Mavic 2 ESC error

[paradanglers]

Hi all, I’ve recently bought a ‘spares and repairs’ Mavic 2 Zoom from MPB that has an issue with an ESC fault on all four motors. As far as I can tell the drone doesn’t appear to have suffered any water damage, all four motors look fine and when powering up they all give the usual couple of twitches as normal and there’s no smell of burning from the motors. The only other issues are that in the app there’s no battery info (no percentage, no individual cell voltage, no number of recharges or serial number) and the app states that battery voltage is only enough for RTH despite it being fully charged. Also there’s an intermittent ‘gimbal motor overload’ despite the camera working (seemingly) perfectly.

So far all I’ve done is to reflash the firmware which hasn’t cured anything. Can I ask if this sounds like an ESC board problem or possibly the ribbon cable connecting it to the main board? and is there any way to test it (or the motors for that matter) or is it just a case of buy a new one and hope fitting it solves the issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Starz]

There are a few connection terminals on the circuit boards inside the aircraft but without the diagnostic equipment probably in DJI’s possession it wouldn’t do us any good. Your”spares and repairs”unit seems to be just that, repair being the more pertinent part of the puzzle. You would need to open the unit and look to see if any previous repairs or replacement pieces have been added to the puzzle.
Post results if that’s in the mix.

 

[Cafguy]

It is a case of HOPE- Your problem Could be the ESC OR it could be almost anything. If you are really wanting to learn to repair with this drone then you need to open her up and carefully investigate each connection. If you are wanting to repair it yourself just to save a little money-You won't -Send it to DJI for repair.
I would start with a new Mainboard and work around that with each component.

 

[paradanglers]

Thanks Guys, I think I’m definitely going to have a go at replacing the ESC board, but I realise how big a money pit I could be entering in to if that doesn’t fix it, as you say Cafguy it could literally be anything (or possibly even everything!). The case doesn’t look like it’s been opened yet to investigate any problems so that will be my first job. If the ESC doesn’t fix the issue it may end up that it’s more ‘spares’ than ‘repairs’ but I reckon it’s got to be worth a try at least.

Thanks again for your time, and if I get anywhere with it I’ll be sure to let you know!

Kindest Regards.

 

[Starz]

If you look closely at the screw heads, there will be two I think that have a glue type plug in the top of the screw. If that material is gone, it’s probably been apart.

 

[Cafguy]

Thanks Guys, I think I’m definitely going to have a go at replacing the ESC board, but I realise how big a money pit I could be entering in to if that doesn’t fix it, as you say Cafguy it could literally be anything (or possibly even everything!). The case doesn’t look like it’s been opened yet to investigate any problems so that will be my first job. If the ESC doesn’t fix the issue it may end up that it’s more ‘spares’ than ‘repairs’ but I reckon it’s got to be worth a try at least.

Thanks again for your time, and if I get anywhere with it I’ll be sure to let you know!

Kindest Regards.

Go ahead and purchase all new ribbon cables there really is no inspecting them So I would spend the money and eliminate that right out of the box. As Starz says if the Epoxy is missing from the screwheads of the drone someone has been inside. ESC are not all that expensive and easy to get let us know how it goes. If the drone was in a crash you may simply have a bunch of dislodged connections.

 

[paradanglers]

Funny you should say that Starz, there was a screw holding on the small plastic cover underneath the front arm that still had glue in it exactly as your picture shows, so I guess no one has attempted to fix it yet. This afternoon I managed to get the cover off and just lifted the ESC board up to have a look without de-soldering anything, doesn't look like anything has burned out on it but after putting everything back it's still giving the same errors.

Buying a new set of ribbon cables is a smart move, thanks Cafguy, they're pretty cheap and it would be a shame to change everything and still have it not work just because one of the connections was faulty.

At the minute I'm curious to see if a new ESC board would cure the battery percentage problem as it seems like all the issues could be coming from the same PCB (or its connectors).

