Zbip57 Posted at 11-22 15:00
That's interesting.  There are two differences.  

First, they've reversed the diagram.  Now the diagram shows the right side blades bent to fit under the left side blades.  In the new diagram the right side blades are positioned fit between the body of the Mini and the left-side blades.  

Hi Zbip57
I have not really had much of an issue with the block being smaller.
I get what you are saying about the blades bending potentially, luckily i have not experienced that flight error code "yet" lol. i think the smaller block at the bottom can actually help more than the larger one due to it being just the right size to sit the Mavic Mini's bottom on & potentially give the props that bit more freedom should they unfold due to transporting the drone. i know i have got the mini out a fair few times and the props have been unfolded but not damaged, that said i have also not stored it for more than say at most a few weeks, "Only Had Mini About 4-5 Month's" i have always through the week's got it out at least once to have the odd fly around the flat when i haven't been able to get outdoors's due to this pandemic and the cold weather.

The props do jut out at an angle, so you are right in saying that we should be careful in how to store the Mavic Mini, undue stress on the blades like in the cases diagram can and does potentially cause more harm i think over longer periods when people have them stored away.

Hi Bigplumbs.

I definitely agree with what you are saying with the cases but to be honest personally i do not think that DJI will act on changing the cases, what i would say could be a good compromise is that if DJI gave us Combo owners the mini prop protector like what the mini 2 has got then that would be a fair compromise over them having to pay more in shipping to ship the cases, i think the prop protector for the mini would weigh less therefore costing less in shipping possibly along with also making a lot of us Mini owners happy.

mark117h Posted at 11-24 05:40
Hi Bigplumbs.

I definitely agree with what you are saying with the cases but to be honest personally i do not think that DJI will act on changing the cases, what i would say could be a good compromise is that if DJI gave us Combo owners the mini prop protector like what the mini 2 has got then that would be a fair compromise over them having to pay more in shipping to ship the cases, i think the prop protector for the mini would weigh less therefore costing less in shipping possibly along with also making a lot of us Mini owners happy.

Mark

I agree with that but having got a mini 2 I can confirm that if you put the mini 2 prop guard  onto the mini 1... it will not fit back in the case without getting your scalpel out and cutting the case.

It is interesting that DJI are rather silent on this thread

Bigplumbs Posted at 11-24 07:32
Mark

I agree with that but having got a mini 2 I can confirm that if you put the mini 2 prop guard  onto the mini 1... it will not fit back in the case without getting your scalpel out and cutting the case.

Hi Bigplumbs.

I thought the Mavic mini 2 prop holder is different to the mini prop holder by a little bit, but, i still think we would have more chance with DJI if we said' look, you obviously know that with some of these cases customers have been having some issues with esc error codes and bent props due to the way we are asked to store the drone, me personally, i have not experienced at all what quite a few people on this forum have been having, i guess either i am lucky or it might be to do with the fact i keep getting my drone out and flying around the flat if i cannot get outside with my mini.

They could see through sales or receipt's who bought the flymore combos and the like so i would think that if we could get at least the mini prop holder for our mini's then it should be all good with storing them correctly, that way all parties are happy and it hasn't cost DJI an arm & a leg to ship them, say compared to the cases, they would cost more to ship.

The mini 2 already comes with a prop holder and DJI sell prop holders for the mini as well so i cant see why DJI cant chirp in on the thread and offer an alternative in the prop guard, there is also a few people like me who has not had this issue "yet" but using the proper prop guards for longer term storage could solve a lot of the issues we have been seeing on the forums and a lot less angrier customers, it would make DJI look like hero's if they at least offered the prop guards to the affected people and anyone who purchased the flymore combo's.

Zbip57 Posted at 11-23 17:53
Are you using the latest version of firmware & Fly app?

Earlier firmware versions only triggered a vague "Max Power Reached" warning message, which was universally ignored.  More recent firmware upgraded that to a "Motor Speed Error" warning message, or even a "Propeller Speed" warning, with explicit instructions to replace the propeller blades on the affected motor identified after landing by a beeping ESC.

I sold the mini about 4 months ago but the guy that bought it is a friend and he is on the latest firmware and stores the mini in the supplied factory case and has not got any issues with it as well

Suren Posted at 11-24 09:21
I sold the mini about 4 months ago but the guy that bought it is a friend and he is on the latest firmware and stores the mini in the supplied factory case and has not got any issues with it as well

I think we can all agree that resting the weight of the Mini onto the folded prop blades is not a good idea.  But I still believe that, because of the angle of the rear motors, merely folding the rear blades together laterally across the body of the Mini must also bend the blades.  It is not ONLY the Fly More case that causes this.  Even standard non-flymore Minis are shipped in a box with the props held folded laterally across the body.



