Found Another Crack @115.5hrs..

[IIIDaemon]

Everytime I see one of these cracks it angers me.

John do you store your P4 with or without the Battery inserted?

I'm now storing it without in these winter months.

.
...I store mine with a 'Cool-ed' Battery, I only have 3ea batteries, upon landing I removed the used battery and let air-cool, typically by the time i use the 3rd, the 1st is sufficiently cooled.. I do this primarily due to the heat transfer to the ESC's, heat is cancer to electronics, and yes, in the summer months I let the craft cool a bit before flying the next battery, ..jus my procedure...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

 

[IIIDaemon]

I'm sure glad I read this post, thanks Daemon. After checking my craft I also have the identical crack. I just sent my claim into DJI.

View attachment 78614

.
...John, at the risk of sounding.. like.. whatever.. Fatigue or Stress Crack Nucleation typically starts at the point of Maximum Stress & Minimum Strength (that is barring other defects i.e. Cut, Crack, Nick or HOLE).. while several other users here have suggested drilling a hole to halt the crack propagation, I again don't think its a good idea, with this material, in this area of the craft.. I realize that it is a 'Technique' used, in this case I believe it to be not applicable (BTW none of the suggestion volunteers offered a Dimension of that hole haha).. filing a claim with DJi, in this case I believe will be honored, but what will more than likely happen is you'll have to send your drone in to them at which point it'll be swapped out with a 'ReFurbished' drone.. again some don't mind that, I do... I've taken great care of my craft, I would say i've treated it like an infant, but i wouldn't send an infant 400' AGL haha.. and I don't ride the Firmware UpDate Tinkeristis Bandwagon.. I'm running the original firmware installed upon receipt and aside from this structural defect, problem free.. I made a tool of sorts out of copper wire so as to apply a malleable (vs Brittle) epoxy to the inside, to strengthen that area.. it worked on the left side, rather than further crack propagation there, it cracked on the right side.. good luck...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

 

[John Locke]

.
...John, at the risk of sounding.. like.. whatever.. Fatigue or Stress Crack Nucleation typically starts at the point of Maximum Stress & Minimum Strength.. while several other users here have suggested drilling a hole to halt the crack propagation, I again don't think its a good idea, with this material, in this area of the craft.. I realize that it is a 'Technique' used, in this case I believe it to be not applicable (BTW none of the suggestion volunteers offered a Dimension of that hole haha).. filing a claim with DJi, in this case I believe will honored, but what will more than likely happen is you'll have to send your drone in to them at which point it'll be swapped out with a 'ReFurbished' drone.. again some don't mind that, I do... I've taken great care of my craft, I would say i've treated it like an infant, but i wouldn't send an infant 400' AGL haha.. and I don't ride the Firmware UpDate Tinkeristis Bandwagon.. I'm running the original firmware installed upon receipt and aside from this structural defect, problem free.. I made a tool of sorts out of copper wire so as to apply a malleable (vs Brittle) epoxy to the inside, to strengthen that area.. it worked on the left side, rather than further crack propagation there, it cracked on the right side.. good luck...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

I'm very much like you, I'm running 1.6 firmware package in this P4 and don't upgrade unless there's a good reason. However, the timing may be right to upgrade. With the new Go4 features coming out with tripod mode support, that's a compelling reason to upgrade all f/w and s/w anyway. So, if I do get a refurb, so be it. I've already sent my craft into DJI Carson, CA last summer. They sent me back a brand new craft, but this time after having it almost a year I don't expect a new craft again. I do expect a new shell though. I would be OK with a refurb, since I likely won't be flying this craft very much anyway. This P4 will be a backup soon, and I'll sell my P3P which is currently my backup, which I rarely fly.

 

[Erised]

I thought I was all good and after reading this post I took a real close look, dang I found the start of one, about 1 mm is barely visible another 4 mm is almost invisible but with a little pressure it opens up. I used locktite 420 (good for plastics), it's only 5 cp in viscosity and designed for capilliary action. I put a bit on a tooth pick and touched the crack and it got sucked in, I hope it helps to limit further damage.

