ESC ERROR OUT OF NO WHERE!

cedarphoenix · Oct 11, 2015

Two week ago I Landed my phantom 3 pro after 3 beautiful and successful flights with perfect landings. Put it in go pro case and back home. Today went out to fly and ESC ERROR (electronic speed controller error) came out of nowhere!
Restarted many times with Doing IMU CALIBRATIONS, with no success. All software messages at start is normal & up to date.
Anyone with Any other suggestions please?
Any input would be thankfully appreciated.

PilotHarry · Oct 11, 2015

It's going to DJI

bobmyers · Oct 11, 2015

cedarphoenix said:
Two week ago I Landed my phantom 3 pro after 3 beautiful and successful flights with perfect landings. Put it in go pro case and back home. Today went out to fly and ESC ERROR (electronic speed controller error) came out of nowhere!
Restarted many times with Doing IMU CALIBRATIONS, with no success. All software messages at start is normal & up to date.
Anyone with Any other suggestions please?
Any input would be thankfully appreciated.

Do all of the motors turn freely?

JB-I · Oct 11, 2015

Did you install prop guards? There is a service bulletin warning that the 3rd party screws are too long and can interfere with the motor. Hopefully this is not the case.

ianwood · Oct 12, 2015

If the ESC is bad, you'll need a new mainboard.

cedarphoenix · Oct 12, 2015

Yes prop guards were installed like 12 flights ago. If they are the problem would taking them off be the solution?
And one of the motors is very very slightly harder than the others to turn by hand.

Chris P Duck · Oct 12, 2015

No amount of IMU, compass or gimbal calibration will fix a dud ESC.

If it's 3rd party prop guards then ouch. You may be buying a new one.

If it's a bad ESC it should be fixed under warranty. Looking for the silver lining the good news is they seem to fixing them quicker now and in many cases seem to just send you a new one. In which case you'll get the stronger frame and new motors (if you don't already) I'd also be counting my lucky stars it failed on the ground and now at 400' !!!

wali · Oct 12, 2015

i had this on my first p3p,,, it didn't allow me to start the engines... but i had lots of crashes on that one...
i just restarted it by pulling out the battery couple of times,, the error code never showed up again.

ianwood · Oct 12, 2015

The one that is harder to turn is the one that has a dead ESC. You'll need to see if the prop guard screws were the problem. If not, you should see if DJI can replace under warranty.

redmoe · Oct 12, 2015

I thought the propgaurd issue was using the screws without the guard installed? Then the screws are too long possibly contacting the motor coils.

bobmyers · Oct 12, 2015

redmoe said:
I thought the propgaurd issue was using the screws without the guard installed? Then the screws are too long possibly contacting the motor coils.

That is correct-- I had to cut 3mm off all the screws that came with the prop guards.

cedarphoenix · Oct 12, 2015

ianwood said:
The one that is harder to turn is the one that has a dead ESC. You'll need to see if the prop guard screws were the problem. If not, you should see if DJI can replace under warranty.

Now how would I know if it's a bad motor or a bad speed controller. I had a burnt motor that I replaced before, and it smelled burnt. I also know if an ESC pops there should be a smell residue and same for the motor. I smell nothing and see nothing. What is your input? I landed my last flight with no issues at all and the error came out from nowhere for no valid reason. Everything was working perfectly with no issues during the last flight takeoff to landing to putting back in case. Weird isn't it?

redmoe · Oct 12, 2015

If there was a screw just barely touching a coil it may have finally worn through the insulative coating. To confirm the esc you will have to pop the top and look for damage. May be worth a try to remove the propgaurd and install the original screws.

cedarphoenix · Oct 12, 2015

redmoe said:
If there was a screw just barely touching a coil it may have finally worn through the insulative coating. To confirm the esc you will have to pop the top and look for damage. May be worth a try to remove the propgaurd and install the original screws.

Thanks for input. Prop guards already uninstalled. Will pop it open tomorrow For the 3rd time. If the ESC is bad would it show any specific sign? I'll also check for smell because motors have no sign of smell or damage. Should any bad motor be hard to turn or just a pinch harder then other motors?
Thanks again.

redmoe · Oct 12, 2015

You should see bubbled or burned components. Also look for bad solder joints on the motor wires.

cedarphoenix · Oct 12, 2015

cedarphoenix said:
Thanks for input. Prop guards already uninstalled. Will pop it open tomorrow For the 3rd time. If the ESC is bad would it show any specific sign? I'll also check for smell because motors have no sign of smell or damage. Should any bad motor be hard to turn or just a pinch harder then other motors?
Thanks again.[/QUOT