Cracks on p3p after only 15 flights, how to fix?

[chupeta82]

Good morning ! And don't panic my advice is contact Dji and explain the situation and before u say is may your fold let them see your phantom picture because that crack is old history in this forum

 

[tvckz]

You crashed it and opened up the shell and perhaps tightened the screws too tight. Here's what you need to do. Erase all your flight logs. Go fly it a few times so new flight logs get recorded. Contact DJI and tell them you have cracks and you did not crash ever. You'll get new shell in about 2-3 months. Everybody happy.

Sounds good. Thanks for heads up

 

[duse500]

DJI would be able to easily see the crash occurred by viewing the logs on the Phantom.

How will they do that? I'v tried to understand my crash ,but I dont see my crash on my flight log.

 

[Luckie Gordon]

If you crash your car because of car's design problem, it's a very big issue then.

For sure if design problem, but in this case the drone landed on a car, and flipped off causing the crash. . I fail to see how that is a design problem!

 

[RJDMKV]

Wow... Just checked back on this thread, didn't know I had started this whole thing with my question... I didn't want to make this about DJI and the quality if their products, I was hoping for some advice on how to fix the cracks I have on my drone... Warranty or not, I have no intention to be sending it in and wait months for my drone, I will go the DIY route and glue it, if the shell gets any more damage I'll replace it, anyone here who has used epoxy on their bird and has had any negative impact on behavior? Thanks!

 

[AlexSP]

Wow... Just checked back on this thread, didn't know I had started this whole thing with my question... I didn't want to make this about DJI and the quality if their products, I was hoping for some advice on how to fix the cracks I have on my drone... Warranty or not, I have no intention to be sending it in and wait months for my drone, I will go the DIY route and glue it, if the shell gets any more damage I'll replace it, anyone here who has used epoxy on their bird and has had any negative impact on behavior? Thanks!

That's a good choice IMHO. I am currently performing some experiments on a few P3 shells and maybe I can help with some tips. This is fun work, you'll learn a few tricks and develop skills that can be used in other areas too!

I have a friend's already cracked shell fixed with epoxy and patches of Kevlar (taken from bike tire puncture-preventive strips like SpinSkinz for instance) judiciously cut and glued to the motor area, arms and core; and another new one with strips of 2x2 3K carbon fiber twill cloth reinforcements also glued to the inner part of the lower shell also using epoxy. Both are flying for about a month, lots of flights in various conditions, and both are doing very good. No cracks- not even signs -, no issues, 100% normal performance in flight. Added weight is about 30g, if much.

From your picture it seems like the shell integrity has been compromised, and repairing it can be quite a challenge. The P3 body is essentially a monocoque assembly which basically means the shell is the functional structure of the aircraft. Minor cracks can be fixed and stopped and the whole thing can be strengthened but only to a point. Tolerances are quite small on the shell and it may be hard to keep integrity and strength while maintaining alignment of parts, especially in the motor base.

The best solution in this case would be to buy a new shell which is quite cheap and perform some kind of preventive reinforcement of the arms and tips (motor base). If done right can be a definitive solution for cracks. Some say Plast Aid, Bondic, or other epoxy based glue or something. IMHO any good one will work if correctly used. You can find carbon fiber, glass fiber and Kevlar starter kits on eBay, Amazon and others, with everything you need and simple instructions. There's no need to exaggerate just a bit of correctly applied resin and maybe some fiber or cloth to help keep integrity and give some flexibility to the reinforcements should work.

I took some pictures but can't find the MicroSD card used since I keep changing cards on my P3 and camera but if it's lost I will do it again, I'm fixing another cracked shell for a friend and have another new one waiting to be reinforced too.

Good luck!

 

[RJDMKV]

Thanks AlexSP, this was the kind of feedback I was looking for! I guess Ill take your word and buy a new shell then after all, would love to see your pictures, I am sure many others would too; you should think of doing a video tutorial or something, I am sure youd get tons of hits on Youtube! Thanks again!

 

[stealthbomber]

RJDMKV nice to see you doing the right thing. With some of the suggestions on this post I can see why DJI is sometimes hesitant to repair shell cracks! Morally there is no right way to do the wrong thing.

 

[AlexSP]

Thanks RJDMKV, I'm sure you'll do fine. A new "improved by yourself" shell is a surefire in my opinion and I'm having excellent results going this way so far. If I was dealing with a smartphone or other complex device maybe I'd look for the manufacturer or specialist to fix it, and depending on the situation I may even need to reach for DJI at some point so I'm not discouraging anyone to go this way.

But I'm a proponent of the DIY way when it comes to some things (hobbies in special), not only 'cos it's fun but also 'cos we get to really increase our knowledge of how things work, and I consider that important for life in general. I also came to appreciate the marvel that is the P3 and drones in general, these things are really sophisticated and yet we can make them even better or according to our needs. Heck, many ppl BUILD their drones these days and these things perform incredibly anyway.

Good luck once again. I'm planning a more detailed tutorial yes but in the meantime if you have any questions or need some specific tips just drop a note here (so others can view too) and I'll help if I can.