Many people complained about the Motor Speed Error, including owners of standard non-flymore Minis, often on their very first flight straight out of the box.

Zbip57 Posted at 11-24 09:33
I think we can all agree that resting the weight of the Mini onto the folded prop blades is not a good idea.  But I still believe that, because of the angle of the rear motors, merely folding the rear blades together laterally across the body of the Mini must also bend the blades.  It is not ONLY the Fly More case that causes this.  Even standard non-flymore Minis are shipped in a box with the props held folded laterally across the body.

[view_image]

Lets hope Dji looks into this though I doubt it

I wrote to DJI Support back in June, sending them similar photos explaining how the prop blades are being bent, and especially why it's nearly always the left-rear motor that triggers the error.  It's because the Mini is shipped with the left rear blades bent underneath the right rear blades, and the label in the bottom of the case shows they should be stored like this.  DJI Support replied,


"Your feedback has been well received.
We really appreciate the time and efforts you have invested in providing these suggestions and ideas to us.
Your feedback will definitely be cascaded to the concerned team for their further review."

Until mark117h posted the photo earlier in this thread, I had no idea that the Fly More case has been redesigned.  Unfortunately, I think the new case is even worse.

First off, they "fixed" the error in the label.  


The original label looked like this with the left blades folded under the right blades.  I realize over/under is relative to which way you are looking at it.  The front blades are shown folded on top of the Minis body, whereas the rear blades are shown looking at the Mini with it flipped onto its back.  In any case, the blades from the left motors are jammed against the body of the Mini "under" the right-side blades.  The error in this original diagram is in how the left-rear blades (A & B) are shown, with A tucked under B.   Note it is not possible to jam the leading edge of A under the trailing edge of B.

  

I wanted to add text to that last photo.  It's the new label.  Note that now A is properly shown as overlapping B.  But in the process they now insist that the right-rear blades are the ones to go under the left-rear whereas previously it was the other way around.

Does that make any difference?  Well yes.  Positioned this way, it's now the right-rear blades that are being forced to bend under the left-rear.  If stored this way for a sufficient length of time I predict it's the right-rear motor that will first trigger the Motor Speed Error.

Now we get to the problem with the redesigned Fly More case.


When the Mini is set with arms open onto a flat surface, you can see that it rests on four feet with only a tiny bit of ground clearance under its belly.




When the arms are folded for storage, all four feet are now positioned at the tail of the Mini.  The nose of the Mini will rest right onto that point of low clearance, which is exactly where the rear propeller blades end up when folded together to nest laterally across the body.

The original Fly More case had a raised block (orange) in the bottom of the case.  The belly of the Mini is supported by that.  The four feet folded back (red boxes) rest hanging into the trough at the rear.  The rear propeller blades folded under and across the body of the Mini hang freely into the trough at the front (red oval).


The redesigned new case has removed the large central block, and instead has only a small raised block (orange) between the Mini's feet (red boxes) supporting the tail end of the Mini.  That does nothing to keep the weight of the Mini off the prop blades.  Now its full weight rests directly on the rear propeller blades (red oval) which are folded under and across the body of the Mini per the diagram.


The only possible purpose of the small raised block (orange) is to support the Mini's feet.  Note how, when the legs are folded back, the front feet are significantly taller than the rear feet.  Without that small support block propping up the tail of the Mini, any pressure on the case might otherwise force those taller front feet to puncture through the bottom of the case.


Neither the original Fly More case, nor the redesigned new case, address the issue of how the blades must bend just in order to fold over/under each other when nested laterally across the body.  But having the additional weight of the Mini resting onto the rear blades, as is still shown on the label in the new case, is surely a very bad idea!

When a normal person puts their mini away it is not acceptable to expect that person to spend ages positioning the props which just flop about anyway.

DJI just needs to look into this in proper detail and come up with a case that does not bend the blades..... Once designed, produced and tested they need to send them out Free of Charge to all those that bought the fly more combo... Those that bought the normal drone should be offered them at a discount.

Perhaps DJI might like to comment on this post

I store my Mini unfolded, with the arms open, resting on its feet on a shelf.  If I need to transport the Mini, I use this case which allows the blades to sit longitudinally down the sides of the Mini with no pressure on the blades.

