Air 2S Ft Arm Replacement - DIY & few notes

[Dougcjohn]

A DIY Air2 Arm Replacement, few Notes to be aware.

Had a bump with side of house that resulted in Air2S flying erratic at times and lack of control. Closer examination revealed Ft LEFT Arm Motor was slightly bent.
I have the DroneHacks Firmware Certificate, was concerned with DJI Service/Repair updating FW, removing DH Cert and preventing applying after repair.

Thus became a DIY job to retain DH Certificate and to maybe save a bit on DJI Repair.
The Left Arm had a slightly bent motor, no other damage was visible, but I had a full Neon Orange skin and the skin was pretty chewed & removed on the Right motor & Right side. So to play it safe, I ordered Lf & Rt Ft Arms/Motors.... that later was a Good Guess!

The Rt Arm's Shaft Mount Spring Hinge showed compression / deformation damage. Could not reinsert Arm Shaft on rebuild and spring catch wasn't good.
Note Photo: Arm Shaft Bent from impact, should be smooth sides no creases in shaft.
NOTE: Didn't order these originally, so 1 arm is pending shaft mount to complete project.

Plenty of videos on take down of the Mavic Air 2... not as many on Air 2S, but other than the Nose clip it's pretty identical in take-down.
View the YouTubes for overall Air 2 take-down, the following are a few notes I learned / discovered not mentioned in YouTubes.

1) New Arm Leads... don't need to be trimmed, they come cut to various lengths and a bit longer than OEM which is nice for DIY project.
2) Take several Photos, to help with screws, and specifically antenna & wire routing.
3) Take caution removing Nose cap, there are very small guide tabs on TOP & Sides... (many YouTubes appear to break a few & ignored).
4) Solder Iron: SmMed Electronics Tip (1/8" size) and about 800F worked for me on desolder & solder.
5) NO SCREW - One screw hole by OEM did not include a screw. Don't panic looking for missing screw! (Shown in Photo)
6) Remove MicroSD card prior to take-down.
7) Note in Videos, the 2 Rear screws for upper Housing. Very Deep in far Rear under Belly Plate.
8) Removing Lower Circuit board, NOTE Tabs & Body mounts near USB-C & MicroSD ports.
* When removing board, take time to slightly spread the fuselage sides open to release & clear the small mount points.
* When reassembling, insure tabs are above Circuit board and board flush to screw mount posts.
9) Air2S Gimbal Ribbon cables. The Main Ribbon Micro-Connector, looks different from Air2 Videos. Does not pop-up easily... extreme caution to release connector, I found inner side released easier. When Reconnecting: Insure lining up the micro-connector prior to pushing down... These damage easy and not repairable, needs replacement board if damaged to insure contact connectivity is optimal.
10) Antenna Leads, Note OEM Antenna lead routing. Leads are cut to reach antenna socket without excess, and routing OEM makes a difference in length.
11) Resolder Arm Wires onto existing solder & Pads, add a small amount to complete. Take note of OEM wire routing & mount clip board. I found clipping new wires into mount board at proper length reaching solder pad eased performing a quick solder point. NOTE: Left & Right Wire Order is same, reference 1 while soldering other.
12) Remounting Lower Circuit Board: Take note of ribbon cable connectors, do not have them under board. Note Rear small Plastic POSTs to help align board, Note Side Tabs and gently pull out while working Board into craft from Rear to Forward. NOTE: Rear Contact Pad on Ribbon cable. Insure above Board and Antenna leads do not prevent it laying flush on copper pad.
13) Inserting Arm Shafts, NOTE the small Notch to align.

The fussy part for me, was the Ft Arm Shaft Mounts - Spring Pins.
These are a challenge, the spring is very stiff and aligning everything required patience.
My method, Insert Shaft and align with Arm's socket, once down close to mount posts, use the fuselage to move inner spring post about half way between snap stops.
Once centered in mid-way, you can gently align arm and push shaft and center pin through Arm's upper pin hole. Then Install the Rear screw to retain.