 

[jogforfitness]

I suspect there are numerous Phantom owners with cracks and don't know because they don't inspect. I check mine after every day of flying in a dark room and a flashlight. I inspect the shell around the motors. Now I will also be looking at the battery bay. Sucks having to look for the flaws but, I feel like I have too because the flaws are historic. Of course, after caring for it in a similar fashion as lllDaemon I found a crack in January, sent it in and receive a refurbished replacement.

 

[Blessed77]

This is a good example of why this should be a part of your post-flight inspection process.

 

[ProBowie]

stop drilling a small hole at the very end of the crack prevents it from cracking further. it is the preferred method, even on large aircraft this is the norm !

A crack will propagate from a phenomenon called "stress concentration." Drilling a hole at the end of the crack spreads the stress along the circular area so it prevents the crack from spreading.

 

[ftttu]

Everytime I see one of these cracks it angers me.

John do you store your P4 with or without the Battery inserted?

I'm now storing it without in these winter months.

I've been ranting and raving about the crappy airframe due to the cracks, which occur even if it isn't crashed, hard landed or even tipped over. I will never purchase another DJI Phantom with this crappy plastic. The only thing I'm happy about is that DJI replaced my P4 with what appears to be a new one. It keeps a better horizon, but the camera is pointed to the left.

I've only seen a display case Mavic Pro at Best Buy, so I've never seen a real one, let alone, handled one. From what I've read and seen on the all-knowing net, though, Mavic Pros aren't prone to this type of cracking. I'm hoping DJI pulls their heads out and remedies this problem. If I take care of something to keep it like new, it should be like new.

 

[stones]

A crack will propagate from a phenomenon called "stress concentration." Drilling a hole at the end of the crack spreads the stress along the circular area so it prevents the crack from spreading.

This is a tried and true practice. Same procedure is used in the aviation industry in aluminum. At least, until the affected area can be replaced.

 

[Brockrock]

When I put my battery in, I slide it in until the battery catches make contact with the edge of the battery bay, and then I press both of the battery release tabs in and gently slide the battery the rest of the way in, followed by a gentle (and important) tug to make sure the catches fully engaged. I see so many YouTube videos where folks insert the battery with a firm 'slap', and from day one, I've been careful not to do this. My concern was wearing down the battery catches and/or the battery bay's locking flange with repeated plastic against plastic from slapping the battery in, but I suppose doing so could also cause undo stress to the copter's frame as well.

Please don't take this to mean that I am implying that these cracks are due to user error. We should be able to slide and slap the battery in, and certain spots on the copter that are prone to cracking should have been reinforced. Also, there should be a sticker on the copter (with all the others when it comes new) that says, "Important: Handle like Eggs".

 

[Erised]

.
...Found Another Crack @115.5hrs.., emanating from battery bay, right-side, almost the exact same spot as
left side, I now believe this to be a weakness in the structural design rather than a defect in the plastic...
.
View attachment 78356
.
View attachment 78357
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net

Thanks for posting this Deamon, I do inspections every flight and I never saw anything before this post showed me were to look. My P4 cracks is exactly on the opposite side of Daemons', it is so fine that it was almost invisible as the crack had not opened up at all, about 1/4 inch long and only when I applied pressure could I see how far this crack was going. In my last post I said that I was going to try locktite 420. I did, I let sit over night and took it out just now for 2 batteries, total of 72,000 feet in about 38 minutes of flight. The fuselage as remained bonded thus so far so good. The type of locktite I used was designed for this type of crack that is not separated as the 420 is for penetrating due to capillary action. This will not work if the crack is open. Not knowing the type of plastic of P4 this was just an educated guess that this type of bonding could work. Like many of you my craft has been well taken care of and I don't what to send it in in case I would get a refurbished unit as this bird has been real good so far. I expect that this crack will resurface and then there is the other side that may start. Maybe next time a small hole may help, just make sure that when you drill you are just after the crack ends, a small bit hand held should work, I have a kit for cleaning welding tips that has various brill bits that you chuck in a pen like tool, I would not use a power tool.

