Stress Cracks Phantom 4, what do I do?

[macoman]

What are the chances of DJI using fiber in their molding to reduce cracking?

It's not just the material, it's the enforcement of it. If the plastic is weak in these areas is going to break. If they reinforced these areas, the cracking should be less frequent.

 

[rpercifield]

The issue with hand catching is the lever arm and torque applied by it. You normally have the weight spread across 4 legs and the force evenly distributed. Catching by one leg means forces are applied around the fulcrum point and spread out from there. The system is designed to have the lift and the associated stress on the 4 limbs. They probably did not reinforce the limbs for rotational type of stress.

 

[DanMan32]

Finally, a couple people that get it.

Then again if cracks are found on legs not being used to catch the quad, might not be the issue.
Carrying by one leg may be a comparison, but forces in this case compared to hand catching by one leg can be different.

 

[RémyHeli]

Let me add a point;

Generally a drone as one owner and is flown by the same, being right or left handed so logically hand catching same way. Maybe I'm missing something but I have never seen any post stating that cracks presumably caused by hand catching are in both legs or only in one leg. Logically cracks would deploy only on one leg or at least more predominent.

Does this make sense?

 

[Badaxed]

I think we are trying to rationalize that "We are the problem"(pilot error) when it appears to me it s DJI who is at fault as I have inquired of other pilots who have hand caught their drone hundreds of times and they do not have any stress cracks. If DJI customer service is an indication of the company, my belief is 100 percent DJI's poor quality control.

 

[abwRN]

Wow, I am learning a lot about DJI(corporate) in these forums. I have been flying Drones for a while (Parrot, Go-Pro etc.) and crashing them just as long. As a matter of fact, I have been waiting on a central cross for my Bebop-2 and just got notified after 3 months, it's been discontinued.

I also fly a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and I am surprised by these reports of stress cracks. I have crashed/very hard landed my P4P no less then 3 times and nothing but a scratch by one of the lights. Now, the props were shredded but that's it. I am looking for the video of now.

On one take off, I went full throttle up when the wind blew a branch into my path. That little P4P shredded it like a weed wacker! It came tumbling back down onto the concrete. The props were fried so I replaced the blades and was over the City of Atlanta within 5 mins. It was at that moment I decided that DJI's products were vastly better constructed than my other drones which are still out of commission from far less violent mishaps.[emoji6]

I am sure some end up defective units but I am doubtful that simple landings or hand landings would do anything to the Airframe if mine can consistently fly full speed into trees and bounce off concrete with no issues. Leads me to believe it's a manufacturing issue in some drones. . Anyway, here is a pic of my Lil beast about to go for an extended flight over the lake..

 

[RémyHeli]

What are these yellow 'devices', emergency inflatable for the lake ?

 

[abwRN]

What are these yellow 'devices', emergency inflatable for the lake ?

Yep..SORT OF.. I have them aiming in different directions so if it lands on either the top or bottom of the Drone, one will deploy to the top of the water..

 

[Soad70]

I have had two phantom 4 and both have had (small ) leg crack issues, one after about eight months of ownership the other about two months of ownership both bought brand new. Nothing in my fight history warranted a crack ( crash, bad landing etc ), first one I was worried about but found the crack appeared but never got any bigger and have just noticed that my second one has a crack so I will see how it goes. I know that these products are under a lot of stress at times but to call it a stress crack I'm not so sure, bad design maybe. I think a small crack on a leg that doesn't get bigger ( I'm hoping from past experience ) is better than a crack on an arm, motor mount etc... not planing on sending it for repair unless the crack grows but so far for me that's two out of two with issues..... don't know if I'll go for three from three.

 

[Badaxed]

I just got my drone back from DJI today. I was sent a customer survey and asked for my opinion of the service. here is my response

"I noticed a different serial number from the phantom 4 I sent in from the drone that is being sent back to me. Is this a new unit being sent to me or someone else's unit (wrecked) that has been repaired and called refurbished and dumped on me? I do not understand why I get an invoice with a detailed parts replacement list which I paid for to have repaired and was told by customer service i would be receiving my original drone repaired then get a different drone back.
I started this process on April 23rd 2017. I did not get my drone back until today may 26th 2017. This is excessive "repair time" for not repairing my drone and instead just sending me a different drone. There was no testing done as my controller was not even paired with the replacement drone. on top of this I sent in a perfectly good battery and received back my battery with a crack in it. The battery (sent back to me) also was installed in the replacement drone. I sent the original battery in to DJI" not" installed in the drone but in the storage area in the original DJI box. This indicates poor quality control. I am very dissatisfied with this whole process as I feel deceived by every customer service rep I talked to from DJI. First I was told the process would be 10 days from door to door. then when I called on the 18th of May I was told my drone would be arriving either on Monday 22 of may or no later than Tuesday may 23rd. it did not arrive until today May 26th despite paying for expedited shipping. Please explain to me why your customer service systematically deceives its customers. If this is how you treat your customers I will be looking elsewhere for my next drone."