If you change the arms, take your time, go easy on solder... very small gage wires. Especially take your time on the Arm Shaft Springs!

For FREE - At bottom of photos: photo of Ft Antenna Legs, LED Covers & Screws.
If anyone wants, cost is shipping only.


















Undamaged Ft Antenna Legs from old Arms.
Free to who would like... cost is shipping only.

 

[Bsnyder]

Thanks for going to all the work of giving us the quality pictures of the repair, I have air 2s also and downloaded the pictures, if only to know what it looks like on the inside.

 

[LayinLo]

Thanks for posting this. I’m gonna add some photos in case someone wants a different angle. I broke both right arms on my air 2s back in September. Took the silly thing apart and then sold my house and moved. Just now ordered the parts and put it together. Only 2 screws left over ftw! Your tips helped!

 

[Dougcjohn]

Brave Man! Take it apart and later rebuild... I'd probably forget more than 2 screws.

There are 3 sizes of screws. The bulk are all the same. 2x are a narrower screw for the pivot retainers... 1 each arm.

There are 2x very small thin screws that go in the Ft under the nose. Way in Ft of gimbal... these hold nose cap.

Maybe another possible... 2x screws in rear of body in 2 deep well holes that hold rear of top body to lower body.

Also 2x screws under Ft Nose clip on top side. Holds Ft of body down.

Those are the ones I recall as possible tricky to remember that are out of sight from normal screw holes.

Good Luck!

 

[Dougcjohn]

Added comments on reassembly of Air2S.
Micro Connect sockets are generally quick and easy to connect ribbon cables.
Although, be aware they can slightly bend causing failure in circuit.

I had a Ft Sensor error message after reassembly in the FLY App.
First thought maybe ft nose sensor was damaged in crash... but close examination it was connector.

Close examination, the Ft Sensor's micro connector is the longer one on Ft Side of main board. Looking down on main board, it's the Ft Right side of board. (This is the left ft side of craft in proper orientation)

The Micro Connector is one of the longer connectors on board, it's a double row connector. Close examination shows I bent a small section (est 10-20 pins) in the middle of the connector row. Visible to eye the contact row section has a different reflection... normal eye can't really see the bent position, just a color change in the row. You can gently use a flat blade screwdriver and lift the small connectors back upright. Again, visible by the contact row looking all the same in refection or same tone / color in the brass.

Then carefully reconnecting ribbon cable connector. This corrected my Ft Nose OA Sensor error.

Took it out this weekend... 8F Temps, for a quick flight test.
Air2S flew stable and very controllable, indicating no issues in Ft Arm replacements.
I saw no Ft Sensor OA warning or failure message during flight, and the OA appeared to be working correctly when testing in sunlight & shaded objects.

Be careful & watch those micro connectors & ribbon connectors.

 

[LayinLo]

Hey Doug, yeah two screws. I went over the whole thing and as I remember I put them all back in. Oh well, Delilah (my air 2s is named Delilah ) flies just fine and no error messages and no trouble with satellites or transmission. Many thanks again for starting this thread. Good luck out there!

 

[Dougcjohn]

Note... couldn't edit 1st post anymore.
The Ft Legs offered for free in end of 1st post have been sent.
No longer available... but I did find on Amazon and Ebay.
The Air 2 and Air2S use same Ft Leg... LED is different but not legs.

When changing, be careful and remove LED cover to access a small screw behind lens.

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[commrus]

A DIY Air2 Arm Replacement, few Notes to be aware.

Had a bump with side of house that resulted in Air2S flying erratic at times and lack of control. Closer examination revealed Ft LEFT Arm Motor was slightly bent.
I have the DroneHacks Firmware Certificate, was concerned with DJI Service/Repair updating FW, removing DH Cert and preventing applying after repair.

