GPS PLUG CONNECTION FIX

[max]

Not to rain on the parade here, but those connectors may seem loose, but they are pretty much full proof. To double check, I put a continuity tester on it and wiggled the heck out of the connector while testing, and never lost continuity on any of the four leads to the GPS module. We tested from the underside of the PCB where the connector is soldered into the board, and at the GPS puck. Short of disconnecting it, we couldn't break the continuity. The female part of those connectors is much longer than has been reported in this thread(2 mm), you can actually remove those quite easily from the connector to see. Once you see how this works, it's hard to imagine it failing.

Of course this is my experience, YMMV.

Well finally, a voice of reason done from a truly scientific/expereimental perspective

+1

 

[mij119]

Not to rain on the parade here, but those connectors may seem loose, but they are pretty much foolproof. To double check, I put a continuity tester on it and wiggled the heck out of the connector while testing, and never lost continuity on any of the four leads to the GPS module. We tested from the underside of the PCB where the connector is soldered into the board, and at the GPS puck. Short of disconnecting it, we couldn't break the continuity. The female part of those connectors is much longer than has been reported in this thread(2 mm), you can actually remove those quite easily from the connector to see. Once you see how this works, it's hard to imagine it failing.

Of course this is my experience, YMMV.

Of coarse I can not explain why others have had issues and you didn't with the particular test you performed. All it takes is a brief interruption to the signal going to the module. I took care of the issue I had with a simple piece of plastic wire tie. I have had absolutely not one issue since adding the temporary fix. Others who also mentioned a problem, done different type fixes with the same results.

This is just too easy of a fix to discourage anyone to not give themselves some insurance and do what is needed to their quad. Anyone can have a half dozen or less hard landings and be faced with a different set of circumstances with the gps plug connection.

Are you saying others have physically tested this connector/connection and have come up with different results? I am certainly not trying to discourage anyone from doing anything to their Phantom, so please don't take it that way. I just decided to take a more scientific approach to this situation and can find no evidence that it is a problem.

 

[MapMaker53]

No one is saying that everyone's connector is in danger of loosening to the point of failure, and just because some connectors appear to be well seated together doesn't mean that everyone should assume that they all are fine -- as machine tolerances in the manufacturing of the connectors can easily vary. Keep in mind, quality control tends to not be high on the importance list when it comes to Chinese manufacturing in general, and I'm guessing the majority of the connectors and other Phantom components are manufactured in China. Personally, I've chosen to play it safe and tighten that connection based on flyNfrank's observation and failure theory.

 

[Prylar Bek]

No one is saying that everyone's connector is in danger of loosening to the point of failure, and just because some connectors appear to be well seated together doesn't mean that everyone should assume that they all are fine -- as machine tolerances in the manufacturing of the connectors can easily vary. Keep in mind, quality control tends to not be high on the importance list when it comes to Chinese manufacturing in general, and I'm guessing the majority of the connectors and other Phantom components are manufactured in China. Personally, I've chosen to play it safe and tighten that connection based on flyNfrank's observation and failure theory.

 

[Prylar Bek]

No one is saying that everyone's connector is in danger of loosening to the point of failure, and just because some connectors appear to be well seated together doesn't mean that everyone should assume that they all are fine -- as machine tolerances in the manufacturing of the connectors can easily vary. Keep in mind, quality control tends to not be high on the importance list when it comes to Chinese manufacturing in general, and I'm guessing the majority of the connectors and other Phantom components are manufactured in China. Personally, I've chosen to play it safe and tighten that connection based on flyNfrank's observation and failure theory.

Well then, I say crack that sucker open and go for it. I'm not

 

[flyNfrank]

I have yet to read where anyone had a problem while their quad was sitting on a bench, or anything similar to it. Each that I have read, has been while in flight under regular normal conditions. Or at least they never included anything out of the norm. I have data from two separate flight loggers as well as video from my experiences. I never felt the need or reason to post any of it.

 

[robinb]

Well a 5 mm strip of velcro is a fraction of a cent.

I don't have an issue but i put a piece of velcro on.

 

[mij119]

No one is saying that everyone's connector is in danger of loosening to the point of failure, and just because some connectors appear to be well seated together doesn't mean that everyone should assume that they all are fine -- as machine tolerances in the manufacturing of the connectors can easily vary. Keep in mind, quality control tends to not be high on the importance list when it comes to Chinese manufacturing in general, and I'm guessing the majority of the connectors and other Phantom components are manufactured in China. Personally, I've chosen to play it safe and tighten that connection based on flyNfrank's observation and failure theory.

