Prop screws are way too tight? (mini 3)

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I also measured the lateral movement and it is about 1/8" or 3-mm up and down.

Where did you measure that? I suspect/hope at the outer end of a blade.

Also one of the screws appear to be crooked or Cross-threaded into the Motor Cap.

I am not sure about that, if you look at the screw head the RHS of the screw head is higher, relative to the blade hub, than the LHS. It might be the screw not being home is allowing the blade to tilt.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

One thought has just occurred, could DJI have made the head thicker to give a bigger cross slot, that's pure speculation.


What state are the threads of the old screws in?

 

[LoudThunder]

Where did you measure that?

Of course I measured the Propeller Wobble (deflection) at the tip…



As for the screws possibly being cross-threaded, I wrote they "appear" to be (not a very definitive declaration…).

So, what is your prognoses? Screws not screwed in all the way? If the OP did not cross thread a screw or two, then the OP probably used the DJI screwdriver and just did not screw the screws down tight…

If the OP cannot get the screws screwed in all the way as indicated in your and my photos of our propellers, I would recommend the OP send it in for service. It would be heartbreaking to lose the drone because a propeller blade came loose…

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Unfortunately I think damaged threads are quite likely, hopefully I am wrong but this is why I asked about the state of the male threads on the screw.
These tiny threads scare the 'do da' out of me ... especially with us having to hold the blade in place at the same time.
For this reason when I am fitting them I, whilst LIGHTLY pressing the screw into the hole, first turn the screw backwards and pay attention to what I feel through my fingers. I can generally feel the screw 'drop' into the thread in the screw hole.
The design works well in terms of weight etc. but I think it is not great in terms of the likelyhood of DIY cross threading.

 

[Captain Spock]

thanks, folks. I had posted this earlier but just in case it was missed. i ordered and installed these in pairs where they were needed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0932SCDWJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

whaddya think? Did I "screw" this up?
@LoudThunder @Yorkshire_Pud : I have put the little DJI screwdrivers far away. Got a much better one

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

The size of screwdriver is debatable, I am not certain if the type of cross point has been established, see List of screw drives - Wikipedia.
The Stanley you have is probably Phillips or Pozidrive but the blade screws are, if Phillips, 00 or 000.


As for those props, I am afraid I stick to DJI blades alone, I do not use pattern props.

 

[Captain Spock]

@LoudThunder @Yorkshire_Pud @Lister @MS Coast
Yo! I got it! It was the SCREWS on the non-OEM prop replacements!
As I was pondering the situation, I happened to notice a slight color difference between the original screws that came with the mini 2, and the non-OEM replacement screws. Hard to discern in the photo, but with a magnifying glass I could see it. This was confirmed by screwing the bad ones in without the props and measuring how high they were at snugging them up. The original screws went down significantly more. Took my time; dust blasted to remove any debris in the holes; did the loose start, backed off slowly to hear the threads click in; slow screw down using a decent screwdriver. Bingo! They all look like the photo now.
Thanks to all of you for helping me out here. Time to get my mini 2 back in the air for a flight test.
Hard Lesson Learned: DJI OEM ONLY!

 

[LoudThunder]

Thanks to all of you for helping me out here. Time to get my mini 2 back in the air for a flight test.

I am glad we could help, we may not always agree, but I am sure we are always offering the best advice we can.

One final question, in your photo above of the screws, there are two propellers just barely visible; they have different color bands on the tips, are you mixing and matching Mini and Mini 2 propellers?

These propellers may look the same but they are not. The propellers for the Mini 2 (one strip or band) are reputed to be quieter, because the cross-sectional design is thinner and more efficient. They might even have a different weight.

Any Case, Have Fun and Fly Safe!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Well noticed LoudThunder.
The single banded one also looks to have a damaged tip, there appears to be a 'chunk' missing off the leading edge.
But as they are sellotaped to the paper I assume they are not on the drone.

 

[Captain Spock]

Well noticed LoudThunder.
The single banded one also looks to have a damaged tip, there appears to be a 'chunk' missing off the leading edge.
But as they are sellotaped to the paper I assume they are not on the drone.

they were the ones I removed due to damage. no worries.

 

[Captain Spock]

they were the ones I removed due to damage. no worries.

I am glad we could help, we may not always agree, but I am sure we are always offering the best advice we can.

One final question, in your photo above of the screws, there are two propellers just barely visible; they have different color bands on the tips, are you mixing and matching Mini and Mini 2 propellers?

These propellers may look the same but they are not. The propellers for the Mini 2 (one strip or band) are reputed to be quieter, because the cross-sectional design is thinner and more efficient. They might even have a different weight.

Any Case, Have Fun and Fly Safe!

EGAD! Yet ANOTHER error on my part. The 2-band props were from the amazon non-OEM order and mis-advertised. GRRRR. another thing to fix. OOOOOO KKKKKK. Can you tell me the best link to order the correct mini 2 props? @Yorkshire_Pud
p.s. flight test was successful.

