So I just successfully replaced the gimbal ribbon on my phantom. After a dumb crash, the camera separated from the arm and tore the ribbon with it. I got a replacement for $85 from http://atkdrones.com/
No instructions, just went for it. Scary as hell. Everything is so tiny. The adhesive on the ribbon is really important, so you need to make sure you get the adhesive strips positioned correctly before you start installing. Use the old ribbon for reference to see where the adhesive needs to go.
The connector at the camera has a little brown flap that flips open. All the other clips are just slip fit from what I could tell. I was too afraid to try and pry in case they weren't. Definitely would be nice to have a magnifying glass. I didn't have one, but wish I had. The worst part is getting the new ribbon into the connectors. I used tweezers, you need to grip the ribbon firm enough to get a good grip, but not too tight that you damage it. It's really hard to get the ribbon in the clips, it's sort of a "wiggle push", alternating one side at a time. a little bit on one side, a little bit on the other side.
Before you pull out the old ribbon, take pictures so you can see how far in the ribbon is so you know when you've got it in far enough. Wish I had taken more pictures.
The other really important thing if the camera comes off the arm is to watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Ii1i3-x3I. The arm is a friction press fit back onto the shaft, but you need to make sure it's oriented correctly, so the phantom knows where "horizon" is. Basically, the flat part of the shaft needs to be oriented parallel to the phantom body.
Also, you don't need to break the plastic clips in order to get the gimbal mount off. Just slide the round disc clips down the shaft and leave it for about 10 seconds (that will stretch the clip teeth out a little bit) Then slide it up and off the shaft. It will come right off, without breaking any teeth.
If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to answer. Not sure if anyone else has run into having to replace their ribbon before.
No instructions, just went for it. Scary as hell. Everything is so tiny. The adhesive on the ribbon is really important, so you need to make sure you get the adhesive strips positioned correctly before you start installing. Use the old ribbon for reference to see where the adhesive needs to go.
The connector at the camera has a little brown flap that flips open. All the other clips are just slip fit from what I could tell. I was too afraid to try and pry in case they weren't. Definitely would be nice to have a magnifying glass. I didn't have one, but wish I had. The worst part is getting the new ribbon into the connectors. I used tweezers, you need to grip the ribbon firm enough to get a good grip, but not too tight that you damage it. It's really hard to get the ribbon in the clips, it's sort of a "wiggle push", alternating one side at a time. a little bit on one side, a little bit on the other side.
Before you pull out the old ribbon, take pictures so you can see how far in the ribbon is so you know when you've got it in far enough. Wish I had taken more pictures.
The other really important thing if the camera comes off the arm is to watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Ii1i3-x3I. The arm is a friction press fit back onto the shaft, but you need to make sure it's oriented correctly, so the phantom knows where "horizon" is. Basically, the flat part of the shaft needs to be oriented parallel to the phantom body.
Also, you don't need to break the plastic clips in order to get the gimbal mount off. Just slide the round disc clips down the shaft and leave it for about 10 seconds (that will stretch the clip teeth out a little bit) Then slide it up and off the shaft. It will come right off, without breaking any teeth.
If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to answer. Not sure if anyone else has run into having to replace their ribbon before.