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Blueflame2007

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Mar 21, 2017
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Location
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Hi Guys,

Sad to report I've crashed my Mavic Pro after doing something really stupid. Earlier on during the day I put my Mavic up to record a charity cycle as it was approaching our town. I did a reci first and altered my video settings and exposure to suit the ambient light as you do. I brought it back down and then waited for the cyclists to approach so I was ready for the action when they came into view.

After getting the signal that the cyclists were approaching I fired up my Mavic but almost immediately I got a message on my RC that there was no connection with the aircraft. I shut down the aircraft and the RC twice and restarted to try and get a connection but to no avail. The RC was telling me that it was ready to fly but then it sent out a message that there was strong electrical interference and to proceed with caution. I got it up in the air but almost immediately brought it back down again as it was not acting as normal so I had to abandon my videoing of the cycling event. I might add here that I was standing at the gable of a building in shelter as it was quite a breezy evening and I wanted to be out of site from the large crowd that had gathered to watch the event. I packed away my Mavic and just used my Nikon DSLR to video the event.

Later on the same night (pitch dark) I went outside my house to see if it had returned to a normal state and I sent it up and it was acting quite normal with no apparent problems. I would have tried it inside but have been getting the NFZ mode after updating my all to 6.0 or whatever it is. After a few minutes of flight I was about to bring it on home when I heard the dreadful sound of props getting tangled in the overhead cables running along our road. The bang when it hit the hard tarmac on our road almost caused me to have a heart attack as I knew instantly that there has to be a lot of damage to my four week old drone.

When I arrived at the crash site the battery had hopped out from its seat and one of the top rotor arms had completely broken away but cable intact. The gimbal globe was also damaged and the gimbal seemed to be dangly. After some time when I had calmed down a bit and still cursing my carelessness I tried to assess the overall damage and refitted the battery which hopped out on impact. To my surprise it lit up and the drone started but immediately I got the message of about six errors, mostly visual errors and camera calibration and so on. On closer examination of the gimbal/camera I noticed that the ribbon cable had snapped on impact. I have looked up a few Utube videos since and there are a few demonstrating a ribbon replacement and one on rotor arm replacement but I';m not sure whether I have the confidence to take it on.

I'm sure DJI will charge an arm and a leg (no care plan) so I'm looking for a cheap way out by maybe tackling it myself so after all that if you are still reading this Question 1 Are the parts available on Ebay mostly from Hong Kong authentic DJI replacements or third party and if third party are they reputable. Also if anyone on here has had to do something similar could they offer me some links to where they got the replacement parts and if it was a tough task and is it a doable task. I have replaced broken screens with led board on phones so would have reasonable confidence.

If all fails is there a reputable repair centre for Mavics in the UK. Thanks in anticapation of some positive feedback.
 
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I hate to give you bad news but I would highly recommend either sending it back to DJI or selling it for parts on eBay and then using that cash plus some extra to buy a new one. That impact sounded very hard and it might have damaged other internal components like the IMU.
You already have camera and sensor damage plus arms and new motors needed. It will be a big bill to get it fixed properly.
(I assume you do not have refresh)

You might make out better selling it for parts on eBay, but that is up to you.

Rob
 
Can you take some pictures and post them up here. A youtube video would also help.?

Parts are available on eBay but many are not OEM DJI because DJI does not wholesale their parts to resellers. You can take a chance on them, but many are copies and are not much cheaper than what I sell the real things for. I sell all OEM replacement Mavic parts taken from new Mavics, and I am based in the USA. I have sold many parts to the UK and Europe.

First thing to do is list all the error messages or take a screen shot and post it here. Youre probably getting a gimbal overload message, possibly one of your FOA sensor ribbons tore and could be some other mechanical problems.

I can tell you what tools youre going to need once I see the condition of the Mavic and what lights are coming on.
 
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Thanks for replys so far guys.... I have a busy few days ahead so wil probably be Monday before I get around to uploading video. Meanwhile here is the only pic I have taken of the broken rotor arm
 

Attachments

  • mavic broken rotor IMG_20170428_000841.jpg
    mavic broken rotor IMG_20170428_000841.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 282
Can you take some pictures and post them up here. A youtube video would also help.?

