Motor fail
- Thread starter rocco pienaar
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Since this is one of our biggest fears, I would love to see DJI put out motor life information so we can change them out at safe intervals. I just don't know if it is worth more to them selling a replacement bird as opposed to selling countless replacement motors.
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Okay, I just bought a P4 and so far I'm liking it. But now seeing this thread has me worried....
This isn't something to lose sleep over.
With the original poster's motor, the outer case (the rotor) has slid off the field coil assembly (the stator). The outer case is held in place by a circular clip snapped into a groove on the bottom of the propeller shaft. These don't normally break or come off. It's highly unusual.
This link shows a disassembled brushless motor. In the first image look to the far left for the 'circlip e-ring'. Disassembling a Brushless Motor
I'm guessing the clip was installed improperly during the manufacture of the motor, or perhaps it wasn't installed at all and the shaft was being held by the friction of the bearings alone. Over time things worked loose.
One thing that should be done before each flight is to check the 'feel' of the motors. I pull up and down on the case to see if there is any vertical play (there shouldn't be). Then, with the props on, I flick each prop with my finger hard enough to cause the motor to spin 3 - 4 times. They should all spin freely. Any strange noise or binding is a sign there are problems.
With the original poster's motor, the outer case (the rotor) has slid off the field coil assembly (the stator). The outer case is held in place by a circular clip snapped into a groove on the bottom of the propeller shaft. These don't normally break or come off. It's highly unusual.
This link shows a disassembled brushless motor. In the first image look to the far left for the 'circlip e-ring'. Disassembling a Brushless Motor
I'm guessing the clip was installed improperly during the manufacture of the motor, or perhaps it wasn't installed at all and the shaft was being held by the friction of the bearings alone. Over time things worked loose.
One thing that should be done before each flight is to check the 'feel' of the motors. I pull up and down on the case to see if there is any vertical play (there shouldn't be). Then, with the props on, I flick each prop with my finger hard enough to cause the motor to spin 3 - 4 times. They should all spin freely. Any strange noise or binding is a sign there are problems.
^ Well I hope you're right. We all know flying these expensive toys is already a gamble as is. I certainly wouldn't want to add to the mix of possible things that can or could go wrong.
I can see it now, I'm flying above some lake and one of my motors takes a puke. The AC falls in to the lake and it's gone forever. Meantime, DJI tells me to screw off because I have no evidence to give them.
Ugggghh.....
I can see it now, I'm flying above some lake and one of my motors takes a puke. The AC falls in to the lake and it's gone forever. Meantime, DJI tells me to screw off because I have no evidence to give them.
Ugggghh.....
Yes good question what is the motor lifespan and what maintenance is required ?
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N017RW
Premium Pilot
Hundreds of operating hours can be expected.
BLDC motors have one moving/wearing part, the bearings.
The motors, short of trauma, will likely outlast your quad.
Bearing failures can be determined by feel or an elevated motor temp as compared to the others.
These bearings are of a sealed variety so there is no maintenance other than remove foreign material that may enter due to storage or dirty environments.
DJI isn't going to replace anything if and when your machine falls in the middle of a lake or ocean and you can't retrieve it. That's when you're seriously SOL if/when the crash is a result from a manufacturer defect.
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I really don't know any companies that will replace a unit that is not recovered.
There still is evidence in the form of the logs kept by DJI-Go on the device that was being used with the remote control.
If the log shows that one motor stopped in mid-flight over the middle of a lake, that might be grounds for a 'recoverless' warranty claim.
If the log shows that one motor stopped in mid-flight over the middle of a lake, that might be grounds for a 'recoverless' warranty claim.
N017RW
Premium Pilot
What DJI decides is anybody's guess but telemetry data does begin to change the the game when it comes to blame.
Such as pilot error or on-board failure.
Such as pilot error or on-board failure.
