New inspire owner

flyhotstuff · Dec 21, 2016

Got a deal on a low use inspire one v1 today for 900 with an ipad mini included and 2 bats. x3 camera. the issue i have is that the guy never updated the firmware on it since he bought it over a year ago and when i was testing it out i mistakenly raised the landing gear whilst it was on the ground with the camera on and it started raising the legs. The guy realised my mistake and ran and picked it up before it lowered all the way. I flew it and it brought the arms up into flight mode but then it wouldn't lower it afterwards. i keep hearing what seems to be a motor spinning but no movement of the legs. I am able to smoothly adjust it manually tho. No issues there. I have updated the craft and the remote but i am at a lost why the landing gear got that issue. Please help.

P.S dont suggest i send it in, I am far away from any service area. I am handy with diy and could use some guidance thank you!
Edit: i also found it strange that the legs would raise on the ground whilst the gimbal was on

flyhotstuff · Dec 21, 2016

So i just had it upside down and turned it on, it started moving. but then on of the legs touched on something and it started not moving again

AeroMirage · Dec 21, 2016

Welcome to the fold!!

Sounds like there is some resistance somewhere in the drive train of that mechanism. As you probably know, the gear are powered by a brushless motor which has very little torque. If the worm gear is bent, or there is any foreign matter on it, that may be the problem. There is a small ball bearing on the bottom of that shaft that may have grit in it. I would go through the entire mechanism and clean & lubricate all of the moving parts.
Hope you find the cause and are able to fix it.
Keep us posted.......

flyhotstuff · Dec 21, 2016

AeroMirage said:
Welcome to the fold!!

Sounds like there is some resistance somewhere in the drive train of that mechanism. As you probably know, the gear are powered by a brushless motor which has very little torque. If the worm gear is bent, or there is any foreign matter on it, that may be the problem. There is a small ball bearing on the bottom of that shaft that may have grit in it. I would go through the entire mechanism and clean & lubricate all of the moving parts.
Hope you find the cause and are able to fix it.
Keep us posted.......

I can turn the worm gear and the entire mechanism with ease using a screw driver. All i hear is the motor spinning and it seems like it's not engaging the worm gear

AeroMirage · Dec 21, 2016

Interesting. Does there appear to be a keyway or shear pin? I was under the impression that the worm gear was (directly connected to) the motor shaft. Maybe pressed into a fitting?

flyhotstuff · Dec 21, 2016

as far as i can see no. And some disassembly pictures of the motor and gearbox shows that everything in there is metal, and i dont expect such a weak motor to wear out the gears to easily anyway. I've yet to dismantle it however

flyhotstuff · Dec 23, 2016

I tore it down. Found the problem. Apparently a gear that turns the landing gear at the top of the gearbox is bent. I'm going yo fix it but I broke 2 screws trying to open the gear box. Those things a locked down tight. Anyone has a gearbox to sell?

flyhotstuff · Dec 23, 2016

So actually it wasn't bent. The gear popped out of place. Pressed it in and it's good. Gotta be careful with the landing gear from now on. This thing is so fragile

flyhotstuff · Dec 24, 2016

Alright guys so disregard my last post that was not the issue. It only became crooked after I removed the cap of the gearbox. The real issue is the gear that is attached to the motor. When I first opened the gearbox case I met it off. So I thought that was just how it was and with enough torque it would still turn the gear. So I cleaned the shaft and scuffed it up with some sandpaper and did the same thing to the inside of the gear and used slow drying JB weld and now it's working well. I've already put it back together. Hopefully this helps someone who had an issue like me.

So if you can hear the motor spinning but the landing gear isn't moving and you can easily turn it manually this is more likely the issue that you have.

AeroMirage · Dec 24, 2016

Thanks for the update. This inside knowledge is priceless. (Since there ain't any repair manuals within our grasp!)

Salomão · Dec 26, 2016

Wait, you paid 900 dollars for an i1 plus controller plus 2 batts plus ipad mini? On ebay? Thats so cheap!
And I was thinking mine was the cheapest! 1400 dollars for 4 batts, 2 controllers and one i1 v1 with 1hour of flight

Sent from my iPhone using InspirePilots

flyhotstuff · Dec 26, 2016

Salomão said:
Wait, you paid 900 dollars for an i1 plus controller plus 2 batts plus ipad mini? On ebay? Thats so cheap!
And I was thinking mine was the cheapest! 1400 dollars for 4 batts, 2 controllers and one i1 v1 with 1hour of flight

Sent from my iPhone using InspirePilots

Lol no no I got it from someone who was leaving going traveling

flyhotstuff · Dec 29, 2016

As an update to everyone, the JB weld Only held for a day. I believe because it is thick and didn't go through the tight tolerance properly. I used red loctite and it has held up much better as it is thinner and went straight through. No issues thus far. However, going forward i Think that Green loctite 680 would be best suited for the task, so if it ever does slip again i'll be using that.

For those who prefer a more stock fit, the Pinion gear measurements are 12 tooth, 3.8mm Diameter 4mm width and 1.50mm shaft. I was able to locate a pinion gear with all those specifications except the width. I would have then filed it down to the right width and press fitted back onto the shaft and use some green loctite for added security.