Good case but the point is a person should be able to store and transport their Mini in the purpose made case that they paid extra for when they bought it from DJI.... Simple rearly

Bigplumbs Posted at 11-24 13:49
Good case but the point is a person should be able to store and transport their Mini in the purpose made case that they paid extra for when they bought it from DJI.... Simple rearly

I am able to store my Mini in the purpose made case. It is really simple.

When my Mini is home it's in the case, when I'm out and about I just toss it in the back seat, sometimes folded most times not. It gets beat all to heck. I've even gone biking or hiking with it folded up in my pocket.  It rides in motorcycle saddle bags and all kinds of other places, most times with no case at all, it's one of the reasons I bought the Mini, to take it everywhere.

Am I the only one who just uses their stuff and doesn't worry about every internet forum post or YouTube video telling me I'm doing it wrong?

WrongWay Feldman Posted at 11-25 06:29
When my Mini is home it's in the case, when I'm out and about I just toss it in the back seat, sometimes folded most times not. It gets beat all to heck. I've even gone biking or hiking with it folded up in my pocket.  It rides in motorcycle saddle bags and all kinds of other places, most times with no case at all, it's one of the reasons I bought the Mini, to take it everywhere.

Am I the only one who just uses their stuff and doesn't worry about every internet forum post or YouTube video telling me I'm doing it wrong?

Maybe not but Perhaps you have not had the issue (I and many others have) or perhaps you have just not updated the app and firmware so are not aware of the issue. If this is the case the first you know might be when it does a decent all on its own....

WrongWay Feldman Posted at 11-25 06:29
When my Mini is home it's in the case, when I'm out and about I just toss it in the back seat, sometimes folded most times not. It gets beat all to heck. I've even gone biking or hiking with it folded up in my pocket.  It rides in motorcycle saddle bags and all kinds of other places, most times with no case at all, it's one of the reasons I bought the Mini, to take it everywhere.

Am I the only one who just uses their stuff and doesn't worry about every internet forum post or YouTube video telling me I'm doing it wrong?

WrongWay Feldman wrote, "Am I the only one who just uses their stuff and doesn't worry about every internet forum post or YouTube video telling me I'm doing it wrong?"

To each their own.  You paid for it.  Use it any way you like.  But be prepared for possible consequences.


My posts are merely my own opinions.  People can choose to disagree, ignore, or dispute.  I'm fine with that.  But if you choose to dispute, please try to back your arguments with actual facts that can be tested and confirmed by anyone.

I had always carefully stored my Mini in its original Fly More case, the one with the large block in the bottom.  I always made sure the prop blades were positioned "properly" into the case.  I sometimes received the "Max Power Reached" warning message, but ignored it because the Mini always flew fine.  On my first flight after upgrading to the latest v01.00.0500 firmware I received a "Motor Speed Error" warning message with the beeping ESC after landing identifying the left-rear propeller blades as needing replacement.

I had never experienced any issue with the way it flies, and thankfully never experienced the dreaded Uncommanded Descent.  But replacing the props blades with a brand new set made a measurable improvement as evidenced by plotting the Motor Speeds in a hover test before and after replacing the blades.

I researched possible explanations for why the original set of prop blades had gone bad.  They had always been carefully stored, never crashed, no knicks, no scratches, or any blemishes.  There was nothing visibly wrong with the props.  But with a fresh set installed it was immediately apparent that the new rear blades cannot be meshed folded together over/under each other laterally across the body of the Mini without bending the blades.

The bending also twists the blades, flattening their pitch angle and reducing their lift effectiveness.  If this condition is ignored it can eventually result in an Uncommanded Descent when the motors are no longer able to spin the degraded prop blades fast enough to produce sufficient lift to sustain flight.

If you have enough money that you just don't care if, for no apparent reason, your Mini suddenly drops into a lake, good for you.  Or if you're tired of seeing the new Motor Speed or Propeller Speed warnings and choose to downgrade to a previous firmware version to eliminate those annoying warnings, good for you too.  But if you're a responsible flyer and concerned about your investments (or worried about potential liability if someone sues you for injury or damages) then you really should take care of your equipment and treat the warning messages with the respect they deserve.

Zbip57 Posted at 11-25 11:24
WrongWay Feldman wrote, "Am I the only one who just uses their stuff and doesn't worry about every internet forum post or YouTube video telling me I'm doing it wrong?"

To each their own.  You paid for it.  Use it any way you like.  But be prepared for possible consequences.