Thus became a DIY job to retain DH Certificate and to maybe save a bit on DJI Repair.
The Left Arm had a slightly bent motor, no other damage was visible, but I had a full Neon Orange skin and the skin was pretty chewed & removed on the Right motor & Right side. So to play it safe, I ordered Lf & Rt Ft Arms/Motors.... that later was a Good Guess!

The Rt Arm's Shaft Mount Spring Hinge showed compression / deformation damage. Could not reinsert Arm Shaft on rebuild and spring catch wasn't good.
Note Photo: Arm Shaft Bent from impact, should be smooth sides no creases in shaft.
NOTE: Didn't order these originally, so 1 arm is pending shaft mount to complete project.

Plenty of videos on take down of the Mavic Air 2... not as many on Air 2S, but other than the Nose clip it's pretty identical in take-down.
View the YouTubes for overall Air 2 take-down, the following are a few notes I learned / discovered not mentioned in YouTubes.

1) New Arm Leads... don't need to be trimmed, they come cut to various lengths and a bit longer than OEM which is nice for DIY project.
2) Take several Photos, to help with screws, and specifically antenna & wire routing.
3) Take caution removing Nose cap, there are very small guide tabs on TOP & Sides... (many YouTubes appear to break a few & ignored).
4) Solder Iron: SmMed Electronics Tip (1/8" size) and about 800F worked for me on desolder & solder.
5) NO SCREW - One screw hole by OEM did not include a screw. Don't panic looking for missing screw! (Shown in Photo)
6) Remove MicroSD card prior to take-down.
7) Note in Videos, the 2 Rear screws for upper Housing. Very Deep in far Rear under Belly Plate.
8) Removing Lower Circuit board, NOTE Tabs & Body mounts near USB-C & MicroSD ports.
* When removing board, take time to slightly spread the fuselage sides open to release & clear the small mount points.
* When reassembling, insure tabs are above Circuit board and board flush to screw mount posts.
9) Air2S Gimbal Ribbon cables. The Main Ribbon Micro-Connector, looks different from Air2 Videos. Does not pop-up easily... extreme caution to release connector, I found inner side released easier. When Reconnecting: Insure lining up the micro-connector prior to pushing down... These damage easy and not repairable, needs replacement board if damaged to insure contact connectivity is optimal.
10) Antenna Leads, Note OEM Antenna lead routing. Leads are cut to reach antenna socket without excess, and routing OEM makes a difference in length.
11) Resolder Arm Wires onto existing solder & Pads, add a small amount to complete. Take note of OEM wire routing & mount clip board. I found clipping new wires into mount board at proper length reaching solder pad eased performing a quick solder point. NOTE: Left & Right Wire Order is same, reference 1 while soldering other.
12) Remounting Lower Circuit Board: Take note of ribbon cable connectors, do not have them under board. Note Rear small Plastic POSTs to help align board, Note Side Tabs and gently pull out while working Board into craft from Rear to Forward. NOTE: Rear Contact Pad on Ribbon cable. Insure above Board and Antenna leads do not prevent it laying flush on copper pad.
13) Inserting Arm Shafts, NOTE the small Notch to align.

The fussy part for me, was the Ft Arm Shaft Mounts - Spring Pins.
These are a challenge, the spring is very stiff and aligning everything required patience.
My method, Insert Shaft and align with Arm's socket, once down close to mount posts, use the fuselage to move inner spring post about half way between snap stops.
Once centered in mid-way, you can gently align arm and push shaft and center pin through Arm's upper pin hole. Then Install the Rear screw to retain.

If you change the arms, take your time, go easy on solder... very small gage wires. Especially take your time on the Arm Shaft Springs!

For FREE - At bottom of photos: photo of Ft Antenna Legs, LED Covers & Screws.
If anyone wants, cost is shipping only.

