What did you wipe the excess off with? Did you glue the whole thing or just the arms?
Screw inspection = very bad day
- Thread starter silverstoned83
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What did you wipe the excess off with? Did you glue the whole thing or just the arms?
Thanks, silverstone, was about to ask the same. Did you stop at the back edge of the lights, or do the whole arm or entire body?
A paper towel wiped it off well. I ended up glueing most of the perimeter of the shell. The only areas that didn't get any glue are the sections on the front arms where the stickers wrap over the seam and also the rounded portion that's on the outer most part of each arm. I focused on the flatter sections on the seam.
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I didn't indicate that the the prop guard mounts were the solution, but they will reinforce the area where those cracks are occurring-- they are basically acting as a "splint" so to speak in preventing movement because they attached directly to the motor mounting holes and pinches sandwich the shell at the motor mounts. It absolutely reinforces the integrity of the shell at the motor locations. Not an optimal fix and not what the prop guard mounts are intended-- but if you want the keep the option of working on the inside of the shell until the structural issue is resolved. It is better than gluing the shell with CA because that will negate any future attempt to get inside the shell without further damage.
This is an obvious quality issue, that can only be solved be DJI-- Is it going to stop people from flying the P3's, --no--- Is it going to dismiss this discussion, probably not--- I only offered the suggestion to help, not to feed the dialog about the cracking issue.
If it helps, use it, if you don't feel like it helps, ignore it.
I have cracks in mine, and will continue to use the Phantom until someone comes up with another fix.
Cheers
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Photoshopped...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....
There are two screws on each arm that hold the top shell to the bottom. In the video I posted earlier the inside screw on each rear arm has cracked.
I took my screw driver and checked all 8 screws. All seemed extremely tight when I tried to loosen them. I had to get my wrist into it to loosen them. Could this be the cause for the plastic cracking?
I was extremely careful when I did this. I then hand tightened each screw.
I took my screw driver and checked all 8 screws. All seemed extremely tight when I tried to loosen them. I had to get my wrist into it to loosen them. Could this be the cause for the plastic cracking?
I was extremely careful when I did this. I then hand tightened each screw.
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I'll admit I didn't read all the posts in this thread, so someone may have already voiced this opinion. Cyanoacrylate bonding agents are all very brittle, granted there are better and worse formulations. I'd opt for a high end epoxy first, not the hardware store kind but one with some flex like the kits Lee Valley sells. Aside from durability, if you wait until it thickens and properly prep the surface below, they do a great job of reinforcing. Add a mil or two to the problem areas. Gorilla Glue, though a different beast altogether, also provides more stress tolerance than cyanos. If you're dead set on the melting glues, find a kit with filler (basically just powdered plastic), and set a "scar" over the crack to help prevent reoccurrence. Rapidfix make an excellent kit.
The light strip has adhesive and "sticks" to the shell, I tried to stay centered on the seam all the way around. 4 rubber bands were included as part of the installation. I don't know if they are helping in any way, but after tonight's 4 flights I now have 11 hours on my P3P without any cracks.
The rubber band rides just near the end of the LED light......................
And the view of the rubber band from the top.......................
My Flight Record.................
So, I'm just taking an educated guess really. I doubt that the rubber bands bind the shell nearly as well as the Loctite. I'll keep inspecting daily, though.
Oso
Premium Pilot
It seems like you have a crack near the screw on the right near the rubberband. I hope not. Am I just seeing things?
Hi All, I'm a long time lurker but first time poster.
I seem to be having the same issues with my P3P, I've taken some shots and uploaded to Imgur for you to see.
I'm not really sure what to do, I've only owned the P3P for 30 days, I've never crashed it and have only flown it in more demanding conditions (windy) once or twice.
I've spoken with DJI about an RMA as I got this directly from them and they said they can collect it, check it and return it fixed but it will take 20 days from receipt in Germany (I'm in the UK) ....
Would a self fix gluing this survive the life of the phantom or should I send it off for repair? I do need to make one final flight tomorrow for a friend which I will do very gently - would you strongly advise against this?
All comments and help appreciated.
Paul
I seem to be having the same issues with my P3P, I've taken some shots and uploaded to Imgur for you to see.
I'm not really sure what to do, I've only owned the P3P for 30 days, I've never crashed it and have only flown it in more demanding conditions (windy) once or twice.
I've spoken with DJI about an RMA as I got this directly from them and they said they can collect it, check it and return it fixed but it will take 20 days from receipt in Germany (I'm in the UK) ....
Would a self fix gluing this survive the life of the phantom or should I send it off for repair? I do need to make one final flight tomorrow for a friend which I will do very gently - would you strongly advise against this?
All comments and help appreciated.
Paul
I think you will be safe. Did DJI offer to pay shipping on your unit or do you have to pay that yourself?Hi All, I'm a long time lurker but first time poster.
I seem to be having the same issues with my P3P, I've taken some shots and uploaded to Imgur for you to see.
I'm not really sure what to do, I've only owned the P3P for 30 days, I've never crashed it and have only flown it in more demanding conditions (windy) once or twice.
I've spoken with DJI about an RMA as I got this directly from them and they said they can collect it, check it and return it fixed but it will take 20 days from receipt in Germany (I'm in the UK) ....
Would a self fix gluing this survive the life of the phantom or should I send it off for repair? I do need to make one final flight tomorrow for a friend which I will do very gently - would you strongly advise against this?
All comments and help appreciated.
Paul
Farmertml, in my opinion, in won't matter if you send it back and they put another replacement shell on your bird. Until DJI changes the mold, it will just crack again in short order. (Yes, I know DJI and representatives are doing the rope-a-dope numbers thing for now, but when so many experienced pilots who hand catch are having cracks in the same place, within a month/few hours of ownership, It's clear that there is a serious defect.) Once the defect is more widely publicized and owners know what to look for, it wouldn't surprise me to see extremely high failure rates in a few months time. DJI has strangely chosen to ignore this problem in multiple generations of phantoms and now has produced a shell that is paper thin in an area that is receiving maximum stress and twisting/rotational torque on the bird. DJI did a number of things right on the P3, but the shell issue and their systemic approach to customers after the sale, is not one of them. Their actions prove they simply don't care at this point. I don't think this will change until a viable alternative such as the Gopro quad enters the arena in 2016. (3DR clearly doesn't have the financial might or engineering expertise to compete.) When customers vote with their wallets to the tune of hundreds of millions, then I think you will see DJI "care" quite a bit.