Well then, I say crack that sucker open and go for it. I'm not

Agreed. And while you have your Phantom opened up, you may as well glue or modify the other IDENTICAL connectors that exist. There are at least 3 four pin connectors that are exactly the same as the GPS connector, and 4 3-pin connectors that have the same design. So if the GPS connector is failing, then logically these others must be prone to fail as well, right?

Merry XMAS to all!!

 

[flyNfrank]

Just a note...

But so far there has been nothing showing us that this issue has been fixed, yet. So you should really consider taking care of your quad especially with something that is so easy to add a temporary fix to.

 

[Wibble]

After reading all of this I may have missed something but it seems nobody confirmed if it effects the V3?
Well it does! I opened mine up first thing I noticed - what a loose floppy connector. Crap piece of design. Would it come out in flight? Doubt it - would it give a bad connection? Probably!
I will bend some pins and put a bit of cable tie in there or maybe hotmelt but that gets everywhere.
Why use a locking socket but no locking plug into it???
On the plus side my new V3 gets 11 sats and doesnt drop at all when the camera is on!
Oh and I have esc v2.1 as well - happy bunny!!!

 

[flyNfrank]

After reading all of this I may have missed something but it seems nobody confirmed if it effects the V3?
Well it does! I opened mine up first thing I noticed - what a loose floppy connector. Crap piece of design. Would it come out in flight? Doubt it - would it give a bad connection? Probably!
I will bend some pins and put a bit of cable tie in there or maybe hotmelt but that gets everywhere.
Why use a locking socket but no locking plug into it???
On the plus side my new V3 gets 11 sats and doesnt drop at all when the camera is on!
Oh and I have esc v2.1 as well - happy bunny!!!

It's good to see you are concerned about your quad.
You do not need to bend any pins whatsoever. Basically all you need to do to have a piece of mind on the "I wonder" thoughts, is to wedge something in between the plug & connector. Just make sure it is something that will not vibrate out.

Btw, if you bend pins in the connecter, it will only stretch open what the pins slide into in the plug and make it worse.

 

[yorlik]

I can confirm that v3 new ones have same crappy gps connector - 1 of 2 we just got 'fell' no power from few hundred feet & smashed lots of stuff. so I got to see connector.

my question is why aren't you just replacing it with the proper keyed $ 1.50 one rather than sticking or gluing stuff in it?

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE- ... AcshhfI%3d

2nd question: what is this 'esc' thing ya'll keep talking about?

thank you!

 

[yorlik]

I'm slowly working thru all the talk of 'esc 2.0' vs 'esc 2.1' Seems this 2.0 esc thing was shipped recently and MAY be the cause of our crash when motors just turned off up there?

I am willing to keep reading, but 58 pages of stuff ain't getting me close to finding out what a 2.0 or 2.1 ecs is yet clues please? and maybe a thread NOT 58 pages long that lets me see if my serial number units have the mystical 2.0?

Thanks!

 

[Wibble]

ESC2.0 bad - ESC2.1 GOOD
They are speed controllers for the motors - one in each arm.
This is for the Version 3. Dont think the problem effects the V2 - that has other probs - mainly bad GPS and wifi - i am sure I will be shot if I am wrong.
Only guaranteed way to find out is to open the quad up - very easy.
If the controllers have no label or 2.0 bad - if they are marked with a white label - 2.1 then all is fine - also look for a perforated cover on the wifi module.
Mine has a serial number of 645447xxxx and is fine!

 

[Wibble]

I can confirm that v3 new ones have same crappy gps connector - 1 of 2 we just got 'fell' no power from few hundred feet & smashed lots of stuff. so I got to see connector.

my question is why aren't you just replacing it with the proper keyed $ 1.50 one rather than sticking or gluing stuff in it?

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE- ... AcshhfI%3d

2nd question: what is this 'esc' thing ya'll keep talking about?

thank you!

Why on Earth DJI don't fit the proper plug for the socket is beyond me. It isnt even cost - there wont be much difference.

 

[Wibble]

Just looked at the connecter again - it is rather late but was thinking - is this the same connector as used on the audio lead of a CDROM drive on a PC?
just wondering..............

 

[flyNfrank]

I will create a thread on what info I'm adding now, but I wanted to share it in this thread now with the recent post on the ESC's.

I spoke with the Service Manager at DJI this afternoon for a good while. He says that regardless of what you see printed in the ESC label or anywhere else, if the blue cylinder on the ESC's have a Yellow Mark they are updated v2.1 ESC's and your quad will be good to go.

So I have now got this issue defined to the point that we need to see a Yellow Mark on the cylinder appearing thing. This should help clear the minds of an even larger group of V3 owners now. Hope this info helps.