View attachment 140581

View attachment 140583

View attachment 140582

View attachment 140584
View attachment 140585View attachment 140586

View attachment 140587View attachment 140588View attachment 140589

View attachment 140592


View attachment 140590View attachment 140591


Undamaged Ft Antenna Legs from old Arms.
Free to who would like... cost is shipping only.
View attachment 140593

Hi does installation of new parts as replacements for broken parts requires binding to motherboard through drone hacks software before these parts gets activated like motor or gimbal? Thanks

 

[Dougcjohn]

Hi does installation of new parts as replacements for broken parts requires binding to motherboard through drone hacks software before these parts gets activated like motor or gimbal? Thanks

If I understand your question. If replacing motors / arms... no. You just need to desolder & solder on new motor leads. The "logic" isn't in the motors, it on the FW on the main board. Any sensor or non-main board part installed does not require new DH validation: motors, LED's, Object Avoidence sensors, camera payload, etc.

Although if you replace a main board, you normally need to recalibrate the board (DJI procedure) and install new FW. Then install and validate DroneHack license. Installing a new main board removes your DH license and I believe required to repurchase a new activation key.

 

[commrus]

If I understand your question. If replacing motors / arms... no. You just need to desolder & solder on new motor leads. The "logic" isn't in the motors, it on the FW on the main board. Any sensor or non-main board part installed does not require new DH validation: motors, LED's, Object Avoidence sensors, camera payload, etc.

Although if you replace a main board, you normally need to recalibrate the board (DJI procedure) and install new FW. Then install and validate DroneHack license. Installing a new main board removes your DH license and I believe required to repurchase a new activation key.

oic thanks for the prompt reply Doug! a technicial in a local authorized dji store yesterday told me that even a change in brushless motors isnt easy as just purchasing elsewhere and installing it by yourself and requires some sort of binding pairing process whatsoever. i guess they want to discourage people from diy and instead having them do the repair for a fee. im in the process of fixing my air2s myself as they cant event give me proper diagnosis of my drone. i recently detected some loose contact points in the gimbal socket resulting to no gimbal reaction but they said its a gimbal problem without even looking at the gimbal connectors first.

 

[Dougcjohn]

oic thanks for the prompt reply Doug! a technicial in a local authorized dji store yesterday told me that even a change in brushless motors isnt easy as just purchasing elsewhere and installing it by yourself and requires some sort of binding pairing process whatsoever. i guess they want to discourage people from diy and instead having them do the repair for a fee. im in the process of fixing my air2s myself as they cant event give me proper diagnosis of my drone. i recently detected some loose contact points in the gimbal socket resulting to no gimbal reaction but they said its a gimbal problem without even looking at the gimbal connectors first.

Great to hear... if you're comfortable with small contact soldering, replacing the motors yourself is no issue. On these little crafts, it's a game of patience & close observation in disassembly... beyond that no challenge. Take note of the 3 different screw types, and note where screws are NOT originally. I missed that at first and spent time before I realized using disassembly photos a hole lacked a screw.

The most challenging part were the Arm Pivots. The old ones may be compressed or bad, and getting those little spring loaded pivots into position tested my patience!

Your observation on ribbon connectors may be spot on. When I rebuilt mine, the Ft OA Sensor & Camera ribbons reattached without stress... but in initial power-up tests, the Ft OA Sensor failed. I evidently pushed the Ft OA Sensor down slightly off "straight" and within the micro connector, bent a few contact tangs. I was amazed they were receptive to be bent & corrected... and allowed the Ribbon Micro Socket to be connected. While in that area, Ft of Main Board and the associated Ribbon cables. I does look like it wouldn't take much to dislodge a micro connector if Camera Gimbal had a stressful event.. bump, crash, etc. It may be micro connector or damaged gimbal... both parts are available.

After my house bump, my Air2S would fly uncontrollable prior to Ft Arm replacements and after arm replacements flew 100% correct & smooth with zero indicators of needing any FW or Calibration. I'd say your local DJI Shop is wanting some repair business.

If you do replace the Gimbal Camera payload, you'll most likely need to recalibrate the Gimbal. But that too is a relatively simple procedure using the DJI Asst 2 program. You basically point the camera at the computer screen and point the craft to each calibration points on the screen. That isn't a FW issue, I've been prompted on my other Mavic, Inspire & Matrice crafts to calibrate the gimbal.

