Hello, (osrry if my english is ot very well)

While doing a small check of my inspire 2, I note a problem of inclination of the arms (see description below). I think this is the case since the beginning because there is no "play" and no crash of the drone, very little used. The drone is flying very well but apparently it is not normal.

Here is my problem:

As you can see in the photos, I realize that the right arm on the front photos, the feet are much more inclined than the left side. After more accurate verification (propeller alignement then precise mesurements), I see in fact that the right arm of the front photo, the foot has an angle of 97 ° with the ground and those on the other side is 93 °. My procedure is not 100% scientific and may seem distorted with the images but the difference is very real, it is also to the eye that I found this defect.

It even appears visual enough obvious that the feet on the right are too inclined.

I specify that after verification, it is not the engines that rotate, they do not move at all, it is rather the entire arm that has this inclination, that's why the problem is the same at the front and in the back !!!! the arm either does not move, it's like it's been like that from the beginning.

The problem is also seen in transport mode and arm up mode.

The forums and various members on the net confirm that it is a known problem and not normal.

My questions are:

1. can i fly like that or its not recommanded ?
2. Can I rectify myself this inclinaison, some  peoplehave done it and it is very simple but will I not have trouble with dji in case of problem.
3. If yes, what is the inclination recommended by dji please?
4. in case of sav, can you lend me or send me another drone and what are the deadlines please?


Please call me if needed: +33 6 75 62 55 10

See you soon
Thank you

I think your drone was straight when you bought it because you could easily notice this difference.

It slowly moved little by little in many flights

I have some photos and seems to be the same but not 100% sure due to photo are not in the same angle

But what i have to do ?

Thanks

Yes it is a fault, but possibly something that can be adjusted yourself.  There is a way to adjust the angle, but DJI have not published any instructions telling owners how to do it.  So either DJI should publish the instructions, or otherwise you will have to send it back to DJI for repair.

on the Inspire 1 there is a screw you can loosen to adjust the arm angle. but I believe this is missing on the I2

yes it is also on i2 but afraid to loose warantie if i do something on !!

Thanks

In first photo, it looks to me that the motor is sitting crooked in the arm mount and tilting outwards more?  Seems to have a bit of tilt sitting in it for some reason and maybe bolted down wrong or onto something.

I don't know if the arms need to be at the same angle if the motors themselves are canted sitting in the arms.  I would think when in flying mode, the props should be at the same angle, but on yours something seems askew someplace.  Someone posted about the changing of the smaller rod attachment to the arm given most of the arm and mounts are glued together.

Bonjour,

Nice job conveying the situation on your Inspire 2.  I have attached some photos showing the swing arm clamp on the I2.  I would look at both of your arms and see if one is loose  (more of a gap) which could tell you the side that needs to be adjusted.
The alignment clamp set screw (torx T9 ) will need to be loosened enough to free it from the ratchet grooves on the tubing.  Then you will need to measure at the prop tip the correct height based on the other side. Sorry I do not have the correct scale because this is a factory jig setting.
Hope this helps you

Also, if the Inspire 2 is under warranty, you will need to have DJI fix this at one of the repair centers. If you mess with it, that can void the warranty...

Rich

Rich, our veteran contributor, accurately described the adjusting procedure  in post #9. Unfortunately no reference nor any instructions are provided by DJI regarding this issue.  Judging by pictures, starboard side will be your reference. therefore port side need to be adjusted. Simply undo the clamping bolt until the entire boom with motors will rotate freely by hand inside T-joint. Align prop tips and tighten the clamp. Done.

However, basic DIY skills are required. Any local hobby store can do it for you, if you're not comfortable dealing with exotic bolts'n'stuff ...  

matsemiond.gmail Posted at 2018-2-7 07:53
yes it is also on i2 but afraid to loose warantie if i do something on !!

Thanks

if there is no DJI VOID sticker or glue in the screw head, they will have ZERO way of telling you did anything

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 2018-2-7 20:18
Rich, our veteran contributor, accurately described the adjusting procedure  in post #9. Unfortunately no reference nor any instructions are provided by DJI regarding this issue.  Judging by pictures, starboard side will be your reference. therefore port side need to be adjusted. Simply undo the clamping bolt until the entire boom with motors will rotate freely by hand inside T-joint. Align prop tips and tighten the clamp. Done.

However, basic DIY skills are required. Any local hobby store can do it for you, if you're not comfortable dealing with exotic bolts'n'stuff ...

Thanks Matthew, you are right, DJI usually tells everyone to send in their drone to service.  I understand  if the aircraft is under warranty and the owner does not have the ability to fix it.... sure send it to DJI.  There is very tight control on information, drawings, or instructions regarding these aircraft.  So you are on your own with the help of others that have experience with these matters.

I agree that this can be solved fairly easily   (if you have the right tools) and some mechanical skills.

