Reliable upgrades to my Phantom 1.1.1

Joined
May 21, 2015
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Age
71
Just got my Phantom 1.1.1 and having great fun flying. I am just here to ask what sorts of upgrades would enhance its performance while carrying a camera. I have a Chinese GoPro knock-off for now and using a very plain mount. With the extra weight of a gimbal I was wondering what I could do to help the copter run better. I've heard I can use Phantom 2 props for better performance. Is that a good idea?
 
Hey Robbie, welcome to the forum and the hobby. I have the same model Phantom and have opted for the DJI 9450 thrust boosted props. I'm not sure how they differ from the 9443s, but they do give an extra 100 grams of lift capacity and an additional two minutes of flight time over the stock props. See my sig for other enhancements to this model and have a blast flying...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Robbie Gee
Hey Robbie, welcome to the forum and the hobby. I have the same model Phantom and have opted for the DJI 9450 thrust boosted props. I'm not sure how they differ from the 9443s, but they do give an extra 100 grams of lift capacity .

It is a pitch differance ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Robbie Gee and Ti22
Hey thanks 750r, do you know which one has more, and/or how much more? Do you know if the model number reflects the pitch and/or size in any way? Yeah, I know, lots of questions, and not meaning to hijack the OP, just interested in learning, and I'm sure others will be learning right alongside. Thanks in advance...:cool:
 
If the props are better and give longer flight time, why wouldn't DJI put them on the later models of the P1? Do gains have to be changed? Just curious. My P1s fly fine as far as performance on stock props but longer flight time would be nice. I also use stock 2200 batteries.
 
I was playing around this evening and did a crude test of some props by putting a weight on a scale and seeing how much each prop could lift.
I put the bird on atti and gunned the throttle on the only motor that had a prop. Here's what I got.

5,000 ft MSL, 63 degrees Fahrenheit, ThunderPower 2700 mAh 25C, 12.6 v @ start, 12.3v at end.
The number shown is grams of lift.

DJI 9443 with a busted tip (see pic) = 450 ............. DJI = :D
XOXO 9443 new, never used = 380 ........................ XOXO = KRAP
:mad:

While I was at it I put on a good condition 8050 prop and got 370 grams of lift.

I also put on my DJI 9450 props and got this:
New condition = 540
Nicked a little from one tip over, very minor = 530

EDIT: Guess I'll try putting the picture in again... :confused:

DJI 9443 busted TIP.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Ti22
Hey ifly, doesn't sound too crude to me. Nice testing. Thanks for taking the time to do so. Looks like the ole 9450s reign, eh?
 
  • Like
Reactions: IflyinWY
Hey ifly, doesn't sound too crude to me. Nice testing. Thanks for taking the time to do so. Looks like the ole 9450s reign, eh?

You're welcome. I sure like the 9450s. I will continue to use them until someone can show me why I shouldn't.

The DJI 9443 weighs about 11.5 grams, and feels sturdy :) compared to the
XOXO 9443 which is about 9.1 grams. :(

The knock-off is noticeable thinner and much more flexible. It was also difficult to thread onto the motor. That's an issue I have never had with DJI props.

I now feel like I wasted the $10, or whatever I spent on them. Maybe when I have no choice but to use them, they will get me through.

My test was very crude. The Phantom was sitting on the same table as the scale with the prop wash blowing directly on the weight and the scale. I also was using a battery vs. a constant voltage source.
I was just eye-balling the readout from the scale, no maximum recording method. I simply tried each prop twice and tried to average the max lift after a second or two at max power.

I really like how the broken DJI 9443 outperformed the brand new XOXO. :p
 
If the props are better and give longer flight time, why wouldn't DJI put them on the later models of the P1? Do gains have to be changed? Just curious. My P1s fly fine as far as performance on stock props but longer flight time would be nice. I also use stock 2200 batteries.

Hey Nick, I read somewhere here that the motors and ESCs are not designed for the additional load induced by the larger props. If I were flying at or near Sea Level, I may be concerned about the wear and tear. At this altitude, I don't believe it's going to be the props that do in my bird.
I've made no changes to my gains.
 
Hey Robbie, welcome to the forum and the hobby. I have the same model Phantom and have opted for the DJI 9450 thrust boosted props. I'm not sure how they differ from the 9443s, but they do give an extra 100 grams of lift capacity and an additional two minutes of flight time over the stock props. See my sig for other enhancements to this model and have a blast flying...

Thanks!! That's exactly the kind of thing I am trying to learn here.
 