 

[Erised]

Here is some info on holes reducing stress, the shape of the hole if more important than the size. New crack stop hole shape using structural optimizing technique

 

[Zimmbob]

Here is a link that may explain the cracking problem that is an issue with the DJI 4. Not having taken my DJI 4 apart I cannot elaborate on it's construction.
Protomold: Design Tips for Rapid Injection Molding

 

[John Locke]

I'm very much like you, I'm running 1.6 firmware package in this P4 and don't upgrade unless there's a good reason. However, the timing may be right to upgrade. With the new Go4 features coming out with tripod mode support, that's a compelling reason to upgrade all f/w and s/w anyway. So, if I do get a refurb, so be it. I've already sent my craft into DJI Carson, CA last summer. They sent me back a brand new craft, but this time after having it almost a year I don't expect a new craft again. I do expect a new shell though. I would be OK with a refurb, since I likely won't be flying this craft very much anyway. This P4 will be a backup soon, and I'll sell my P3P which is currently my backup, which I rarely fly.

UPDATE:
I got an email from DJI yesterday saying my cracked shell is covered under warranty. Nice! I barely made it with only 2 days left in the warranty. So again, Kudos to Daemon for motivating me to check my craft for cracks. To do that I had to rip off my $20 ARMY camouflage wrap to see the crack around the battery compartment. Last night I ordered a new wrap, and American flag theme this time.

My P4 has been gone to DJI for 2wks now so I've been flying my backup P3P. It still flies good, no problems. I hope to see my baby arrive next week with a new shell, I miss her.

 

[MexicoDrones]

Great heads up. Thanks to all of you!

 

[Testman]

UPDATE:
I got an email from DJI yesterday saying my cracked shell is covered under warranty. Nice! I barely made it with only 2 days left in the warranty. So again, Kudos to Daemon for motivating me to check my craft for cracks. To do that I had to rip off my $20 ARMY camouflage wrap to see the crack around the battery compartment. Last night I ordered a new wrap, and American flag theme this time.

My P4 has been gone to DJI for 2wks now so I've been flying my backup P3P. It still flies good, no problems. I hope to see my baby arrive next week with a new shell, I miss her.

Also my Phantom 4 is at Assistance Europe of DJI on Netherlands for 2 weeks. The repair cost is 7 Euro in warranty.

 

[John Locke]

UPDATE:
I got an email from DJI yesterday saying my cracked shell is covered under warranty. Nice! I barely made it with only 2 days left in the warranty. So again, Kudos to Daemon for motivating me to check my craft for cracks. To do that I had to rip off my $20 ARMY camouflage wrap to see the crack around the battery compartment. Last night I ordered a new wrap, and American flag theme this time.

My P4 has been gone to DJI for 2wks now so I've been flying my backup P3P. It still flies good, no problems. I hope to see my baby arrive next week with a new shell, I miss her.

UPDATE:

My baby is repaired according to an email I got today. They say it will ship within 3 days. Yippee

 

[John Locke]

I wanted to let everyone know what to expect on warranty repairs with a cracked shell, as we've been discussing. Here' the timeline that happened to me over the last few weeks. I contacted them on March 17, just two days before my warranty expired. I got a return authorization on the 20th. I shipped it the 21st, they received it on the 22nd (according to UPS), they check it in on the 28th. I actually received the drone back today via UPS, keeping in mind I'm 30mi from DJI Carson, CA, so it's overnight via UPS ground.

It appears they shipped me a brand new P4 drone. The serial number is different, but doesn't have the R at the end of the serial number that has been reported when you get a refurbished drone. Interesting to note, they returned my SD card inside the drone, which I forgot to remove when I shipped it out. I know it's the same one because I mark them, and it still had my video on it. So they were very observant to send that back. I thought I had lost it for sure.

From start to finish, it took 3wks to get my drone back, well...... a new drone in this case. I just hope there's nothing wrong with this new craft, since my warranty is up. I deem this acceptable and good service, way better than it used to be.

 

[IIIDaemon]

.
...John, you forgot to mention the firmware version of the replacement craft...
.
IIIDaemon

 

[John Locke]

.
...John, you forgot to mention the firmware version of the replacement craft...
.
IIIDaemon

It had the latest firmware loaded, 1.2.602. I seems to work with my RC and Go app OK, and I haven't seen any notifications to update, so I'm flying it. I haven't migrated to Go4 yet. It seemed to work fine on the first test flight. Tomorrow I'm going to Tehachapi Loop again to shoot some more trains, so we'll see how it goes.