venomx15301 Posted at 2015-7-8 03:14
Has anyone got to talk to anyone that knows what is up?

Only support in LA.  They don't have a clue.    Even a few of the techs that hang out in the forums haven't gotten any word.  The "fix" is either send it in or word hasn't reached the US from Hong Kong.  There's a 9 hour difference from China and it's sleep time there.  So, I'm waiting for Autumn to show again.   If it's worth while, I'll wait.  if it's send it in, no thank you.  I'll fix it myself.  And If I have to fix it myself for a manufacturing defect.  I'll think hard before buying any more cheap plastic products.

gregg1r Posted at 2015-7-8 03:22
If all of these issues keep popping up, DJI is going to lose it's market dominance.

DJI can't pr ...

@gregg1r I do think it possible to fix the mold tool - it needs more support for "thin" points - some CNC work and it will go out much stronger. So it is not 60k$ per tool.

In any case - how much the reputation costs?

Hey DJI a lot of us here are handy.  If you just send out a repair kit or a new stronger bottom shell or the same shell with new metal pieces to make it stronger we can do it.    I know it will shorten flying time a little, but I rather have a safe drone then a broken drone.

One thing that my friend pointed out to me.  Most of these cracks are happening in the rear arms of the P3.   Questions could the two gold or silver decals on the front two arms be making the front arms stronger since they hold the bottom and top.  Just wondering is putting a large decal on the rear arms to better hold the top and bottom would help?

sns Posted at 2015-7-8 04:38
@gregg1r I do think it possible to fix the mold tool - it needs more support for "thin" points - s ...

It's possible that the draft angles on the mold parts could be reworked for less than $60K, but you'd have to re-register on the mill. Draft angles allow for easy part removal from the tool. Too steep and you fight to remove, Too shallow and you end up adding weight and material cost.

What's typically done in prototyping is to use a readily machinable composite board material and hand pour trial parts. I've got no idea how many cavities their tools have, but for production you wouldn't just have a gang of 2 or 4 cavities. The more parts you can complete at a time the better your rate. For a commercial part like the Phantom, the production rate for these parts would have to be close to 80K a month.

The short term fix is to scab a repair patch on the exterior surface using the existing holes as locators and bonding it into place. Long term would be to thicken the entire shell.

That's where I was getting my $60K per tool cost from.

JUST CURIOUS
How many of those reporting stress cracks have used Loctite or another similar product on the screws, particularly the motor mount screws?

The reason I ask about the use of Loctite is because of this statement on there product literature:
Not Recommended For

• Use in pure oxygen and/or oxygen rich systems and should not be selected as a sealant for chlorine or other strong oxidizing materials
• Use on plastic parts, particularly thermoplastic materials where stress cracking of the plastic could result

Anybody know what kind of plastic DJI uses in the Phantom?

Oh, and what is that curious green stuff on the screws that DJI packs in the "spare parts" box that is packed with the new Phantom?

DJI-Autumn Posted at 2015-7-7 15:24
Hey guys, apologize for keeping you waiting for our solution. After investigation now we already got ...

DJI Autumn.  Are you online yet?  What's the solution DJI is proposing.  Can you be more specific.  If just sending it in and waiting for 8 weeks, well thats a solution.  But how's that different from the option we already have?  A few people, including myself, called the LA Office.   The techs there have no idea what you are offering.  Any chance of making replacement shells available?

My P3 had 2 RMAs and were 7 weeks away. After i picked it up at DJI europe my app went crazy because of gimbal overload messages. Now i inspected the P3 closely and found this

P3 after 4 super slow flights. I actually can hardly believe it when ppl say they dont have those cracks after 50 flights. Please watch closely with a torch. You can see when you look at the picture that there is a white line and this line will be cracking up later

DJI-Autumn Posted at 2015-7-7 15:24
Hey guys, apologize for keeping you waiting for our solution. After investigation now we already got ...

Please tell us what solution is proposed.  I have contacted support and no response yet, but it has only been two days.

fwickeha@hotmai Posted at 2015-7-8 10:49
JUST CURIOUS
How many of those reporting stress cracks have used Loctite or another similar product  ...

I have never used Loctite on mine. Never opened it up...

Thank goodness I discovered this thread - also a similar one on phantompilots.com.

I was just about to purchase a Phantom 3 Pro, but will now hold off - maybe indefinitely.  I'm also really concerned at the somewhat cavalier attitude of dji to their customers.

grajay Posted at 2015-7-11 13:32
Thank goodness I discovered this thread - also a similar one on phantompilots.com.

I was just about ...

Hah, yes their approach to support and keeping customers informed is...different.

Hopefully when things calm down they'll get on top of things a lot more and the support will be better.

It's still a very good product when you get a good one, and allegedly most are not having any problems at all. Once the bugs are ironed out (it's a frustrating ride I tell ya) you'll not find better on the market in this price bracket.

If you purchase go through a local distributor that you can get a refund on if you are not happy with it; chances are you'll have no problem anyway - just follow the tips in these forums.