Rich

TruGreen Posted at 2018-2-7 20:39
if there is no DJI VOID sticker or glue in the screw head, they will have ZERO way of telling you did anything

Hi TG

Yes, you are correct, no stickers or anything else that would give the adjustment away to DJI. But I wanted to make sure to say something about warranty liability and that DJI frowns on owners working on the drone.  


Rich  

We are sorry for this situation, unfortunately, I will still recommend to send in for repair service since if you repair by yourself, the warranty may get affected if any damage happens, appreciate your understanding.

@DJI Mindy@

What is the correct propeller tip height on the I2 please?  
This is an essential pre-flight check ... kindly tell us ...

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-2-8 03:01
We are sorry for this situation, unfortunately, I will still recommend to send in for repair service since if you repair by yourself, the warranty may get affected if any damage happens, appreciate your understanding.

All other companies who support their products provide training and instructions to their dealers so that they can fix such a simple matter at the local dealership.  DJI does not seem to understand that local support is vital to this kind of product.  I have sent products back to the L.A. repair depot for two different problems.  The first time they sent it back to me with the same fault.  The local dealer was so embarrassed that they gave me a new replacement unit which is what should have happened in the first place.  The second time the product was sent back to me NOT working three times.   I had to ship it back to them each time and ask that they repair it properly.  HELLO DJI...LOCAL SUPPORT!!!  It is necessary.  Put a training program in place to support your product.

RobAlbania Posted at 2018-2-8 07:47
@DJI Mindy@

What is the correct propeller tip height on the I2 please?  

Rob, this is irrelevant. Your responsibility as a pilot is to check the aircraft before take-off by walking around and looking for evident malfunctions or defects. Fixing eventual issues is performed by certified mechanics, not you. You're not allowed. Only mechanics are trained and equipped to apply proper torque to a particular bolt. To mess-up this clamp is very easy, and your Inspire will become a flying ticking bomb. That's why DJI - and any other sane manufacturer of flying machines - is trying to discourage "weekend warriors" like you and me ...

Unless ... you're a skilled hobbyist! After all, we aren't talking about Cessna or Hercules maintenance.
Unfortunately - judging by the nature of your question - you're not, I'm sorry to say. I hope my rudeness will not hurt your ego much ...

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 2018-2-8 20:15
Rob, this is irrelevant. Your responsibility as a pilot is to check the aircraft before take-off by walking around and looking for evident malfunctions or defects. Fixing eventual issues is performed by certified mechanics, not you. You're not allowed. Only mechanics are trained and equipped to apply proper torque to a particular bolt. To mess-up this clamp is very easy, and your Inspire will become a flying ticking bomb. That's why DJI - and any other sane manufacturer of flying machines - is trying to discourage "weekend warriors" like you and me ...

Unless ... you're a skilled hobbyist! After all, we aren't talking about Cessna or Hercules maintenance.

Matthew,

I think it best not make false assumptions or insult other forum members.

In actual fact I'm a chartered engineer who co-owned and operated an engineering CNC company named Best Bitz.  We manufactured CNC rotor heads for "Raptor" and turbine engined model helicopters.  Also I qualified as a BMFA r/c heli instructor in the UK, ran an r/c helicopter club in the UK for 6 years, and organised three public r/c helicopter "display shows" and I was responsible for public safety at these events.  Maybe I have some competence and understanding of model helicopter flight, safety, servicing and maintenance, do you think?

My question to DJI Mindy was deliberately kept simple: "what is the correct rotor tip height?".  There is a "correct value" of rotor offset angle for a quadcopter that can be calculated if you are an aeronautics engineer with specialist skills in rotorcraft design, but I do not have the time or patience to do all the calculations, even though I do understand the theory and I have a reference manual with the relevant equations.  DJI know the correct value, and there would be no harm to communicate this to owners of the I2, since owners of the I1 have been given that information in the form of a maintenance manual.

This question is directly relevant to commercial operators like me, and it is directly relevant to the OP.

Thanks,
Rob

RobAlbania Posted at 2018-2-9 04:52
Matthew,

I think it best not make false assumptions or insult other forum members.

Hi Rob

obviously you are very knowledgeable as many of our forum members are. This is the nice thing about sharing with others with a wide variety of backgrounds with common interests.

As a retired power transformer engineer and helicopter pilot, I believe Matthew was only trying to keep the pilot inspection separate from required maintenance by licensed repair techs. I agree with you that some more information should be made available to owners for determining if the aircraft is airworthy.

I saw your post to Mindy above,  but do not expect DJI to provide this information. I have asked for 2 years to get an informative drawing with component identification to accompany the Inspire 1 maintenance manual. I am sure that some of the repair centers have drawings and instructions but nothing has leaked out to the public. DJI purposely  holds all this information tight to the vest and require everyone to return their drones to DJI service. Pros and experienced operator's have requested information repeatedly and nothing has ever been delivered (to my knowledge)
Service and replacement parts are again tightly controlled, so that DJI will get most of the repair business. I understand the safety and liability aspect, but I feel there must be another way that capable owners can facilitate minor fixes themselves.   

