Qnext Posted at 2015-2-23 08:32
Yes we are all interested.
Please go ahead and take it apart and video tape it, and if you really wa ...

LOL - I'd also like to add that seeing it pull you on a skateboard would be neat too.

Where did you find a crashed inspire? I'm really looking forward to the tearing apart! If you get the time please let us know what the small metal plate in the back is attached to. It looks like some sort of antenna but I can't figure out for what, since the rx and compass are located in the legs and nose of the aircraft. Please let us know if you've come that far

T J Gilbert Posted at 2015-2-25 01:55
Again, no sarcasm here...

The information I'm sharing with you is out there.

Lol, you got that spot on. I'm not afraid of crashing and fixing any of my quads. The only thing sending shivers through my spine is the flying away part.. I wouldn't want to be the owner that crash landed on someone else(s property). Other than that I always have phantom motors escs props and such in stock. It's part of owning a rc and to be honest it's a lot cheaper than my other rc stuff.

T J Gilbert Posted at 2015-2-25 01:55
Again, no sarcasm here...

The information I'm sharing with you is out there.

TJ,

You're right. I'm a web software developer, freelance photographer and amateur videographer. Flying is just a means to take photos and video from a different angle for me. I'm not an RC expert. However, I haven't just "jumped in". I've done my RPAS training and ground school  here in the UK and am just waiting to do the flight assessment before submitting my operations manual. The most important thing for me is that I don't hurt anyone else, so I've done everything I can to make sure that is the case!

But in attempting to do this professionally, I need to consider how much recovering from a crash would cost my business. At no point have I ever suggested that these things won't crash - in fact, quite the opposite. I've stated that I expect something to happen at some point.

If the crash is not too serious (like the one I experienced, for example) then I would hope that I could fix my aircraft quickly (a couple of days at the most). Imagine that I only have two of these and I'm lucky enough to have three big bookings in a week in the summer. If one of my aircrafts is away being repaired just because the arm snapped, nothing else, then I could potentially lose the value of around 3-4 DJI Inspires.

My point is, if there is not much availability (which there isn't currently) and you damage your aircraft you'll open up the potential to lose a lot of business. In which case this doesn't make the Inspire 1 a good choice for the professional. Go with a custom build or a modular system.

You know what - I think DJI are doing an awesome job of creating UAVs but I'm also noticing stuff that I think is worth pointing out.

chad@spark6.com Posted at 2015-2-25 03:10
LOL - I'd also like to add that seeing it pull you on a skateboard would be neat too.

I don't own a skateboard, sorry.

supasympa Posted at 2015-2-25 04:44
TJ,

You're right. I'm a web software developer, freelance photographer and amateur videographer. F ...

I'm strictly a hobbyist.
And I just really enjoy anything that flies...
I do volunteer as DJI forum support on the various forums.
I'm also secretary of my local AMA club, so I'm with you 100% on the safety aspect.

And I wish that more guys like you would ask us for advice when it comes to operation costs, repairs, etc.
Even if we don't always know the answer, we can send you links or the contact names of people who can help.
And you are right pointing out some of the hindrances that you are discovering.
We'll all benefit!

That being said, many of the pros that I have had dialogue with own several airframes.
I know it's not a great substitute, but I could see someone starting out with the I1 as their main craft and the P2V+ as back-up.

Some pros run a recon flight with the back-up before pulling out the big gun...

Thanks for the advice and support TJ.

Yep I have a P2 with a GoPro Hero4 as backup. Hopefully I can get this second I1 to a place where I'd be happy for it to fly again. I'm having a similar conversations with blade_strike on the InspirePilots forum.

Who should I contact to get a cost analysis done on repairing this I1 if I ever chose to think about doing it?

TJ Gilbert, you say you are a RC guy right? Well, what does an RC guy do when he lawn darts his plane? He digs into his box of misc. parts and flotsam and straps a splint on whatever he broke, then chucks it back up for another round. I'm not saying just duct tape her and off we go but realistically some structural stuff can be fudged a tad. We may end up just making parts for lack of them. Nothing fancy but it works idea. I think it's funny that a Piper Super Cub can be fixed with duct tape and wire but a quad copter needs aerospace engineers to fix a broken leg

Going to do some work over the weekend, hopefully, to salvage parts bonded to the carbon fibre and clean them up and "examine them". Then hopefully reasemble them on the new carbon fibre tube which I purchased. Then if that's successful I can start looking into the main unit itself.