The only outward signs of the drone having a crash is that both front leg struts (I think they house the antennas) have been bent back but they don't look the sturdiest of designs so I guess this might be a common problem with them?

My next step is to order the ESC board and ribbon cables, so prob a week or so before I get any more progress on it.

Thanks again guys, your help is much appreciated!

 

[Starz]

Unless you see some form of damage in these cables or some drastic kinks, I would skip the ribbon cable idea. Any deformity seen on the metal covers on the boards?

 

[paradanglers]

So far Starz everything on the inside of it looks absolutely pristine, which is now making me wonder whether the faults could actually be caused by a duff battery rather than the drone itself, It's the longest of long shots I know but it seems like all the issues (ESC on all four motors plus the gimbal overload) could possibly be down to a power delivery problem. I realise power delivery is basically the job of the ESC board, but combined with the drone faults and the app being unable to see the battery percentage or serial number etc is making me think it could be the battery. I've ordered a 2nd hand battery to try as I've currently only got the one that came with the drone, and I guess a back up will come in handy when I finally do get it all working. The battery should be turning up Thursday. Keeping my fingers crossed till then!

 

[paradanglers]

Well I said it was a long shot and it was . The drone is having the exact same issues with the 'new' battery as with the old one, so it's back to the ESC board as the most likely culprit for all the problems, got a new one on order now but it's probably going to be nearer the end of the month before I get chance to fit it.
Thanks again for your help guys and hopefully I'll have some better news in a few weeks!

 

[paradanglers]

Little update, while I had time this weekend I thought I'd start stripping the drone down ready for the new ESC board and found this. It's the ribbon cable that goes from the ESC to the Core board and there's a tiny tear right in the corner. I cant 100% rule out he possibility that I've done it myself when stripping it down, but I don't think I was overly rough with removing the connector. Anyway I've also ordered a new ribbon now which I'll try before putting the new ESC Board in.

 

[paradanglers]

Well it turns out all it needed was the ribbon cable after all, my replacement ESC board is now a handy spare just in case I ever do need one. The drone flies great now but I'm still having the problem of the 'gimbal motor overload', turns out the motor controlling the roll of the camera isn't working so as I turn the drone the horizon line doesn't stay flat. It's not going to affect me taking photos with the drone but any videos I take that aren't in a straight line are going to look a bit funny. Thanks again for your help and time guys & Happy Flying!

 

[Felix le Chat]

Funny you should say that Starz, there was a screw holding on the small plastic cover underneath the front arm that still had glue in it exactly as your picture shows, so I guess no one has attempted to fix it yet. This afternoon I managed to get the cover off and just lifted the ESC board up to have a look without de-soldering anything, doesn't look like anything has burned out on it but after putting everything back it's still giving the same errors.

Buying a new set of ribbon cables is a smart move, thanks Cafguy, they're pretty cheap and it would be a shame to change everything and still have it not work just because one of the connections was faulty.

At the minute I'm curious to see if a new ESC board would cure the battery percentage problem as it seems like all the issues could be coming from the same PCB (or its connectors).

The only outward signs of the drone having a crash is that both front leg struts (I think they house the antennas) have been bent back but they don't look the sturdiest of designs so I guess this might be a common problem with them?

My next step is to order the ESC board and ribbon cables, so prob a week or so before I get any more progress on it.

Thanks again guys, your help is much appreciated!

What you describe concerning the 'front leg struts' is consistent with the drone either being dropped to the floor more or less nose-down, or it having been flown low and either hit a horizontal obstacle, or bellied-out into the ground at a downward angle. In both cases, the ribbon cables & connectors are the first things to tear or pop loose.

80+% of the time: the camera & gimbal are also going to suffer physical damage to a greater or lesser degree (check to see if the roll axis arm of the gimbal is bent, or twisted slightly) which might explain your gimbal overload warning and wonky horizon.

