Motor fail
- Thread starter rocco pienaar
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What's the difference between the .DAT flight log on the bird (downloadable with the DJI app) and the flight log on your device (the TXT file) ? Surely the txt file log should be enough for DJI to make a determination ?
N017RW
Premium Pilot
N017RW
Premium Pilot
Hoe so we know it was assembled properly.
Manufacturing defect rates are not the same as MTBF.
DJI are not interested in this txt file log from the device - they want the log file from the bird - I think it's a con as many accidents will be unrecoverable
N017RW
Premium Pilot
I'm not arguing with you.
Did you verify the clips condition at any time prior to the failure?
Was it damaged, misshapen, inserted properly?
$#!T happens.
Out-liers exist.
Based on my experience I have never had a BLDC motor fail. The only one I have kept usage data on is still running after 600+ hours. Will it be the same for DJI motors? Don't know but the BLDC 'family' of motors is very reliable.
Did you verify the clips condition at any time prior to the failure?
Was it damaged, misshapen, inserted properly?
$#!T happens.
Out-liers exist.
Based on my experience I have never had a BLDC motor fail. The only one I have kept usage data on is still running after 600+ hours. Will it be the same for DJI motors? Don't know but the BLDC 'family' of motors is very reliable.
I am hearing you.....I did not physically inspect the c-clip prior to flight......who does that.? Sh?t happens for sure..........even worse when its your own bird....that said look at the list of warnings once the bird went out of control....this could only have happened with a motor not spinning with the other 3.........look at the crazy compass readings once the motor goes - this whilst the drone has a strong connection to the remote. The drone is 'trying' to correct the situation but simply cant with 3 motors......check the warning log........
N017RW
Premium Pilot
Yea, I hear you too.
However after decades of r/c aviation I come to expect crashes. I just never had on-board video of the process. I also realize many here have never flown r/c before a Phantom and the steep price tag seems to indicate some greater level of quality/reliability but in the end they are Chinese flying toy cameras. DJI's lowest tier at that.
However after decades of r/c aviation I come to expect crashes. I just never had on-board video of the process. I also realize many here have never flown r/c before a Phantom and the steep price tag seems to indicate some greater level of quality/reliability but in the end they are Chinese flying toy cameras. DJI's lowest tier at that.
There's no way you can check the circlips.. You'd have to remove the motors 
But you could gently pull up and down on the motor housing. There should be no up/down play.
I can't see DJI denying a warranty claim. (Although they might).. FWIW, the clips don't wear out. They turn at the same speed as the propeller shaft and the lower bearing. They don't rub against anything so they can't wear. Yours was probably installed wrong and it popped off, or there wasn't one installed at all and the shaft was being held by the friction of the bearings up to the point it slipped free. Below is a photo of the bottom of a motor. The arrow points to the offending clip.
But you could gently pull up and down on the motor housing. There should be no up/down play.I can't see DJI denying a warranty claim. (Although they might).. FWIW, the clips don't wear out. They turn at the same speed as the propeller shaft and the lower bearing. They don't rub against anything so they can't wear. Yours was probably installed wrong and it popped off, or there wasn't one installed at all and the shaft was being held by the friction of the bearings up to the point it slipped free. Below is a photo of the bottom of a motor. The arrow points to the offending clip.
Good info and my point exactly - not possible to check the c-clip. As it turns out DJI have authorised a repair not a replacement. A replacement would only be applicable if the crash happened within 10 days of purchase ! What about damage to any of the sensitive electronics inside ? What if something fails in 2 weeks after I get it back ? I would have preferred a replacement
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The motors are brushless motors and will function for a long long time. The most likely failure was the ESC or one in 10,000 a bearing failure in the motor which I doubt. Chase it down and you'll find the real culprit. I have over two years on two Phantoms with the original motors. Have have had an ESC (motor controller ) failure in the electronics. But brushless motor with sealed bearings .. Nada.. We all take chances flying. My territory is always over water and heavy woods. It's all knowing if she goes down she's lost for sure. Complete maintenance and double check everything before each flight. Hundreds and hundreds of flight and stil going good..... So far !!! Sorry for your loss.
You are wrong mate - this from DJI after looking at flight logs : "
Vivi Liu (DJI)
Jul 8, 09:29 HKT
Hi Rocco
The main reason is the number 4 motor faulty.
Best Regards,
Vivi
DJI Technical Support
Website DJI Support - Here for You
I keep seeing this, and I swear, DJI is going to mess around and lose their "fan base". It's the age old retail saying, if you don't take care of your customers, someone else will. After dropping upwards of $1000-$1400 for these "toys" it is expected that there will be some passable service after the sale. I know I felt this way especially after opening my bird for the first time...anyone who's familiar with these things can tell you, there's not $1400 inside the shells of these overpriced toys. DJI should start taking cues from Horizon Hobby if they want to stay in the game.
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Were there any friction or noise indicators that the motor was wearing out? I always give each motor a twist as part of my pre-flight check.... another guy had a motor that was making a slight grinding sound so he changed it out. I was thinking that they "should" be fine until you notice a difference in twist restriction. It would be interesting to know if that are any early "tells" that we should be aware of?
Just some things to help with motor issues. If you land in areas where dirt/sand/debris are carry a can of compressed air and blow out your motors good before flying again. My preference is hand catching the drone and not letting it get in the grass/sand and such. If you insist on prop guards make sure if you decide to quit using them put your original motor mount screws back DON'T USE THE LONG ONES that came with the guards. They will hit the motor and jam it up. I got a P2V+ V3.0 complete unit and accessories for free because the person screwed up two motors and one ESC using the long screws. I replaced the ESC and two CCW motors and it runs like a champ....cost me about $60.00 to fix. Invest in a cheap laser temperature reading gun and occasionally check the motor temperatures you might detect one overheating before it goes. You can get one under $50 bucks. I put my drone on a table with props on and let it idle for 5-10 minutes and check start temp and end temps. Make sure to check (preflight common sense) the screws on the mounts are snug. Just some ideas hope it might help.
Had this same thing happen to mine. What did you end up doing to have it fixed? Seems to be a common thing.
Motor fails happen but are not common, many of us have well over 2,000,000 feet and many hours of flight on our P4. Sorry about your loss and I hope it does not happen to me too soon. These are machines and they will all eventually fail in one way or another. Like others mentioned I check rotation of motors before flight and temp after and that's all we can do. Going deeper in our birds would cause more damage than good.
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