Mavic 2 Pro won’t fly. Says “ESC status error”

[Elliesdad717]

Well, I’m back. After crashing into a tree top (my last post) and replacing the right rear arm and motor AND a battery that would turn on by itself after the accident. I notice when I turn on the drone the three original props take 3 or 4 little “clicks” but the one I replaced takes only 1. When I try to fly it I get a message saying “ESC status error” and it will not fly. They say to turn it off and back on but I get the same message, along with “Contact DJI” Does this new arm and prop acting odd have something to do with it? Did the fall (landed in a snow bank thankfully) damage something else? Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Elliesdad717]

Well, I’m back. After crashing into a tree top (my last post) and replacing the right rear arm and motor AND a battery that would turn on by itself after the accident. I notice when I turn on the drone the three original props take 3 or 4 little “clicks” but the one I replaced takes only 1. When I try to fly it I get a message saying “ESC status error” and it will not fly. They say to turn it off and back on but I get the same message, along with “Contact DJI” Does this new arm and prop acting odd have something to do with it? Did the fall (landed in a snow bank thankfully) damage something else? Thanks in advance for any help!

Btw...it is a Mavic 2 Pro

 

[bumper]

Did you send it to one of the repair services such as djidrone service? If so, contact them back. If it was a DIY repair, then the most likely cause of the ESC error is you swapped a couple of the wires when soldering them to the board.

 

[Elliesdad717]

Did you send it to one of the repair services such as djidrone service? If so, contact them back. If it was a DIY repair, then the most likely cause of the ESC error is you swapped a couple of the wires when soldering them to the board.

Actually, I did the repair myself (with little soldering experience) and I just took it apart and checked my solders and the gray wire was loose. I just snapped the body back together, put the battery in, turned it on and the prop now does what the other 3 do and the message is gone from the controller. Now I’m going to put the screws back in and take it out for a flight. I’m pretty happy at this point I don’t need to send it off somewhere (and spend more money)! Thanks for the response and you had right!

 

[bumper]

Glad you got 'er done!

I'm experienced in electronics repair (Navy ET school in '63), and save for 10 years as a cop, in electronics since. I would rate arm and motor replacement as moderately difficult. I've seen hacked jobs on youtube with a guy using a transformer type (Weller) soldering gun - a major no-no! The job requires some mechanical aptitude and the right tools at the very least. If the new solder joints don't look rounded and shiny, like the ones you didn't mess with, you are not doing it right! Rant mode off.

 

[Fizzbang]

Seems a daft question but is the motor you replaced spinning in the correct direction.
I think that opposite corners should spin in the same direction.

 

[mfo89]

Glad you got 'er done!

I'm experienced in electronics repair (Navy ET school in '63), and save for 10 years as a cop, in electronics since. I would rate arm and motor replacement as moderately difficult. I've seen hacked jobs on youtube with a guy using a transformer type (Weller) soldering gun - a major no-no! The job requires some mechanical aptitude and the right tools at the very least. If the new solder joints don't look rounded and shiny, like the ones you didn't mess with, you are not doing it right! Rant mode off.

Hey Bumper, my soldering is terrible. Can you give me some pointers?

 

[bumper]

Hey Bumper, my soldering is terrible. Can you give me some pointers?

You'll need a solder iron, 60 watt will do. 60/40 lead/tin flux core solder is best. A solder probe is good to hold the wire in place on the pad. With a clean tip (you can wipe on a damp rag if you don't have the proper sponge), apply a very small amount of solder to the tip, this is to help transfer heat to the wire. Tin (apply solder to) the stripped wire end. With the solder iron tip, hold the tinned wire to the circuit board pad and apply end of solder to the wire adjacent to the tip. If need be, apply a little more to the solder iron tip so it's wet to heat the wire better. As soon as the solder flows, remove solder and grab the probe to gently hold the wire still until the solder hardens. It is very important not to allow the wire tip to move in relation to the circuit board until the solder hardens. This takes just seconds, but if there's any movement, the solder joint will take on a frosted appearance - not good.

It's a good idea to practice. Clean the soldering iron tip often, as you don't want the solder tinning to oxidize. When done, apply a small amount of solder to the iron tip to protect it from oxidation during storage.