Phantom 3 inferior to Phantom 2 in this regard?

[MikeTess]

I came across a YT video from Simon Newton where he opens his P3 and he's talking about how everything is now integrated into the motherboard including the ESCs. So basically the P3 is not a "modular" configuration like the P2. Further research and tooling around on the interwebs seemed to indicate that if a single component should need to be replaced in the P3 the whole motherboard would need to be replaced at around $600. Is this right? Anyone have any experience with repairing their P3 components? Been thinking about adding the P3 to the stable but this kind of made me rethink? Thanks for input.

Mike

 

[jryser]

The P3 is SO superior to the P2 you will not care. Trust me!


Sent from my PT beating heart

 

[MikeTess]

The P3 is SO superior to the P2 you will not care. Trust me!


Sent from my PT beating heart

LOL, but my wallet might!

 

[penguinmaster]

I came across a YT video from Simon Newton where he opens his P3 and he's talking about how everything is now integrated into the motherboard including the ESCs. So basically the P3 is not a "modular" configuration like the P2. Further research and tooling around on the interwebs seemed to indicate that if a single component should need to be replaced in the P3 the whole motherboard would need to be replaced at around $600. Is this right? Anyone have any experience with repairing their P3 components? Been thinking about adding the P3 to the stable but this kind of made me rethink? Thanks for input.

Mike

hey mike im so mad I bought the p3 I wish I would have bought a p2 vision +.im filing a claim in small caims to get my money back for this piece of junk.no follow me no ground station and no poi.i could have bought a x350 for four hundred that comes with all that.i sugest you all do the same

 

[MikeTess]

hey mike im so mad I bought the p3 I wish I would have bought a p2 vision +.im filing a claim in small caims to get my money back for this piece of junk.no follow me no ground station and no poi.i could have bought a x350 for four hundred that comes with all that.i sugest you all do the same

Hi penguin,
I read those bells and whistles will be coming with future firmware and software upgrades. I think I read it on the DJI forums.

 

[Chicago1]

An upgrade to one person is a downgrade to another - if it is not broke .....

 

[ianwood]

So far, I know of one case where a P3 ESC went bad. That would require a replacement mainboard and not cheap. But with only one incident out of all the users on this site, not bad odds.

 

[Deleted member 29014]

The P3 is SO superior to the P2 you will not care. Trust me!


Sent from my PT beating heart

 

[cdronefly]

If you are worried buy your P3 from B&H - SquareTrade allows them to sell the crash or repair warranty......

But in the scheme of things this is an improvement - not a downside. Separate components means more failures - period. More wires, solder joints, components, etc.

As the P3 matures there will likely be 3rd party shops and maybe even DJI who will do board swaps and repairs. Some other 3rd parties may offer warranties. If you crash a camera/gimbal/quad it is going to cost you no matter what. But look at the brighter side and various alternatives....many times you can sell the various parts (Remote, etc.) left over from your crash for a good buck...and then buy another P3. You are still in for less of an investment than many other machines....

 

[Timtro]

P3 Pros and cons - One board, fewer solder connections for jumpers, but more chance a hard landing might create nasty little (intermittent) cracks in the trace. I broke a GPS that way: $200 fix at Atlanta Hobby.

Balancing my P2H3 that is paid for against the new features on the P3, I'm keeping my P2H3 for now. I might be tempted by whatever a P3+ or P4 might have to offer, but we'll see when that time comes. The Inspire didn't inspire me that much either.

 

[MikeTess]

If you are worried buy your P3 from B&H - SquareTrade allows them to sell the crash or repair warranty......

But in the scheme of things this is an improvement - not a downside. Separate components means more failures - period. More wires, solder joints, components, etc.

As the P3 matures there will likely be 3rd party shops and maybe even DJI who will do board swaps and repairs. Some other 3rd parties may offer warranties. If you crash a camera/gimbal/quad it is going to cost you no matter what. But look at the brighter side and various alternatives....many times you can sell the various parts (Remote, etc.) left over from your crash for a good buck...and then buy another P3. You are still in for less of an investment than many other machines....

Yeah, i saw the crash/repair warranties some vendors are offering. Reasonably priced. Seems like the way to go.

 

[tcope]

If you are worried buy your P3 from B&H - SquareTrade allows them to sell the crash or repair warranty......

This is incorrect. No one should be adding a ST warranty option to the sale of a drone. ST does not warranty Phantoms.

 

[cdronefly]

This is incorrect. No one should be adding a ST warranty option to the sale of a drone. ST does not warranty Phantoms.

Sorry, but you are wrong. I contacted SquareTrade directly (corporate twitter account) and they state that ONLY those sold through B&H are eligible.
One guy has even already gotten his replacement for a crashed one.

If you don't want to believe it, that's your choice.

 

[MDR]

This is incorrect. No one should be adding a ST warranty option to the sale of a drone. ST does not warranty Phantoms.

Thru B and H Photo they do, I bought one. My drone is fully covered for two years....no deductible.

 

[tcope]

Sorry, but you are wrong. I contacted SquareTrade directly (corporate twitter account) and they state that ONLY those sold through B&H are eligible.
One guy has even already gotten his replacement for a crashed one.

Thanks for the correction.

 

[witold]

Overall P3 is better integrated and a nice package.

But in 4 ways, it pisses me off compared to my P2:

1. The Android App sucks. Video lag/stutter that is hard to remedy. I rooted my tablet, uninstalled and disabled everything, optimized everything - it helped but it still lags/stutters.

2. Tablet for a monitor is nice since you can change all settings on the fly. But on a sunny day, most tablets are not very visible at all. I put a matte screen on and build a very big screen for my Tab Pro and it's finally OK to use. But it still sucks compared to my Black Pearl/Sharp Vision. With those monitors, I barely need any screens they are so bright, everything is very easy to see on a sunny day.

3. Integration is a double edged sword. You gain efficiency/etc, but you lose ability to fix. My friend recently had a very gentle crash and didn't shut down the motors quickly enough. He burned out an ESC. That was 1 and a half month ago. He's still waiting for DJI "service" and I doubt it will cost $40 for an ESC.

But modularity is a bit of a myth. My hand build quads always have something or other going wrong, losing screws, some wire getting frayed, etc.

4. It's a complex machine. I'm dealing with the uneven horizon right now. If anyone else sold P3 and it was more niche, we would've be screwed trying to work out all the various issues. But this is DJI and P3 has tons of support, accessories, communities and user groups. There are issues, but nothing we can't google and resolve.