bricked camera problem - solved :D

[rnrnrn]

Hello,

About two weeks ago I had a bit of an accident - while flying in a park I did not notice a speeding tree and it hit my Phantom...

After this the only visible problem was a clipped propeller and a noisy bearing in said motor. I ordered the bearings and replaced them - all works well now. But...

... the camera stopped working. The light does not switch on and of course there's no connection between the range extender and the camera - no wonders since it's off. The thing is... after the accident I did test the motors (that's how I found out one bearing was making noises) and also tested all other bits and pieces - and I could connect to the camera without a problem.

Any ideas people? Could something have gotten loose inside the camera and that's why there's no power there? Should I try to open the camera or go hassle the shop with a warranty claim? (yes I know I did have an accident and so the warranty is not valid here - but the camera did work well after the accident so...)

If anyone has an idea I'd much appreciate any input

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: bricked camera problem

Remove, check and re-seat the jack plug in the rear of the camera. It should go in with a definite click at the end.

Also, not casting aspersions but I've done it myself (more than once!), is the slider on the back of the camera all the way over to the right?

 

[rnrnrn]

Re: bricked camera problem

Thanks Pull Up for your prompt comment

To sum up what I did check:

- jack goes all the way in - won't go any further and so I assume that's ok,
- the camera switch is on all the way to the right (I did check in other positions - no light on the camera in any of them),
- checked the cable which goes from the jack to the main board inside - on the red and black cables (I presume ground and voltage) I get 12,23V so I guess the board does pass the power on,
- I blew the socket of the jack with air (low pressure) and cleaned the jack.

No difference...

Remove, check and re-seat the jack plug in the rear of the camera. It should go in with a definite click at the end.

Also, not casting aspersions but I've done it myself (more than once!), is the slider on the back of the camera all the way over to the right?

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: bricked camera problem

And no activity on the camera light whatsoever - not even in the first couple of seconds of aircraft boot up?

If not, it's not looking good...

 

[rnrnrn]

Re: bricked camera problem

And no activity on the camera light whatsoever - not even in the first couple of seconds of aircraft boot up?

If not, it's not looking good...

Correct - no activity whatsoever at any time.

The way it looks now it seems it got bricked by sitting on the shelf for two weeks awaiting bearings.

Of course during disassembly and changing the bearings I did have to flip it around (gently) a few times - I'm just wondering if it makes any sense to open up the camera to check for any loose wiring...

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: bricked camera problem

If you have a good quality 1.5mm hex driver/allen wrench available then it's not difficult to do.

I say good quality as a couple of people have had issues stripping the hex screws when fitting the lens filter kit and using the "budget" allen wrench that came with it - they are torqued in quite tight.

As you say, though - odd that there hasn't been anything like a crash or firmware update or anything like that to provoke it. Turning upside down should not cause any issues of course - but if something was loose then it may have shifted around. Hopefully if that is the case whatever it is hasn't shorted anything out... :shock:

 

[iDrone]

Re: bricked camera problem

...I'm just wondering if it makes any sense to open up the camera to check for any loose wiring...

There's a possibility the plastic slider that fits over the slide switch may have been damaged during impact and is no longer "catching" the switch when you slide it to the right... Can you tell by feel whether the internal slide switch is actually clicking thru its positions?

If not, it's easy enough to open & inspect the camera. Flip the Vision on its back and remove the four screws securing the bottom case of the camera. You may have to remove the upper PC board which is held in place by several cross head screws to inspect the slide switch and plastic slider.

Good luck,
iDrone

 

[rnrnrn]

ufff....

already updated the thread name to reflect positive outcome

can't really say what did the trick - I took the camera apart - most of it at least - but couldn't see any physical damage inside

so what I did was:

- remove and put back all the boards and connectors inside - with a good push at the end to make sure they fit well especially for all the board connectors;

- bent the contacts on the jack socket a bit more inside - again to make sure they have good contact with the plug

and... there it is - camera and wifi working again now I can take the Phantom out for a spin to see if everything is ok

thanks guys for the information above - I also suggest getting good tools to handle those 1.5mm hex screws in the camera - and a good set of watchmaker tools for the insides of the camera - having that already it was a pinch

 

[Pull_Up]

Great! Sometimes, even with all the high tech stuff inside, all things need are the the wires wigglin'...