Replaced the shell

[Perfdavid]

I have to say, best thing about these are the inexpensive shells. I was flying fpv with my Fatsharks and tried to negotiate through tree limbs at 30 feet up. It hit, turned upside down, and the fall wasn't nice. Anyway, I swapped out the guts into a new shell and she flies great!

 

[pwright]

Nice pic of all the guts out. heh.

Thanks!

 

[auck]

i'm in the middle of doing this myself

 

[Perfdavid]

i'm in the middle of doing this myself

The delay was waiting on the new shell. But it only took about an hour or so to dothe swap.

 

[Audaciter]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

 

[auck]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

i would not hesitate to do it now, forget soon. considering that it took almost 2 months for me to get mine, i really would not wait.

 

[FangsCPO]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

i would not hesitate to do it now, forget soon. considering that it took almost 2 months for me to get mine, i really would not wait.

Two months!!! I may have to add a back-up to my spare propeller stash. I have to admit, the small screws (Philip's screws) on the ends of the arms are so darn small. I don't think I even own a screwdriver that small. I'd also be afraid to strip the heads. Any issues removing those?

 

[BadWolf]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

I've bought some Plast Aid on Amazon. I haven't tried it yet, no cracks yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=IkTSpmS1zXY

 

[auck]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

i would not hesitate to do it now, forget soon. considering that it took almost 2 months for me to get mine, i really would not wait.

Two months!!! I may have to add a back-up to my spare propeller stash. I have to admit, the small screws (Philip's screws) on the ends of the arms are so darn small. I don't think I even own a screwdriver that small. I'd also be afraid to strip the heads. Any issues removing those?

they are #0 philips. you can get a good screw driver for them at your local hobby shop or electronic store (got mine at my local Frys). they are easy to remove and no problems yet (knocks on wood and crossing fingers).

 

[auck]

I can see I will have to order a replacement shell soon, I'm beginning to see cracks from one of the motor pods.

I've bought some Plast Aid on Amazon. I haven't tried it yet, no cracks yet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?nomobile=1&v=IkTSpmS1zXY

not tried this yet, but from what i can tell of the plastic of the shell, it is of a softer substance (giving it flex). i don't know how flexable plastaid is and worry it will damage the shell more than help after watching that video.

 

[BadWolf]

not tried this yet, but from what i can tell of the plastic of the shell, it is of a softer substance (giving it flex). i don't know how flexable plastaid is and worry it will damage the shell more than help after watching that video.

The plast Aid is hard but not brittle. It should be fine for small repairs, if it sticks? I'd rather patch mine first until it gets to the point where it needs to be replaced.

 

[DomKane]

i would not hesitate to do it now, forget soon. considering that it took almost 2 months for me to get mine, i really would not wait.

Where did you order it from?

 

[auck]

i would not hesitate to do it now, forget soon. considering that it took almost 2 months for me to get mine, i really would not wait.

Where did you order it from?

i got 2 of them one from http://www.dslrpros.com/ and the other from https://www.redrockethobbies.com/

the one from DSLRPros took 2 months because they were waiting on the shipment from DJI (and DSLRPros couldn't give me an ETA to when they would have the shells -- sent them 2 or 3 emails about it). got tired of waiting so i placed second order with redrockethobbies when i read somewhere that they were expecting a shipment of the shells in 2 weeks and still had 8 available. both places got their shipments at the same time so i got both of the shells at the same time

 

[DomKane]

Cheers... Looks like they're on back-order again.

They seem to be out of stock all around the UK too.

 

[MRSpyder2U]

Could you use fiberglass matte and 2-part epoxy resin to reinforce around the damaged area?

 

[Bart1]

After replacing your shell, does the USB connector still make a connection to the Naza assistant software on your PC? I replaced my shell and everything is working with the exception of the USB. I've double checked to ensure that everything is plugged in properly but still no USB connectivity.

I'm still seeking an alternate solution since emails to both DJI and my retailer have not generated any workable solution. I really need to recalibrate (using the Naza s/w) but obviously can't. As such my flying has been very limited and when I do risk flying it, I try to keep it lower than 20 feet and within 10 yards. I simply don't trust it beyond this distance without proper calibration.

I see a few have replaced the USB cable, I wonder how I could go about replacing the USB connector/PC board entirely? Is that even even possible?

[Edited to add:] Also, there were some minor differences between the old shell and the new/replacement shell. The screw plates (?) to which the wing screws connect are larger and stronger looking on the new shell than on the old shell.

 

[Stevo10189]

Sounds like you may have damaged something in the transition. Where did you get your replacement shell??!?!?!?!?!? I need it badly!!!!

 

[Gizmo3000]

I almost got stuck in the 2 month wait,. but lucked out as I guess I was was one of the earliest "shell damagers" and was able to procure a used shell (from a return I guess) while waiting impatiently for that **** cargo ship to land.
But being unable to fly smooth for 3 weeks was frustrating.
i tried fixing my shell by applying heat, which kinda bent things back a bit normal, it was fly-able, but the one motor was still off balance so I didn't want to risk flying further out.

if I bust my frame again, and shells are out of stock, I'll probably consider swapping everything to a F450 frame. The Phantom frame is just too fragile and annoying to open up to swap motors,.etc.

But it's definitely ideal to get the proper hex and phillips drivers from a local hobby shop if you can, makes it a lot easier in the end.

 

[Perfdavid]

You definitely damaged something. The swap is easy and only takes an hour. Mine worked great after.