No gimbal pitch control, no errors

[Skreidle]

I posted recently about gimbal and RC link issues with my P3S; it’s a crashed drone I bought and repaired, replaced the gimbal board, yaw motor (rotated roughly), roll motor (had broken apart), and ribbon cable (had sheared), synced to RC by shorting the missing sync button, updated FW, calibrated compass and IMU, and took a successful test flight. Biggest remaining problem? Camera pitch is limp — not held steady automatically, doesn’t move in response to RC wheel. However, no relevant errors were reported by the DJI GO app at any point.

What’s most likely the problem? Pitch motor, pitch control board, ribbon cable, other? Is there any way to troubleshoot further other than trial and error?

ETA: Also, burned edge on the ribbon cable after replacing it, which I smelled but couldn’t immediately locate after a lengthy firmware update attempt.

 

[KachemakDiver]

I posted recently about gimbal and RC link issues with my P3S; it’s a crashed drone I bought and repaired, replaced the gimbal board, yaw motor (rotated roughly), roll motor (had broken apart), and ribbon cable (had sheared), synced to RC by shorting the missing sync button, updated FW, calibrated compass and IMU, and took a successful test flight. Biggest remaining problem? Camera pitch is limp — not held steady automatically, doesn’t move in response to RC wheel. However, no relevant errors were reported by the DJI GO app at any point.

What’s most likely the problem? Pitch motor, pitch control board, ribbon cable, other? Is there any way to troubleshoot further other than trial and error?

ETA: Also, burned ribbon cable edge.

Did you use a original equipment DJI ribbon cable?
Also, you mentioned burned ribbon cable edge. Is this on the cable you just replaced?

 

[Skreidle]

Did you use a original equipment DJI ribbon cable?
Also, you mentioned burned ribbon cable edge. Is this on the cable you just replaced?

Not OEM (didn’t learn that was a common issue until later), and yes, this was after ribbon cable replacement. In retrospect, pretty sure I smelled it during a previous firmware update attempt.

 

[Capt KO]

Sounds like a good place to start. OEM and a fan next time. Good luck.

 

[Skreidle]

Sounds like a good place to start. OEM and a fan next time. Good luck.

Just ordered OEM cable, and a pitch motor, last night. My only concern is avoiding burning the new cable, too; is it most likely an overheated roll motor due to lack of airflow that caused the damage visible in the photo I attached?

 

[KachemakDiver]

Just ordered OEM cable, and a pitch motor, last night. My only concern is avoiding burning the new cable, too; is it most likely an overheated roll motor due to lack of airflow that caused the damage visible in the photo I attached?

Yes, I’ve seen bad roll and pitch motors burn cables.

 

[Skreidle]

Welp.. replaced the ribbon cable (DJI) and pitch motor, powered up, gimbal didn’t move at all, and it immediately started to burn the cable in the same spot — the trace immediately adjacent to the surface of the roll motor, between roll board and pitch board. (See attached photo.) I’ve already replaced all three axis motors and the main gimbal control board; is there any way to determine if it’s still a bad motor, or one of the two axis control boards — as well as whether that one trace on the latest flex cable is still good?