Killed my p3a [emoji25]

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Camera ripped off...apparently not worth repairing and I should just buy another? Is this right?


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You will have to figure that out. If cam can be repaired. Condition of the bird.
Buying new, you can sell one control and you still have the old ones battery and charger.
 
Put up a picture or two. I mainly have to just fix the yaw arm and replace the ribbon cable and sometimes the roll arm for customers. You can buy all the pieces for around $80 and there are plenty of videos on youtube
 
I think Mal_PV2_Ireland has made a great point. You should just repair it. You will be surprised at what you can do even if you dont think you are all that mechaniclly inclined, but you may be I dont know. In my personal experience if you apply yourself and be a self learner, you can most likely order any part you need directly from DJI or buy used from someone on Ebay. I know they sell new replacement camera ribbon cables on gearbest.com or banggood.com but you will have to wait weeks for arrival from China. So here are my recommendations
1. Asess the damage and make a list of exactly which parts are broken
2. Web search for the parts....price and availability
3. Decide if it is worth it to repair the camera or replace the camera assembly based on price
4. If you are not confident in repairing it, sublet the work to someone who can at a reasonable price
5. The other option would be to buy another quad and sell your existing setup in parts on Ebay to recover some lost money

All in all there really is nothing that cant be fixed when it comes to Phantoms as the parts are usually available so in the end it all comes down to money.
Consider buying a new one at Best Buy if you have good credit you can apply for their credit card at the strore and within minutes be approved and purchase a new P3P on sale for only $999. Then you can make small monthly payments at zero interest just as long as you pay it in full by the end of 12 months. Your part out of your old Phantom will make most of your payments for you! Instant gratification! Good luck on your quest!
If buying a new one interests you. Be sure to buy accident insurance as cheap as $150 a year like I did.
I purchased my P34K from Drone Nerds 20614 Biscyne Blvd Aventura, FL 33180 Ph. 786 708 7807
They are one of only 3 DJI certified repair centers here i the US. They also have the Pro on sale too for $999 right now. And they sell the accident insurance there too at the point of sale.
thom5 Good luck! And be happy. Your solutions are at hand!
 
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Thanks guys, here's some pics, what do you think?
e3560abcc43569ce82c859c59a66a9bb.jpg

34b6c1cb1ffeff4d87f6564f7d159176.jpg

d3f81551d0ac937fdf01f5df7ea0f84c.jpg



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Wow looks like all you really need are 2 parts. The arm and the ribbon cable assy. See if DJI has an exploded view of a parts page and it should show the part number for each. Then shop around for price. Well if they arnt that expensive just order the parts and if you dont feel up to doing the repair yourself check around in your home town at the hobby shops for a repair guy. Cant be that much. Probably $100 or less parts and labor. But Im just guessing.
 
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Dji dont sell the yaw arm but there are plenty of third party sellers on flea bay.
You can buy the ribbon cable off dji, make sure you buy the official cable because there are lots of problems with spurious ones. About €80 in parts. I fix something like this in about 30 mins but if doing it yourself allow about 2 hours. Take your time, watch youtube videos and its easy enough.
 
Thanks guys, cracked the case too and I got the dreaded flashing red light when I put the battery in and fired it up. Remote couldn't find it either. Is it terminal?


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If you are past waranty then open it up and see if the mainboard got damaged or cracked. A mainboard runs $260. Thats why I bought my insurance for $150 because I know the first time I need it it will pay for itself! Also see if there is anyway of doing a calibration. If all fails you can send it out and pay for an estimate on the repair. Even if it is trashed you can always sell all the good parts on Ebay. A good battery may get you at least $80 and a controller who knows? If it is me in your situation with no insurance I would get an estimate on the repair. Then you know exactly where you stand.
 
I did insure it but they're arguing on a technicality...I don't think they'll pay


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L&G...ironically I'm an insurance broker!


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Thanks guys, cracked the case too and I got the dreaded flashing red light when I put the battery in and fired it up. Remote couldn't find it either. Is it terminal?


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Sorry for your loss. If it was just the ribbon cable and yaw arm, then it would have been an easier fix. Having done it once, I think I could do it again in about an hour. Parts are expensive, but doing the work yourself is a lot cheaper than sending it in for repair.
 
I put it on my home insurance on an 'all risks' basis,but they consider it an rc model...given my 9-5 I am in a position to argue the toss so I hope to get something out of them


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Right apparently you cannot insure a drone for personal use in the uk, while its in flight. I've sent mine away to a uk repairer in Newcastle


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