Good Luck!

 

[commrus]

Great to hear... if you're comfortable with small contact soldering, replacing the motors yourself is no issue. On these little crafts, it's a game of patience & close observation in disassembly... beyond that no challenge. Take note of the 3 different screw types, and note where screws are NOT originally. I missed that at first and spent time before I realized using disassembly photos a hole lacked a screw.

The most challenging part were the Arm Pivots. The old ones may be compressed or bad, and getting those little spring loaded pivots into position tested my patience!

Your observation on ribbon connectors may be spot on. When I rebuilt mine, the Ft OA Sensor & Camera ribbons reattached without stress... but in initial power-up tests, the Ft OA Sensor failed. I evidently pushed the Ft OA Sensor down slightly off "straight" and within the micro connector, bent a few contact tangs. I was amazed they were receptive to be bent & corrected... and allowed the Ribbon Micro Socket to be connected. While in that area, Ft of Main Board and the associated Ribbon cables. I does look like it wouldn't take much to dislodge a micro connector if Camera Gimbal had a stressful event.. bump, crash, etc. It may be micro connector or damaged gimbal... both parts are available.

After my house bump, my Air2S would fly uncontrollable prior to Ft Arm replacements and after arm replacements flew 100% correct & smooth with zero indicators of needing any FW or Calibration. I'd say your local DJI Shop is wanting some repair business.

If you do replace the Gimbal Camera payload, you'll most likely need to recalibrate the Gimbal. But that too is a relatively simple procedure using the DJI Asst 2 program. You basically point the camera at the computer screen and point the craft to each calibration points on the screen. That isn't a FW issue, I've been prompted on my other Mavic, Inspire & Matrice crafts to calibrate the gimbal.

Good Luck!

Wow! thanks so much for the input Doug! you're such a well experience hobbyist in this field and I really admire people who are into the specifics of stuff techie and loves fixing gadgets adding to your knowledge on components of electronic devices.

I agree that taking note of the number of screw, sizes and their placement is important as I too most of the time encounters missing screw repetitive mistake after complete reassembly of electronic devices. But the worse thing on fixing gadgets is when you unintentionally damage a component of the device being fixed adding more injury lol! I always put in mind that tinkering on electronic items is not as easy as art drawing with a pencil that you can erase to make a correction. When a component gets broken, its broken and sometimes take time to fix so I have to be extremely careful that no electronic short circuit happens and that I'm doing correct procedure.

I was hesitant to migrate to drones before because its an expensive hobby but since I have been an rc airplane flyer and has worked in a film company with love for cinematography I feel that by incorporating both passion of rc flying and aerial videography is just perfect!

I was actually expecting the dji shop here to tell me if i wanted to leave my drone for them to thorough analyze. but all the guy offered me was if i want to swap my drone with same or a downgraded air2 model and add cash lol!

Nice to know you are so adept with other dji models too

Have a great and wonderful day Doug! Thank you for accommodating me. Lets keep in touch!

Hoel I

 

[Klepzig]

I appreciate your post and used it, along with other videos of the Air 2 to switch out both the back and front right legs. The hardest part for me was the Front Arm Shaft Mount Spring Hinge. I broke mine trying to get it in correctly. Finally I found out how to do it from this post (Front arm repairs) with this YouTube video (

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).

The key step is to prep the hinge before trying to insert. Hold it with some pliers (with enough tension to hold it still but not enough to damage; a vice might work better than pliers) and then use small needle-nose pliers inserted in the two holes to turn it until the tension backs off (in between tension states). You could probably use two sets of any kind of pliers as long as you don't use too much tension.

The guy in the video did state it would take more than one try, each time having to preset the hinge, before getting it inserted correctly, but I was trying to insert it while turning it and I broke the small part.

