Hey folks,

I'm hoping that those more i the know that me might be able to weigh in.  A friend crashed her P4 over the weekend and when shown to a 'repair agent' they hissed and pretty much told her 'looks like a write off'.

I've seen some photos and it seems to me only a replacement top and bottom case is required.

I've tried to post 3 previous threads with pics but they were all removed instantly.

I'll post this without pics and see how it goes. I'll add pics if it works.

Thanks in advance

Corey

Sorry for the crash. To ensure the safety and performance, we'd recommend your friend to send it in for evaluation and get it repaired by engineers. Besides, unauthorized modification will avoid the warranty, for details, please visit: http://www.dji.com/service/policy

DJI Diana Posted at 2017-8-16 03:02
Sorry for the crash. To ensure the safety and performance, we'd recommend your friend to send it in for evaluation and get it repaired by engineers. Besides, unauthorized modification will avoid the warranty, for details, please visit: http://www.dji.com/service/policy

Thanks for the reply DJI Diana,

I have recommended this to her but $$ is an issue and for what could be a $100 fix (albeit voiding the warranty) this may be the best option for her.

If she does send it in for evaluation, will they return the device with a report of the issues/broken parts etc?

Thank you

The_Chadd Posted at 2017-8-16 03:13
Thanks for the reply DJI Diana,

I have recommended this to her but $$ is an issue and for what could be a $100 fix (albeit voiding the warranty) this may be the best option for her.

When the drone arrives at facility, a quotation will be sent to end user with the parts which need to be fixed/replaced after a thorough evaluation.
You can check the price of main part and service fee from the link below: shttps://repair.dji.com/en/SelfRepair/PriceQuery

DJI Mindy Posted at 2017-8-16 05:11
When the drone arrives at facility, a quotation will be sent to end user with the parts which need to be fixed/replaced after a thorough evaluation.
You can check the price of main part and service fee from the link below: shttps://repair.dji.com/en/SelfRepair/PriceQuery

Hi Mindy,

Seems the SelfRepair service is not available in my region (Australia).  

Don't think I've seen arms that badly damaged before, especially if the camera is still OK! What happened?

Repair costs for the P4 at DJI tend to be quite reasonable and also cover unexpected problems that would cost extra if you were fixing it yourself.   If you do it DIY then it will take a fair amount of time to complete.

If it is still all working except for not being able to fly due to the arms then yes, a new case may well be enough.

Certainly doesn't look like anywhere near a write off from the amount of damage we can see on those pics.

Looks pretty bad to me. Glimpse what seems to be side of battery compartment torn out .  Camera might be good  tho.  Sorry this happened.

Nigel_ Posted at 2017-8-16 15:39
Don't think I've seen arms that badly damaged before, especially if the camera is still OK! What happened?

Repair costs for the P4 at DJI tend to be quite reasonable and also cover unexpected problems that would cost extra if you were fixing it yourself.   If you do it DIY then it will take a fair amount of time to complete.

Hey Nigel,

Thanks for the reply.

I know, I was surprised to see that much damage too.  From what I hear, returning home under manual control it took off in a different direction and hit a tree..  then hit the ground.

Found out today that they have had it sent off to DJI for a quote.  Will they look at the logs to see if something untoward happened with the control system to make it take off like that? Is that sort of thing warranty related?

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-8-16 15:48
Looks pretty bad to me. Glimpse what seems to be side of battery compartment torn out .  Camera might be good  tho.  Sorry this happened.

Thanks Alabama.  Not my drone but still sad to see.  Owners are pretty devastated.

We'll wait to see what DJI have to say about it.

The_Chadd Posted at 2017-8-16 15:56
Hey Nigel,

Thanks for the reply.

I think if they accept the DJI quote then they should expect a fully working and tested aircraft back, even if DJI only quote for replacement case and there is more wrong, that is the advantage of using DJI for repairs.  They do tend to include everything that looks damaged though so the quote may be higher than expected.