Well done fellow Canuck...humbly thankful for your thorough insights

I've not long had my Mavic Mini, which I store in the provided combo carry case. After reading this, I feel a little pithed that their own case could damage my Mini. I say "could" because I have now taken it out. That leaves me a carry case that's not really useable as the product is intended to be.

dji should address this with some kind of gesture towards those who have bought the combo kit, or even the case on it's own.

It's a poor effort!

Poor effort indeed and I am still waiting for DJI to come into this thread to make a comment as they do in so many other threads.

So once again I say to DJI................ We know you are reading this so what is your comment please

Bump................so that DJI can read it and respond

No. And I say this with a lot of extensive testing on the matter. Im just finding out about this site here ive been in many chat groups spreading my knowledge. There is a very simple fix that won't cost anyone anything but its hard getting the knowledge to so many people when DJI doesn't want a fix. Do you realize how much money they have made on this issue? Millions in selling extra props, prop guards and repairs to drones that they won't admit was their fault?that doesn't even count the thousands of newer drones that people have bought cuz they didn't want to pay for another Mini just to have it happen again so they would rather upgrade to one that cost 2 or 3 times more money. Dji zsells millions of drones and the company is worth Billions and if people think their very smart masterminds never figured out what the problem is when I myself figured it out then they are fools.im not gonna go into very much detail until I find out what is the best way to go about it but keep an ear out

Ive got so much to say on this subject and the solution thats so simple its almost ridiculous and won't cost the owners any money and has nothing to do with mauling up the raised shelf in the case or putting on ridiculous prop guards that will in the long cause more damage than the original issue on account they put and pull constant pressure on the arms and motors but DJI doesn't want people to find a fix because they've made millions on it selling props and people throwing away perfectly good and in a lot cases new prestine props. Then you've got the sales of prop guards, the money from repairs that they won't admit was their fault  and the big one which is lost drones and damaged beyond reasonable repair cost crashes where many many people up graded to drones that cost 2 and 3 times as much as the Mini that never would have if their drone had been reliable. Im not gonna get into what all my testing has revealed at the moment until I figure out the best way to hold them accountable

Too bad they didn't design it with QD props so they could be quickly removed and installed.

After reading all of this after suffering through a couple of weeks of this prop over speed error I realize I am in exactly the same scenario where I got the fly more combo and looking at it again I can see where this thing is sitting incorrectly in the case. It would be nice if there was a surefire way but I don't see it in this case even if you move it and there's slack the props will move and with temperatures up and down while it's sitting in your car it will remold the props into the scenario we are now talking about!!

I am getting very disappointed with DJI and the solutions at hand as I have experienced with my mavic stuff and the batteries now we're starting to see prop stuff with the mini and not to mention other weird little firmware issues and stuff like that. Do we not pay enough money to get these products at least somewhat of a flawless state? I own almost every model that DJI has made and every time they are somewhat perfect in the beginning and then all of a sudden things start creeping up and it starts costing lots of money going forward! Could this be a possible engineered in glitch? I'm just saying!

I forgot about this post where I said I had no issues leaving the Mini in the Fly More case.  I took it out after being in the case for a few months. Uh ohs, had to replace the props. It's now being stored with the arms open on a shelf and I will only use the case to transport but I will still just toss the Mini in my pocket or saddle bags on the bike because that's why I originally bought it. I will now carry the extra props with me though just in case.

i decided to share what finally looks like it'll work for me.

i bought a case and realized it doesn't accommodate at all for this problem, which i've had more than once.  usually it's the back left motor that complains.

so, i then realized that the front props really don't cause as much problem because the motors are angled so the props kind of angle towards the drone when the arms are folded in.  still, they have a bend i want to protect given my experiences changing a few back props so far (thus fixing the errors).

then i remembered i had 3d printed this front prop stay a while back, and it doesn't seem to impinge upon those front props at all.  it just kind of clips on and off the sides of the rear arms.




then i realized if i flipped the drone on it's back and just propped the nose up perhaps 6-8mm, there's really no pressure on the front props at all, with or without the front prop stay on.


then i realized that the prop stay also works as another standing point and the 6-8mm thing under the nose wasn't necessarily needed.


it's interesting how much curve is actually in a new set of rear props.  of course the photo is angled to exaggerate it a bit, but the photo isn't altered, nor are the props.

and it all just fits into my new case "upside down."


i removed a 1+cm pad from underneath the storage spot and cut it and used the pieces to keep the drone put and also to create a hollow to allow the back props no pressure on them.



this looks much better in the editor, without duplicate pictures, than the final.  sorry...

hope this helps someone...