 14, 2014

Yes, It landed upside down, so the Antenna and Naza/ Board took the brunt of the damage. Aerial Media Pros diagnosed it, as I was at an end after soldering in a new motor, and when I turned it on, it would give me the constant beep signal that would eventually get slower and slower...

Gimbal main arm broke...contacted DJI, but no response. Doubt its salvageable...probably a parts rig it will be.

now debating on Vision+ or Gimbal 3D