 

[macoman]

I just got my drone back from DJI today. I was sent a customer survey and asked for my opinion of the service. here is my response

"I noticed a different serial number from the phantom 4 I sent in from the drone that is being sent back to me. Is this a new unit being sent to me or someone else's unit (wrecked) that has been repaired and called refurbished and dumped on me? I do not understand why I get an invoice with a detailed parts replacement list which I paid for to have repaired and was told by customer service i would be receiving my original drone repaired then get a different drone back.
I started this process on April 23rd 2017. I did not get my drone back until today may 26th 2017. This is excessive "repair time" for not repairing my drone and instead just sending me a different drone. There was no testing done as my controller was not even paired with the replacement drone. on top of this I sent in a perfectly good battery and received back my battery with a crack in it. The battery (sent back to me) also was installed in the replacement drone. I sent the original battery in to DJI" not" installed in the drone but in the storage area in the original DJI box. This indicates poor quality control. I am very dissatisfied with this whole process as I feel deceived by every customer service rep I talked to from DJI. First I was told the process would be 10 days from door to door. then when I called on the 18th of May I was told my drone would be arriving either on Monday 22 of may or no later than Tuesday may 23rd. it did not arrive until today May 26th despite paying for expedited shipping. Please explain to me why your customer service systematically deceives its customers. If this is how you treat your customers I will be looking elsewhere for my next drone."

This why I rather don't deal with their crappy customer service. I have a phantom 3 standard and I am looking to upgrade to a phantom 3 advanced or Professional. I don't care about DJI customer service. I rather pay and send it to a service repair center like drone nerds that provide outstanding service for every drone owner. I will never buy anything new from DJI thinking that their warranty it's worthy. Their service is absolutely horrible. I love their products, but their customer support sucks.

 

[RémyHeli]

Two month ago or so there was another guy (car repair center owner I think) who shared similar experience in this forum. More he was asking, more whole process was delayed. He also received an invoice with parts list while they promised original craft being tested and returned. He insisted to get info about what was the problem exactly but no way ... one or two month later he got refurbish one but now with gimbal defect, if I remember correctly.

Circular effect?
I got impression we got some circular effect where someone's drone get parts list invoiced but not necessary repaired and "parked" for being further processed. Then another come in, go into same process, got swapped with parked one and returned. So basically problem is solved by shipping another drone, but potentially having different problem as from another customer.

 

[bad karma]

Each model drone that DJI releases has subtle differences in communications technology. I think there are now 4 versions of Lightbridge today. Utilizing the original lightbridge from DJI, the controllers between Inspire 1, P3A, P3P, and P4 are compatible between the craft (98%). When I upgraded from P3P to P4 my range was disappointing with the P4, less than a mile, so I went looking for answers. I discovered the RCs actually have different RF transmission power, as found in my RF measurements last year. I found different radios from DJI (GL300A, GL300C, GL658A) are manufactured to emit different levels of transmit power to the craft. And for the RF power from the P4, it appeared to be MORE than the P3P, so the problem is in the GL300C that ships with the P4 craft. As a result I use the Inspire GL658A RC with my P4 craft, and the stock GL300C is in a drawer not being used. Today my P3P w/GL300A and P4 w/GL658A have about the same range, which is always over 2mi and sometimes up to 3mi using Windsurfer.

It's important to note that what works for me in the US will likely NOT work the same in Europe. DJI radios must adhere to the CE rules for Wifi transmit power, and when they determine the GPS coordinate, they detune themselves to have a lower transmit power. So if anyone travels to Europe from the US, don't expect the same range, unless you have a boosted RC.

P4, P4a and P4p all have different communications technology. They are all incompatible with each other. What's interesting is the P4 and P4a have the same model number on the RC, GL300C, which I deem a weak output RC. However, even though these two controllers have the same model#, they are apparently programmed differently to prevent them from being compatible with each other. Since the RF output is programmable (something I didn't believe initially), the P4a version of GL300C may actually be better RF power than the P4 version of the GL300C.

I just found this while looking for range extending options for the p4a. Thanks for the explanation! Now to the nuts and bolts, how do I marry the inspire control to the aircraft? Any help you can give is much appreciated John... thank you.

 

[John Locke]

I just found this while looking for range extending options for the p4a. Thanks for the explanation! Now to the nuts and bolts, how do I marry the inspire control to the aircraft? Any help you can give is much appreciated John... thank you.

Linking the Inspire 1 controller to a P4 craft is the same process as linking the original controller to the craft. I recommend to read the manual to become familiar with the process. Turn on the craft to ready it for the link process. Next, you'll need to find the "RC linking" option in the Go4 app. Click that link and follow the directions. Locate the little hole next the SD card slot on the craft. Get a paperclip that fits in to push the internal button, which triggers the link process. Once you push it AFTER the RC is in the "link search mode" the two will pair together and you'll see a confirmation in the Go4 app screen.

