I just opened my 2 month old Phantom 2 vision + to fix a cracked housing and also found the gps plug pulled out of the connector and thought it was my fault when pulling off the cover, but now I know after reading 14 pages of other posts that this is indeed a real problem for all owners, glad I found out now before putting it back together, Thanks flyNfrank for the heads up.
GPS PLUG CONNECTION FIX
- Thread starter flyNfrank
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msinger
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The GPS cable should be firmly plugged in if you've never opened your Phantom before. In your case, I'm thinking you really did pull the plug out when lifting the shell top. Otherwise, wouldn't you have noticed that you had 0 satellites on previous flights?
If you want to change the plug to a locking type, you need one like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOLEX-4-Pin...819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c41c84f43
To get the pins out of the plug, you have to push down on the little metal clips in the middle of the plug with a pushpin or tiny screwdriver.
Then pull the pins out, then bend those little clips back up a bit again before inserting them into the new plug.
Another source for the connector is to get one from a CD-ROM audio cable. I had one lying around.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOLEX-4-Pin...819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c41c84f43
To get the pins out of the plug, you have to push down on the little metal clips in the middle of the plug with a pushpin or tiny screwdriver.
Then pull the pins out, then bend those little clips back up a bit again before inserting them into the new plug.
Another source for the connector is to get one from a CD-ROM audio cable. I had one lying around.
A number of people have suggested different ways of keeping the GPS plug more snug. Here's what I did.. I just added a narrow band of stick-on velcro loop side (non-fuzzy side) which sort of takes the place of the missing clip. This way, I don't have to insert and remove a piece of makeshift zip-tie or piece of cardboard. It really holds it together nice and tight -- but the plug can be pulled apart when needed.
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With the cover on the plug can not come out of the PCB mounted jack. There is not enough clearance.
Rob
Rob
N017RW
Premium Pilot
The thing is, the plug doesn't have to come out for it to be a problem. The way the pins are located in the plug, it has to be seated all the way in for a good connection. So if it jogs loose because of the vibrations or whatever, you could lose the GPS signal. That's why many of us made the fix. Its just a preventative measure.rtg said:
MoparBob,
I understand. However, I do believe there is little if any movement from the plug in an assembled unit. I found a minor crease in the wire jacket on the topside of wire harness from a feature on the lid above the plug. There has to be a minimum of 0.20" engagement of the plug sockets to the pins in the PCB mounted jack. I just can't see how this can possibly come unplugged, sans a crash. Of all of the potential mechanical/electrical failure points on the P2V+ this one is way down on the list in my opinion.
That being said if someone adds additional friction to oppose the extraction of the plug there is no real down side as long as it stays in place.
BTW, I see you are in CT. I am also in the central part of CT.
Rob
I understand. However, I do believe there is little if any movement from the plug in an assembled unit. I found a minor crease in the wire jacket on the topside of wire harness from a feature on the lid above the plug. There has to be a minimum of 0.20" engagement of the plug sockets to the pins in the PCB mounted jack. I just can't see how this can possibly come unplugged, sans a crash. Of all of the potential mechanical/electrical failure points on the P2V+ this one is way down on the list in my opinion.
That being said if someone adds additional friction to oppose the extraction of the plug there is no real down side as long as it stays in place.
BTW, I see you are in CT. I am also in the central part of CT.
Rob
rtg said:
You may be right that it is a no worry issue, but my plug has a considerable amount of play in it (wiggle). If it's that loose, then I am assuming the connection itself isn't all that great. And all you need is a little momentary interruption in the connection to have the GPS signal cut off. When the electrical connection is re-established then the home point will not be the same as the original one. Of course that's not an issue if you are using Dynamic Home point, but DHP on my rig causes so many other issues that I don't use it. Yesterday I pulled the cover off to upgrade my motors and it was comforting to see how tightly secure the connection was after my plug fix. So like you say, it doesn't hurt to do the fix.
BTW, I am out of Hebron, probably not far from your location.
Re: VERY IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
Loss of GPS will initiate RTESS (Return to Earth, Somewhere, Sometime).hunch said:
rtg said:
rtg,
as MoparBob is trying to say, the GPS Plug Issue is not about the plug coming out of the connector. It is the slop in the fitting of the two. The connector currently allows the plug to rock forward and backward. It does this with the plug pressed fully into the connector. The result of this is it allows the brass fitting inside the Plug & Connector to disconnect. It only takes one time of removing the plug to allow the inside fittings to begin to separate from each other. And that distance will grow each time the plug is either removed and replugged, or if you move the plug as if to check for a gap.
I'm an idiot but lucky I guess. I was in mine for the first time last week to do the GPS foil tape mod and I said to myself " That connection is way to lose, does not have a lock on it and is a lousy design." Buttoned back up just as it was and flew later. Bird was a little wacky. I am going back in and making the fix as suggested by Frank. Thx Frank, may have saved my bacon or even better my VP2+...
I can tell that there aren't many RC veterans here. These are very similar to the servo cables on model aircraft and DIY drones. If they feel loose, just take a pair of needle-nose pliers and bend the male pins one or two degrees. Problem solved.quadcopter said:
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 course this is my experience, YMMV.
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mij119 said:
Well finally, a voice of reason done from a truly scientific/expereimental perspective
mij119 said:
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.
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I agree it's an easy fix. And if I need to remove the top I plan on doing the fix. BUT I'm not removing the top just to perform the fix. Seems like an unnecessary step at this point. I'll take my chances
Prylar Bek said:
I have to totally agree with your decision. I have flown mine 150 times without doing anything with this plug. Always have had excellent satellite reception.
FYI, I had mine apart to check my foil mod integrity and did tighten that plug a bit, cause it can't hurt. And I was feeling a bit paranoid that it could come out somehow, which I doubt holds any truth.
If you put a scope on the connections and move the connector I suspect you will see that the scope will show that movement of the connector will cause noise to be generated on the tested pin. If the tested pin normally contains a signal, this noise could become misinterpreted as a signal that would confuse the controller.
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