Here is the story about this

http://forum.dji.com/thread-23532-3-1.html

So are these  stress cracks covered under warranty? I just inspected three of my  p3 and one has an obvious crack in the same area as the original posters photo on the small screw between the motor and light. It's so bad upon closer inspection  the  edge of the arm is  slightly separated between the upper and lower shell. Do we contact dji or the retailer?  I can't beleive this! Never crashed and hand caught every flight. Only 21 flights. I'm keeping a close eye on the other two. Any suggestions on how to prevent them or is it a manufacturing defect?

fwickeha@hotmai Posted at 2015-7-8 10:49
JUST CURIOUS
How many of those reporting stress cracks have used Loctite or another similar product  ...

My shell screws have blue loctite on them from the factory. I was not wanting to mess with the motor screws. They were also not super tight. I ordered in late April and received in mid-May. I have no signs of cracks and have logged somewhere around 250 miles. Those cracks you guys have gotten are disheartening. This product should not fail so quickly. Bummer.

I'm noticing that after reviewing a few videos on YouTube.  Including on my own phantom,   That the stress cracks are occurring on the rear arms.  Mine where on both rear arms.   One side worse than the other.  Are you guys also getting them on the rear arms?

http://youtu.be/ASXsoJwuKsQ


http://youtu.be/SlQNtU0N2Q0


http://youtu.be/4HhNRbDYKUk

InspirelessAggi Posted at 2015-7-13 11:24
I'm noticing that after reviewing a few videos on YouTube.  Including on my own phantom,   That the  ...

yes I have on rear left,
look at rear motors angles ... when you increase throttle forces are twisting those arms,

please use topic below to continue this discussion:

http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... mp;page=3#pid168698

thx!

Bummer.  Screw hole cracks. 41 flights, 4.5 hrs flight time, and 70193 ft of distance. Never crashed, flipped or hard landed. This is REALLY sad. How poorly can a product be designed and tested before releasing it to market and then expect users to wait 6-8 weeks for a repair. Sad. Very sad.

1 hour flight, 9 flights, smooth landings no crash...
And a white line is incoming slowly at a rear screw hole....

LeHussard Posted at 2015-7-21 14:53
1 hour flight, 9 flights, smooth landings no crash...
And a white line is incoming slowly at a rear  ...

please use this discussion:

http://forum.dji.com/thread-23532-5-1.html

we want to bring  DJI attention,

thx!

I suggest getting the "strong arm" at uavbits.net, I have ordered a set for mine since it makes sense!! haven't got it yet but I believe it is a good idea and Gary,the Owner, is a helpful guy at uavbits.net

Well, You guys aren't alone. I replaced my body /shell after finding the dreaded cracks. I didn't overtighten any screws, I took my time and made sure the screws were firm , but not torqued. I even added the motor plates which I now believe are just "snake oil" . 2nd flight on new body I discovered a hairline crack. 3rd flight the crack had spread. I epoxy putted that arm with some marine epoxy putty I got from the hardware store. It looks kinda crappy on my new shell, but oh well I guess. The epoxy seemed to have stopped that crack cold for now. Tonight I flew and afterward I found a new crack on the other rear/aft arm . Once again I have epoxied it. If DJI doesn't come up with an improved body then I will replace this shell this fall ,when drone season is no fun due to weather, and I'll sell it. Very disappointed . I have had so much fun with this thing ,but I really dont wont to keep wasting money on shells and wasting the 2 hrs to swap it out.

The phantom 4 was designed in such a way that the motor screws go through the bottom shell, top shell and then the motors themselves. Theoretically a far stronger mount that reduces stress on any other screws holding the top and bottom shell together. Unfortunately I still managed to crack two phantom 4s. Even though it took a heck of a lot more flying before I cracked them compared to the phantom 3s I had, they still cracked. The way I see it, the phantom 4's design is a massive improvement but the plastic still needs work. Solutions being material thickness or just better plastic. Fortunately for me DJI service Europe is fast. Very fast. One and a half week to two week turn around with most of that time taken up by shipping. No questions asked because warranty in the European Union is lot more stringent than in the rest of the world. Hence, as with the phantom 2s and 4s I had in the past, I always buy 2 units. One to fly, one in reserve in case one gets sent in to DJI. You don't need to do this with an Inspire. But with any phantom, yes. This also depends on the flying you do. If you hover a lot and cover less than 4 kilometers total per flight, chances are you'll never crack a P4. But, if like me, you cover at least 9 km per flight, you might see cracks in your future. Unless we are talking phantom 3. Those crack regardless.

Just trying to think a bit outside the box.  I have a P3S which has maybe 18-20 flights only in beginner mode.  When you reach the vertical or horizontal limit, it really puts on the brakes.  Could the torque of the props decelerating cause a cyclical effect that cracks the bottom housing.  Mine has never crashed or hit anything.  Just learning and building time, now it is cracked.  In manned aircraft we stop-drill the crack at the end.  Yes, you have probably been a passenger on an airplane with little holes drilled in airframe cracks.   Has anyone tried this on a new crack that has not propogated to the next screw?  Dji replaced the housing, but now it has operational issues and may be going back to the drone hospital.  Got my 107 license and no drone to fly.  If it flys again, stop-drilling and some previously mentioned repairs may relieve the stress.

