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Mini 2 after crash inspection

tommytavor

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How do you check a Mini 2 after crash? I hit a tree/bush about 30 feet in the air and my mini fell behind me. I had to recalibrate the gimbal and checked the blades. I flew it again up to 40 feet height without any problems. There are scratches on the blades. Should I replace them?
Thanks for any help for a new pilot.

Thom
 
@tommytavor at the very least i would change the props ,and inspect the shell of the drone for any stress cracks ,and also inspect the folding mechanism of the arms, for any obvious damage the biggest problem with any drone that lands hard, is what unseen damage has occurred internally, which could manifest itself at a later date ,usually at the worst possible time ,the Mini 2 is a tough little bird and because of its light weight it does fair better in a crash especially on softer surfaces like fairly long grass ,also just be aware that the battery cells might be damaged due to the impact internally
 
As a new pilot myself, I've found theres good info in your flight logs about the batteries. You can check them by serial number and monitor for any issues.
Go to phantomhelp and download your files.
Theres instructions on how to do this in the crash forum in a sticky thread.
 
Heres the thread...
 
Have a GOOD look at the gimbal damper rubbers (4), they can be displaced from their mounting holes in the drones body, the rear ones are easy to check but the front ones are harder to see as they are partially covered by the drone's nose. A torch may be necessary.
Have a good look around the pivot area of the rear arms, the actual pivots are clamped to the drone's middle shell by three screws and the shell can be cracked around these mounting points or torn apart and or the screws pulled out of their holes. Compare each rear arm with the other, if you notice a gap on one that isn't present on the other post a photo.
Check the shell for any gaps along the seams between the various sections of the shell.
If you change one propellor blade change its other half, they are likely balanced pairs. I destroy the other half to avoid temptation.
 
Have a GOOD look at the gimbal damper rubbers (4), they can be displaced...
A torch may be necessary.

Off-topic...

I love English, especially at times like these... Philius, are you recommending a butane or propane torch? Or is oxy-acetylene going to be needed?
 
Obviously the gimbal is the most delicate component of the aircraft. If you really want to check beyond a visual inspection, DJI has a routine that they use for qualifying drones for their Care/Refresh program after the initial sign-up period has expired. FWIW on myh Minis I've always used a lens hood that provides a little more protection to the gimbal for head-on crashes.

Once you've ascertained that the gimbal is undamaged one big "tell" if there is any issues with flight is hovering with light winds. The drone should hover in place with very little movement. If even a little unstable, check the props by running your fingernail over the props. They should still be smooth on the leading and trailing edges of the props beyond what you might visually see. If very very minor they can be re-smoothed with a fine finger nail file. If chipped, just throw them away and replace them. Make sure there is no vertical play in the props. After that if still unstable at all recalibrate the IMU.
 

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