GL-300A controller plastic crumbled !!

[solentlife]

My GL-300A case has failed ... antenna fell out ... hot glued back in ... case screws fallen out where posts have crumbled inside ... so case now taped together.

I can get a GL-300C controller of Ebay ... not cheap !! with shipping comes in about $200 !!

Or I can bid on an empty case with antenna included ... about $90 incl. shipping ...

I have tested the gear since taping back together last night and I just got 1500m before it gave up in residential area ... with parabola reflectors ... 950m without.
So it all seems to still working ... question is whether to swap gear over and pray all OK - or go for full replacement.

Question : Is there any real operational difference between 300A and 300C controller .. I know the C is slightly lower power and has the intermediate video processor removed ...

Would I really see any difference ?

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

Guy in UK just offered me GWO GL-300A for 100 quid + post ... so that will be on its way and I will keep the old as spares.

Nigel

 

[The Springs]

You are better off with an A controller anyway .More powerful than the C apparently.

 

[Oso]

My GL-300A case has failed ... antenna fell out ... hot glued back in ... case screws fallen out where posts have crumbled inside ... so case now taped together.

I can get a GL-300C controller of Ebay ... not cheap !! with shipping comes in about $200 !!

Or I can bid on an empty case with antenna included ... about $90 incl. shipping ...

I have tested the gear since taping back together last night and I just got 1500m before it gave up in residential area ... with parabola reflectors ... 950m without.
So it all seems to still working ... question is whether to swap gear over and pray all OK - or go for full replacement.

Question : Is there any real operational difference between 300A and 300C controller .. I know the C is slightly lower power and has the intermediate video processor removed ...

Would I really see any difference ?

Nigel

Its sad how the shells (both AC and RC) are of such poor quality and so much cracking has been reported.

As for A or C, the guys who constantly test distance limits of course want A. Anyone else will most likely not notice a difference, so we often suggest to go for the newest one since battery life is finite and RC battery replacements have been proven hard to find since the P3 was released.

FYI to all - here is a Controller Compatibility Chart that I first put together back in April.

 

[solentlife]

I have been toying with idea to swap out the old antenna which have very poor mountings. So many examples of people with broken antenna mounts.

I have some 165mm high gain 2.4Ghz antenna left over from my Standard days when I was playing with powered boosters etc.

I have suspicion that one original antenna may be not so good ... so why not swap out both ... and create new mounts into the case. The new antenna are screw on - so easily removed for packing up.





Nigel

 

[Randy57]

Its sad how the shells (both AC and RC) are of such poor quality and so much cracking has been reported.

As for A or C, the guys who constantly test distance limits of course want A. Anyone else will most likely not notice a difference, so we often suggest to go for the newest one since battery life is finite and RC battery replacements have been proven hard to find since the P3 was released.

 

[solentlife]

Camera pitch control wheel ribbon has sheered while working on antenna so the Controller is put aside and I await the replacement complete controller which is on its way.

Nigel

 

[solentlife]

GL-300A controller arrived just a few days after ordered ... out of packing ... powered up ... linked to AC within next 5 minutes ... all good.

Even came with the upgraded HDMI module on the back.

nigel

 

[rstekeur]

I’m another that the antenna broke off. It’s always been in a case and taken care of but none the less it broke. I’ll probably try and glue it as the wire didn’t break but will probably get a new one as my p3p is still in great shape

 

[rstekeur]

Will a inspire 1 remote bind to a p3p?

 

[Bad Andy]

A few random thoughts... About the case/connectors falling apart... I wonder if the folks who designed the controller case simply were not counting on folks hanging all sort of gadgets off the antennas and the bow of the controller. And as for the high-gain antennas, folks may find themselves a little disappointed if they opened one up and peeked inside. Just sayin'. Remember a full wavelength is less than five inches at 2.4 GHz. Also, the pitch between those two antennas is a bit close. Less than a wavelength at 2.4 GHz (but more than enough at 5 GHz). That may have some effect on coverage if you change antenna wavelength from the original design. Have fun...

 

[solentlife]

A few random thoughts... About the case/connectors falling apart... I wonder if the folks who designed the controller case simply were not counting on folks hanging all sort of gadgets off the antennas and the bow of the controller. And as for the high-gain antennas, folks may find themselves a little disappointed if they opened one up and peeked inside. Just sayin'. Remember a full wavelength is less than five inches at 2.4 GHz. Also, the pitch between those two antennas is a bit close. Less than a wavelength at 2.4 GHz (but more than enough at 5 GHz). That may have some effect on coverage if you change antenna wavelength from the original design. Have fun...

My controller like many others I read about are not modified and the failure has been factory standard ....

I believe the antenna are subject to being pressed down in backpacks by the strap we secure before closing up. I am now going to pass that strap over the gear THEN fold antenna down so not pressed ...

When you look at the case screw posts and the antenna mounts ... it is no surprise they fail ...

Short case screws
Thin case plastic for antenna mount area with a non supporting cosmetic DJI plate on top ....

We think nothing of swivelling / angling those antennas ... after time added to the backpack item ... they break free.

Nigel

 

[Bad Andy]

Thanks for the clarification about the plastic!

Glad I'm still using the original DJI box as my carrying case...

 

[HWCM]

I have been toying with idea to swap out the old antenna which have very poor mountings. So many examples of people with broken antenna mounts.

I have some 165mm high gain 2.4Ghz antenna left over from my Standard days when I was playing with powered boosters etc.

I have suspicion that one original antenna may be not so good ... so why not swap out both ... and create new mounts into the case. The new antenna are screw on - so easily removed for packing up.





Nigel

Stock ones are much better.

 

[HWCM]

A few random thoughts... About the case/connectors falling apart... I wonder if the folks who designed the controller case simply were not counting on folks hanging all sort of gadgets off the antennas and the bow of the controller. And as for the high-gain antennas, folks may find themselves a little disappointed if they opened one up and peeked inside. Just sayin'. Remember a full wavelength is less than five inches at 2.4 GHz. Also, the pitch between those two antennas is a bit close. Less than a wavelength at 2.4 GHz (but more than enough at 5 GHz). That may have some effect on coverage if you change antenna wavelength from the original design. Have fun...

No, it is bad plastic. DJI reps have confirmed this. Also someone on here works in the plastic molding industry and says it's a bad compound that makes it brittle.
My phantom was used three times and the body cracked in three places. The RTH button fell inside my controller a couple weeks later. There were also plastic rolling around inside the controller the day I took it out of the box. I just didn't know what it was. DJI replaced everything free.