 

[Dougcjohn]

I appreciate your post and used it, along with other videos of the Air 2 to switch out both the back and front right legs. The hardest part for me was the Front Arm Shaft Mount Spring Hinge. I broke mine trying to get it in correctly. Finally I found out how to do it from this post (Front arm repairs) with this YouTube video (

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

).

The key step is to prep the hinge before trying to insert. Hold it with some pliers (with enough tension to hold it still but not enough to damage; a vice might work better than pliers) and then use small needle-nose pliers inserted in the two holes to turn it until the tension backs off (in between tension states). You could probably use two sets of any kind of pliers as long as you don't use too much tension.

The guy in the video did state it would take more than one try, each time having to preset the hinge, before getting it inserted correctly, but I was trying to insert it while turning it and I broke the small part.

Technique is correct... my routine is similar.
Lol... and you're spot on, to me that is the most challenging too!

I place Pin Hinge into the arm mount hole enough to hold shaft... then rotate the top plate till I feel it centered between the 2 spring stops. I can then relax the parts and fully align arm & mount hole to set correctly.

I've used the craft's arm to rotate the top plate and I've used various small tools to insert into hole. I've found the arm works... it's a little sloppy feeling but it has enough leverage to rotate the top plate between spring stops.

Thanks for adding the video, others will find it helpful.

 

[commrus]

yo guys! would like to know if arms ang legs of air2s interchangeable with air2. got a spare air2s but would like to pull out the arms and legs and installed it on an air2 degrading motors. by the way air2s i badly broken. anybody thinks its not a compatibility problem like leg measurements or something. they seem to look identical. thanks!

 

[KanoM]

@Dougcjohn - I realize this is an old post, but I recently replaced one of my Air 2S’ rear pivot arms and I have four skinny hex screws left over.

They’re the same length as the typical (abundant) body hex screws, but skinnier. The drone flies fine (seemed a little shaky at first), but I’d like to replace this if I can. I’ve watched two assembly videos and inspected the drone over many times, but no dice.

Does anyone know where the four skinny hex screws go?

 

[DanoMano]

A DIY Air2 Arm Replacement, few Notes to be aware.

Had a bump with side of house that resulted in Air2S flying erratic at times and lack of control. Closer examination revealed Ft LEFT Arm Motor was slightly bent.
I have the DroneHacks Firmware Certificate, was concerned with DJI Service/Repair updating FW, removing DH Cert and preventing applying after repair.

Thus became a DIY job to retain DH Certificate and to maybe save a bit on DJI Repair.
The Left Arm had a slightly bent motor, no other damage was visible, but I had a full Neon Orange skin and the skin was pretty chewed & removed on the Right motor & Right side. So to play it safe, I ordered Lf & Rt Ft Arms/Motors.... that later was a Good Guess!

The Rt Arm's Shaft Mount Spring Hinge showed compression / deformation damage. Could not reinsert Arm Shaft on rebuild and spring catch wasn't good.
Note Photo: Arm Shaft Bent from impact, should be smooth sides no creases in shaft.
NOTE: Didn't order these originally, so 1 arm is pending shaft mount to complete project.

Plenty of videos on take down of the Mavic Air 2... not as many on Air 2S, but other than the Nose clip it's pretty identical in take-down.
View the YouTubes for overall Air 2 take-down, the following are a few notes I learned / discovered not mentioned in YouTubes.

