Oso
Premium Pilot
Screw inspection = very bad day
- Thread starter silverstoned83
- Start date
DJI didn't care about the cracks in the P2, why would they care about the P3? People have already bought them and the shell is not covered by warranty.
Still no response from DJI Support or US Hobby.
I called my dealer l-emailed no response(expertdrones) which I'll never do business with...again!
Call them but you'll get what I got
Not cover
RMA???
Etc etc
They have no answers... Back screws out...reset...glue and fly it til you need to change out the shell... I did it with my p2v+. The glue lasted more than 100 flights probably would've lasted longer but I had the extra shell on hand and had nothing to do that day...so I switched the shells.
Hard decision to make but it WILL cost you to ship it to DJI and cost you for the fix
Guys, there is absolutely no way that DJI isn't aware of this. I seriously doubt they will rectify this issue. They will keep towing the must be a rare case line just like they did on the Phantom 2. It's disgusting. Right now I bet that they are hoping that this thread dies a slow death and that we all go back to firmware or gimbal not level threads.
Now on a good note I have now got 12 flights in after super gluing the top and bottom of my P3 at the seam. About 3.5 hours flight time. Every flight at altitude of just a click under 400 feet agl. All mostly over the Adriatic and usually from 1 to 2 km away from me. So far it's holding together perfectly with no signs of stress or failure of the top to bottom bonding. Just the outer portion of the arms would have been sufficient but I figured what the hell. Anyway, it stopped cracking cold. For now at least. But I still have the dynamic braking set to 70. I might try default settings just to see but I doubt I will see arm twist stress effects since the structure is much stronger now instead of having all the stresses concentrated on screw hole areas. It's now a true monocoque. Knowing what I know now, I would prefer to have my phantoms pre glued from the DJI factory. Really I would prefer stronger screw areas. But a glued at factory phantom would be the second best choice. Besides, they don't want us opening the craft anyway.
Now on a good note I have now got 12 flights in after super gluing the top and bottom of my P3 at the seam. About 3.5 hours flight time. Every flight at altitude of just a click under 400 feet agl. All mostly over the Adriatic and usually from 1 to 2 km away from me. So far it's holding together perfectly with no signs of stress or failure of the top to bottom bonding. Just the outer portion of the arms would have been sufficient but I figured what the hell. Anyway, it stopped cracking cold. For now at least. But I still have the dynamic braking set to 70. I might try default settings just to see but I doubt I will see arm twist stress effects since the structure is much stronger now instead of having all the stresses concentrated on screw hole areas. It's now a true monocoque. Knowing what I know now, I would prefer to have my phantoms pre glued from the DJI factory. Really I would prefer stronger screw areas. But a glued at factory phantom would be the second best choice. Besides, they don't want us opening the craft anyway.
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Us UK users need to get Anne Robinson and watchdog on *** of the UK DJI managers! She's like a pit bull and WILL get a result
I believe the cracking is occurring on descent when the P3 wobbles a bit. It puts a lot of stress on the arms. Still debating if I will glue or send back.
Still no word from DJI or US Hobby.
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Yes, it will help the cracking happen faster. Why? Because all prop guards that I have seen screw onto the motors. While on a phantom 2 this would arguably provide some strength to the area where most cracking developed on that craft, this is not the case with the phantom 3. The location where all of us are seeing the cracks is at the side by side screw location between the motors and the lights. An area not protected by any prop guard bracket that I know of. This is an area that is highly sensitive to any twisting action of the arm ends. Not bending action but twisting action. So, getting back to prop guards, they would place more drag and likely even more twisting action on those arms while providing absolutely zero coverage of that particular screw location. Hence, at best, zero help. At worst, further stress those screw holes.
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I only have about 4 batteries through my P3A so far. It's always been on 70% breaking. Whenever I high for an Ariel view I most come down in a 30 to 40m spiral. I intend to back the screws off slightly and only nip them tight. No loctite and check each flight.
I'm over 10 hours now, inspected again today and still no cracks, then I noticed the rubber bands I have on each arm.............. they were part of the light strip kit I put on a couple of weeks ago. They ride on the end of each arm, just at the far-end of the led lights. So, they may be helping my situation. Just a thought.
Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk Pro
Sent from my iPhone 6+ using Tapatalk Pro
So guess what I got today everyone... My third P3P! Third time's a charm, right....? The local shop hear in the Seattle area treated me right. After seeing photos of the latest crack, they exchanged it no questions asked. They didn't even open the box before I left the store with the new one. I'm kinda shocked by how little they hassled me considering what I experienced with the previous seller.
I'd like everyone to know that I've adopted bighi's super glue technique to add a lot more structural rigidity. I noticed immediately after adding loctite 401 instant adhesive that the motors were way more secure and did not twist. Thank you bighi for your useful input in the matter. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts now that I've glued the seams before the first flight.
I attached this photo to show something that I believe to be a sign of good luck. Or maybe I've just become super proficient at removing them over the last twelve props....
I'd like everyone to know that I've adopted bighi's super glue technique to add a lot more structural rigidity. I noticed immediately after adding loctite 401 instant adhesive that the motors were way more secure and did not twist. Thank you bighi for your useful input in the matter. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts now that I've glued the seams before the first flight.
I attached this photo to show something that I believe to be a sign of good luck. Or maybe I've just become super proficient at removing them over the last twelve props....
Oso
Premium Pilot
Wow. You got that plastic off of the prop so cleanly. Nice.So guess what I got today everyone... My third P3P! Third time's a charm, right....? The local shop hear in the Seattle area treated me right. After seeing photos of the latest crack, they exchanged it no questions asked. They didn't even open the box before I left the store with the new one. I'm kinda shocked by how little they hassled me considering what I experienced with the previous seller.
I'd like everyone to know that I've adopted bighi's super glue technique to add a lot more structural rigidity. I noticed immediately after adding loctite 401 instant adhesive that the motors were way more secure and did not twist. Thank you bighi for your useful input in the matter. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts now that I've glued the seams before the first flight.
I attached this photo to show something that I believe to be a sign of good luck. Or maybe I've just become super proficient at removing them over the last twelve props....
Oh yeah, great news on the new P3.
silverstoned83, you've about talked me into having at my P3 with superglue. Would you mind expanding just a little on how you did it? I'm sure many are now considering it and would appreciate any additional verbiage about the process before having a go at their bird. Something like, "using the needle tip applicator, I started gently injecting the seam starting at the ........, and worked my way around to the end of the arm and then to the opposite side. Then I compressed the top and bottom arm shells together with figure pressure for about x seconds, etc., etc."
If you get the Loctite 401 instant adhesive, the included tip is perfect for the job. My technique simply involved glueing about 2 inches at a time, while keeping the seam orientated so that the glue is pulled in by gravity. Immediately after applying the instant adhesive, wipe off any excess... Like within 5-8 seconds. I did get a little sloppy in some areas by applying too much glue and taking too long to wipe it off, but it's hardly noticeable. Once this stuff dries, it ain't comin' off.
