Question about replacing grey ribbon cable to gimbal

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I'm doing a repair where the grey ribbon cable from main board to gimbal has to be replaced.
My question is - does the main board have to be removed to do this?
If yes, what else in addition has to be removed to have that cable easily go from main board to bottom of shell?
The youtube videos have been very helpful but haven't run into any that focus on this.
For a noobie, this forum has been helpful as well - thnx

Naim
 
Hi njmowatt, if it is the eight strand cable you are on about the answer is no the cable clips into the top of the main board, with a bit of hassle the cable will come out of a hole on the bottom of the casing but you will have to remove a connector down inside the shell to get the plug through! From memory I think it is the power supply plug and connector. You will also have to twist the cable in the casing as for some reason the plugs are arse about face try a dry run first and you will see what I mean the plug that goes into the gimbal WILL be the wrong way round. Takes approx 1 hour and a bit of patience, best of luck.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
Does the main board have to be removed to do this or just lifted to the extent the soldered wires will allow?
I think the connector you are referring to is the USB connector.
I might be able to remove that connector without taking out the main board - but getting back in - that might be kinda difficult.

thnx for your help on this

Naim
 
I did it by removing the four screws that hold the main board to the frame and lifted it so I could get the plug end between frame and circuit board, a slight magnetic screwdriver is all you need to remove the USB port there are two small screw to take out. You have to take it out because there is no way to get the plug past it to exit the hole in the bottom of the case. It is still a twat of a job to get the plug through as it is a very tight fit! Please do not forget to twist the cable in the casing if you don't you will regret it ( I did) and had to strip it again.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
Thnx for the info microchips.

Before I do anything however, I have to find replacements for the black & grey antenna wire. The connector for one of them cam off in the crash and hasn't been found yet (nor do I expect it to be). Without these brass connectors it's difficult to re- attach these wire to the gimbal body.

Does any one know where I can get replacements for these wires? They are not included in the same wire kit that the Grey cable comes in.
 
Those wires are you 2.4ghz antenna wires. It is DJI part 97, and they can be difficult to find. Have a search in the P3 standard/4k discussion forum for birdside stock antenna replacement or something like that. You can either replace those antennas, which requires removing the main board and I think the two rear motors, or you can install external antennas and get a little upgrade on your range if you go with dipole antennas. good luck!! I did the same thing and installed external antennas
 
After looking over those threads, the questions I have are -
  • Do you need the stock connectors that are mounted at the end of grey and black antenna wires? Mine are missing and I'd hate to have to buy the kit only to realize I need those missing connectors to make this work.
  • I'm favoring the rods over the T looking things. Are these interchangeable? Or is it a different installation for each?
  • I'm a huge fan of youtube learning. Is there a video available of either of these being installed on a Phantom 3?
thnx for all the help!
 
This is the kit I bought. It has the ufl connectors on one end and the female rfsma plug on one end. The ufl is the tiny connector that ripped off of the gimbal housing. The rpsma is the little coax looking connector I installed on the landing gear.

The rod shaped antennas are omni directional and the t shaped are dipole. The dipole have better range (so I'm told). Yes once you have the rpsma connector installed on the landing gear, you can unscrew them and install any other antenna with a male rpsma end.

I am flying mine with the omni antennas and the argtek mod in a very populated suburban neighborhood and am getting about 2000 feet range. I'm happy with that.

HUACAM HCM16 2 x 2.4GHz 6dBi Indoor Omni-directional Antenna 802.11n/b/g RP-SMA Female Connector + 2 x 12cm U.FL Mini PCI to RP-SMA Pigtail Antenna WiFi Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VHDXSSU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aRbGybE7ZFNRT



Sent from my VS987 using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
I should say that if you are removing the main board anyway to replace the gray ribbon cable, you might as well route the new cables through the phantom body. Or even replace the stock antennas if you can find them.
From what I understand, the stock antennas provide good signal and the first mod you do for range is usually replacing the remote control antennas.

Sent from my VS987 using PhantomPilots mobile app
 

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