1) New Arm Leads... don't need to be trimmed, they come cut to various lengths and a bit longer than OEM which is nice for DIY project.
2) Take several Photos, to help with screws, and specifically antenna & wire routing.
3) Take caution removing Nose cap, there are very small guide tabs on TOP & Sides... (many YouTubes appear to break a few & ignored).
4) Solder Iron: SmMed Electronics Tip (1/8" size) and about 800F worked for me on desolder & solder.
5) NO SCREW - One screw hole by OEM did not include a screw. Don't panic looking for missing screw! (Shown in Photo)
6) Remove MicroSD card prior to take-down.
7) Note in Videos, the 2 Rear screws for upper Housing. Very Deep in far Rear under Belly Plate.
8) Removing Lower Circuit board, NOTE Tabs & Body mounts near USB-C & MicroSD ports.
* When removing board, take time to slightly spread the fuselage sides open to release & clear the small mount points.
* When reassembling, insure tabs are above Circuit board and board flush to screw mount posts.
9) Air2S Gimbal Ribbon cables. The Main Ribbon Micro-Connector, looks different from Air2 Videos. Does not pop-up easily... extreme caution to release connector, I found inner side released easier. When Reconnecting: Insure lining up the micro-connector prior to pushing down... These damage easy and not repairable, needs replacement board if damaged to insure contact connectivity is optimal.
10) Antenna Leads, Note OEM Antenna lead routing. Leads are cut to reach antenna socket without excess, and routing OEM makes a difference in length.
11) Resolder Arm Wires onto existing solder & Pads, add a small amount to complete. Take note of OEM wire routing & mount clip board. I found clipping new wires into mount board at proper length reaching solder pad eased performing a quick solder point. NOTE: Left & Right Wire Order is same, reference 1 while soldering other.
12) Remounting Lower Circuit Board: Take note of ribbon cable connectors, do not have them under board. Note Rear small Plastic POSTs to help align board, Note Side Tabs and gently pull out while working Board into craft from Rear to Forward. NOTE: Rear Contact Pad on Ribbon cable. Insure above Board and Antenna leads do not prevent it laying flush on copper pad.
13) Inserting Arm Shafts, NOTE the small Notch to align.

The fussy part for me, was the Ft Arm Shaft Mounts - Spring Pins.
These are a challenge, the spring is very stiff and aligning everything required patience.
My method, Insert Shaft and align with Arm's socket, once down close to mount posts, use the fuselage to move inner spring post about half way between snap stops.
Once centered in mid-way, you can gently align arm and push shaft and center pin through Arm's upper pin hole. Then Install the Rear screw to retain.

If you change the arms, take your time, go easy on solder... very small gage wires. Especially take your time on the Arm Shaft Springs!

For FREE - At bottom of photos: photo of Ft Antenna Legs, LED Covers & Screws.
If anyone wants, cost is shipping only.

View attachment 140581

View attachment 140583

View attachment 140582

View attachment 140584
View attachment 140585View attachment 140586

View attachment 140587View attachment 140588View attachment 140589

View attachment 140592


View attachment 140590View attachment 140591


Undamaged Ft Antenna Legs from old Arms.
Free to who would like... cost is shipping only.
View attachment 140593

 

[DanoMano]

Found your thread

Technique is correct... my routine is similar.
Lol... and you're spot on, to me that is the most challenging too!

I place Pin Hinge into the arm mount hole enough to hold shaft... then rotate the top plate till I feel it centered between the 2 spring stops. I can then relax the parts and fully align arm & mount hole to set correctly.

I've used the craft's arm to rotate the top plate and I've used various small tools to insert into hole. I've found the arm works... it's a little sloppy feeling but it has enough leverage to rotate the top plate between spring stops.

Thanks for adding the video, others will find it helpful.

I found if you load the spring to center position before inserting it works better. Grip the shaft (softly) with pliers, or preferably an open end wrench that fits, then insert small needle nose pliers into the screw holes. Rotate the assy to neutral or center position. then carefully install and put the screws in before letting the arm jump out of center position. If you have to redo it push the pin out of the assy out from below - don't pry the plastic up.

 

[kmohr3]

A DIY Air2 Arm Replacement, few Notes to be aware.

Had a bump with side of house that resulted in Air2S flying erratic at times and lack of control. Closer examination revealed Ft LEFT Arm Motor was slightly bent.
I have the DroneHacks Firmware Certificate, was concerned with DJI Service/Repair updating FW, removing DH Cert and preventing applying after repair.