Yesterday I noticed that my PH3 Adv has a small crack in the lower part of the right rear arm.
https://subefotos.com/ver/?9d06fc875...7d364f770o.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?b42c30971...654833bffo.jpg
The drone has 100 flights, 15.48 hours of use and 182 km traveled.
It always lands in the hand and is very careful, so it seems to me an outrage that a dron of this price has a problem of this type.

Two weeks ago the button of the RTH sank, when opening the radio to replace it, I noticed that several of the turrets of anchorage of the screws were broken (the command has not suffered neither blows nor falls) but as I was traveling I had no choice I fix it with epoxy putty, so I think I lost the warranty and I had to buy another command.
https://subefotos.com/ver/?517283bea...cccc7c6eao.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?b6dcccbbc...39505cd61o.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?6bc8cd9ce...6d9034e4fo.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?35a6bb88e...4c9cb77d1o.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?bd8daebca...1b8b6d170o.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?ba357f51e...551b08319o.jpg
https://subefotos.com/ver/?687469319...dfd1cfac5o.jpg

The fact is that when observing that the housing of the dron also has cracks, I can only think that the polymer used to manufacture the housings is very low quality.
Yesterday I sent an email to DJI and I am waiting for a reply, but I do not know how the warranty will be answered in my case since the device was purchased on 12/13/2015 at Valuee Basket.

Since more than one year owners of different versions of Phantom 2 and 3 mainly are waiting for a solution to the cracks in the shell of this model of dron.  I think that DJI must give a definitive solution to the design, the first step give in this sense, with the new shell, but it didn’t solve the problem, and clearly speaking this is a problem of safety and for this reason must be solved by DJI urgently, and it is not enough to repair it mounting another incorrect design shell.
I kindly ask to DJI in charge of safety, what DJI is doing to solve this problem? and when DJI can offer a definitely solution?

To be honest, while waiting for my mavic (almost two months now) I am hoping that the slight flexibility of movement inherent in the arm design might finally do the trick. While the phantom 4 is far stronger than the 3, I stress cracked 4 of them this year. On the phantom 4, I stopped caring. Right now I've been flying for 50 days, two flights per day, on a stress cracked p4. There is a lot less movement at the stress crack area when compared to the p3. Regardless, I'm not buying another. DJI covered me on the last four phantom 4's. They looked at the logs and put the old camera on a brand new bird four times. No questions asked since, after all, there was never a crash. Far greater distance covered yes, but no crashes. But in spite of what is now less than two week turnaround, I'm tired of doing it. So I'll keep flying the fifth cracked p4 (over sea) and wait for my mavic. Once it's here I'll send in the p4.

bighi Posted at 2016-11-24 14:25
To be honest, while waiting for my mavic (almost two months now) I am hoping that the slight flexibi ...

Hello,
I had cracks on 3 different P3S. After replacing shells, the cracks returned. I finally decided to solve the problem by myself. I looked closely to find the stress points of the shell and provided structural support to divert the loads from these points. Now I fly a reinforced shell P3S. No cracks at all after more than 150 very "aggressive" stunt  flights. Taking the P3S to its limit. I removed the camera before just to keep it safe. Here's a link to these modifications . Hope this helps.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2672905

Hope This Helps UAV Bits Strong Arm Kit

JACKODOG-ANDROI Posted at 2016-11-27 04:12
Hope This Helps UAV Bits Strong Arm Kit

I also installed the motor mount kit (10 minute job) and recently added the landing gear strengthener to help when hand catching. I am very pleased with both additions.

Click here for link

this ph3 pro has 2 flights on it no cracks we'll see!
what quad do you have?

Not sure why this thread didn't show up searching the forum for "UAV Bits Strong Arm".  Instead only UAV Bits Strong Arm Reinforcement Plates showed up.
My dad just bought me the P3A for Christmas, got to fly it a couple times to be sure it's working before putting it away for Christmas.  Then I came across this thread which has me concerned.
I have a few questions:  Does UAV Bits Strong Arm fix the problem?   Can it be used with the quick release prop guard plate, or even work with just the guard plate?
If it would be an either/or for strong arm vs prop guard plate, seems the two could be incorporated together by having the prop guard mount extend to the two screws in question.

edbighi@gmail.c Posted at 2015-6-24 17:48
Here is the typical P3 crack. It's a design flaw which lends itself to cracking due to too thin of plastic at the most highly stressed part of the shell.[view_image][view_image]

Hi there I've got a stress crack on the back two arms of my phantom 3 pro . These are small cracks around the screw holes underneath the motors - I've flown over 300 flights with no accidents or crashes - I'm very disappointed that my drone has ended up like this - is there anything dji can do for me
Many thanks and kind regards
Adrian Guinan
00353877662286

Wow! You managed to get 300 until the cracks came! I never managed more than about 100, give or take. But my flights average 6 miles minimum per flight. Go ahead and send it in. DJI has always taken care of my stress cracks no problem.