Zenmuse Dead?

Would somebody with a dead ZM like to try / test something?

I suggest we check to see if the shaft for the brushless servo has been bent or misaligned, causing it to short and/or press against the sides enough to prevent it from turning?

I'm not exactly sure how the motors for the gimbal are internally wired, but for example, the stock phantom flight motors, (I'm guessing are wired in a "Delta" configuration) if you place a multimeter (WITHOUT A BATTERY CONNECTED) on any two of the wires for the motor, it should have the same resistance as any other combination of 2 wires from the same motor. It may need to be disconnect from the ESC to get an accurate reading, the ESC electronics might cause/change the resistance shown. If two of the wire are showing continuity, or 0 resistance, then the motor has a "phase-to-phase" short, and will get hot or possibly "wobble". It will also likely burn out the ESC powering it.

If somebody could disconnect there servo from the controller board and test the wires for the servo, I may shed some light on what is going on.
 
herbie-53-guy said:
I posted the same that mine was dead and there's got to be a problem, its now gone. I got word back from RCRUS, my gimbal is on its way to hong kong.
When i mentioned on DJI's facebook page that my gimbal had died they removed my post, great customer service...
 
herbie-53-guy said:
I posted the same that mine was dead and there's got to be a problem, its now gone. I got word back from RCRUS, my gimbal is on its way to hong kong.

Same response from RCRUS too. Unacceptable in my book. Sent back for repairs? They should be working with DJI to send replacements in a timely manner.
 
Darrell1 said:
I installed mine today. Geez - what a pain getting everything to fit. It is crazy and just does not seem to be a good idea to cram everything in this case. I also cannot believe just how heavy the gimbal is!

Anyway, my first flight was fine. A few hours later, when I powered it up for flight number two, during the Phantom warm up process, I could smell it burning. I removed the battery and the gimbal was extremely hot. It seems mine is fried now too.

:evil:
*** UPDATE ***
I contacted my dealer (RCRUS.com) and DJI about the problem. No word from DJI, but rcrus.com replied right away. They told me not to worry - that they would get me a replacement right away. First, they wanted to verify that I installed the new firmware, which I had, BUT A NEW FIRMWARE WAS JUST RELEASED TODAY! That solved my problem!

Mine was obviously not hot enough to cause noticeable damage. With testing, everything seems to be okay now.
 
Darrell1 said:
Darrell1 said:
I installed mine today. Geez - what a pain getting everything to fit. It is crazy and just does not seem to be a good idea to cram everything in this case. I also cannot believe just how heavy the gimbal is!

Anyway, my first flight was fine. A few hours later, when I powered it up for flight number two, during the Phantom warm up process, I could smell it burning. I removed the battery and the gimbal was extremely hot. It seems mine is fried now too.

:evil:
*** UPDATE ***
I contacted my dealer (RCRUS.com) and DJI about the problem. No word from DJI, but rcrus.com replied right away. They told me not to worry - that they would get me a replacement right away. First, they wanted to verify that I installed the new firmware, which I had, BUT A NEW FIRMWARE WAS JUST RELEASED TODAY! That solved my problem!

Mine was obviously not hot enough to cause noticeable damage. With testing, everything seems to be okay now.
After looking at the website now, I could be wrong about firmware being released today. Anyway, I am now running 1.4 and things seem to be fine.
 
my zenmuse made about 5 flights -- during which time the gimble worked quite well (although in wind i still had jelly issues).
then it just went limp - none of the screeching sounds that many others have described... just a dead useless 700 paper weight (800 if you include the pro install from dronefly.com). Sounds like DJI released their product before it was perfected and tested. I'll be ok with that as long as they supply me with new ones that do what they are made to do until they perfect it.

not good :(
 
cinemabird said:
my zenmuse made about 5 flights -- during which time the gimble worked quite well (although in wind i still had jelly issues).
then it just went limp - none of the screeching sounds that many others have described... just a dead useless 700 paper weight (800 if you include the pro install from dronefly.com). Sounds like DJI released their product before it was perfected and tested. I'll be ok with that as long as they supply me with new ones that do what they are made to do until they perfect it.

not good :(
So glad i sent mine back for a refund..
 
rprew said:
herbie-53-guy said:
I posted the same that mine was dead and there's got to be a problem, its now gone. I got word back from RCRUS, my gimbal is on its way to hong kong.

Same response from RCRUS too. Unacceptable in my book. Sent back for repairs? They should be working with DJI to send replacements in a timely manner.


Thanks to RCRUS (http://www.intelligentuas.com) for sending out a replacement. Installed, firmware updated, fingers crossed....
 
I posted this on another thread but clearly there's an issue.

Mine burned up on about the third outing and from what I've seen it's pretty standard. They clearly released this with either some serious firmware issues or that back motor was badly designed. My supplier told me that DJI was sending them replacement gimbals but it seems to me that they have to build into the firmware a "hibernation" mode that kicks in if the motors start heating up. The Phantom is a very robust product and the thought of having a permanent attachment (there's no easy way of removing the gimbal due to the orientation of the multi-plug) that is so seeming fragile contradicts DJi's whole marketing strategy. We're paying double or triple the other gimbal offerings for the fit and finish similar to the Phantom. It's still a hobbyist's plaything even though so many are making really splendid movies.

