Well today I experienced a flyaway while in loiter, and the result was 2 broken arms, both on the right side.
So I proceeded to open up Pandora's box!
Seriously! To replace the arms I need to desolder and resolder the motor and led leads? Son of a bitch.
OK then, anyone of y'all got any how-to suggestions for performing the replacement?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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What they really should have is removable caps for the bottoms of the motor mounts that would let you drop the motor and wires through to the bottom of the arms. Then the wires wouldn't have to be messed with at all. Probably cost 30 cents more per arm vs the one piece castings. Kind of surprises me with the otherwise good design.
Well, I am just a hobbyist and a glutton for punishment so I ordered a replacement esc/power board and I get to do even more work. And partly I like trying to solve a good puzzle. But I'd rather be flying and I am pretty pissed off at the poor arm design that turns what should be a 10 minute pop off the case, 4 bolts, and swap the arm job, into an hour or more workshop job with more difficulty than it should have. This would NOT be a good thing in a commercial operation if you broke an arm in the field. Even if you had a spare one it is just not a quick repair. Honestly if I didn't have the FPV kit and a spare battery I'd be tempted to go with one of the other brands at this point.
And I'm rusty with the soldering iron, so to speak.
The copter was on the ground for about 45 minutes before I found it (in a forest). I'm lucky it didn't get snagged high up in a 86 foot tree. Should I test the unit to ascertain if the ESC has been damaged? Or just get the parts, and repair first?
Here's a video showing how it's done.
Looks like the video was taken in the Tijuana production facility. Quick hands. I notice the workstation has a place to set the unit while its being worked on.
Many thanks for the link Larry!