I will publish some more on my blog and here and hopefully on iFixtIt.

supasympa Posted at 2015-2-26 18:48
Going to do some work over the weekend, hopefully, to salvage parts bonded to the carbon fibre and c ...

I guess once the warranty has expired if you can buy or obtain the Carbon Fibre tube, it would be an easy fix to replace the arms.

GB44 Posted at 2015-2-27 04:38
I guess once the warranty has expired if you can buy or obtain the Carbon Fibre tube, it would be  ...

Well - that's what I thought and had hoped, but it's not so easy! The plastic parts are heat bonded to the carbon fibre tube which creates a single assembly.  In the case of the one I purchased it would be easier to try and repair the broken carbon fibre - like you would with a carbon fibre fishing rod. I'm not sure how strong that would be and more importantly I don't think I'd feel like it would be safe to trust it in flight.

I've purchased a replacement tube that (aside from the length) looks like exactly the right dimensions and I'm going to attempt to cut it down to size - if I can remove :

* The two last motor "seats" at each end of the broken tube
* the lever arm inner section that is bonded to the middle of the tube - I'm not even sure at the moment what this is made of, it looks like it's some kind of alloy but I'm not certain. There are also two metal rings that surround this that allow the boom inside to turn - and a hole in the tube itself for the wires to run through.

Any suggestions on how to non-destructively separate the three bonded parts from the carbon fibre tube would be really appreciated! At the moment I'm going to try and soften the CF by soaking the pieces all in Acetone and then grind it out but that is far from ideal but I lknow it works from trying on the small piece at the end!

Here are a couple of pictures I've taken, I've also recorded some quick video. All of which I hope to publish at the weekend.

I've managed to write up a little bit (that's probably obvious) about removing the feet from the Inspire.

I think I've managed to repair the broken one I purchased as well and will write up the process as I get some time this week, with a view to trying to get it to fly next weekend.

http://blog.supasympa.com/2015/0 ... -a-boom-for-repair/

Some more detail on my ongoing Inspire 1 repair:

How to replace the carbon fibre boom : removal
http://blog.supasympa.com/2015/0 ... -carbon-fibre-boom/

Supasympa..  how much would you like for part 41 ?  I only need the actual gimbal mounting plate.. This is a picture of the part.  Thank you sir

Chris Con Posted at 2015-3-3 08:59
Supasympa..  how much would you like for part 41 ?  I only need the actual gimbal mounting plate.. T ...

Sorry for the delay Chris - only just seen your message.

I've actually fixed the Inspire now so if I sell it I'll probably see if anyone is interested in buying it as a single unit. Sorry. I think that some of the dealers are breaking down brand new Inspires to use as spares, it might be worth contacting a few?

I contacted DJI support and heard back today  about repairs costs for an Inspire and their response was simply :

"Hello Sir,

Could you please specify if you are a authorized dealer of DJI? If not, you should contact such with this issue as they will assist you further. You can also contact the online sale support for purchasing items."

So I contacted two authorised dealers and I was told that they are not able to get parts currently and wouldn't currently be able to offer a fix for either the broken shock in the foot or a broken carbon fibre boom for the foreseeable. Admittedly I only tried two dealers who were helpful but couldn't offer a fix.

I've heard reports of people getting their aircraft fixed under warranty but nothing from anyone taking about paid fixes yet.

I've added another post for the repair to my blog:

http://blog.supasympa.com/2015/0 ... e-for-re-insertion/

I completed the repair today and have had the Inspire 1 back in the air at for 5 minutes at no more than 2 meters up and well away from anyone. It flew just as well as the one I own that wasn't broken.

I finally managed to write up the final part of repairing the Inspire 1 boom. It took around 14 hours in total, but that was a lot of stop / start. I think you can do it in under four hours if you have the time tools and energy!