Thus became a DIY job to retain DH Certificate and to maybe save a bit on DJI Repair.
The Left Arm had a slightly bent motor, no other damage was visible, but I had a full Neon Orange skin and the skin was pretty chewed & removed on the Right motor & Right side. So to play it safe, I ordered Lf & Rt Ft Arms/Motors.... that later was a Good Guess!

The Rt Arm's Shaft Mount Spring Hinge showed compression / deformation damage. Could not reinsert Arm Shaft on rebuild and spring catch wasn't good.
Note Photo: Arm Shaft Bent from impact, should be smooth sides no creases in shaft.
NOTE: Didn't order these originally, so 1 arm is pending shaft mount to complete project.

Plenty of videos on take down of the Mavic Air 2... not as many on Air 2S, but other than the Nose clip it's pretty identical in take-down.
View the YouTubes for overall Air 2 take-down, the following are a few notes I learned / discovered not mentioned in YouTubes.

1) New Arm Leads... don't need to be trimmed, they come cut to various lengths and a bit longer than OEM which is nice for DIY project.
2) Take several Photos, to help with screws, and specifically antenna & wire routing.
3) Take caution removing Nose cap, there are very small guide tabs on TOP & Sides... (many YouTubes appear to break a few & ignored).
4) Solder Iron: SmMed Electronics Tip (1/8" size) and about 800F worked for me on desolder & solder.
5) NO SCREW - One screw hole by OEM did not include a screw. Don't panic looking for missing screw! (Shown in Photo)
6) Remove MicroSD card prior to take-down.
7) Note in Videos, the 2 Rear screws for upper Housing. Very Deep in far Rear under Belly Plate.
8) Removing Lower Circuit board, NOTE Tabs & Body mounts near USB-C & MicroSD ports.
* When removing board, take time to slightly spread the fuselage sides open to release & clear the small mount points.
* When reassembling, insure tabs are above Circuit board and board flush to screw mount posts.
9) Air2S Gimbal Ribbon cables. The Main Ribbon Micro-Connector, looks different from Air2 Videos. Does not pop-up easily... extreme caution to release connector, I found inner side released easier. When Reconnecting: Insure lining up the micro-connector prior to pushing down... These damage easy and not repairable, needs replacement board if damaged to insure contact connectivity is optimal.
10) Antenna Leads, Note OEM Antenna lead routing. Leads are cut to reach antenna socket without excess, and routing OEM makes a difference in length.
11) Resolder Arm Wires onto existing solder & Pads, add a small amount to complete. Take note of OEM wire routing & mount clip board. I found clipping new wires into mount board at proper length reaching solder pad eased performing a quick solder point. NOTE: Left & Right Wire Order is same, reference 1 while soldering other.
12) Remounting Lower Circuit Board: Take note of ribbon cable connectors, do not have them under board. Note Rear small Plastic POSTs to help align board, Note Side Tabs and gently pull out while working Board into craft from Rear to Forward. NOTE: Rear Contact Pad on Ribbon cable. Insure above Board and Antenna leads do not prevent it laying flush on copper pad.
13) Inserting Arm Shafts, NOTE the small Notch to align.

The fussy part for me, was the Ft Arm Shaft Mounts - Spring Pins.
These are a challenge, the spring is very stiff and aligning everything required patience.
My method, Insert Shaft and align with Arm's socket, once down close to mount posts, use the fuselage to move inner spring post about half way between snap stops.
Once centered in mid-way, you can gently align arm and push shaft and center pin through Arm's upper pin hole. Then Install the Rear screw to retain.

If you change the arms, take your time, go easy on solder... very small gage wires. Especially take your time on the Arm Shaft Springs!

For FREE - At bottom of photos: photo of Ft Antenna Legs, LED Covers & Screws.
If anyone wants, cost is shipping only.

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Undamaged Ft Antenna Legs from old Arms.
Free to who would like... cost is shipping only.
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Great info and pictures. I recently did much of the same on my MPP when I replaced upper and lower body shells, and LR axis. A lot of tedious, tiring, work. Fixed it for about $80, though.