Iris+ motor failure then smoke - fixable in Cape Town?

Posted by Joris on November 18, 2014 at 10:03am

Hi all,

My 1 week old Iris+ has been a treat. My first quad after a a year with a 3DR Aero. Sadly though one motor stopped working after a hard landing (no damage to the copter otherwise). It did twitch + beep regularly when disarmed (but the three working motors did not twitch). Then while testing throttle under different modes a puff of smoke emerged from the Iris+. I opened it up to find one of the wires going to the malfunctioning motor had come off its solder joint on the power distribution / ESC board (see pic).

I'm outside Cape Town in South Africa and had been v excited at the prospect of taking the Iris+ and Gopro on a 3000km road trip to some beautiful remote areas. Anyone willing to guess what it will take to fix this quad?

regards - Joris

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Replies

  • Kevin Arrowood November 18, 2014 at 2:38pm
    A sad day for sure. 

    It looks like the smoke came from the 4in1 ESC.  Does the loose motor wire appear to have broken from the stress of the hard landing or perhaps it was a cold solder joint?  A new 4in1 ESC is around 130.00 dollars US.  I would open a support ticket with 3DR and see if they will do anything for you. 

    With the number of people upgrading to the + versions you might find someone willing to let their original 4in1 ESC cheap.  The ESC's in both are the same.
    • mP1 > Kevin Arrowood November 18, 2014 at 11:38pm

      $130 for a 4in 1 esc is a ripoff. Shop around you will find the same quality for significantly less.

    • Joris > Kevin Arrowood November 18, 2014 at 11:32pm

      All wires seemed intact (I checked after the motor stopped working and before the smoke event). My suspicion is either a cold joint or a short somewhere between the ESC and motor. Have opened a ticket with 3DR, hopefully they can help.

  • Joris November 18, 2014 at 11:06am

    Good news is that everything else still works, including the remaining three motors. But I guess the ESC for the faulty motor might be fried.

    • Moderator
      Gary Mortimer > Joris November 18, 2014 at 11:15am

      You don't say where you are exactly but if that road trip takes you through Knysna go and see http://www.steadidrone.com they will sort you out. 

    • Joris > Gary Mortimer November 18, 2014 at 11:28pm

      Thanks for the tip Gary! I will pass Knysna towards the end of the trip. Have msged them just in case that's my only option.

  • John November 18, 2014 at 11:04am
    That board looks fried to me. The controller (correct term?) behind the solder joint looks melted. I would contact 3DR and see if they'll replace it under warranty. Smoke from an esc to me would make not trust that part again in the air.
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