Is it worth changing the transmitter

dubiousp · Jan 23, 2015

Good morning please forgive me if this is posted in the wrong place new to forum and new to dji.

I keep seeing articles on flyaways which most of the responses seem to indicate interference or transmitter, interference is an going issue and I suppose needs to be assesed at every site. The transmitter issue however is it a real problem and is it worth changing it out

PhantomFanatic · Jan 23, 2015

Welcome to the forum!

I've read about fly always here. Most are operator error, but some can't really be explained. I'm not sure what you mean by: "The transmitter issue however is it a real problem and is it worth changing it out."

I think you meant as a question. I don't know of a transmitter problem that causes fly aways. In fact, if the receiver, in the Phantom, no longer receives the transmitter signal, the Phantom is supposed to return to where it took off. So, I don't know what you mean. Can you elaborate?

dubiousp · Jan 23, 2015

Yes sorry a couple of sites Ive suggest that some fly aways could be caused by the lesser quality transmitter, not sure I altogether agree with that as it all seems a pretty good package. I bought the vision plus and wondered if maybe it was worth modding to take my dx18

PhantomFanatic · Jan 23, 2015

I don't believe that there is a transmitter problem as far as RF output. Some buy higher gain antennas, on both the transmitter and the Phantom's receiver on 2.4Ghz. Some also buy an RF amplifier, that increases the transmitter's signal output.

From my experience in electronics and ham radio, the higher gain antennas will do more than increasing the output. BUT, those that do this fly out of visual range and they might also have FPV. As long as you keep your Phantom in sight, the transmitter that came with it, should do fine.

The main reason I would change the transmitter, would be if I had a higher quality transmitter, that I liked better. If I had one with more channels, would be a greater motivation.

The Phantom is designed to return to where it lifted off if it doesn't receive the transmitter. So, it has that fail safe system. But, it is your decision to make!

dubiousp · Jan 23, 2015

Thank you that was a very useful piece of advice, I think the best way is to stay with the stock as I see no reason to add more channels at the moment.

Ive yet to try the fail safe but sure it will be fine,,

J.James · Jan 23, 2015

THe only thing that should be changed by any one as far as the transmitter is concerned that can cause flyaways is the cheap switches used for the s1 and s2 switches. Some of them can start to fail with in a very short time esp the S1 switches which get flicked a bunch of times when ever you need to do a compass recalibraion it has to be flicked on and off 6 times.

But what happens when the s1 or even the s2 swtichs start to fail can both cause what SEEMS to be a flyaway when it happens.

If the switches are just starting to fail the contacts in them start breaking contact and regaining it even with the slitest movment of the controller while you are flying. and when the switchs break contact on any of the settings to the phantom its the same as when its in the center position. So if your flying with S2 set to the top course lock or home lock off position and it starts breaking contact. it will cause it to go in to course lock and then back to off every time the contact makes contact again. which can reset a new home point while in flight. So if it has a fly away or goes in to fail safe it will go to the last place it was when it was reset while in flight. So it ends up never comeing back to were you took off from. Tho to most they would consider that a fly away if they never see there phantom ever come back.

then there is the problem with if the other switch s1 starts to fail or totally fails you can think you are in gps mode and if the stitch is not making any contact in the top or bottom position. The default is to go in to atti mode if there is no connection. in the switch. So if you think your in gps when your in atti mode you can end up having what seems like a fly away if you let go of the sticks and the craft is still moving in what ever the last direction was that it was going and it can also drift in the wind as far and as fast as the wind will take it. then if you say oh no and try to flip the switch in to fail safe it still stays in atti mode and will not go in to fail safe intill it flys so far that it is completely lost contact with the transmitter. inless you shut the transmitter off to force it in to fail safe. But if you just flip the switch and think its in fail safe and stand there waiting for it to come back while its drifting off in atti mode it can go a real good distance before it goes in to fail safe on its own and some ones then not have enough battery power to make it all the way back in time. and it will either auto land some place or if its up real high were it dont have enough power to even make it back to the ground before the battery is totally drained and no more lift or the motors shut off it falls the rest of the way down to the ground like a rock. SO in either of them situations if it either lands safe or crashes some place were you never find it to most people that to would be called fly away if they took off one day and any thing happens were its the last time they ever see there phantom again.

N017RW · Jan 23, 2015

Very good.

I would agree S1/S2 are the only well documented failures with the OEM Txs.

SteveMann · Jan 23, 2015

N017RW said:
Very good.

I would agree S1/S2 are the only well documented failures with the OEM Txs.

