I haven't used my phantom for a while and tried to power up today. Batteries are all charged and got a steady green light flash. However when I go thru startup only one propeller spins and the other 3 just move slow and hesitate. Thied powering Al the down and starting over. Any ideas.
Only one prop spins
- Thread starter Golfzlife
- Start date
Do the motors spin freely on there own?
Connect to pc and check motors on naza software and wile ur at it check to make sure ur software/firmware is up to date.
In naza re-calabrate ur controller and check everything else is good.
If everything naza is good, ur motors spin freely guess next step is to split she shell and check speed controllers and main board for signs of damage or burning, also check plugs on naza unit. Have you done any work on it at all? Odd for 3 motors just to stop working.
Any chance its got wet or damp?
Rich
Connect to pc and check motors on naza software and wile ur at it check to make sure ur software/firmware is up to date.
In naza re-calabrate ur controller and check everything else is good.
If everything naza is good, ur motors spin freely guess next step is to split she shell and check speed controllers and main board for signs of damage or burning, also check plugs on naza unit. Have you done any work on it at all? Odd for 3 motors just to stop working.
Any chance its got wet or damp?
Rich
Sounds like they are stuttering. Did you ever use prop guards? If so, did you happen to remove them and then put the same screws back into the Phantom? They are longer screws which damage the motors and yours sound damaged.
I do have prop guards on them and did remove and put them back on. Can't recall if I put the screws back in. I did pull off the guards today and left them off without replacing screws and still only the same motor works and other three just stutter. I have not done any work on the unit and it has not got wet. All motors turn freely. Is there any way to see if I did damage the motors with the longer screws?
Ill agree its very odd for 3 motors to not work Inless either sitting for so long caused some of the contacts in the plugs in side that go to the motor to corrode and not make contact. BUT that would also cause the same error as when one is unpluged. which will make the phantom make a constant beeping when you turn it on.
Or the longer screws from prop guards going back in after taking the prop guards off them becomes the likely culprit. Being they tend to be just long enough to just go in far enough to crush or break the fine wire windings in the motor. Even a nick in the varnish on the wire is enough to cause stuttering motors.
But to test the escs to be able to rule them out your either going to need a digital multi meter that has a setting to measure Hertz (htz) or frequency By putting the probs on any two of the 3 wires that go to the motors and turning on the motors and trying to hit the throttle to see if they are all putting out between 400mhz -700mhz accost all combinations of the 3 wires. on each esc that goes to each motor thats stuttering.
OR the other way to test an esc which is to desolder the good known motor and see if any of the other bad motors happen to work if you hook them up to one esc you know is working and see if they still stutter or not. if they still stutter then its the motors for sure. IF they work on the known good esc then its the escs that are shot.
But being you did use prop guards I'm going to still go with the long screws and the motors being shot as the most likely culprit. and if thats the case its going to already involve havering to take them out any way. so you might as well try the first one on the known good esc just to make sure its the motors and not the escs
Or the longer screws from prop guards going back in after taking the prop guards off them becomes the likely culprit. Being they tend to be just long enough to just go in far enough to crush or break the fine wire windings in the motor. Even a nick in the varnish on the wire is enough to cause stuttering motors.
on the stock dji motors its hard to see if the windings were damaged By the longer screws. being its hard to see in to the bottoms of the motors with out pulling the eclips and pulling the outer bell off them and looking at them threw a magnifying glass. Tho if you still have the screws one way to tell if they were the ones that were to long is take the motor out and stick a screw up threw the hole in the arm and if it sticks up more then the bottom of the motor then you used the screws that are to long. and inless you happen to some how have 3 escs that decided to spontaneously give out at the same time there is not much other causes for a motor to stutter unless the windings are damaged.
But to test the escs to be able to rule them out your either going to need a digital multi meter that has a setting to measure Hertz (htz) or frequency By putting the probs on any two of the 3 wires that go to the motors and turning on the motors and trying to hit the throttle to see if they are all putting out between 400mhz -700mhz accost all combinations of the 3 wires. on each esc that goes to each motor thats stuttering.
OR the other way to test an esc which is to desolder the good known motor and see if any of the other bad motors happen to work if you hook them up to one esc you know is working and see if they still stutter or not. if they still stutter then its the motors for sure. IF they work on the known good esc then its the escs that are shot.
But being you did use prop guards I'm going to still go with the long screws and the motors being shot as the most likely culprit. and if thats the case its going to already involve havering to take them out any way. so you might as well try the first one on the known good esc just to make sure its the motors and not the escs
Hello Golfzlife, welcome to the forum. 
Sounds like your having a bad day.
Could someone have been flying it while you weren't looking?
Do you live in or store your bird in a very damp location?
What was the weather like the last time you flew?
It does sound like a screw issue to me.
Have you tried spinning the props, like with a pencil, when they are powered?
Are you noticing any burning smell coming from the motors or the body itself?
Sounds like your having a bad day.
Could someone have been flying it while you weren't looking?
Do you live in or store your bird in a very damp location?
What was the weather like the last time you flew?
It does sound like a screw issue to me.
Have you tried spinning the props, like with a pencil, when they are powered?
Are you noticing any burning smell coming from the motors or the body itself?