Sure man, no sweat. There are some really talented and experienced folks on this forum (myself excluded) and a lot of us can learn a ton of stuff from them by doing just what you did, ...asking questions. Don't ever think a question is silly or dumb; if it sparks curiosity and interest, then it enriches us all. Thanks for taking part in the process :cool:
 
Hey Nick, I read somewhere here that the motors and ESCs are not designed for the additional load induced by the larger props. If I were flying at or near Sea Level, I may be concerned about the wear and tear. At this altitude, I don't believe it's going to be the props that do in my bird.
I've made no changes to my gains.

The motors are cheap and easy to find and that wear and tear does take a while to set in. I took my motors apart to check them and surprisingly they do not have to be maintained yet. I'm not an aggressive flyer for me its nice an easy so perhaps that is also a reason as its almost a year already.
 
Shameless plug for my video, but if you want a cheap OSD for your Phantom then the N1-OSD is pretty good.

No Horizon display, but Battery Voltage and %, Direction diamond/arrows, Climb rate, Lat and Long, Flight Timer, Satellite Count etc. etc. is very useful. Works with all Naza FCs and is ridiculously cheap.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Robbie Gee
+1 on Mallion's post! This thing is not only stupid cheap, but very programmable. Almost every icon representing a function is able to be displayed or not. And the best part is you can choose the location on the screen within a grid for the X/Y coordinates of where you want your icon to show. Very cool result after some simple programming with a button. Most folks that I've seen, mount this OSD inside the case, so you need to program BEFORE closing the shell, and of course test it to insure everything shows up where you want it. If you end up with this OSD, whatever you do, SAVE THIS VIDEO to disk. Unless you have total recall, you'll need to watch it more than once before you begin. I found that pausing the video and writing down the English translation for each setting helps a bunch.

Thanks for posting, Mallion :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Robbie Gee
Thanks for the +1, I may do more of these. You'll also find an N3-OSD video on my channel for P2 owners with a CANBUS hub. If you can stand to click on an advert after you've seen it, I'd appreciate it mightily. $1 per 1000 views doesn't pay the bills very quickly and those videos took hours. ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: rebelyellNC
Well Got the Phantom 2 props and it sure makes a different. Vertical acceleration is better and so is maneuverability. Well worth the upgrade. Thanks! That's the first upgrade. Also got a 4000maH battery but it's a bit big even after trimming the edges of the battery compartment. Someone should make a slightly larger battery door to compensate for slightly larger batteries. As it stands I cannot snap the door shut so I use a small piece of duct tape to hold it closed. It's so nice to have nearly double flight time. I'm getting spoiled and the 2200maH batteries are now backups.
 
Hey Robbie, here's something that may help with your battery door problem. With my original P1.1.1, the one I lost in crash, I had an extended battery door that was from a 3D printer. But with my replacement bird, I found I didn't need one and could still close the door with a click, if I was using the Multistar 4000mAh battery. What I did was to notch the left side of the battery door to accommodate the wires (main power plug, battery plug, and balance plug) and make the connection OUTSIDE the bird. This allows the battery to slide in fully and the door will still lock closed with all the wires outside. Then, when you're ready to power up, just plug the XT60 connectors together and you're all set.

One other thing that will help the battery fit better and the door close easier is to trim the excess plastic wrapping from around the end of the battery where the wires exit the pack. Just be careful not to take too much off or you'll begin to see bare solder connections. Hope this helps...
 
Hey Robbie, here's something that may help with your battery door problem. With my original P1.1.1, the one I lost in crash, I had an extended battery door that was from a 3D printer. But with my replacement bird, I found I didn't need one and could still close the door with a click, if I was using the Multistar 4000mAh battery. What I did was to notch the left side of the battery door to accommodate the wires (main power plug, battery plug, and balance plug) and make the connection OUTSIDE the bird. This allows the battery to slide in fully and the door will still lock closed with all the wires outside. Then, when you're ready to power up, just plug the XT60 connectors together and you're all set.

One other thing that will help the battery fit better and the door close easier is to trim the excess plastic wrapping from around the end of the battery where the wires exit the pack. Just be careful not to take too much off or you'll begin to see bare solder connections. Hope this helps...

Great idea! I am a bit creeped out about cutting a notch in the door but I don't think it will crack when I cut it.
 
Robbie, there's really no sweat about trimming the door. It's soft and flexible, and if you use a utility knife or X-acto knife with a new blade, it will be real easy. Just be sure to make the notch deep enough that it doesn't press on the wires and long enough that all eight wires can lay side by side in the opening. Good luck...
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,054
Messages
1,467,297
Members
104,919
Latest member
BobDan