Don't get me wrong. This isn't intended to be a slight against 3DR in any way. I've never had anything but pleasant dealings with them. It's just a very interesting occurrence with my Iris+ from earlier today.
After about 6 minutes of flying hard banks around my yard, I decided to land. Unfortunately, I ran out of altitude before I ran out of airspeed, and the resulting touchdown, in an uneven area, caused my Iris to flip onto it's back. Almost immediately after flipping, smoke began to pour from the shell, and before I could get to it, flames erupted from the underside, by the PDB. I pulled the battery and extinguished the fire, and then returned to my workbench.
Upon opening the shell, I discovered a great deal of scorching around the PDB, and several wires were off their connectors. Not sure what came first, the broken wires or the fire, but it should be interesting to hear what 3DR says.
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For any who have been following this incident, here is the latest update....
After 27 days, I finally received my replacement Iris+ from 3DR. When Technical Support was first contacted, they were eager to get their hands on my damaged unit to try to determine the cause of the fire. They quickly passed the word to Customer Service, who responded by quickly requesting an RMA be issued by the Shipping Department. This is where the delays began.
It seems that the Shipping Department at 3DR is somewhat less than prompt in servicing the needs of their customers. It took nearly 5 days before I received a FedEx shipping label for the merchandise return, then it was for standard shipping, which resulted in another week before they received it. Once they had my Iris+ in hand, it was yet another week before they shipped my replacement. At least the shipment to me was via FedEx 2-day. I honestly believe that this was because I continually pestered Customer Service for action.
My thanks go out to the technical support and customer support staffs (Enrique and Nathan, respectively) or their rapid response to my inquiries. While I realize that the Shipping Department may have been exceptionally busy filling orders for their newest merchandise release (the SOLO), it does not excuse delaying or ignoring existing customers. It is this group of people on which any retail business's reputation.
It seems that everything has finally returned to normal, and the stars are coming back into their proper alignment. Happy flying to all.
Just an update on the situation...
After corresponding with Enrique from 3DR, they have offered to either replace my Iris+, or provide a store credit for the purchase price should I decide to ourchase a new Iris+ from another vendor.
Because of my need for a serviceable quad, I had originally elected to purchase from another firm, and I agreed to the store credit. When my new drone arrived, though, it was DOA, and has since been returned for refund. I am now awaiting a response from 3DR to go ahead with a direct replacement. Hopefully, I will hear something good today, and be back in the air soon.
I considered that option, but I have too much invested in my Iris+. Considering that, like the Iris+, the Solo does not include a gimbal, and I have a Tarot for my Iris+, that's nearly $400 that I have saved right there. I have 3 spare batteries for the Iris+, at about $40 apiece, as opposed to almost $150 apiece for the Solo batteries. Finally, I much prefer a tried and proven TX like the TH9X, rather than a newly introduced design, such as the one included with the Solo.
Perhaps down the road I may step up to a Solo, but right now, it just wouldn't make good sense.
3DR isn't using Apple iPod batteries, are they? Just kidding. Spectacular footage of a sickening loss. Please keep us posted of any response from 3DR.
Can you post the flight logs at the time of the crash?
Thanks, Avidh
Avidh,
I was ready to post the logs for you, then I realized it exceeded the maximum file size (7MB). I will try to parse it down and get it uploaded tomorrow.
That torched so fast I'd guess a wire broke loose on impact on the PDB and shorted out. Can you see any sign of a broken wire or solder joint?
I pulled the battery immediately after the incident, and put it on my balancer after taking a good look at it. In addition to there being no visible damage, it was still showing 3.76-3.77v in each cell. I was able to discharge it down to 10.8v, then balanced it back to 12.4v without any problem whatsoever. I agree with you that everything is pointing toward the ESC/PDB.
Yes, bummer for sure. If I had to guess, I too would go with the 4 in 1 ESC being the thing that let the magic smoke out. Subscribing to see the out come.
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