Parts are available on eBay but many are not OEM DJI because DJI does not wholesale their parts to resellers. You can take a chance on them, but many are copies and are not much cheaper than what I sell the real things for. I sell all OEM replacement Mavic parts taken from new Mavics, and I am based in the USA. I have sold many parts to the UK and Europe.

First thing to do is list all the error messages or take a screen shot and post it here. Youre probably getting a gimbal overload message, possibly one of your FOA sensor ribbons tore and could be some other mechanical problems.

I can tell you what tools youre going to need once I see the condition of the Mavic and what lights are coming on.
 

Attachments

  • mavic gimbalIMG_20170429_225516.jpg
    mavic gimbalIMG_20170429_225516.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 211
Ive done that fix many times. As long as the middle frame is not cracked, all you have to do is replace the front right arm. 10 screws remove the top body. Remove 1 screw holding the arm pin under the broken arm, then pull the arm pin straight out. You will need to unsolder 3 motor wires, then 2 microsolders to release the led wires. If you have fixed cell phones, this should not be too hard. Install the new arm and solder in the wires. Replace the pin making sure the arm springs back to the Mavic after you install it. Can be a little tricky. Reinstall the top body and youre done.

Before you reinstall the top body though, you will need to replace the ribbon cable. Before you replace the ribbon, make sure you silver cable is not broken. Turn on the Mav and see if you get video. If you do, then silver cable is ok. 4 screws and 4 ribbon connectors hold in the gimbal. Detach the silver cable, detach the broken ribbon cable, detach power cable from the gimbal and drop the gimbal out. Then take off all the covers you need to get the ribbon out and reverse the process.
 
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Ive done that fix many times. As long as the middle frame is not cracked, all you have to do is replace the front right arm. 10 screws remove the top body. Remove 1 screw holding the arm pin under the broken arm, then pull the arm pin straight out. You will need to unsolder 3 motor wires, then 2 microsolders to release the led wires. If you have fixed cell phones, this should not be too hard. Install the new arm and solder in the wires. Replace the pin making sure the arm springs back to the Mavic after you install it. Can be a little tricky. Reinstall the top body and youre done.

Before you reinstall the top body though, you will need to replace the ribbon cable. Before you replace the ribbon, make sure you silver cable is not broken. Turn on the Mav and see if you get video. If you do, then silver cable is ok. 4 screws and 4 ribbon connectors hold in the gimbal. Detach the silver cable, detach the broken ribbon cable, detach power cable from the gimbal and drop the gimbal out. Then take off all the covers you need to get the ribbon out and reverse the process.
Wow, thats an amazingly detailed response, the middle frame is OK. I should be able to do the soldering bit OK too as I often make up Microphone and speaker cables. So how much is the rotor arm and the ribbon cable going to cost me. As a matter of interest are both top rotor arms the same or is there a difference in left and right. Anyway the broken one on mine is the top one on left as you look in from the
Ive done that fix many times. As long as the middle frame is not cracked, all you have to do is replace the front right arm. 10 screws remove the top body. Remove 1 screw holding the arm pin under the broken arm, then pull the arm pin straight out. You will need to unsolder 3 motor wires, then 2 microsolders to release the led wires. If you have fixed cell phones, this should not be too hard. Install the new arm and solder in the wires. Replace the pin making sure the arm springs back to the Mavic after you install it. Can be a little tricky. Reinstall the top body and youre done.

Before you reinstall the top body though, you will need to replace the ribbon cable. Before you replace the ribbon, make sure you silver cable is not broken. Turn on the Mav and see if you get video. If you do, then silver cable is ok. 4 screws and 4 ribbon connectors hold in the gimbal. Detach the silver cable, detach the broken ribbon cable, detach power cable from the gimbal and drop the gimbal out. Then take off all the covers you need to get the ribbon out and reverse the process.