Rich

RobAlbania Posted at 2018-2-9 04:52
Matthew,

I think it best not make false assumptions or insult other forum members.

Rob, I'm terrified that you completely missed my point. False assumptions? Perhaps, but softened by a smiley ... Insults? No way ... Aside from DJI policy to hold such informations tightly guarded, I've just tried to explain general reasoning for keeping us (pilots, NOT mechanics) away from aircraft maintenance issues. Nothing personal, and I apologize for badly chosen wording.

Said that ... As OP stated clearly, the aircraft is flying just fine with evidently misaligned motor boom. Apparently she can compensate for different thrusting geometry. I've seen Inspires configured with almost parallel motor axes and no issue whatsoever, I've seen Inspires with ridiculous misalignment as well. Loose clamp ... ah, that's different story, not the case here. Now, in a quad/hexacopter designs you'll see many different motors configuration: straight up, angled inward, outward, twisted ... All with - assumingly - some performance advantages or disadvantages, experts only really knows (or do they?).

Bottom line: the exact angle or perfect alignment is not really that much relevant as long as the propellers don't collide with FPV camera/sensors hardware. Since we (pilots, not mechanics) will never know what is the specified angle/propeller tip height/clamping bolt torque etc., only common sense may be of help ...


This last factor comes with experience and knowledge. Yes, some of us do possess such qualities indeed ...

Probably cheaper to do it yourself.

Very poor quality, I’m glad I passed on the inspire 2...

R&L Aerial photography Posted at 2018-2-9 15:14
Very poor quality, I’m glad I passed on the inspire 2...

RL
There have been some reported issues but I think the quality of the Inspire 2 is solid. I have really enjoyed my Inspire 2.  

As always, things can happen with high tech devices.  

Rich

Thanks all guys for answers. DJI says me its ok i do not have to touch it !!! Also Matia from kopterworx says me its not problem, just have to check if no change and id position is ok when upside.

I will keep fly like that and check all is good, also is very easey to do like my seller say me, i can do it without problem so for now i will let like this.

I'm still surprised that dji says its normal !!!

See you thanks

Also guys, a friend of me have motors which gone, did some of you have done some modiciation on motors mount to reinforce it ?

Thanks

matsemiond.gmail Posted at 2018-2-9 23:50
Also guys, a friend of me have motors which gone, did some of you have done some modiciation on motors mount to reinforce it ?

Thanks

We just designed and engineered a solution:
https://forum.dji.com/thread-135050-1-1.html

hi thanks, will send you mail

My I2 arm twisted so far that the front starboard prop hit the camera mount. This happened when the landing gear lowered 3 feet off the ground.  The front prop was ruined but luckily I made the landing with out hurting the bird.  I was in the field and needed to keep flying so I tightened The screw and made 2 more flights.  The tube is still not tight,  I am sending it in for repair. This bird has made at least 50 flights with not crashes or hard landings.  I am glad I did not lower the gear at 50 feet, this could have been a disaster.  I guess what I have learned is it may be a good idea to check all screws and bolts after a few flights. Seems like DJI should give us a maintenance list.

I’m going out on a limb here to resurrect this thread. Will people  with a brand new I2 please measure the height of the forward propellers (with stock propeller) from the deck to the outer tip of each prop while the props are 90 degrees to the body of the I2 and while the AC is in flight mode (not travel mode). This should provide a reference point for the manufacturer’s intended angle of the motors. If we get a few people responding to this request we can also interpret a range of “acceptable” angles.

Just to get things started. Here are pics of mine. It just got back from a full service by CloudCity Drones during which they reset the CF tube to resolve a rotation issue.

fansbd663903 Posted at 2018-5-31 10:58
I’m going out on a limb here to resurrect this thread. Will people  with a brand new I2 please measure the height of the forward propellers (with stock propeller) from the deck to the outer tip of each prop while the props are 90 degrees to the body of the I2 and while the AC is in flight mode (not travel mode). This should provide a reference point for the manufacturer’s intended angle of the motors. If we get a few people responding to this request we can also interpret a range of “acceptable” angles.

Correction to my original post. It’s should read “landing mode” not “flight mode”

rmaxwell.dccnet Posted at 2018-2-8 09:47
All other companies who support their products provide training and instructions to their dealers so that they can fix such a simple matter at the local dealership.  DJI does not seem to understand that local support is vital to this kind of product.  I have sent products back to the L.A. repair depot for two different problems.  The first time they sent it back to me with the same fault.  The local dealer was so embarrassed that they gave me a new replacement unit which is what should have happened in the first place.  The second time the product was sent back to me NOT working three times.   I had to ship it back to them each time and ask that they repair it properly.  HELLO DJI...LOCAL SUPPORT!!!  It is necessary.  Put a training program in place to support your product.

Who paid for all of that shipping?

Check posts by Atellani. He has a solution for this and I am sure he has done his homework on the proper angles.