Preventative Maintenance checklist ideas

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Aaaaand there goes the foe button again. No more feeding this troll, although I suspect he's insatiable.

 

[corncrake]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Hi Pull_Up

Registered just to say thanks for the list!

You mentioned 3rd Party Liability Insurance, can I ask how much this was per anum?

Keep posting and ignore the trolls

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Hi! I will, and I do - although baiting 'em is sometimes fun there comes a time when you've got to stop feeding them.

I've got third party liability of £5,000,000 via http://www.fpvuk.org It's effectively a virtual model club and the insurance is included with your membership - currently £15.80 per annum (pro rated memberships are available). Good for model flying in the UK and Europe.

There are other clubs and societies you can join as well that offer a similar insurance product and also offer glossy membership magazines, etc. Pay your money and take your choice!

 

[BenDronePilot]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

And who gives you the authority to say who's authorized to say what, when? huh? Huh? answer me that? Quit causing trouble and take your foul mouth and invalid posts elsewhere.

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Please don't feed the trolls. Also, don't quote their messages, otherwise those who've added them to their foe lists will still get to see whatever nonsense they have written.

 

[Driffill]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Quoting the trolls also makes it more difficult for admins to remove the post if they so wish!

 

[MrFlats]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Pull_Up great advice, I also do the same PM to my 6 channel helli's but much more often! Sure is a lot of crap going on in here. Can't we just keep it professional, Pilots helping pilots, we are here to do one thing, have fun. Keeping your quad properly maintenanced is our responsibility.

thank you for the list pull_up.


Jeff

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Thanks Jeff, it's your sort of feedback I'm after. I know there's a lot of vibration going on with helis hence the shorter inspection times (just like with the real thing) but I don't know how much vibration there is in a quad like the Vision. I'm guessing if it's flown in GPS mode a lot there'll be more than in atti due to the constant corrective inputs, but don't know. It's also got a fairly stiff "frame" given the shell design (like an exoskeleton I guess) which must help in damping some of it - but maybe it makes transference of vibration worse. I don't know, hence offering up a discussion point.

 

[TexomaEV]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

What purpose are the spring loaded probes on the battery/P2V ? I know they are to make contact between the battery and the P2V itself but wonder how critical the connection has to be for safe/continuous flight.

Years ago, I worked in the QA department of a company that tested all it's electronic circuit boards with "Bed of Nail" fixtures. The circuit board was pulled down on to a fixture full of these spring loaded pins to measure various components and to check output signals, etc.... Anyhow over time the spring loaded pins would increase in resistance to the point we'd have to replace some of the pins from time to time, or attempt to clean them (ultrasonic cleaner) in order to keep the test fixture functioning properly.

The P2V is not operated in a clean room environment like we had the fixture/test equipment in, and if the pins could develop issues in there, I'm wondering how reliable the connection is in the P2V over time and if it's a critical measurement/connection for safe/continuous crash free flights.

I could certainly see where vibration could cause contact issues, especially as the internal springs weaken or the pin components get dirty and resistance increases.

Here's a link to some information on these types of spring loaded pins: http://www.coda-systems.co.uk/catalog/C ... alogue.pdf

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Those pins are vital. Not only do they send data on battery condition, cell voltages, temps, etc, etc, but they also transmit some form of code which the aircraft can verify to make sure only genuine DJI batteries are used. If either of those conditions are not met the aircraft won't fly if on the ground, or will send a warning message and suggest immediate landing if in the air. Prior to a firmware fix the latter wasn't happening and people were getting their aircraft immediately auto-landing or worse...

There has been some work done by forum members to measure the actual contact "window" for thos epins and it's been variable - some people (like myself) never had any in-flight issues at all and appear to have >1mm of contact, some have been measured at approaching 0.5mm of compression and it's these that have proved troublesome at times - obviously the manufacturing/installation tolerances are a bit off.

People have had success overcoming issues by regularly cleaning pins and battery contacts with alcohol and swabs or using dielectric contact enhancers/grease. But you make a good point, that perhaps on a weekly basis using something like a clean swab to clean and then fully cycle those pins in and out a couple of times might alleviate/highlight a problem. Thanks, I'll add it in now.

 

[TexomaEV]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Those pins are vital. Not only do they send data on battery condition, cell voltages, temps, etc, etc, but they also transmit some form of code which the aircraft can verify to make sure only genuine DJI batteries are used. If either of those conditions are not met the aircraft won't fly if on the ground, or will send a warning message and suggest immediate landing if in the air. Prior to a firmware fix the latter wasn't happening and people were getting their aircraft immediately auto-landing or worse...

There has been some work done by forum members to measure the actual contact "window" for thos epins and it's been variable - some people (like myself) never had any in-flight issues at all and appear to have >1mm of contact, some have been measured at approaching 0.5mm of compression and it's these that have proved troublesome at times - obviously the manufacturing/installation tolerances are a bit off.

People have had success overcoming issues by regularly cleaning pins and battery contacts with alcohol and swabs or using dielectric contact enhancers/grease. But you make a good point, that perhaps on a weekly basis using something like a clean swab to clean and then fully cycle those pins in and out a couple of times might alleviate/highlight a problem. Thanks, I'll add it in now.