If you have any problems with linking process, you may have to update the firmware in the Inspire controller and the craft to the latest version, so they match in vintage. However, don't do that if you don't have to, that's my recommendation. Newer firmware generally has more restrictions, which you don't want if you can avoid it. I'm not of fan of "having the newest" when it comes to DJI firmware, but sometimes you have no choice.

 

[bad karma]

Linking the Inspire 1 controller to a P4 craft is the same process as linking the original controller to the craft. I recommend to read the manual to become familiar with the process. Turn on the craft to ready it for the link process. Next, you'll need to find the "RC linking" option in the Go4 app. Click that link and follow the directions. Locate the little hole next the SD card slot on the craft. Get a paperclip that fits in to push the internal button, which triggers the link process. Once you push it AFTER the RC is in the "link search mode" the two will pair together and you'll see a confirmation in the Go4 app screen.

If you have any problems with linking process, you may have to update the firmware in the Inspire controller and the craft to the latest version, so they match in vintage. However, don't do that if you don't have to, that's my recommendation. Newer firmware generally has more restrictions, which you don't want if you can avoid it. I'm not of fan of "having the newest" when it comes to DJI firmware, but sometimes you have no choice.

Thanks again for the information John, I wasn't aware that the updates were voluntary so I've updated firmware the last few times it's flagged me. I may have to locate earlier firmware for the aircraft and controller but I believe I'll start with the Inspire Controller and see if that doesn't get me where I need to be. I've had generally good connections with the P4A controller and my Crystalsky but when I run the Mini 4 not so much, video is extremely glitchy so I've not continued using the apple products or Autopilot

 

[John Locke]

Thanks again for the information John, I wasn't aware that the updates were voluntary so I've updated firmware the last few times it's flagged me. I may have to locate earlier firmware for the aircraft and controller but I believe I'll start with the Inspire Controller and see if that doesn't get me where I need to be. I've had generally good connections with the P4A controller and my Crystalsky but when I run the Mini 4 not so much, video is extremely glitchy so I've not continued using the apple products or Autopilot

The Inspire 1 controller may not be compatible with P4A or P4P.

Here's what I wrote previous:
P4, P4a and P4p all have different communications technology. They are all incompatible with each other. What's interesting is the P4 and P4a have the same model number on the RC, GL300C, which I deem a weak output RC. However, even though these two controllers have the same model#, they are apparently programmed differently to prevent them from being compatible with each other. Since the RF output is programmable (something I didn't believe initially), the P4a version of GL300C may actually be better RF power than the P4 version of the GL300C.

If you are successful linking an Inspire 1 controller, GL658A,B, or C to a P4A, let me know. I haven't tried that, but my assumption is there may be problems. But I haven't tried it.

 

[bad karma]

The Inspire 1 controller may not be compatible with P4A or P4P.

Thanks for the clarification, as I say, control and feedback have been good with the crystalsky 5.5 and my original controller. I'm most likely going to just run that for the next season... I'm not impressed with the Mini 4 performance with the GO app. I'd hoped to become familiar with Autopilot on the Apple but I can live with GO and the CS which has been flawless to this point, losing signal hasn't been a problem with it but at some point I'll hook up with a friend flying an Inspire 1 and see if we can link the two...

 

[elsapo2001]

Just bought a P4 at Best Buy. Now thinking about returning it. Opinions pro or con?

Enjoy using it. I crashed my drone twice learning it. No crashes anymore. I guess i got my cracks out of the way but it flys perfectly fine

Things wear out etc.. if you get a couple of years of fun out of it by then much newer and greater versions will be out.

Why do people catch the drone with thier hand vs just landing it and turning off the engine? I just land it on the grass i just slow it down and land it softly then shut props down.

 

[Geoelectro]

Why do people catch the drone with thier hand vs just landing it and turning off the engine? I just land it on the grass i just slow it down and land it softly then shut props down.

There are times when it's helpful. Landing in strong wind, on a boat, in a dusty area etc.

Geo

 

[bad karma]

Enjoy using it. I crashed my drone twice learning it. No crashes anymore. I guess i got my cracks out of the way but it flys perfectly fine

Things wear out etc.. if you get a couple of years of fun out of it by then much newer and greater versions will be out.

Why do people catch the drone with thier hand vs just landing it and turning off the engine? I just land it on the grass i just slow it down and land it softly then shut props down.

It's an old thread but I hope he kept the bird... If I sold every piece of equipment, vehicle or toy after reading derogatory information on the internet I'd have a lot more room in my garage and a lot more money... (hey, wait.... ) Er, well, anyway, google darn near anything along with the terms problems or glitches and you'll read everything that's ever gone wrong with the gismo. Take into consideration that in every human pursuit there are always those people who seem to expect perfection from the equipment with little or no effort on their part.... which surprisingly never seems to work out in their favor.. Very little is said about the many many hours of flawless performance many many people are enjoying. Droning is FUN! DJI makes a product that warts and all is much better than the alternatives.