Final blog post is here:
http://blog.supasympa.com/2015/0 ... re-1-back-together/

Taking the main body of the aircraft apart would be simple but trying to get into the circuit boards was probably not going to be a non-destructive process!

I'm interested to hear of anyone who has got their Inspire repaired (out of warranty) or who is selling parts.

Hi - Since you're probably the expert now on the Inspire parts.. can you just tell me,
What does the big nut do that attaches or controls the play in the arms? Does it compress something to take the play out of the arms?

muscleflex Posted at 2015-3-24 22:38
Hi - Since you're probably the expert now on the Inspire parts.. can you just tell me,
What does the ...

I'll take a look and see if I can figure it out and let you know.

T J Gilbert Posted at 2015-2-25 01:55
Again, no sarcasm here...

The information I'm sharing with you is out there.

Very well stated and true, if your like me and have been flying RC for any length of time and you also liked amature photo and video ... and lots of us do ! Then knowing myself when I got into quadcopters and film it wouldn't stop a crash from happening just as before , even with all the safety features included in the near excellent dji products ... Back in the day you bought it you flew it you crashed it , your tuff luck ! 99% was pilot error then and hasn't changed much even with all those automatic features and GPS , gyro algorithms etc. won't save your butt !   Do I love those features , ohh yes I do but it's not going to fly itself out of every situation humans will put these craft up to on auto pilot... Lots of flights now on two phantoms and the inspire , three years in and not one bad crash do to a misbehaving unit DJIs products are excellent for me so far. If you've never flown an rc airplane and do fly a quad dji or others then i challenge any of you to go try your hand flying one , and I'm sure if we could all watch it would be quite hummerous indeed !  Nice too see the  camera pros now have time to help the guys whom already flew RC with settings etc..

We would really like to purchase a foot (Red light) from somewhere.

@Skysight - spares seem to be coming available in Germany. Check out eBay.de

T J Gilbert Posted at 2015-2-25 01:55
Also, nothing to do with flying has ever been warranted like DJI warrants stuff now..

What the heck are you talking about?
Please post the link to the warrantee on the I1, most like myself have never seen it, and have no clue what is covered and what is not.
thx
Bob

Here is another place I saw somewhere else in this forum that has spare parts. But I needed the CF arm, which after reading this post I now know why.
http://www.toemen.nl/dji-inspire-c-638_639_819.html?lang=en

supasympa Posted at 2015-2-23 22:36
As soon as I have edited some of the footage I'll post it on Youtube.

I won't be flying this aircra ...

hello supasympa, i recently got a inspire one, very little expirience. bad landing. 2 questions. do you still have a camera unit you are willing to sell. can  you re-manufacture a one of those cf boom sticks? i would like to see how you got to dismantle most of your inspire as i to would like to be able to service my own craft in any other emergency event. Please contact me Acosta.a90@gmail.com Thanks in advanced man!!

P.S great work on that teardown by far im sure these things would gain more fame in time im sure we could keep these Instructionals// DYI alive

Is there anyway i could work something out with you to fix my drowned in water Inspire? instead of selling it damaged...

http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... age%3D1&lang=en

Regards,

Majimbe809 Posted at 2015-4-29 08:41
hello supasympa, i recently got a inspire one, very little expirience. bad landing. 2 questions. d ...

All details I have are at http://blog.supasympa.com

In short, my opinion is:

There are two problems when repairing an Inspire 1 broken carbon fibre boom yourself.

1. Firstly the carbon fibre rod, the seats for the motors (that screw into the feet) and the rotation cuff for the boom are effectively a single unit as they have been bonded by heated glue. Separating them is a big challenge and difficult to do non-destructively, something I wouldn't recommend trying to anyone.

2. The second is detaching and reattaching the antenna plates that sit in the feet. Simply put - there is very little contingency in the length of the antennas and soldering them to the antenna plates is tricky.

As stated by DJI representatives,Inspire 1s were not designed not to be repaired by their pilots.

A simple design solution, in my opinion, would be for DJI to sell the boom, feet and motor seats as a single unit complete with wiring loom and allow the wiring loom to connect /disconnect at the point where the legs connect to the main body of the aircraft.