 

[RichWest]

I can confirm that v3 new ones have same crappy gps connector - 1 of 2 we just got 'fell' no power from few hundred feet & smashed lots of stuff. so I got to see connector.

my question is why aren't you just replacing it with the proper keyed $ 1.50 one rather than sticking or gluing stuff in it?

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE- ... AcshhfI%3d

thank you!

For the record, the Mouser part linked above does include the correct plastic body. However the crimp pins are not user friendly without proper tooling. Tyco, the connector mfg, does make a better pin for us to crimp. Just haven't made the time to detail and test for performance. Your existing GPS terminal pins WILL NOT retain properly into this Tyco tab'd plug.

From the limited testing with the Tyco plug and terminals. The quality is much better by a factor of 10 just based on visual comparison. The tension is noticeably better than the DJI original, but it's not a fair statement since I have pulled the DJI plug more than 100 times. The tested mechanical cycles for the Tyco is about 100 per hour, still doesn't tell me life expectancy based on our application. For what the plugs are originally designed for, the removal/insertion count is expected to be low. I was going to order three varieties of pins, low and high contact and then a high pressure contact.

Just don't want everyone ordering a part and be pissed that it doesn't work... Give me a couple of weeks to detail or help yourself to the same.

 

[mad in nc]

I will create a thread on what info I'm adding now, but I wanted to share it in this thread now with the recent post on the ESC's.

I spoke with the Service Manager at DJI this afternoon for a good while. He says that regardless of what you see printed in the ESC label or anywhere else, if the blue cylinder on the ESC's have a Yellow Mark they are updated v2.1 ESC's and your quad will be good to go.

So I have now got this issue defined to the point that we need to see a Yellow Mark on the cylinder appearing thing. This should help clear the minds of an even larger group of V3 owners now. Hope this info helps.

Frank, Going to ask another question, and throw a monkey wrench into the works on this safety concern of many. Nobody what a 1+ kilo brick falling from the sky's and I've been looking at this thread for a while.

Today while looking at a friends V2+V3 fresh from Amazon and checking the GPS connector, adding the "wire tire wedge" my summary and concern is noted below.

1st, by all reports from DJI, its all good, serial #, perforated WiFi cover, ESC 2.1, the "yellow dot" on the capacitor (cylinder in your post), made sure wires on not resting on Mosfets etc... but,

2nd - what is of concern is what appears to be premature aging on one of the four Mosfets on each ESC as shown in the picture below. These devices regulate current/ power to the motors and the "white" you see on top of the one highlighted with same similar scorching seen on same location/ Mosfet on the 4 ESC's leads me to believe it is an underrated component choice or designed at the limits of the component with no safety margin. The mark shown is not dye or ink but discoloration of the component package itself due to excessive heat.

Granted, I could be wrong as the last time I built a 92% efficient switching power supply was in 1983 so all I ask is somebody of knowledge or a DJI lurker review the pic below and reply.

 

[flyNfrank]

I will create a thread on what info I'm adding now, but I wanted to share it in this thread now with the recent post on the ESC's.

I spoke with the Service Manager at DJI this afternoon for a good while. He says that regardless of what you see printed in the ESC label or anywhere else, if the blue cylinder on the ESC's have a Yellow Mark they are updated v2.1 ESC's and your quad will be good to go.

So I have now got this issue defined to the point that we need to see a Yellow Mark on the cylinder appearing thing. This should help clear the minds of an even larger group of V3 owners now. Hope this info helps.

Frank, Going to ask another question, and throw a monkey wrench into the works on this safety concern of many. Nobody what a 1+ kilo brick falling from the sky's and I've been looking at this thread for a while.

Today while looking at a friends V2+V3 fresh from Amazon and checking the GPS connector, adding the "wire tire wedge" my summary and concern is noted below.

1st, by all reports from DJI, its all good, serial #, perforated WiFi cover, ESC 2.1, the "yellow dot" on the capacitor (cylinder in your post), made sure wires on not resting on Mosfets etc... but,

2nd - what is of concern is what appears to be premature aging on one of the four Mosfets on each ESC as shown in the picture below. These devices regulate current/ power to the motors and the "white" you see on top of the one highlighted with same similar scorching seen on same location/ Mosfet on the 4 ESC's leads me to believe it is an underrated component choice or designed at the limits of the component with no safety margin. The mark shown is not dye or ink but discoloration of the component package itself due to excessive heat.

Granted, I could be wrong as the last time I built a 92% efficient switching power supply was in 1983 so all I ask is somebody of knowledge or a DJI lurker review the pic below and reply.

I most likely didn't give you any kind of response you were looking for in the other thread. But I do want to ask you here, what do you think will happen if the component you show was to fail? Have you seen any in worse condition then what you show here?