Cite, please.

The switches are C&K 7000 series miniature toggle switches which are speced at 100,000 cycles. You can't possibly be anywhere near that no matter how obsessive you are about calibrating.

Hughie · Jan 23, 2015

SteveMann said:
N017RW said:

Very good.

I would agree S1/S2 are the only well documented failures with the OEM Txs.

Click to expand...

Cite, please.

The switches are C&K 7000 series miniature toggle switches which are speced at 100,000 cycles. You can't possibly be anywhere near that no matter how obsessive you are about calibrating.

Yeah I agree. Even low quality switches don't wear out easily. If this were the case for the S1/S2 switches I am sure we would be seeing a significant pattern by now. We are not.

N017RW · Jan 23, 2015

There are several occurrences noted on this PP forum alone. I never spoke of the magnitude but merely it has been documented here. That is the documentation I speak of.

I'm not here to do much more than help where I can and try to recall what I've read here and elsewhere as accurately as possible as a matter of discussion.

Not interested in pissing contests about citing this or that.

While I haven't opened my Tx recently, I'm wiling to bet the OEMs are not C&K.

The Editor · Jan 23, 2015

Another point to remember is that a lot of Phantom owners are a lot less careful than many of us.

Dust,grit and sand play a big part in switch failure/malfunction. I'm sure there are numerous owner out there who casually throw their TX on the sand while they are fiddling with their Phantom... then wonder why their sticks make a grinding noise when they move them :shock:

Doesn't take too many grains of sand in S1/S2 for it to start becoming intermittent during use.

Kelso Kubat · Jan 23, 2015

i have a futaba t8fg... for me it was worth it

J.James · Jan 23, 2015

Cite, please.

The switches are C&K 7000 series miniature toggle switches which are speced at 100,000 cycles. You can't possibly be anywhere near that no matter how obsessive you are about calibrating.

They might be speced at that but they sure as hell are never going to ever go even 10k cycles. on any of the bad ones

My fc40 the first switch started to go but about the 3rd day I replaced it with a real switch and then about 2 weeks later the other one went. So i replaced that one and been good ever sence and they are the same switches I use a lot in some 120volt intims I make that are industrial products . BUT I have even had some of them go and have to do warranty replacements. Tho its rare and when a switch is going to be a bad one the tend go fast or they last.

My p2v both switches started to also get funky and started to fail in about the first month and So I replaced them with good switchs and dont have to worry about them at all now. There some big beefy 20 amp switches and there never going to ware out from use.

I also had some of the same make of switches that are used in the dji txs for a small project I was working on last week cept I had the 6amp ones which are even a bit better then the ones used by dji and a few others. One switch out of a package of 5 not only failed in about the 5th flip of the switch. It completely feel apart. next on out of the bag didnt feel right every time I flipped it on or off. Took out the multi meter and checked it and it was failing and some how was letting some currant flow threw even while it was off. The other 3 seem ok but If it were for any thing I had to trust or is critical if the switch goes. I would not use them.

and Ive seen more then a few other people report there switch was going or went. Tho they didn't always know that was the problem at first till they diagnosed them or replaced them.

But there are also lots of people that have switch's that have 1000s of cycles on them and have had them for a while with out problem. So I think it comes down to when the switch is made and put together at the factory. and like even some of the higer quality switchs i use for other things if there is a flaw or defect in them they appear pretty soon.

J.James · Jan 23, 2015

Not interested in pissing contests about citing this or that.

ya same here.

While I haven't opened my Tx recently, I'm wiling to bet the OEMs are not C&K.

will a real C&K say c& any place on the switch??? cause I just took on of the old switch's out of my junk draw and looked it over. it dont have any brand or trade mark that I can see any place on them. Tho they do say US on them which was a surprise.

But they also are the very same switches you can find in radio shack which isnt always the best stuff.

Tho just for the hell of it now that I'm thinking of it the one old switch I still have that was not completely shot and just starting to not always make contact. I'm going to try and put a drop of deoxit on the shaft and try to work down in the switch. and see if it might help. If so then its from the switches sitting unused. Tho I'm still suspecting its still some thing mechanical in the one that have crapped out early.

TuT · Jan 23, 2015

One knock on the top of a c & k switch and the base will become loose. You now have an intermittent switch.

I also wonder how often people know flight with the switch in the wrong position.

PhantomFanatic · Jan 23, 2015

For the OP, if you are concerned about fly always, buy a GPS tracker. That will tell you where your bird is. I like the RF-V16, available on EBay. It weighs 27 grams and is very small.