taco-rc 3DPOWER Plug-N Play Brushless Gimbal Mount V3

0deuce0 · Jan 9, 2015

Hey everyone... Long time lurker, first time poster.

I purchased the taco-rc Plug and Play gimbal and was able to install it today. On first power on nothing happen, and thought maybe there is a on switch or something. Well, nothing on the device looks like an on switch so I decided to start with basic troubleshooting... First Power...

I powered off the dji and plugged the white cable back into the camera directly. Powered on the DJI, and the camera doesnt work.

Did this thing just fry my voltage?!?! Any help or ideas would be great...

Yes the camera worked fine prior to the install. I did the first step in the instructions and changed the gimbal settings in the software...

Help?!?!!
--tom

zenoshrdlu · Jan 9, 2015

Its very easy to cause a short when plugging/unplugging the camera plug when the Phantom is switched on. If the camera isn't working I suggest you open up the phantom. If you've fried something it will be where the camera cable connects to the main board - see below (it happened to me!).

0deuce0 · Jan 9, 2015

Well, looking at mine you might be right... Maybe I didnt have the cable all the way in or something.

Here is a photo of mine. Not as blown as yours, but its definately black in color. Time to get the voltmeter out i guess...

Next question is, how to fix!?!?

0deuce0 · Jan 9, 2015

If anyone knows what that is, please let me know...

J.James · Jan 9, 2015

So far no ones been able to say exactly what that part that burned is. it looks like its either a diode or a resistor. But dont seem to work as either and is not the same thing as the other one right next to it. BUT the best guess any one come up with is that its some kind of a fuse. and you are way not the first person to burn that part or worse if you ever plugged in or unplugged the camera while the phantom is powered up. Tho I do see you said that you shut it down before plugging in. But if the cable was not pushed all the way in it can do that to. and some times the plug seems like its all the way in but is snagged by the edge of the plug hole on the camera and shorts out. the 12vdc in to the wifi data bus that that part is part of. HOPEFULLY you did not also fry the camera to.

Now as far as fixing that part thats burnt there is 3 options. 1 you can get a whole new main board. option to is you can use some solder to bridge the 2 sides of that tiny part that burnt and make the circuit again BUT keep in mind that it also will not do what its supposed to do if you ever short out the wire again and some thing else will burn out in stead.
option 3 is to replace the part if you are skilled with soldering. When Mine burnt I chose to replace the part and even tho I did not know if it was a resistor diode or fuse I happened to find an exact one that is also a spare to borrow from. If you look in the back end of the main board there is an unused plug marked fan. and one of them thingy is on the circuit to the unused fan plug. and being there is no fan to need that spot or that thingy that burned I used some tweezers and a soldeing iron to remove it. and the burned one off the board then soldered it in were the burnt one was. IN my case I also had to do some fixin of the pins on that plug and one of the legs that go to the board on that plug cause my short was so bad it melted on of the pins and the leg as well as the wires in the white cable. BUT yours dont look like it did any of that. Mine got zapped when I had the camera unplugged and I had the phantom powered up and I moved it on my counter and the plug hit a tool on the counter and made a big giant arc. WOOPS

here is another post thats one of a few about that thingy do hicky that is burnt on your board. viewtopic.php?f=19&t=30556&p=279619&hilit=diode#p279619

0deuce0 · Jan 9, 2015

Wow great find on the extra one! I will check it out and get some readings off of it to see what it is. I was thinking it was a SMD Ceramic Capacitor...

http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/d ... acitor.php

0deuce0 · Jan 9, 2015

Just FYI... Here are the readings I got...

I am assuming the red wire that I am getting 1.05V on needs to up around 12V. Anyone able to read that voltage for me (on a good one) ?!?

J.James · Jan 9, 2015

That small red wire should be giving you 12v + But I cant remember if the white one or black one is the dc -

I can take some readings tomorrow. on that spot. I am trying to track down were some thing gave up some were along that path from that plug and the data bus thats also connected to the gps and the compass as well as the data pins on the battery.

I installed a different gimble the other day and for some reason that I cant figure out long after I had it in and working some thing gave and I have no gps no compass and the naza assistant is also telling me I have no battery or a main board either. and in my app for the camera I only have video but nothing that needs communication with the phantoms board to get.
and the only thing that happened between the time I got it installed and the problem happening hours later was after I got the gibls setting in the soft ware all working right then pluged in the usb back to the phantom and started getting the no compass and non dji warnings poping up. Tho I just cant figure out how the hell the gimbals soft ware frigged up any thing inless there wwas a power surge threw the usb on the gimbles board to the phantom some how.

BUT I do know the one thing that does still work on my board and checks out ok is the thingy you have burned out which is the circuit that provides the 12dc from the battery for the camera.

But this might be of some help to you to. "Phantom 2 PCBs, Schematics and Info" that some one posted just recently. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28252&p=294008&hilit=schematic#p294008

.

0deuce0 · Jan 10, 2015

Wow that is great...

Looking at the schematic though... The interesting thing is the diagram pins 3 and 4 seem to be reverse of what you would think a red and black wire would be... I will have to get my voltmeter out again and see what is going on... Of course, maybe Im looking at it upside down.

0deuce0 · Jan 16, 2015

Just an update to close out this post...

I ordered a replacement main board from amain.com and replaced my old one. Everything is fine. Well I have a couple issues that I have to figure out on this forum but please note that the item that I circled in the photo above was dead. There was full resistance measuring across it, and just around 100 ohms on the new one.

j.james, the other one that you found by the 'fan' marking on the board is not the same SMD... but if it works...

-- Now I am getting "Invalid Battery" and my new gimbal isnt level... Off to reading...