If DJI did this, I believe they could sell the boom units for $200 a time. I'd buy two without hesitation! I don't think it will ever happen, the guys at DJI are cleverer than me and know why they arent doing this already.

I can use your help if you're willing. My lever arm (what you call it) developed a crack. No crash to cause it, no nothing. No idea how it happened.

Anyway, I have a replacement lever arm with the plastic fittings already connected at both ends. Problem is I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to remove the existing lever arm so I can replace it with the new one. The outside end is easy enough to figure out, of course. It's the inner connection that is buried in the bird. How do I get it out so I can put the new one in?

I've tried a few things that didn't work out. I'm thinking that I need to remove the top plastic housing but that isn't so easy. Does the whole thing snap off? I removed all the screws but it still has a death grip on the bird. Should I just clench my teeth and yank it off?

roy@netraction. Posted at 2015-5-2 08:26
I can use your help if you're willing. My lever arm (what you call it) developed a crack. No crash t ...

Hi Roy, I'm no expert I'm afraid and can't give you any official advice to follow. I didn't have to remove the "lever arm" to repair the boom.

However, from what I can see and the information I have seen, you must remove the inner battery housing to get to where the lever arms attach to the body of the Inspire1, but eve then I can't be certain that there are not some surprises when you get in there! The fact that the lever arms are being sold as spares though suggests to me that you should be able to swap these out easily enough. I've attached a picture from the Inspire 1 patent drawings (freeliy available on the internet)that suggests how the connection is made, I hope it helps.

Would you mind posting some pictures of what you find?

supasympa Posted at 2015-5-2 17:30
Hi Roy, I'm no expert I'm afraid and can't give you any official advice to follow. I didn't have to ...

Thanks for posting.

The part is actually not sold by DJI. I bought it from a guy who tore apart an Inspire for parts. Only way to get this piece.

You can't really remove the battery housing but you have to peel it back from the chassis in order to remove the screw which holds the rods in place. It's not easy and I hope I never have to do it again.

supasympa Posted at 2015-5-1 16:22
All details I have are at http://blog.supasympa.com

In short, my opinion is:

thank you for your info and reply, i am currently awaiting DJI to send me an email for repair advancements they retrieved it Friday. Im thinking withing the 300-400 dollar range due to camera// gimball damage, lets see what they say...

GB44 Posted at 2015-2-23 21:55
Any ideas what this box is for on the rear of the Inspire:

Inspirehttp://s1123.photobucket.com/user ...

its a black box recording everything you do

the link is broken. I rellllyy want to see this!

T J Gilbert Posted at 2015-2-24 23:28
Eric Cheng interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMBpSY5IXdQ#t=1404
Listen to his comment @ 21 ...

how did he get a black controller?

Hello I recently broke the left "lever arm" part#11 on my inspire 1 found the part but wondering if anyone has any advice when removing the screw inside the body? Thank you

roy@netraction. Posted at 2015-5-1 17:26
I can use your help if you're willing. My lever arm (what you call it) developed a crack. No crash t ...

I recently broke one of those lever arms... Any adice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

bigairmason@gma Posted at 2016-9-4 01:56
I recently broke one of those lever arms... Any adice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

If it is still under warranty you are better off sending it in. The amount of disassembly will void it.
Top cover that holds GPS and battery bay have to come off.  If you are going to attempt it go slow.

jayredone10@yah Posted at 2016-9-3 18:16
If it is still under warranty you are better off sending it in. The amount of disassembly will voi ...

Ok thank you for the response, unfortunately I'm not under warranty... Would have been as easy fix had the screw been put in reverse

markaguille Posted at 2015-2-23 02:22
How much do you want for the foot? I broke the white damper in mine.

I am looking for a part for my Inspire 1. It is the white damper rod on one of the feet.
http://Remark504@aol.com

We're all interested in seeing a proper teardown. Please stop trying to get others to beg.

markaguille Posted at 2015-2-23 02:22
How much do you want for the foot? I broke the white damper in mine.

I have a broken damper too. Were you able to get a replacement?