Not sure how good the DJI service in Oz is, we hear some bad stories from the USA repair service and some good ones from elsewhere, I guess Oz is OK.

If it is still under warrantee then the damage may be covered if it crashed due to a fault,  maybe worth looking at the logs...   If there wasn't a fault then the logs may still be interesting and tell what not to do in future...

http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/upload/

The_Chadd Posted at 2017-8-16 15:59
Thanks Alabama.  Not my drone but still sad to see.  Owners are pretty devastated.

We'll wait to see what DJI have to say about it.

Do you happen to know where the drone was sent? In Australia? Back to China?

@Nigel_
I'll have to get the logs off the device wont I? Wonder if they will still be available once it's repaired and returned. I assume so as I would guess they wont have to replace the whole thing.  Or are the logs saved to the SD?  I forget...
And yes, i believe it is still under warranty.

@Geebax
I think it was sent to DJI Melbourne, Australia.  I'm in Adelaide.

The_Chadd Posted at 2017-8-16 16:42
@Nigel_
I'll have to get the logs off the device wont I? Wonder if they will still be available once it's repaired and returned. I assume so as I would guess they wont have to replace the whole thing.  Or are the logs saved to the SD?  I forget...
And yes, i believe it is still under warranty.

The flight logs are on the phone / tablet, if you follow that link then the instructions explain.
Definitely worth a look if it is under warrantee.

Most likely reason for it flying off unexpectedly is magnetic anomalies, was it in an area with a lot of iron ore?

The_Chadd Posted at 2017-8-16 15:23
Hi Mindy,

Seems the SelfRepair service is not available in my region (Australia).  

Sorry that Self-repair service is not available in Australia at present, please contact our online chat or call them or email to support@dji.com to start a ticket. Here is the link to obtain support: http://www.dji.com/support
If the drone is still in warranty, data analysis service can be applied for the reason of the accident. No worries.

Hi all,

So I finally got my hands on the drone. It's definitely worse than first expected.  Gimbal snapped, wires stripped, top and bottom case smashed on one arm.
Seen the footage and it seems to have uncontrollably flown directly backwards out of users control then hitting a tree 20ish mtrs up and then the inevitable ground contact.

More detailed pictures:






I'm not familiar with the flight logs (I will be uploading them using the link provided above) but wondering how I would be able to determine if there was a malfunction causing the craft to fly out of control?

Thanks

Hi All,

Just having a look at the flight logs.  


What does the green and yellow flight path mean?


The bottom left white dot is where it set the home point.
The bottom right white dot is warning "Cache space full"
The top red dot is battery warning "sufficient battery to return to home. RTH now"
The top white dot is a mystery, no message logged against this.
The bottom red dot is where it hit the tree "motors obstructed".



4 seconds before the tree strike all 4 battery cells dropped.



This seems to coincide with the video footage where it suddenly deviates heading and flies straight backwards and into the tree. Not responding to transmitter input or even letting go of all controls to halt flight.

Any ideas?  Is this worth getting DJI to investigate?

Thanks

Just for completeness...  This is where my query about a 'fault' stems from.  Even with a low battery, the device clearly flies in the direct opposite direction of Home Point before crashing.






I have logged a support ticket with DJI and will have the unit shipped off for investigation.

Hey all.

Quote back from DJI.   AUD$300.  Pretty happy with that.

Thanks for all your input.

I am completely impressed at all the data and the flight route.
I do hope I never need it.

James Whenman Posted at 2017-9-21 12:51
I am completely impressed at all the data and the flight route.
I do hope I never need it.

Yes, no we too, wouldn't wish to be in that boat...



It probably looks worse than it really is. But the shell is gone, and the gimbal needs replacement as well.

Not sure if that camera could still be used, but it appears to be ok.


Even though it looks like heck, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

$300 charge seems reasonable to me, considering the amount of labor it may involve.


RedHotPoker