Phantom 4 ESC ERROR (PLEASE HELP)

[Sahil123]

Hi, I am a 15 year old pilot, and it had been a dream for me to buy a phantom. I had wanted one for a couple of years. So just a few months ago, I had enough money to buy one. So I convinced my parents to buy a Phantom 4. I am an experienced pilot and flying the phantom was a breeze. The other night I was being reckless and flew it at night with sports mode, and crashed it into a tree. It crashed into the ground from about 40-50 feet high. Well I kept it a secret, because if my parents figured out I crashed it, I would be dead. So I tested it and it worked still. All that was wrong is that the body was cracked and broken, and the gimbal yaw arm was bent. So I asked a friend to order the shell and arm for me off of amazon.

Well I changed the shell out, and this is where the problem is. I saw that I had to sand the coating off of the motor wires (because I decided to cut the wires in half instead of desoldering it from the ESC). Well I took the rubber tube off, and sanded the the coating to the best of my ability. Well I turned it on, and it still says esc error please help me. I can't afford to send it to dji, or anyone else. This is my passion for Ariel videography, please helppp.

 

[moscowice7095]

Have the same issue, ended up ordering new motors. Will let you know in a few days if it helped.


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[moscowice7095]

Update. I purchased new motors from Amazon $20 each, good thing is, you can try to seek old ones on eBay, if wires is the only issue, someone can use them.

Anyways, I still had 4NoESC Error after replacing all 4 motors. I also bought cable kit that has all the ribbon cables. After replacing Right ESC ribbon the error went away. Do check all ribbons and make sure they are properly connected and are not damaged.

Let me know if you solve the issue


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[pcon]

I purchased a damaged P4 that had been repaired (badly). Had all 4 ESC errors. Multimeter checked for continuity between motor windings on esc connections & all were open circuit. The wires had been cut & connected without solder or removing the varnish from the wires. Nice heatshrink job was hiding that. I cleaned off the wires & soldered them. ESC errors have gone now

 

[DanMan32]

You need to disconnect the motors to replace a shell on a P4? You don't need to do that on a P3.
My issue in replacing my P3 motor was soldering iron wasn't getting hot enough.
I think I am going to buy myself the same soldering station kit I put together for my dad for Christmas.

Sent from my HTC 10 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[pcon]

P4 requires motor wires to be desoldered or cut to remove the shell.

 

[Bigbuddy]

ESC Error Fixed!

Determined root cause of my lasting No.2 ESC error problem. REPLACED ribbon cable.
Removing, inspecting, re-installing the cable showed no issues, did not resolve the ESC Error.

Thanks greatly for the advice from moscowice7095, Feb 20, 2017.

Brief chronology:

Flew through about 3 batteries, flawlessly. Includes Sport mode.
Next flight, Phantom took off to about 2 feet elevation, flipped upside down and flew top-down into the grass. Pulled left stick back to stop motors. No errors on Go 4. Nothing unusual. No crashes or hard landings on this day. This craft was in a bad crash months earlier, required shell change.

After flip, Cycle power on RC, Go 4, AC
Next takeoff, repeat of 2 foot elevation, flipped, and into the grass. Registered No.2 ESC Error on screen of Go 4, after crash.
Cycled power several times, could not clear No.2 ESC Error. "Can not take off".
Replaced Motor number 2.
Upon power up, motor beeps, with No. 2 ESC Error. No LED illumination under motor 2. (no beeping with 'crashed' motor, only ESC error)

Replaced Part 44, ESC Center board. Solder 12 connections, no splices.
Tested without lower shell, landing gear, compass, camera. Motor 2 still beeps, LED 2 off, ESC error. Nothing changed.

Removed ribbon cable, get ESC 2 & 3 errors. Ribbon cable appears just fine. removed/replaced several times. No change.

REPLACED Ribbon cable with new ribbon from part 34 cable set connecting Part 43(Main) to Part 44(Left).

Power ON. ESC Error NOT reported, but now have "Topology Error". Testing was done with upper shell/electronics only. Compass, antennas, camera not connected.

Re-connected all electronics, partially assemble lower shell. Status normal! Ready to fly!!.
Fully assembled complete aircraft, calibrate compass. Flew several test flights, all perfect.

Key notes: New motor and 'crashed motor' appear different. Only new one beeped. Not clear if ESC Board part 44 is dead, although likely due to prop in grass.
Only observable 'damage' on ribbon cable are small indents where ribbon is clamped by connectors. So that must be the root failure. Motor and Part 44 likely also.

Things to know:

To release ribbon cable from connectors: remove tape, lift black lever AWAY from board plane. The lever is hinged. DO NOT PULL on lever, it will break and destroy the entire board. After replacing ribbon cable, tape across connectors is critical. Vibration can easily open connectors, causing ESC failure, stopping motors in flight. IT WILL CRASH.

Motor numbering: With camera facing away from you, 1 is Top Right (2:00); 2 Top Left (10:00); 3 Back Left (5:00); 4 Back Right (5:00) Boards have M numbers printed at solder connections. Tiny print. Look carefully.

Motors 2 & 3 on Part 44(Left); Motors 1 & 4 on Part 45(Right)

Next time:
If I have an ESC Error, specifically on motor 2 or 3, I will first replace the ribbon cable. Make sure connector clamps are tight and taped.
Jim at WA5TEF: From what's happened to me, I'd guess you lost one of your ribbon cable connections to board Main ESC controller, part 43, during flight. Make sure connectors are taped!

Disconnecting and reconnecting the ribbon did NOTHING. And the ribbon looks fine. Only replacement fixed the errors. There is no ESC calibration on P4.