I am glad we could help, we may not always agree, but I am sure we are always offering the best advice we can.

One final question, in your photo above of the screws, there are two propellers just barely visible; they have different color bands on the tips, are you mixing and matching Mini and Mini 2 propellers?

These propellers may look the same but they are not. The propellers for the Mini 2 (one strip or band) are reputed to be quieter, because the cross-sectional design is thinner and more efficient. They might even have a different weight.

Any Case, Have Fun and Fly Safe!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Can you tell me the best link to order the correct mini 2 props? @Yorkshire_Pud

I am not certain if this will work but ....... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MPPRSMJ?ref=emc_p_m_6_i
I think that is Amazon in the USA, if correct then I'd order more than one set. If their set up is the same as the UK then 2 or 3 sets might get you above the free delivery threshold.

 

[LoudThunder]

Can you tell me the best link to order the correct mini 2 props?

This is where I bought my last load. They are DJI OEM, no substitutes, no if, no ands, and no buts… They were well packed and delivered quickly. I would have given the seller 10-Stars, but 5 is the max…

Genuine Original OEM DJI Mini 2 Propellers 2 Pairs | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Genuine Original OEM DJI Mini 2 Propellers 2 Pairs at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

You might notice that this is for a full set, 4-pair, not just 2-pair, as indicated in the Amazon advertisement in @Yorkshire_Pud 's note… I'm not questioning the Good Will of his posting, maybe it is the best he can get in the UK…

I do know that DJI Charges more for the Care Refresh and Refresh Plus in the UK than it cost me here in the USA…

And you get Free Shipping for these Propellers from Ohio all the way to "little 'o" New Mexico… LoL…

And another Teachable Moment comes up. Make sure you install the correct props on the correct motors.

I had a neighbor bring his son's toy drone over to me and asked if I knew what was wrong with it. After it crashed, all the drone wanted to do was do summersaults on the ground. I held the drone in my hand and energized the motors and noticed right away, one motor was try to lift, one motor was trying to dive, and the other two motors tried both actions… What Dad did not tell me was that when it crashed, they had to install the replacement props and they completely messed it up. Only one motor had the correct props installed, one had the wrong props installed, and the other two motors had a one of each installed. I correctly installed the props where they belonged and the drone flew just fine… A couple of days later, "Dad" mentioned that his kid's drone was somewhere lost in the treetops…

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 2, including the User Manual.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that first "scary moment…"

DJI Mini 2 - Download Center - DJI

Learn and download DJI Mini 2 related apps, software, and manuals at the DJI Download Center

www.dji.com

Fly On and Fly Safe…

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

4 pair, equalling 8 blades are available in the UK for £11 from DJI and the likes of Heliguy but by the time someone in the USA paid postage and customs duty they'd probably be a lot more expensive.
The link I provided is for the only USA ones I found.

The DJI store on Amazon UK states " the set includes: 2 pairs of propellers + 12 screws" and shows 8 blades.
The text in link I provided also mentions 12 screws so I assumed it was for 8 blades.

I think the problem lies in what constitutes a "pair" and might stem from translation i.e. are two blades a pair or are 2 complete propellers (4 blades) a pair.

 

[Captain Spock]

@Yorkshire_Pud and @LoudThunder : thanks for the recommendations. I flight tested my mini 2 yesterday and it flew just fine. i also installed the DJI Mini 2 360 Prop Guard. more on that in a separate post if needed.
thanks again
CS

 

[Frank Dracman]

I am not certain if this will work but ....... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MPPRSMJ?ref=emc_p_m_6_i
I think that is Amazon in the USA, if correct then I'd order more than one set. If their set up is the same as the UK then 2 or 3 sets might get you above the free delivery threshold.

Those don't appear to be dji OEM props since they don't have loctite on them. The ones I got from dji for my mm2 did in fact have blue loctiten each screw.

 

[minipro3]

There are a lot of Ifixit sets of drivers on Amazon, Which is the cheapest set that I would need just to replace props ?
Don't want to spent $40 if I don't have to. Any links would be appreciated.
Also should I be using Loctite when replacing props ?

 

[lensimages]

L

I went to the link you included. You don't mess around, I bet it also speaks three languages...

 

[eflyguy]

I would never have dreamed of using the provided driver, I picked up a WERA (very good quality tools) PH 0 for $4.45 from Amazon the day I bought my Mini 3. I already have a few in that size from various sets and hobbies but I wanted one dedicated to the drone to keep in the case. Amazon.com

 

[dp26]

If blue is used, the permatex technical data sheet for blue is good to be aware of. It covers what should be used to clean up residue.

I will add, as a jeep owner, to undo some loctite stuff like hood and windscreen, heat is needed. Could also apply here, carefully, as a last resort. No need to heat with a flame, warm up the tool and hold it in place starting with say 140 deg f measured at tool.