My sincere hope is that this new round of gimbals will turn themselves off at the first hint of stress via firmware which oddly enough was supposed to be part of 3.14. We'll see.
 
I have also had a similar problem. Gimble went dead randomly after a few weeks of nice flying. Dealer said it went into "hibernation" and that an re install of the update would fix it. I updated everything. Naza. Naza assist. Zenmuse assist and it still just dangles on the phantom. When I recycle power the gimble just twitches and falls limp again. So I'm calling the dealer first thing in the morning. It's a bummer they haven't smoother this out. It at least put a hard reset function on the zenmuse assist to correct the problem. Any help would be awesome if someone has found a cure.
 
Knowicki said:
I have also had a similar problem. Gimble went dead randomly after a few weeks of nice flying. Dealer said it went into "hibernation" and that an re install of the update would fix it. I updated everything. Naza. Naza assist. Zenmuse assist and it still just dangles on the phantom. When I recycle power the gimble just twitches and falls limp again. So I'm calling the dealer first thing in the morning. It's a bummer they haven't smoother this out. It at least put a hard reset function on the zenmuse assist to correct the problem. Any help would be awesome if someone has found a cure.
Of what I understand there are problems with some V1 Zenmuse. V2 with hardware changes are do out in a week or two. Getting this from my dealer.just passing along 3rd party info.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I called my dealer at aerial media pros in California and they were very helpful. They are going to send the gimble to dji in china and they will fix it if there's no outside damage like if had crashed or something. It's still in the 30 day period some I'm hope not to have to spend any more money on it. Just sucks I won't have my gimble for a few weeks.
 
jonboy40 said:
I've had email contact with two DJI China guys over the past 24 hours - they are very aware of this problem and my dealer (Heliguy in the UK) is also working on this...

Yes, it's disappointing... yes, it's frustrating... but, at the moment, I do believe this is going to get sorted for everyone.


I'm sorry to report that my optimism about DJI was misplaced. After having some brief email contact with DJI China and even a phone call to me at work from DJI Germany – assuring me that I would get my gimbal replaced – the dialogue ran out and it became clear that I was in for an indefinite wait. As the weeks went by, I could see on the forums that gimbals were still failing – even with the raft of various software updates – and so I decided enough was enough. My dealer in the UK – Heliguy – has been superb over all of this. I really felt that they were trying their best but it became clear that even the authorised dealers suffer from difficult communication with DJI.

I got a full refund on the Zenmuse and have purchased an AeroXcraft gimbal instead:
http://www.aeroxcraft.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=61

It's early days, but how does the AeroXcraft compare with the Zenmuse?
PROS
- It works – again and again, without question, silently and effortlessly
- It runs completely independently of DJI's software
- Designed and made in Britain – yes, really!
- Dispatched within 4 days of ordering
- Almost half the cost of the Zenmuse
- Clear and detailed installation instructions in real English – mine even came with a hand-written ticket confirming quality control checks made before dispatch
- Very easy install – no need to get your soldering iron anywhere near the Phantom board
- Much better centre-of-gravity under the Phantom
- Much easier to clip the Go-Pro in and out of the cage (no screwdriver required!)
- The Go-Pro cage includes additional dampening
- The Go-Pro runs off its own battery rather than being connected to the Phantom's
- Easy optional connection for tilt control
- Video quality appears to be comparable to my brief experience with the Zenmuse

CONS
- The AeroXcraft's exposed circuit board and wiring makes their gimbal feel a bit vulnerable – it needs to be treated with respect!
- The GoPro hangs very low to the ground making take-off tricky from anything other than very short grass on a totally level surface. I've added two foam plumbing pipe tubes around the Phantom's feet to gain an extra centimetre or so for real-world use in the field. Works great!


Like so many people, I feel very disappointed with DJI. They score top marks for innovation when you consider how far the Phantom has come in its very short life, but they have a lot to learn about quality control and communication with their fans. The number of software updates since the initial release of the Zenmuse only proves the difficulties this product is having and the apparently uncoordinated release of tilt levers, PMU-V2s and upgraded Phantom boards doesn't inspire confidence. It feels like software and hardware releases are being rushed out with consumers used as beta-testers and no care for the damage that's being done to DJI's reputation.

I suspect that at some point in the future it WILL be possible to buy a Phantom and Zenmuse gimbal that does what it is supposed to do, reliably and effortlessly. And, while I appreciate that forums tend to be places where you only hear of problems, the sheer scale of what's happened with the Zenmuse suggests that time is still some way off.
 
So a month and a half later, i now have a new zenmuse. Going to install it tonight and see what happens. I will update to the latest firmware before flight to make sure all is up to date before i start
 
Hi there. One more allmost dead Zenmuse.
About 5-10 min. after instalation it stopped while inside the my house... No noise, no stabilization at all. I can hear a litle electrical noise when I put my ear close to the motores. Power is good on Gopro, charging well, but it does not work at all.
Double checked all cabels, folowed the instructions.
Any news about solutions on this problem?

Kai, Norway
 
Same issues, only worse... hanging like a dead fish... where are you guys sending them back? I emailed DJI thinking I'd need a RMA #, and they sent me an address and a phone # to a guy in Los Angeles, CA. Anyone experienced the same or had any luck sending to an LA address?
 

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