I know everyone is tired of posts about cases cracking on Phantoms, but I am hoping to get the attention of the DJI mods.

In late July, I found case cracks.  I sent the P3A in for repair, and I was not upset as I had 220 flights in.  A crack was not unreasonable.

When I got it back, I put in 8 flights and found cracks and the gimbal started behaving abnormally.  I sent it in for repair.

When it was returned, the gimbal was OK, but just 18 flights in, the case cracked again.  This time I asked DJI to somehow make this right, but trying to work with customer service at DJI is excruciating.  

I got the Phantom back and this morning, after a whopping 11 flights, there is a crack.

I really liked my Phantom and enjoyed flying several days a week.  Now, during those rare occasions in which it is in my possession and uncracked, a lot of the fun is gone, because I know the cracks are coming.  

I want to stay with DJI, but they just aren't earning my loyalty.  It looks like Autel is going to get my business, and my friends who are looking at the Mavoc are second guessing.

DJI mods, any thoughts?

Why not put the protection plates on your new drone shell?
https://gounmanned.com/uavbits-s ... -dji-phantom-3.html

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-9-30 14:49
Why not put the protection plates on your new drone shell?
https://gounmanned.com/uavbits-strong-arm ...

I had those...still cracks.

04red6 Posted at 2016-10-1 11:13
I had those...still cracks.

Are you using prop guards with your unit?

Where are the cracks? Pics? I am close to 35 hours in the air (according to the app) and 241 flights.. no cracks that I can see. I do have prop guard holders under the motors.. so maybe it helped, or maybe cracks are under them, I sure hope not.. Anyhow.. I'd be interested to see how common it is.... I might even try to put a poll together for it on the forums...? Just to see how common it really is?

Created a poll, please vote, we will see in few weeks how things look. DJI, can you please monitor? See if there's an extensive problem or just a sporadic one?
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... &fromuid=277621

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2016-10-1 01:04
Are you using prop guards with your unit?

No, never

04red6 Posted at 2016-10-1 13:53
No, never

Could you happen to provide the RMA number from your last service so I can better look into this?

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2016-10-3 10:10
Could you happen to provide the RMA number from your last service so I can better look into this?

Incident 1: 0722201679068324690

Incident 2 after 8 flights: 257158ESC

Incident 3 after 18 flights: CAS-244895-S6B4K4

Incident 4 after 11 flights: CAS-273149-G6X5Q2

This is not rocket science dji... Use a slightly softer plastic that isn't as brittle. I have 50 flights 9 hours on my P3P (New Design) with no issues yet, but I baby her and don't do any hard banks at full speed.

mrGREEK360 Posted at 2016-10-3 23:31
This is not rocket science dji... Use a slightly softer plastic that isn't as brittle. I have 50 fli ...

After the first set of cracks at 222 flights, I flew mine in a tame manner and landed softly....every time.  Still, cracks.

I am a newbie to this whole thing, but my first thought after reading your post about the cracking issue was that you may be storing the drone in a cool place, and taking it out of the insulated case, exposing it to the sun and flying it before the plastic has a chance to acclimate to the new air temperature and humidity level.  Then, after it is hot from flying in the sun, you place it back into this foam coffin and close the lid.  Conversely, if you store your drone in the trunk of your car where it gets HOT, then suddenly exposing it to cooler air will cause the same problems.

The foam case is nice, but I doubt that the thermal insulation characteristics of the case were given much thought.  On a hot day, bringing a cold plastic anything out into the sunlight will risk cracking and failure of the integrity of that plastic.

As a former plexiglass fabricator, I can tell you that a sudden change in surface temperature of certain plastics will cause them to self-destruct as the plastic expands or contracts too quickly.

This is just a guess on my part, but that is the first thing I thought of, when I saw this insulating foam carrying case.  I thought, "Why aren't there holes in the case, so the air temperature inside can equalize?"

Joe

joejinky Posted at 2016-10-4 23:50
I am a newbie to this whole thing, but my first thought after reading your post about the cracking i ...

I understand where you are coming from.  When I fly in Las Vegas in summer, the temp is too hot for mid-day activity.  That means I have to get up really early.  My home is at 78, which is where the phantom is stored, the outdoors at ground level is usually around 84.  The last two times it cracked, the outside and inside temps were the same, as Vegas was cooling off a bit.  The phantom is never left in high temp or low temp areas like my trunk for the very reason you identified.

It just dawned on me that DJI-Jamie was asking 04-red6 for his RMA number to look into his problem, not for my numbers.  I cannot get DJI support to look at my fourth set of cracks, the last three of which occurred over 37 flights, as anything more than a standard repair; nor are any DJI Mods getting involved or even asking questions, despite my request in starting this post.

The Phantom is a fantastic bird.  Mine flew solid and I had a blast....until it cracked.  I want to keep flying it.  I want to get a Mavic.  However, the Phantom has been on the ground more than in the air for two and a half months, and I cannot get anyone at DJI to even discuss options.  Customer service, or the lack thereof, is the sole reason I am considering going to Autel.   

THANKS for the heads up - just got a p-3 4k. Good luck


cheers

fnichols1 Posted at 2016-10-5 00:45
I understand where you are coming from.  When I fly in Las Vegas in summer, the temp is too hot fo ...

Where do you normally store it in the house? Do you use a hard case, or just the Phantom box it came in?

What does "where do you normally store it in the house" got to do with it Jamie?  Seriously?  Some of the responses given here for recurring issues are quite lame.  I worked with engineers of polymer production.  You are using an inferior material to produce these cases for the phantoms.  And like most people suspect, it is probably too brittle.  Change the process.  Change the material.  End of story.   

Good response warloc59.  

DJI-Jamie, it is stored in a foam backpack made specifically for the P3.  I have always stored it in that.  Before the first cracks appeared, I stored it in that backpack for 3.5 months, and I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 190 flights in.  Since the repair cycle started, I have not gotten twenty flights before crack appeared.

When it is my possession and not in shipment to and from DJI, it is babied.  The case is never thrown around, nothing ever set on it, not left in either the cold or the heat, and never set down upside down such that stress could in any way be put on the motor arms.

Bottom line is something is causing the cracks, and repeated repair attempts have been unsuccessful.  Repeated efforts to bring the repetition to the attention of DJI have been useless.  After incident three, I tried to get Support to work with me on the problem.  I suggested remediations such as a replacement or a discount on an upgrade.  I was not even asking for a free upgrade, and I would have accepted a refurbished Phantom...just something to get me out of the repair cycle so that I could fly again.  I received the following message in an email:

"As of now what we can offer to you is to repair your aircraft however, You don't agree with it so we cannot process your repair request."

Customer service at it's finest.  Is it any wonder I am frustrated and looking seriously at Autel?

fnichols1 Posted at 2016-10-5 08:42
Good response warloc59.  

DJI-Jamie, it is stored in a foam backpack made specifically for the P3.  ...

I'm having a hard time finding that last correspoindence, could you happen to provide the ticket number from that one?