In a previous post, I asked for some help in recovering from a fairly major crash of my beloved (and two day old, at the time of crash) Phantom 2 V+.
The tl;dr version:
Crash: Signal loss and RF interference caused the vehicle to plunge sideways at a height of roughly 100 feet, slam into a tree, tumble down, and crash into a parked car and then onto pavement
Damage: Camera ripped from undercarriage, dampener grommets ripped or lost, fastening pins lost, cosmetic damage to shell, demolished battery, broken main circuit board, and (as I now can confirm) a cracked ceramic GPS antenna
I replaced the circuit board the following day and after a couple hours of soldering and reassembly, was flying again. However, I noticed I was getting no GPS signals at all. I ran every test I knew of, re-uploaded firmwares, put it in and out of Naza mode, and still nothing.
I was set to replace the GPS module when a fellow pilot (darwin-t) mentioned the antenna possibility. When I peeled back the shield and removed the unit, sure enough there appeared to be some scratches to the antenna itself. This is the beige square looking component on the very top of the GPS module. You have to unscrew the model from the shell to get to it. darwin-t linked me to a component maker which offered the same antennas and I placed a hopeful $5 order from Mouser electronics.
The component arrived yesterday and tonight, following a glass of nerve-steeling wine, I set about replacing the antenna. I discovered the antenna was indeed damaged far more than just a scratch. As I cut away the glue pad holding it in place on the solder hole, the antenna came away in two pieces, along the faultline which I had seen as just a scratch.
I soldered the new guy into position and quickly got the topless Phantom ready for testing. Once up and running I checked my sats. Nothing.
Then, remembering that my 19th century Victorian house is built like Farraday's Tomb, I took the still partially naked vehicle outside in clear skyview. After around 30 seconds of deepening pessism, BOOM. Six sats popped right up. I'm back, baby!!!
Big thanks to everyone who offered tips and advice or even just sympathy. Special big thanks to darwin-t for the link to Mouser (now bookmarked) and the $5 fix to what I was seeing as a $160 problem. If ever you are near Washington DC, the first several rounds are on me!!
The tl;dr version:
Crash: Signal loss and RF interference caused the vehicle to plunge sideways at a height of roughly 100 feet, slam into a tree, tumble down, and crash into a parked car and then onto pavement
Damage: Camera ripped from undercarriage, dampener grommets ripped or lost, fastening pins lost, cosmetic damage to shell, demolished battery, broken main circuit board, and (as I now can confirm) a cracked ceramic GPS antenna
I replaced the circuit board the following day and after a couple hours of soldering and reassembly, was flying again. However, I noticed I was getting no GPS signals at all. I ran every test I knew of, re-uploaded firmwares, put it in and out of Naza mode, and still nothing.
I was set to replace the GPS module when a fellow pilot (darwin-t) mentioned the antenna possibility. When I peeled back the shield and removed the unit, sure enough there appeared to be some scratches to the antenna itself. This is the beige square looking component on the very top of the GPS module. You have to unscrew the model from the shell to get to it. darwin-t linked me to a component maker which offered the same antennas and I placed a hopeful $5 order from Mouser electronics.
The component arrived yesterday and tonight, following a glass of nerve-steeling wine, I set about replacing the antenna. I discovered the antenna was indeed damaged far more than just a scratch. As I cut away the glue pad holding it in place on the solder hole, the antenna came away in two pieces, along the faultline which I had seen as just a scratch.
I soldered the new guy into position and quickly got the topless Phantom ready for testing. Once up and running I checked my sats. Nothing.
Then, remembering that my 19th century Victorian house is built like Farraday's Tomb, I took the still partially naked vehicle outside in clear skyview. After around 30 seconds of deepening pessism, BOOM. Six sats popped right up. I'm back, baby!!!
Big thanks to everyone who offered tips and advice or even just sympathy. Special big thanks to darwin-t for the link to Mouser (now bookmarked) and the $5 fix to what I was seeing as a $160 problem. If ever you are near Washington DC, the first several rounds are on me!!