Hi guys,

While holding my Inspire 1 pro a small piece fell (image attached). I'm totally unable to tell where it comes from so maybe you guys could tell me if you can locate it on your Inspire!
I have been flying for like 25 hours so far.

Cheers,
Julien

I believe that's a part of the gimbal plate ( very important) so I would turn your craft upside down and check were your camera mounts.

Thanks! Finally found out what it is (Rear bracket fixing plate, there are 2 of them, one on each side) and where it is located (not easy!).



First, i am very surprised by the reply from DJI support :



This guy is totally wrong. Unbelievable to get this kind of answer. He doesn't even suggest not to fly the drone! Anyway, you pay 5000 usd for poor support.

So, what i fand weird is that i never crashed and the screw appear to be sectioned, literally cut in half!
On the below image you can see the other part of the screw which remain inside:


Looking around the web, i found DJI users with similar issues:

http://forum.dji.com/thread-9632-1-1.html
I knew people would think I wrenched them but I PROMISE not that tight. But I did go over it every two weeks to tighten any loose screws due to vibration. My old Phantom taught me that lesson and some of the screws do loosen after a lot of fly time."



1) What do you think guys? Are they using poor quality screw? Does anyone has a mate who could tell what's the quality level of these screws?
I'm living in HK so humidity is quite high but the bird stay in its box when i don't fly.
Total number of flight hours, around 25 (not much!). Bought 6 months ago.

There are a bunch of screws on the Inspire. Multiplied by the number of Inspire sold i guess there will be lots of users hitting this issue.

I will keep you updated if i got any news

Is it possible that you over tightened these screws when you were tightening everything? DJI has not given us a torque value for the major hardware items

Rich

I didn't touched any of the screws since i bought it in November (the X5 mounting plate is there by default on the Inspire 1 Pro).

julienchabe Posted at 2016-5-28 08:08
Thanks! Finally found out what it is (Rear bracket fixing plate, there are 2 of them, one on each si ...

I have to ask... What is the cause of the damage I've outlined below?
Also, on the rubber mount below that point, there appears to be dust that would be typical of some type of grinding going on.

flighttime1 Posted at 2016-5-29 05:18
I have to ask... What is the cause of the damage I've outlined below?
Also, on the rubber mount bel ...

That's just silicon grease for the X5R latches

julienchabe Posted at 2016-5-28 11:08
Thanks! Finally found out what it is (Rear bracket fixing plate, there are 2 of them, one on each si ...

I think the screws they use are just barely good enough, they could be better.

I can't imagine a screw of any quality just shearing off from normal use in 25 hours. I routinely used nylon screws to hold fairly large engines on RC planes without ever having a problem and they certainly place more stress on the screw than what you would have with the X5 gimbal. I'm fairly sure that screw was over torqued at some point. From vintage cars to small electronics, I can't remember a screw shearing off unless it's was torqued too hard. Clearly I have no idea where the blame lies. It could have been at the factory, but I'd bet that is the cause.

BTW... I took a look at my I1P and it shows the same type and color dust on the rubber bushes. I'd love to know what that is from.

flighttime1 Posted at 2016-5-29 05:21
I can't imagine a screw of any quality just shearing off from normal use in 25 hours. I routinely us ...

I believe it is dust that gathers on the rubber parts from static electricity. I do not think this is created from wear. check out my photos in this link.
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... mp;page=1#pid416613

The yellow dust wipes off with your fingers or rag easily

Rich

flighttime1 Posted at 2016-5-29 12:18
I have to ask... What is the cause of the damage I've outlined below?
Also, on the rubber mount bel ...

I agree with your premise, flighttime1. The damage and wear around this screw post in the picture shows vibration wear that probably started as a hairline fracture of the bolt and progressed until the bolt separated. On ANY aircraft, not just our quadcopters, vibration fatigue, corrosion due to dissimilar materials, mechanical and flight stresses, all contribute to the requirement for constant inspections. You can blame engineering, but more likely the root problem is $$$$ in the marketplace. Stronger materials mean more costs and often more weight. All -in-all, I think we have an incredibly engineered flying machine...

Here's the suspect:  M3 (or M2.5, don't remember) shoulder bolt. The image shows front bracket, but the same applies to back brackets with threaded hole. The thing is that - for some reason - the diameter of the hole to accept the shoulder is just a hair to small. So, during assembly the worker is forcing it down and scrapping the excess of material until the bolt is assumingly in correct position. Sometimes this brutal approach ends badly ...

     I have that same yellow 'dust' on the rubber dampers on my I1 also. I have a strong suspicion that it is pollen.
     Where I live, in the spring there are huge amounts of pine pollen in the air. so much that it covers car windows and collects on the ground to where a yellow stream runs down the curb when it starts to rain.
     When the pollen began to fly, in late February, is when I first noticed it on the dampers. It was heavier then, as the trees were in bloom. There is far less now, but still there. For some reason, it sticks to that rubber. It's hard to get off too. I have tried brushing it off to no avail. The only way I have found is to remove the rubbers and wash them with soap & water.

flighttime1 Posted at 2016-5-29 12:18
I have to ask... What is the cause of the damage I've outlined below?
Also, on the rubber mount bel ...

That damage is from those levers vibrating around when in flight. Unless there is an X5R mounted, they serve no purpose and are free to rattle around. I removed them from my I1 as I do not have an X5R. I saved them in case I ever do get one, but don't want any loose parts on my bird n the meantime.

flighttime1 Posted at 2016-5-29 20:21
I can't imagine a screw of any quality just shearing off from normal use in 25 hours. I routinely us ...

You're perfectly right, fighttime1 (gee, I hate these nicknames). The screw was over torqued, no doubt (see my findings in reply #12). In my case the bolts were over torqued to the point of a hanger deformation and visible misalignment ...

Not much to worry about dust. The silicone used for dampers (both Phantoms and Inspire) has the ugly habit of attracting all kind of s@#t. Just blow it away with air can. I've removed X5R clamps and wiped of the silicone grease since it's also a good dust collector.

Thanks for the info guys. I am still in the process of getting a replacement screw from the support. Actually, can i just get a screw from a shop? (waiting for the Support takes weeks)

Would you know the screw reference for the rear bracket fixing plate? Post #1

Cheers