Hello everyone, got a delimma in regards to this "electrolytic capacitor # NU 220 VTZ", after inspecting this part on the powerboard I realize that it's just a matter of getting it re-soldered and the white rubberized "bummpers" are basically there for rattle/vibration of that capacitor.  This is what I've gathered from inspection anyway and if someone has a different out-look on it please feel free to tell me other wize.  Any good electronic shop should be able to solder that capacitor back to the powerboard, you would think?
So, if this part seems that simple to fix would anyone take it to your local electronics shop for the reapair instead of sending it off to DJI and if someone could let me know if I get it done locally then would this jepordize any future warranty work on my unit?  Not to mention the time it takes for shipping, to and from, and repair at DJI.

Looking for some good feedback, thanks.

Greg

You should check the DJI manual and website for their stance on warranty work, I am pretty sure it states somewhere that if you crack it open and operate on it they are no longer responsible...I could be wrong here but that is what i recall from a while back...
Problem is how you can be sure it is only the cap that is bad...what caused it to frag...ok, you get it replaced, it seems to work, you fly it then you fry it again and something worse it does the death spiral, then you send it in and they deny all claims...
dilemma for sure if you need it up and working quickly...
If you are out of warranty, no brainer...get a cap and put it in and give it a try....Just my .02

If the cap is bad, yes, you could conceivably find a replacement cap and have somebody solder it on. You 1) probably cannot find the exact part (without looking for weeks), 2) will never get anybody to guarantee that replacing the cap will help and 3) would most likely void your warranty.

Send it to DJI.

Cant really tell from the pic if it is surface mounted or not.  Also cant tell if the lead has lifted off the board or if it is pulled out of the cap.  In any event,  worse case scenario,  you replace the cap.  Should be an easy job.  If that is the only damaged component and there is no other damage electronically.  I don't know the answer to whether or not it will void the warranty,  but if it were me,  I would go for it.  I don't know how long you have had your Phantom,  but if much time at all, any failure would likely have been revealed by now.  And if you damage due to crash,  the warranty is no good anyway.  I had a crash that broke the camera/gimbal assembly and repaired it myself.  My Advanced is fine,  works as well as ever.

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-3-16 08:05
Cant really tell from the pic if it is surface mounted or not.  Also cant tell if the lead has lifte ...

The cap is glued down to the pc board to prevent it from breaking lose due to vibration or shock (rough landing or crash). So I suggest you not remove it unless you have the right glue to re-secure. I'm an avionics engineer and I would not attempt to repair other than trying to re-solder. From the picture it appears the glue is intact. Do you see evidence that the cap is lose from the glue?

Although that capacitor is very likely a surface mount component, it is a larger size cap, and may actually be a through hole mount component. In which case, it may simply be not pushed fully home before being soldered. In that case, there is no reason to do anything about it. Inspect it carefully, as you may be worried about nothing.

Bladebreaker Posted at 2016-3-16 08:26
The cap is glued down to the pc board to prevent it from breaking lose due to vibration or shock (r ...

Caps that size typically are leaded parts with the leads passing through the board and soldered on the opposite side. If that is the case then there may be no issue. What are your symptoms (or did I miss that somewhere)? The cap was probably canted during installation (workmanship defect) but was likely soldered correctly and then glued properly. The fact that it is not flat against the pic board makes it less resistant to vib/shock somewhat, but if the glue is intact along with the solder joint then your probably ok.

Bladebreaker Posted at 2016-3-16 08:38
Caps that size typically are leaded parts with the leads passing through the board and soldered on  ...

Geebax

If it is a surface mount then being offset from the pc board like that would probably mean one of the leads is not connected.. You could be right about a possible surface mount however. If so then you would have to remove and resolder levelig in the process (sorry to be so detailed, I do this stuff all day long and it is force of habit). Good idea to re-glue.

I assumed (just another ass, I suppose) that the OPs issue was the P3 was functional for a while, decided to stop being functional and now has a canted capacitor.  Thus, it might be reasonable to replace the component but, as Kneepuck points out, there might be other issues.  So, my contention that replacing it may not be the best way forward still makes sense.

If indeed you just popped open the case and found this bit of electronic trivia on a functional Phantom, I'd just leave it the hell alone.  Even if is is in cockeyed, it works and mucking with the board is unlikely to make it work better.

I'll bet if you call DJI they'll tell you it's supposed to be canted, just like the props.

From what I see in the pic,  the cap has separated from the glue,  indicating it has either broken the lead or broken the solder joint.but if you look closely,  you can see where the glue used to attach.  It is clearly separated.  Did the cap swell on the bottom and lift off the surface mount or pull out of the through board hole?  Only the OP can say.  None the less,  based on appearances, I would do the repair myself.  Of course,  I have 30 + years as an RF tech,  so maybe it's not for everyone.  But,  if you have a local electronics repair shop (  something I thought was a thing of the past,  but maybe not ) you could always get an opinion.  I'm sure they don't have much work,  since everyone just throws broken stuff away and replaces it nowadays.