Again, Thanks greatly for the advice from moscowice7095, Feb 20, 2017. Not sure if I'd have replaced ribbon without this post, since mine looks just fine.

Parts description in this post:
Part 34 - Cable Set $27
Part 43 - Main Controller $80 (Not needed to be replaced.)
Clockwise rotation motor part Part 24 2312S $21
Part 44 ESC Center Board(Left) $65

 

[moscowice7095]

Bigbuddy I am glad I could help. To be honest I was out of options and just started replacing everything I could, and replacing that cable helped.

Thanks

 

[Steve Kurlin]

I have just looked through the history and root cause analysis of the reported ESC error. The meticulous method of narrowing down the most likely bad part or failure area is first class detective work that even Sherlock Holmes would consider greatness.

I unfortunately have a No 2 ESC Error also. Mine will be most likely the ESC board. It was most likely to a fender bender or crash inside the home whilst tinkering. (You know! Watch this guys.! These things are so cool that!!!! CRASH!!!. Oops I did not realise they cannot fly in the dark). It was a 3 second crash into the plaster wall. Sadly the No2 motor prop must have been trying to drive it self through the plaster wall and damaged the ESC board.

My question is hopefully to someone who knows at DJI or has knowledge of "How to obtain mode detailed information on ESC errors and how to retrieve them from the log files if possible on a P4 Series Drone".

I am also concerned that when fixing ESC errors as we do in the example of above are we doing it correctly especially in respect to the firmware and the maintenance philosophy. It looks to me that ESC errors of any sort can lead to an accident or lose of AC. It looks like the firmware is written very well to lock it down and not allow flight until the fault is rectified at a hardware level and possible cleared at a functional level within the O/S (Firmware) .

In all cases the manual and app say to contact DJI Support. I wonder if most times a cable reset or loose connector re-fitted does fix the fault but the seriousness of that fault warrants that it can no longer take off until the log or alert or lock or something else is removed from by DJI Support or technicians after they have confirmed the hardware fault is fixed and likely to not return. Thus authorizing the AC for flight and ensuring DJI warranties and commitments to its customer are fully supported.

Thanks you to Big buddy and all the other who have contributed to procedure of narrowing down an ESC problem and fixing it. I hope we can gather more information to identify ESC problems.

 

[Bigbuddy]

I have just looked through the history and root cause analysis of the reported ESC error. The meticulous method of narrowing down the most likely bad part or failure area is first class detective work that even Sherlock Holmes would consider greatness.

I unfortunately have a No 2 ESC Error also. Mine will be most likely the ESC board. It was most likely to a fender bender or crash inside the home whilst tinkering. (You know! Watch this guys.! These things are so cool that!!!! CRASH!!!. Oops I did not realise they cannot fly in the dark). It was a 3 second crash into the plaster wall. Sadly the No2 motor prop must have been trying to drive it self through the plaster wall and damaged the ESC board.

My question is hopefully to someone who knows at DJI or has knowledge of "How to obtain mode detailed information on ESC errors and how to retrieve them from the log files if possible on a P4 Series Drone".

I am also concerned that when fixing ESC errors as we do in the example of above are we doing it correctly especially in respect to the firmware and the maintenance philosophy. It looks to me that ESC errors of any sort can lead to an accident or lose of AC. It looks like the firmware is written very well to lock it down and not allow flight until the fault is rectified at a hardware level and possible cleared at a functional level within the O/S (Firmware) .

In all cases the manual and app say to contact DJI Support. I wonder if most times a cable reset or loose connector re-fitted does fix the fault but the seriousness of that fault warrants that it can no longer take off until the log or alert or lock or something else is removed from by DJI Support or technicians after they have confirmed the hardware fault is fixed and likely to not return. Thus authorizing the AC for flight and ensuring DJI warranties and commitments to its customer are fully supported.

Thanks you to Big buddy and all the other who have contributed to procedure of narrowing down an ESC problem and fixing it. I hope we can gather more information to identify ESC problems.

Education always costs money.
I've never been able to obtain useful information through the log about the ESC error. I'd like to learn how, or possibly it doesn't exist. The repair comes down to a tradeoff between time and money, and to some extent your overall skill.
When the aircraft is powered up, does the motor "Beep"? Is that arm's LED light on? My 'crashed' motor did not beep, so because time was more important than money I replaced it. The new motor did beep. Possibly the motor was bad. I did not interchange to prove. The $20 motor was not worth the risk to possibly damage the ESC board with more soldering work.
Some added help: youtube has several detailed instructions for P4 shell replacement (complete). Find one that's detailed and describes how to place screws in bags to assure proper re-assembly. You don't need to replace the shell, but you'll need nearly all the steps to fix the ESC error. Be highly patient. Next, soldering connections to the board takes experience/skill. Don't practice on the P4 without prior experience. If you determine to replace the board, it's best to also replace the motor and cable at the same time. Re-soldering the old motor only increases risk to board damage. When the board's changed, replace that ribbon cable too. Just be very cautious with the ribbon cable connector clips--the hinged bars described above. I also learned the craft can be tested prior to assembly. You will get obvious errors, such as "Topology error" without compasses, etc. That's OK, as long as you removed the ESC error. Be careful with the exposed electronics. Metal contacting the unprotected boards (screwdriver, ...) with cause damage. In my case, firmware had no impact, plus or minus.
I had No. 2 ESC error, so my part numbers will work for you. Search Amazon, Ebay, etc. Only buy new. Do not get part 43 until you've replaced other parts.
Good luck. Be patient, and double check everything. You will fix it!

 

[mert]

www.djidroneservis.com
Technical service support