 

[Jim_W2JC]

Well it turns out all it needed was the ribbon cable after all, my replacement ESC board is now a handy spare just in case I ever do need one. The drone flies great now but I'm still having the problem of the 'gimbal motor overload', turns out the motor controlling the roll of the camera isn't working so as I turn the drone the horizon line doesn't stay flat. It's not going to affect me taking photos with the drone but any videos I take that aren't in a straight line are going to look a bit funny. Thanks again for your help and time guys & Happy Flying!

Where did you order the ESC and cable(s) from?
I'm on the verge of attempting exactly what you have done!

 

[paradanglers]

Hi Jim, I'm UK based so I don't know if the places I got the parts from will send to the US but it's worth a go if you're struggling to get replacements.

The cable came from ReplaceBase

https://www.replacebase.co.uk/for-dji-mavic-2-replacement-esc-board-flex-flat-cable-oem

and the ESC board I got from Drones Direct

DJI Mavic 2 ESC Board Module DJI-M2-ESC-BM | Drones Direct

Buy DJI Mavic 2 ESC Board Module DJI-M2-ESC-BM from Drones Direct - the UK's leading online drones retailer, we offer expert advice

www.dronesdirect.co.uk

hope these help, are you having the same messages I was getting? if so for $10 or so it would certainly be worth looking at changing the cable first before resorting to the ESC board and warming your soldering iron up! the flat cable seems to be in quite a vulnerable position with it being taped to the frame which leaves very little scope for movement in the event of a crash or drop.

Here's hoping you get lucky like I did - mavic 2 parts are becoming few and far between it seems!

 

[Jim_W2JC]

Hi Jim, I'm UK based so I don't know if the places I got the parts from will send to the US but it's worth a go if you're struggling to get replacements.

The cable came from ReplaceBase

https://www.replacebase.co.uk/for-dji-mavic-2-replacement-esc-board-flex-flat-cable-oem

and the ESC board I got from Drones Direct

DJI Mavic 2 ESC Board Module DJI-M2-ESC-BM | Drones Direct

Buy DJI Mavic 2 ESC Board Module DJI-M2-ESC-BM from Drones Direct - the UK's leading online drones retailer, we offer expert advice

www.dronesdirect.co.uk

hope these help, are you having the same messages I was getting? if so for $10 or so it would certainly be worth looking at changing the cable first before resorting to the ESC board and warming your soldering iron up! the flat cable seems to be in quite a vulnerable position with it being taped to the frame which leaves very little scope for movement in the event of a crash or drop.

Here's hoping you get lucky like I did - mavic 2 parts are becoming few and far between it seems!

Thanks for that quick reply ... I didn't realize at the time that you were in UK !! (I just stumbled on this forum and finding my way around) ... I have found one source in USA that says they are a DJI reseller and claim "original" parts ... the cable is like $28 US ..

I crashed my Mavic Air 2 last summer while I was using it to pull a paracord up over the top of a tree, for my ham radio antenna... the cord snagged, and the drone flipped upside down and landed on the lawn. Then it would not start up, and gave the ESC error. Been looking for some repair depot in my area so I didn't have to mail it off somewhere, but not many around except one in California! So now I am thinking about tackling the project myself.

I definitely appreciated following your story on here.

 

[jftman]

Well it turns out all it needed was the ribbon cable after all, my replacement ESC board is now a handy spare just in case I ever do need one. The drone flies great now but I'm still having the problem of the 'gimbal motor overload', turns out the motor controlling the roll of the camera isn't working so as I turn the drone the horizon line doesn't stay flat. It's not going to affect me taking photos with the drone but any videos I take that aren't in a straight line are going to look a bit funny. Thanks again for your help and time guys & Happy Flying!

I like to chime in to ask if M2P has a setting to give FPV fir the camera? This mode exists to make it look like the horizon dies if you were in the pilot seat. As in flying an airplane. Essentially locking the roll motor level.
Kind of cool right?