Hey everyone, I had a bad crash yesterday. One of the motors came out of the Iris and the whole unit plummeted to the ground. HERE is the video of the crash...The unit is thrashed and the gimbal broke off even though it never hit anything. After inspecting the quad, I found that the screws that held one of the motors in had fallen out! Upon further investigation, I found that only about half of the screws in the other motors had threadlock on them. Anyone else experience this? I am going to call 3D Robotics to see what can be done on Monday.
Thanks all!
Replies
I have found out that if you have a very hard landing or anything else those screws can strip out from the motor making that motor useless. It would be very nice if 3DR would drill two more holes and use all four holes.
Not having seen an Iris in the flesh I'm rather taken aback by the remark that 3DR is mounting motors with only two screws rather than four. Really? To save the weight, assembly time, and price of 8 screws? Or?? IMHO: FAIL.
I had this happen to, but was able to find some 10mm replacement crews at a local hardware store and get the engine back in. Since I guess I only have about 2mm of gripping threads now, should I get a replacement motor? I've been able to fly it several times since with no issue, but am trying to be safe.
Just like any Align heli I have built, it's a good idea to disassemble completely, add loctite and rebuild. It's a royal pain but crashing hurts more.
Andy
For those of you new to R/C and the world of ARF/RTF (Almost Ready to Fly/Ready To Fly): It matters not if your new treasure was assembled in the US, China, Mexico or by your mother-in-law. You must go over the fasteners, at the least checking for snugness but better yet taking things as far apart as you can without a wrecking bar (further levels of disassembly will probably reveal themselves soon enough). This not only to insure tightness, presence of thread-lock where appropriate, correct screw lengths, etc. but also to give you familiarity with the machine, which will be useful when rebuilding or modifying. And this is a fun and educational part of the hobby. While you're checking the fasteners you can also look for poor solder joints, loose plugs, chaffing wires, and so on. Does it all really matter? Ignore it and splatter!
So, the manufacturer should not be held liable for improper assembly? If this is the case then automobiles, motorcycles, and passenger aircraft should all be inspected before use. Bring your toolbox to the dealer before driving or fly off.
If you have one of the IRIS's in question that's the problem. After hearing all of the missing screws and Loc-Tite issues, I gave all of mine a turn to check and bam, they just strip right out because of the length. Loc-Tite or not if they don't reach the motor threads, they aren't holding.
3DR will send you the correct ones if you request it otherwise fly at your own risk. See pics below for size comparison. Also notice the old screws had Loc-Tite.
My Iris shipped yesterday. I wonder if it'll have the new, longer screws? I guess when it arrives I'll pull one and check.
John, I spoke with 3DR last week and they were pulling the current inventory and replacing the screws so you should be good.
Thanks for the fast reply! That might also explain why the order took 7 days instead of the professed 2-3 days before shipping. I'm ok with the delay, especially if it brings improvements!
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