*****EDIT*****

I just popped the top off of my Standard.  It is a surface mount component.  So,  it looks like the lead is broken.  You will most likely have to replace the cap.

Kneepuck Posted at 2016-3-15 19:21
From what I see in the pic,  the cap has separated from the glue,  indicating it has either broken t ...

Hello knee, I understand what surface mount means(attached to top and not through board)but not sure what the cap means or if it is swollen.  I don't believe it is.  I'm hoping a local electronic shop can resolder it back to the board.

Thanks, Greg

Northofthe49th Posted at 2016-3-15 16:00
You should check the DJI manual and website for their stance on warranty work, I am pretty sure it s ...

Nortofthe49th, wow, and I thought I was so far to the north.  haha  Thanks for the input on the owners manual and I will look at that for more info.
So how far north of the 49th do you hang your hat?

Thanks, Greg

akborn60 Posted at 2016-3-16 16:04
Nortofthe49th, wow, and I thought I was so far to the north.  haha  Thanks for the input on the ow ...

24 blocks North of the Blaine WA border...

These guys will be able to supply you with what you need. http://www.digikey.com/

The white seal will just be an elmers type white rubberized sealant glue. Can you solder? You will need a fine tip but use the biggest you can get away with. To do a proper job you'd have to remove the old solder with solder remover wire. Just flux coated mesh wire in thin strips as its heated by the soldering iron the solder runs into it leaving your board nice and clean. Be careful though as it can strip solder from all over. a table mounted lens with a good light on it will help. But really you need a work bench solder station. Dont try and use the cheap ones from ebay etc they are a waste of money and will trash your electrics.

Any work you did yourself would void a warranty for sure.

This page has some similar but need all the specs to choose the exact one...

http://www.digikey.com/product-s ... d=0&pageSize=25

Northofthe49th Posted at 2016-3-16 09:20
24 blocks North of the Blaine WA border...

Anchorage AK here...

Bhujang Posted at 2016-3-16 11:01
These guys will be able to supply you with what you need. http://www.digikey.com/

The white seal wi ...

Thanks Bhujang, I will look into everything, my motto is do it right the first time, don't want no fly aways due to bad workmanship.
Thanks, Greg

akborn60 Posted at 2016-3-17 04:09
Anchorage AK here...

You win as for being further "North of the 49th"....

It's surface soldered to the board. I just bought a wrecked one for spare parts. It's been roughly taken apart before I got it capacitor is just attached by glue on one side. Not sure if happened during crash or when cracked open by crasher. Doesn't appear was even soldered? Could it just be held in place by the glue?

marksglide-sp Posted at 2016-7-17 13:56
It's surface soldered to the board. I just bought a wrecked one for spare parts. It's been roughly t ...

It would have been soldered in place. Surface mount board assembly does not normally solder some components and not others.

Northofthe49th Posted at 2016-3-16 11:20
24 blocks North of the Blaine WA border...

I thought North of 60* was up there. Hahaha
You are only 1000 miles South West from me, as the crow flies, Crows Nest Pass!! hahaha

RedHotPoker

akborn60 Posted at 2016-3-16 14:09
Anchorage AK here...

All my favorite tv Gold Miners are from Alaska. Hahaha

RedHotPoker

The solder joint is not very strong mechanically on SMT parts. The bigger parts have to be glued down, especially in high shock environments, like a drone.
Any idea as to the voltage rating?  35V 220uF is my best guess, they all look like the same cap.
https://www.digikey.com/product- ... 9-6708-1-ND/3082840

(I'm fixing my P3P, which took a tumble flying a 30M high mapping run, guess one of the trees was 31M tall, oops)
The PCB is shock mounted to the inner frame, which did sustain some damage, but aside from the one cap, looks good under a magnifying glass.

fansb6f19f76 Posted at 2017-3-26 18:52
The solder joint is not very strong mechanically on SMT parts. The bigger parts have to be glued down, especially in high shock environments, like a drone.
Any idea as to the voltage rating?  35V 220uF is my best guess, they all look like the same cap.
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/kemet/EEV227M035A9MAA/399-6708-1-ND/3082840

I think I found the cap, it's a TZ Series from Rubycon, the V is the 35 V rating, hence VTZ.
The leading 2 letters are a lot code which varies, I've seen PL, NU, FZ and TZ mentioned.
The Key Spec is rated Ripple Current is 600mA and Impedance is 0.16 Ohm @ 100kHz.
www.rubycon.co.jp/en/catalog/e_pdfs/aluminum/e_TZV.pdf

fansb6f19f76 Posted at 2017-3-26 18:52
The solder joint is not very strong mechanically on SMT parts. The bigger parts have to be glued down, especially in high shock environments, like a drone.
Any idea as to the voltage rating?  35V 220uF is my best guess, they all look like the same cap.
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/kemet/EEV227M035A9MAA/399-6708-1-ND/3082840

This is the big capacitor on the mainboard, a Rubycon TZ Series 220uf 35V
https://www.digikey.com/product- ... 9-1622-1-ND/3134579