Thanks for your work, on developing this for us to help avoid problems with the P2V. Another thing, I plan to keep my battery out of the P2V when in storage, so the push pins are not stored in the compressed state, thus giving them the chance to slowly loose spring tension over time. One can leave it in the P2V, but leave it unclipped so the battery sticks out a little away from the push pins.

 

[t.rexxer]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

1. If you don't like the thread, I have no problem with that.
2 . But if you don't like the thread, why keep reading it?
3. If you keep reading it, but don't like what's being said, why write on it?
4. If you do write on it, don't be rude.

The irony in your last post about behaving like a child is obviously lost on you (a language thing, perhaps?)

I see from the fact that you have ordered a Droneexpert.nl gimbal you have a lot more money to play with than I have - this probably explains why you don't see the need to inspect things for damage/potential failure. I get that. You can just go and buy another one. It's only 1000 euro after all. Well done.

Sadly, the number of people on my "foe" or ignore list has quadrupled in the last 10 days or so (with another one to be added just after I finish typing this). What's happening all of a sudden to attract the numbers of rude, ignorant and selfish people to the forum?!

<clicks username, clicks add to foe list, gets on with life>

Nice reply Pull Up. I likes your style :twisted:

+1

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

I've now seen a few stories on this and other forums about the circlips at the bottom of the motors coming off and the small washer/spacer underneath starting to rattle around inside the shell and in a couple of cases shorting out ESCs or electronics on the main board and causing a crash. It also means the only thing holding the motor housing to the aircraft was magnetism!

Might be worth unscrewing the motors every once in a while and visibly checking everything is still as it should be and using a small screwdriver to check the seating of those clips - as well as giving the Vision a little shake after each flight to make sure nothing's rattling?!

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Might be worth unscrewing the motors every once in a while and visibly checking everything is still as it should be and using a small screwdriver to check the seating of those clips - as well as giving the Vision a little shake after each flight to make sure nothing's rattling?!

Thanks for the heads up on this Pull_UP.

I am beginning to feel like I am working on a lunar landing attempt rather than flying my Phantom. Won't it be nice when we can finally hammer out these gremlins and relax a bit more up there

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Don't let it stop you enjoying it. The preventative maintenance thing is important for me as I can't afford to buy a new Vision if it plummets. If it does that because of something I could have caught before the event, I'd be even more gutted!

 

[BenDronePilot]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

I've now seen a few stories on this and other forums about the circlips at the bottom of the motors coming off and the small washer/spacer underneath starting to rattle around inside the shell and in a couple of cases shorting out ESCs or electronics on the main board and causing a crash. It also means the only thing holding the motor housing to the aircraft was magnetism!

Might be worth unscrewing the motors every once in a while and visibly checking everything is still as it should be and using a small screwdriver to check the seating of those clips - as well as giving the Vision a little shake after each flight to make sure nothing's rattling?!

It may be worth mentioning though that the people primarily having these problems have been involved in crashes before hand and probably shouldn't be of concern to those of us who remain crash free. I also wouldn't be surprised if other abnormal Phantom behavior was also not the result of a prior crash or flying in the rain or snow shortly before hand. Regardless of that, it never hurt to give it a shake here and there. *Says to the bartender* I'll have my Phantom shaken, not stirred. Thanks

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

Good point, well made. My only counter point would that in a high vibration environment there always a possibility of component failure due to fatigue, but you're right that without dinging it you're going to have to put quite a few hours on your aircraft to get to that point.

 

[seajunky]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

I used to work for a real aircraft company, and one of the things we used to do was to put varnish on the screw threads to stop vibration undoing the screws. It might be worth a go. I for one will be varnishing all of my screws.

Steve

 

[TexomaEV]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

I used to work for a real aircraft company, and one of the things we used to do was to put varnish on the screw threads to stop vibration undoing the screws. It might be worth a go. I for one will be varnishing all of my screws.

Steve

Steve, what would the advantage to varnish be over using blue loctite? I seem to remember seeing a dab of a blue substance on the screws provided with my phantom prop guards when I installed them on the Quad.

Also, curious do actual airplanes, put some sort of silicone adhesive on the outside of electrical connectors to keep them from separating due to vibration, yet still removable if service is needed? From the photos I've seen, it looks like there are a lot of connectors in the P2V that could eventually vibrate loose over time, even if they supposedly lock into place. Plus would the silicone be a good idea as a strain relief for any wires directly soldered into place? There's always that debate of soldered connections -vs- crimped connections.....

 

[Pull_Up]

Re: Preventative Maintenance checklists

That's an interesting tip, thanks for sharing. I have found the motor screws can work a little loose (unsurprisingly) over time, hence why I check and tighten regularly. I know Loctite or similar products are supposed to be avoided in the Phantom range as apparently it can do bad things to the plastics. However the shell screws all mount into metal plates inside - there's no direct screwing into plastic. Actually inside the Vision is quite impressive all round - good quality fixings, very good looking soldering, silicone to protect solder joints that might strain and sensible cable management.

EDIT Cross-posted with TexomaEV! Interesting questions, too.