P4 Crack

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...Rec'vd this P4 29Jun2016, at flight# 362 approx 106.5hrs, I found a Crack emanating from the battery bay opening towards the Left-Rear Landing Skid.. I've NEVER Crashed this craft, never so much as a hard landing, I use a landing pad and land within ±1.0'' of my takeoff point(s) 99.9% of the time (i've got 362 flight-logs incl the HiRES & LoRES videos to prove it), I do not carry, lift or move this craft via the landing skids or the struts or booms whatever you guys call them, and I do not slam the battery into place.. I believe this to be a defect in the plastic that fatigued which started the crack.. Have any of you found a crack in the same area..? Or emanating from the battery bay opening..? I would have thought the Craft would out live the Batteries (without having to patch it up like Frankenstein that is)...
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IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net
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upload_2017-2-14_1-24-4.png
 
Last edited:
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...Rec'vd this P4 29Jun2016, at flight# 362 approx 106.5hrs, I found a Crack emanating from the battery bay opening towards the Left-Rear Landing Skid.. I've NEVER Crashed this craft, never so much as a hard landing, I use a landing pad and land within ±1.0'' of my takeoff point(s) 99.9% of the time (i've got 362 flight-logs incl the HiRES & LoRES videos to prove it), I do not carry, left or move this craft via the landing skids or the struts or booms whatever you guys call them.. I believe this to be a defect in the plastic that fatigued which started the crack.. Have any of you found a crack in the same area..? Or emanating from the battery bay opening..? I would have thought the Craft would out live the Batteries (without having to patch it up like Frankenstein that is)...
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IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net
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View attachment 76208
Wow big crack gona look at mine now
 
Mine was just like that but on other side. I never crashed, tipped over or hard landed. DJI replaced it when I sent mine in for repair.
 
Mine was just like that but on other side. I never crashed, tipped over or hard landed. DJI replaced it when I sent mine in for repair.
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...fttu, hmm, think i'll keep it.. unless of course DJi wants to 'Send Me' a new shell (fat chance eh..)...
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Sheesh, something else to look for. I think I'm gonna balance my props. Thanks for sharing useful information, I'm hopeful that you get this straightened out as soon as possible.

Cheers,
rc
 
Sheesh, something else to look for. I think I'm gonna balance my props. Thanks for sharing useful information, I'm hopeful that you get this straightened out as soon as possible.

Cheers,
rc
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...Rich, theres No Way I'd send my craft into DJi, reason being is theres no way of knowing if I'd get 'My' craft back or some other refurbished craft with who knows what issues or how its been treated.. I'm reluctant to drill a hole to stop the crack propagation, but did find that it seemed to stop at what looks like a 'stiffener' within the structure, I very carefully wiped a lil crazy-glue btwn the crack to hold it in place, then using a tool made, strengthened the backside with epoxy, it shouldn't spread, and the added weight is nominal (<1g).. I have also since found what could be another area of concern, its a lil hard to tell if its just a die mark, surface fracture or an actual crack starting, obviously I'll keep an close eye on it and would appreciate if you or anyone else can confirm the die-mark theory.. (Front, leg, same side)...
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IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net
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upload_2017-2-14_20-54-59.png
 
Supposedly, there is an "R" at the end of a refurbished bird's S/N. The one I received, if not completely new, was perfectly new to me due to being in perfect condition. It had only one sticker, and that was the one at the bottom of the gimbal - the one that no one knows why it is there. Other than being crack free at this moment, I like it better than my original one because it keeps a horizon better. Since this is the same plastic, I can't see this one holding up any better than the first one.
 
Hmmm... I'll check mine, but doubt there will be a crack (yet) with only a few hours on it.

If this shows up a lot, and eventually shows up on mine, I will not send it in to DJI, nor will I simply order a new shell and replace it. If its a seemingly common problem, that suggests need for reinforcement at that location, so simply replacing the shell won't "solve" the problem.

I'd recommend using a plastic welder and some fiberglass sheeting to reinforce the spot. Done well, it can be cleaned up, sanded, polished, and even coated with some polyurethane to get the gloss back. Done skillfully, this could be reinforced and be barely noticeable from an aesthetic standpoint.
 
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...Rich, theres No Way I'd send my craft into DJi, reason being is theres no way of knowing if I'd get 'My' craft back or some other refurbished craft with who knows what issues or how its been treated.. I'm reluctant to drill a hole to stop the crack propagation, but did find that it seemed to stop at what looks like a 'stiffener' within the structure, I very carefully wiped a lil crazy-glue btwn the crack to hold it in place, then using a tool made, strengthened the backside with epoxy, it shouldn't spread, and the added weight is nominal (<1g).. I have also since found what could be another area of concern, its a lil hard to tell if its just a die mark, surface fracture or an actual crack starting, obviously I'll keep an close eye on it and would appreciate if you or anyone else can confirm the die-mark theory.. (Front, leg, same side)...
.
IIIDaemon
www.GasRecovery.net
.
View attachment 76254
Hmmm... you send your bird to DJI and you get back a refurb. I don't think I have a problem with that. Assuming DJI Service takes quality consciousness seriously, they would have gone through everything before they sent the refurbished unit back to you. The refurb unit should be the functional equivalent of a brand new unit.

Besides that, I'm curious where the stress was that resulted in the crack. What comes to mind are unbalanced props that result in unwanted vibration.

If what happened to you happened to me I would dremel a channel through the underside of the crack. I would drill stop-holes at the ends of the cracks, then I would wipe everything with alcohol and fill the crack with epoxy.

Before I go out flying this weekend I'll balance my props and examine the body of my P4. looking for cracks or anything else that's nasty. Again, thank you for sharing this helpful information.

Regards,
rc
 
Hmmm... you send your bird to DJI and you get back a refurb. I don't think I have a problem with that. Assuming DJI Service takes quality consciousness seriously, they would have gone through everything before they sent the refurbished unit back to you. The refurb unit should be the functional equivalent of a brand new unit.

Besides that, I'm curious where the stress was that resulted in the crack. What comes to mind are unbalanced props that result in unwanted vibration.

If what happened to you happened to me I would dremel a channel through the underside of the crack. I would drill stop-holes at the ends of the cracks, then I would wipe everything with alcohol and fill the crack with epoxy.

Before I go out flying this weekend I'll balance my props and examine the body of my P4. looking for cracks or anything else that's nasty. Again, thank you for sharing this helpful information.

Regards,
rc
I'm guessing it isn't vibration alone. I believe it is a poor design decision using this plastic, but aggressive stopping, fast ascensions and overall aggressive flying has a big impact. That's why I'm hoping the Phantom 5 is just a larger Mavic Pro - whatever the size has to be for a stable platform for a great camera/gimbal system.
 
Hmmm... you send your bird to DJI and you get back a refurb. I don't think I have a problem with that. Assuming DJI Service takes quality consciousness seriously, they would have gone through everything before they sent the refurbished unit back to you. The refurb unit should be the functional equivalent of a brand new unit.

Besides that, I'm curious where the stress was that resulted in the crack. What comes to mind are unbalanced props that result in unwanted vibration.

If what happened to you happened to me I would dremel a channel through the underside of the crack. I would drill stop-holes at the ends of the cracks, then I would wipe everything with alcohol and fill the crack with epoxy.

Before I go out flying this weekend I'll balance my props and examine the body of my P4. looking for cracks or anything else that's nasty. Again, thank you for sharing this helpful information.

Regards,
rc
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...'..to each 'is own..'...
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