Thanks for this amazing detailed responce, I should be OK with the soldering as I regularly make up speaker and microphone cables. The middle frame seems ok The rotor arm thats damaged on my Mavic is on top left if you looking in from the front gimbal/camera. Just wondering are both top arms the same or is there a difference in left and right. So Ok how much are these replacement parts going to cost me.\

Thanks again for the quick reply
 
I am sorry man....
I know the feeling crashed a few times my self in the past 6 years.
I hope you won't take it too hard and be in the air as soon as possible
That's the hobby, flying $ until :(
 
Sorry to hear about your accident. Thunders detailed repair procedure and available replacement parts is awesome. Please post your steps of repair with photos or video and thanks that we have this forum with knowledgable members like Thunder and others to assist in bringing your bird back to flight. Good luck Thumbswayup
 
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Sorry to hear about your accident. Thunders detailed repair procedure and available replacement parts is awesome. Please post your steps of repair with photos or video and thanks that we have this forum with knowledgable members like Thunder and others to assist in bringing your bird back to flight. Good luck Thumbswayup

Honestly if anything ever happens to my Mavic it will be showing up on Thunderdrones front step
 
Wow, thats an amazingly detailed response, the middle frame is OK. I should be able to do the soldering bit OK too as I often make up Microphone and speaker cables. So how much is the rotor arm and the ribbon cable going to cost me. As a matter of interest are both top rotor arms the same or is there a difference in left and right. Anyway the broken one on mine is the top one on left as you look in from the



Thanks for this amazing detailed responce, I should be OK with the soldering as I regularly make up speaker and microphone cables. The middle frame seems ok The rotor arm thats damaged on my Mavic is on top left if you looking in from the front gimbal/camera. Just wondering are both top arms the same or is there a difference in left and right. So Ok how much are these replacement parts going to cost me.\

Thanks again for the quick reply

Youre welcome. The left and right arms are designed differently and have different motors on them. After you order it, keep the old one around to make sure you are installing the correct one. The FR one has white stripes and spins counterclockwise.

When you do the soldering, best to use an iron that can operate at 750+ degrees. The solder on the motor joints wont break loose at a lower temp, and you could do damage to the main board and surrounding caps if you leave it on there too long at a lower temp. At the right temp it breaks free in under 2 seconds.

The arms are $49 each for OEM DJI parts, the ribbon cable is $29. Shipping to the UK should be around $12-$15.

Here is a picture of the layout I use to advertise the arms:

Mavic Top with LR arms labeled.jpg
 
BTW, all 10 screws for top cover removal are 1.5mm hex, then you will need a small phillips for the 4 gimbal screws and the 2 arm joint screws. Try to use a manual screwdriver to take them out because they all go in to plastic and will strip easily if using an electric driver or drill. Only hand tight is necessary.
 
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At the risk of getting ridiculed... send it to DJI for repair. Worst case they'll change you a few hundred to put it back together again.

Or do like the late, great and often misunderstood Eazy E said "throw in the gutter and go by another".

He's got nothing to lose by trying. Worst case is he cant do the self-repair and sends it back to DJI and waits 5-6 weeks to get it back and pays an extra $200 - $300 for the repair.

Self repair - $90 and can get it done in 1 week (including parts shipping time) then be flying again.

Send it to DJI - $300-$400 and 5-6 weeks wait if lucky. DJI doesnt repair gimbals, they just replace them plus a front arm + 2 hours labor.
 
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Like so many things in life it all depends on his skill level and luck. If he can pull this off and the IMU is fine and no other internal parts are busted he will save a lot of cash. On the other hand he might get the external damaged fixed and then find out that the IMU is toast! I think the OP needs to power it up and send pictures of all 6 of those error messages plus some pictures from the IMU screen before going in any one direction.

Rob
 
Amazing response from everyone, thank you all so much. Thunder-Drones how do I place an order with you? I'm going to have a go at the repair.
 

Attachments

  • Gimbal Ribbon CableIMG_20170429_225359.jpg
    Gimbal Ribbon CableIMG_20170429_225359.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 68
Like so many things in life it all depends on his skill level and luck. If he can pull this off and the IMU is fine and no other internal parts are busted he will save a lot of cash. On the other hand he might get the external damaged fixed and then find out that the IMU is toast! I think the OP needs to power it up and send pictures of all 6 of those error messages plus some pictures from the IMU screen before going in any one direction.

Rob
Ok, I take your point, so what is the OP and how do I go about what you are suggesting?
 

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