Thank you for your feedback. I had no idea you were having trouble with them. Can you try them again and let me know exactly what seems to make them feel like they are hard to remove?
I'll give them another try at home, where I am not trying to immediately get the bird in the air, after traveling 400 miles, and can't get them off, which would have meant not being able to fly at all! It was a very frustrating first experience with them. They really aren't necessary in the case, so I just stopped using them altogether. As I recall (this was 6 weeks ago), pressing down on them and twisting them in the correct direction for removal did not release them, as it does the props. I had to really force them, to get them off. I suspect that they somehow don't allow enough clearance to allow the spring to be fully compressed, so they only half release the spring, even when fully depressed. I hope this helps. I'm sure they just need a slight tweaking of the design, if you haven't already done so.
They are certainly not as easy to remove as the props. I made them fit snugly around the motor shaft so that they would not wiggle from side to side. I didn't want them to put any tension on the delicate plastic parts they cover. You should be able to hold the motor with one hand and use the other to push, turn, and slide the motor cap up and off of the motor shaft.
Thank you for the generous offer. I'll play around with them a bit more. Could have just been the "pressure" of the moment, when they did not come off as easily as the props, that led to panic, and then frustration, in the heat of the moment. It was also 93° outside with 90% humidity, after 3 hours sleep, and two plane trips, just to fly the P4 in a new location away from home! Imagining not being able to get them off at all, or breaking the delicate plastic parts underneath during a forced removal, certainly didn't help! Could they possibly be slightly redesigned, to come off as easily as the props without jeopardizing their integrity? Theoretically, you would want them to come off more easily than the props, as you don't have the same leverage without the blades to twist.
They were initially looser (prior to my very first shipment) and I was not happy with how they fit. I certainly don't want to have them wobble and possibly put pressure on the white plastic parts of the lock below. After all, this part is supposed to protect them. I think my best bet is to hand sand them since 3D printers are not able to reproduce the parts 100% exactly. It's easy to take some off, but not possible to put some back on
Having now played with them again, after your explanations, I better understand how they work, and how I believe they are intended to be installed. Initially, I thought they were supposed twist on and lock, exactly like the props do. Now I believe the are only intended to be pushed on and pulled off without any twisting. I likely created my own problem when I twisted them on upon first installation, trying to lock them. Also, since they were brand new, the middle hole was tighter than after a few uses, making them even more difficult to remove. I can now install and remove them at will. The too tight ones were made a little looser by pushing them on and off a few times. Realizing that they aren't labeled for a left or right turn, like the props, led to my epiphany! They are universal and just push on, once properly aligned, on any prop mount. Have I got it right now?They were initially looser (prior to my very first shipment) and I was not happy with how they fit. I certainly don't want to have them wobble and possibly put pressure on the white plastic parts of the lock below. After all, this part is supposed to protect them. I think my best bet is to hand sand them since 3D printers are not able to reproduce the parts 100% exactly. It's easy to take some off, but not possible to put some back on
They are universal, but they will only lock on if you push down and turn them in the same direction the prop attaches. If you turn them in the opposite direction too far when removing them, they will also catch on the other end of the lock (which could make it seem like they are stuck). If yours don't lock onto all of the motors when turning them, let me know and I'll send you a new set.
Thanks again for the offer, but these are likely a good set that just needed a few more instructions on how to properly install and properly remove them, so they don't seem like they are stuck. Hopefully, our discussion here has helped others with the same issue. Thanks for clarifying everything.
I can definitely include instructions along with the caps. Other people might be having trouble too -- even though nobody else reached out to me.
The top prints first, so I'm not able to add any type of text/directions on top. I'm wondering if removing the locking mechanism all together (making them push on only) might be a better solution. Since they fit snuggly, I doubt they are going to slide off on their own.
I had some initail trouble getting them off too. But realized i was turning them too much. Not sure how to fully explain it, but all i did was twist them slowly with some upward pressure that as soon the cap cleared what ever was holding it down, then released
Even a permanent stick-on label on the tops might help, much like DJI puts on the P3 prop motors in the box, to make them black or silver prop specific and specify the correct install and removal direction on each.
I believe the confusion, upon initial removal, after unlocking, comes from the tightness of the spindle shaft in the cover hole. Putting them on unlocked several times and removing them unlocked will loosen them up a bit, so that when you do lock them, they will come off without a struggle, after unlocking them. The original panic occurs when, after unlocking them, you still can't get them off easily, and mistakenly assume they are now still locked, instead of just tight on the center spindle hole, needing to be lifted straight up with a little force. Obviously, if they were, or are, still locked, pulling up on them with force would break the very mounts they are intended to protect. I felt the same way about installing and removing the after market, hard plastic, P3 3D printed gimbal protectors! Putting them on and removing them was putting far more force on the gimbal than would ever happen in transport without a protector!Hey mike, wanted to let you know I received my package of all four of your products and those caps fit and work perfectly. I did notice that they fit nice and snug and when pushing down and turn to lock it's the same feel as putting on the props. Upon removal , one has to exercise patience and wiggle a little bit while pulling straight up after its twisted to unlock and they come off nicely. I like the snug fit and more important the protection they will provide. Charger cap fit perfect, along with battery plugs. Very nicely done. Thank you so much
I redesigned these a bit last week. Here's what the center of the caps look like now:
