Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy!)

[ElGuano]

I hope a fw fix addresses it too...the only thing that makes me wonder is the fact that the standalone is so delayed (well not officially, just not released yet). Makes me wonder if changes are being made to the GCU...

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

Makes me wonder if changes are being made to the GCU...

Bingo. And whatever hardware changes they may make wouldn't be reflected on the P2 mainboard, so will there then be two operationally different "versions" of the H3-3D (those with the new GCU and those with the old H3-2D one or a P2 mainboard)?

 

[ElGuano]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I don't want to derail this thread, but it's possible the P2 board already has any hypothetical upgrades baked in. It's very likely it was built with the H3-3D in mind. Useless speculation, but that's all we've got to work with

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I don't want to derail this thread

Ehhh don't sweat it, the moderators will never see it in here :roll: I suspected as well that the P2 board was built with the H3-3D in mind, I just wondered if the delay in the GCU meant hardware changes too that would be implemented after the P2 was designed.

Anyway, back on topic-ish: I'm about to do a teardown on my 1.5 to hopefully finally find and eliminate the source of my vibrations/shuddering that have plagued me for a while. They come and go, gains don't seem to have any effect, and it's happening in ATTI as well as GPS modes...my money is on bearings/motors, but I want to make sure I've eliminated every other possible cause before getting in to those.

On that note, does anybody have any recommendations for bearings to use in the t-motors? I've heard boca bearings suggested somewhere before, but I haven't researched or been shopping for all this stuff yet so I don't know where to start with those.

 

[djp4059]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

Sorry to hear about your crash/flyaway PJA, when I first bought mine I started reading the forums and when I read about flyways
I was afraid to fly the thing.

Would anybody agree with me that, it seems that we spend more time on the bench with these things then actually flying them.

 

[ElGuano]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

Would anybody agree with me that, it seems that we spend more time on the bench with these things then actually flying them.

Well, unless you've got a tethered power supply, in the literal sense I cannot see this statement being untrue

 

[djp4059]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

Well, unless you've got a tethered power supply, in the literal sense I cannot see this statement being untrue

So true ElGuano. Either that or a couple hundred batteries.

 

[GearLoose]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I'm still in an undecided "shoes or boots?" situation vis-a-vis the upgrade board. I have no plan to install a ZenMuse, mainly because I'm quite happy with the crash-resistance of my Tarot. ElGuano, can you give me a ballpark estimate of how much weight I might save with the upgrade board? As long as this thing is still on the operating table I might just as well make all the mods I can.

GearLoose: The upgrade board path is more work, but unless you're going to replace your Tarot with an H3-3D in the future, it's probably the more efficient solution. It'll support your iOSD and Datalink without needing a Can-Hub or extending the Sarawuth mod further.

If you're planning on going with the 3-axis Zen when the standalone is released, EMC mentioned earlier that the upgrade board doesn't work with it, so you'd need to work in a GCU solution anyways...

 

[ElGuano]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

Depending on how your soldering/wirework is, the upgrade board with Sarawuth mod is about 8-10g more than the stock board, installed.

The PMU is 28g. You don't have to worry about the GCU if you're not going Zen, which helps a lot.

I removed the casing from a PMU and redid all the wires, cutting 20g off the weight. And I chopped up my stock mainboard to the tune of 9g savings, so technically even with PMU installed I'm still I'm ~1g lighter than a stock Phantom, and ~20g less than going with the upgrade board (as I'd lose the weight savings from the stock mainboard, plus the added weight of the upgrade board).

But unless you do obnoxious stuff like that, the upgrade board is the gram for gram winner over the PMU.

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I have my 1.5 opened up on the bench right now, trying to pin down the erratic flight behavior and shuddering I haven't gotten rid of. I went ahead and pulled the GPS board out just to make sure it looked ok since I'm not sure if I'd ever done that after the 2nd crash I had a while ago (like Nov maybe). No cracks found, but I do see these weird spots on the ceramic antenna's cover that look like burn marks:

Any idea what's up with that?

 

[ElGuano]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I have my 1.5 opened up on the bench right now, trying to pin down the erratic flight behavior and shuddering I haven't gotten rid of. I went ahead and pulled the GPS board out just to make sure it looked ok since I'm not sure if I'd ever done that after the 2nd crash I had a while ago (like Nov maybe). No cracks found, but I do see these weird spots on the ceramic antenna's cover that look like burn marks:


Any idea what's up with that?

I can't find it now, but I could have swore I read a post a few days ago about someone's GPS module overheating. They tracked it down to a bad solder connecting the main and sub GPS-boards and were able to fix it. No idea if this has anything to do with your issue but the timing was apropos. I have no idea how hot that patch antenna gets during operation, but I wouldn't have thought it gets warm....

 

[PJA]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

I want to thank EMCSQUAR, OI Photography, GearLoose, DeweyAXD and ElGuano for your nice words of encouragement...

I am going to leave my P1.5 as is for awhile, until I feel like doing something about it. I'm going to put my energy into getting my f550 in the air for it's Maiden Flight in a few days... Wish me luck on that one :roll:

Once I'm ready, I'll be posting pictures and video on the f550's Pilot's Lounge thread...

As for your P1.5, OI... Do you really think that the Compass Puck would be your flying problem? I don't remember seeing 'burns' on mine when I transferred it from my P1 shell...

I'm kind of thinking my compass puck or my NAZA-M is the culprit in my erratic Phantom flights lately... Elguano mentioned some possibility of the sensitivity of the NAZA after a crash. I did add a new leg compass on my P1.5 build, so I would think that's OK. Actually, the only original parts from my P1 was the Naza, compass puck, and two ESC's... Everything else I upgraded... I'll see & learn more when I open the shell for answers... We'll see...

Would anyone know where I can find a good price on the Zemuse Gimbal Bracket? I'll need to get one of those either way...
Cheapest price I found was on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261436772177?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[PJA]

In reference to the Compass Puck...

Let me know what you guys think...

I was going to do this mod last September on my P1, but I didn't find anyone who tried it and could vouch for it's compatibility...

It would eliminate the compass antennae on the leg... Take a look:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DJIGuys/permalink/539008059505567/

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

@PJA: I know you'll be back to your 1.5 someday, when you need a break from all the joy your 550 will bring The only reason you're getting a pass for now is because that's where you'll be spending your efforts instead.

I don't know if the GPS is the cause of my issue, I'd say the odds are probably not because it *seems* to exhibit the same behavior in ATTI mode. However, I may be fighting a two-headed dragon here with a vibration issue on one hand and very sloppy position hold on the other. I'm trying to take it one possible cause at a time, and the GPS just happened to be next on my list.

I can't find it now, but I could have swore I read a post a few days ago about someone's GPS module overheating. They tracked it down to a bad solder connecting the main and sub GPS-boards and were able to fix it. No idea if this has anything to do with your issue but the timing was apropos. I have no idea how hot that patch antenna gets during operation, but I wouldn't have thought it gets warm....

Yep I remembered it too but didn't turn it up immediately. The solder connections on this all look good, but I may just replace the antenna anyway. Do you have a link for those? I know I've seen a site that has them but I can't find it in any of my bookmarks now. Also, what about a source for needlenose to use with the retainer clips on tmotors (not the C-shaped ones on DJI motors, but the ones that look like rings with bull horns)

 

[PJA]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

... does anybody have any recommendations for bearings to use in the t-motors? I've heard boca bearings suggested somewhere before, but I haven't researched or been shopping for all this stuff yet so I don't know where to start with those.

I don't understand, OI... Aren't your t-motors new? I heard they rarely go bad and the bearings hardly ever need to be changed... I don't know if I would want to 'play' with them like that... Why open them up and ask for trouble?

 

[PJA]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

WOW! Just found this from another thread... This is very sad and yet it made me laugh at the same time.

There is definitely a very big problem with the design of the DJI UAV's which leads people to go this far because of their loss...

https://www.facebook.com/djiflyaway

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

... does anybody have any recommendations for bearings to use in the t-motors? I've heard boca bearings suggested somewhere before, but I haven't researched or been shopping for all this stuff yet so I don't know where to start with those.

I don't understand, OI... Aren't your t-motors new? I heard they rarely go bad and the bearings hardly ever need to be changed... I don't know if I would want to 'play' with them like that... Why open them up and ask for trouble?

Your logic is sound, but I've been using these since November at least, maybe even October. They don't have an excessive amount of hours on them, but I confess I've never done any maintenance on them and even motors with the best bearings can still have issues sometimes. Bearing problems and imbalance motors are both potential causes of the issues I'm seeing, so if other things before them on my list don't resolve the issue(s) I may end up having to open them up at some point anyway.

Motor maintenance like that isn't any more inherently dangerous than working on any other internal parts in your Phantom, you just have to take your time and be careful, and make sure you're following the proper procedures. Once you do a few, I'm sure it'll feel as natural as any other stuff you tinker with inside. And, you should at least get proficient enough with it that you can oil your motors (the bearings really) every now and then, which I really should have been doing before now.

 

[ElGuano]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

The solder connections on this all look good, but I may just replace the antenna anyway. Do you have a link for those? I know I've seen a site that has them but I can't find it in any of my bookmarks now. Also, what about a source for needlenose to use with the retainer clips on tmotors (not the C-shaped ones on DJI motors, but the ones that look like rings with bull horns)

Part number is GP.1575.25.2.A.02, manufactured by Taoglas. I remember reading you can find it at Digikey or Mouser for about $5.

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Video: Fitted my Phantom v1 into a Phantom 2 shell (easy

The solder connections on this all look good, but I may just replace the antenna anyway. Do you have a link for those? I know I've seen a site that has them but I can't find it in any of my bookmarks now. Also, what about a source for needlenose to use with the retainer clips on tmotors (not the C-shaped ones on DJI motors, but the ones that look like rings with bull horns)

Part number is GP.1575.25.2.A.02, manufactured by Taoglas. I remember reading you can find it at Digikey or Mouser for about $5.

Bueno

 

[ElGuano]

Re: In reference to the Compass Puck...

Let me know what you guys think...

I was going to do this mod last September on my P1, but I didn't find anyone who tried it and could vouch for it's compatibility...

It would eliminate the compass antennae on the leg... Take a look:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DJIGuys/permalink/539008059505567/

I've seen people do this successfully. What gives me pause is the fact that the standard NAZA puck with compass is undoubtedly cheaper to manufacture than a separate unit with a compass unit, mount, and wiring (and also benefits from economies of scale), yet DJI took that route with the Phantom. And the standard puck is raised 10-15cm to begin with, I figure that's a minimum distance that gets it away from electromagnetic interference to the magnetometer.

So why does using an integrated compass work? My guess is that some small but significant percentage of units experience compass deflection beyond acceptable bounds by being too close to the Naza, so the engineering decision was made to separate the compass from the body. Maybe it's as a low as 5%. Maybe the deflection is non-critical but pervasive. I have spare pucks but I've never seen the need to do this. If my GPS or compass unit broke, maybe I would. I'd keep an eye on it for quite a few flights though