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Spare Carbon Tubing

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Mar 4, 2015
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Hi all,

Just had a little mishap with a door and broke the forward section of one of the carbon tubes that holds the motor.

Is anyone aware of any spare parts available? preferably in the UK but happy to import from US if I need to.

Cheers,

Simon
 
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Hi all,

Just had a little mishap with a door and broke the forward section of one of the carbon tubes that holds the motor.

Is anyone away of any spare parts available? preferably in the UK but happy to import from US if I need to.

Cheers,

Simon
At present these are not user replaceable parts. You will not be able to source these from anywhere as DJI do not even allow authorised dealers to do these types of repairs.
One of the reasons is that the arm alignment requires an accurate jig to set up the off-set angle.
 
Oh. That's bad. Jobs lined up. Any thoughts on how long this will take DJI's European service centre to repair?
I guess it depends on what they have backed up.
Give them a call tomorrow......they DO actually answer the phone and can be quite helpful.
 
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Thank you. I have just emailed them and will follow up with a call in the morning. Very frustrating. It was a stupid little accident in which the Inspire only fell a metre or so. All my fault. I was practicing an interior to exterior shot which I want to do for a client. Might re-think that one.
 
Hi Simon, I had similar problem a few months ago, I broke the RH front arm, internal accident. hit the wall and she dropped onto the corner, broke the carbon fibre tube quite cleanly and two props too. No other damage, so I did a temp repair, external splint, made from a large clear nylon hypodermic syringe tube, I cut a slit long ways and I cut the end cap/tube off, it was undersize and quite grippy/springy, so it held ok, but to be sure I used a couple of lightweight jubilee type clamps, the test flight was as normal, level and stable, and the repair was hardly noticeable, so I then purchased a piece of carbon fibre the exact size to fit internally, it meant taking the motor off and undoing a few wires, only one wire (gps signal) needed unsoldering, I fixed the new tube in with epoxy adhesive (very small amount) and assembled. Perfect repair, only noticeable on very close scrutiny, I know I will maybe void warranty, and my mishap was pilot error, so I think I must have saved £400 and not lost my Bad Bird! That was a few months ago, she till behaves herself, and so do I, nothing teaches like a mishap, I've got some CF Tube left over, who knows I may need more one day ........regards stu. Lincoln
 
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Stu...could you tell me where you bought the carbon tube and what size?

DJI have just said they can repair it in 10 working days from it arriving in Germany. Every bone in my body tells me to send it but I fear 10 days could grow and grow and grow and I have jobs lined up.

I'm going to have a closer look at the break. It's right next to where the tube enters the lift arm so I worry the damage could extend inside that area. The arm has not actually snapped in two - it's more a fracture than a clean break. If I could be confident there was no damage inside I might just do an external repair using the kind of kit the Volvo Ocean Race guys use for patching up their carbon yachts.

In the end I will only consider that if I can be confident I can achieve a 100% safe repair.

If not - it's off to Deutschland.
 
Hi Stu, Thanks for your kind offer. I decided on balance to ship the Inspire to Germany. The break was right where the tube enters the lifting mechanism so quite a complex repair. I would have been constantly worried that something was going to break mid-flight and put the whole aircraft and people on the ground at risk. Always safety first. If the break had been further along I would have fixed it myself. Thanks again.
 
Hi Stu,

Sadly I've done similar to Simon and have bent the front right carbon fibre tubing. I've patched it for the time being but think it would be best to repair it properly. Could you tell me the dimensions of the tubing please? Was it simple to replace? I'm happy enough with a little soldering but not sure about cutting the tubing etc.

Thanks,

Tim
 
Hi Stu,

Sadly I've done similar to Simon and have bent the front right carbon fibre tubing. I've patched it for the time being but think it would be best to repair it properly. Could you tell me the dimensions of the tubing please? Was it simple to replace? I'm happy enough with a little soldering but not sure about cutting the tubing etc.

Thanks,

Tim
Hi Tim, if you send me a picture of the broken leg I will give you my honest opinion, the wiring is very simple to disconnect, just one fine wore that is a solder job, where are you located? I have a spare piece of CF you are welcome to. Regards Stuart
 
if you send me a picture of the broken leg I will give you my honest opinion

Not the best shot but here you go, I've wrapped it in tap at the moment which seems to give it enough rigidity although I think the gain needs to be recalibraded as it seems to slowly shift to one side (I'm not sure if this is normal -or consistently to the same side yet).

DSC_1953.JPG


just one fine wore that is a solder job, where are you located?

Ah that doesn't sound too bad, I'm based in Herefordshire about 5 minutes from the end of the M50.

I have a spare piece of CF you are welcome to.

That's very kind of you if you don't mind losing a spare, I'm more than happy to pay for it/postage etc.

Tim
 
Hi Tim, you're right, it's not the best shot, I was hoping to see the fracture/break style, but the tape is not allowing this view, the break in my tube was very clean, and it had an angle that allowed the detached arm to fit back only in the exact same position as original, like a one way key, so the alignment jig was not as important, coupled with a very rigid and perfect tempory repair, several test flights to see how the inspire behaved, I was confident it was aligned as before, the worrying part for your inspire is you mention side to side sway/shift, if your temp repair is not rigid, like it used to be, that may be why it sways, but without seeing the break and knowing its rigidity I can't advise, but due to the sway it is very likely you do need professional help, you really can't compromise on safety if you have different flight characteristics from before the break. But it's your inspire, and you are ultimately responsible for it, if you want the CF tube I need your details, at first I need your direct email, then you can let me have your postal info privately, we have some internet police on here to consider. Good luck with it and Best regards. Stu
 
Tim, just a thought, I had two 1mtr pieces of CF from Japan, and I used over half of one piece for my repair, if you want to buy the unused I meter length and pay half of the £24 cost ? That maybe better as the part piece I have left is a lot less than half of the full length.
Stu
 
I had a similar break after another flyaway, I was able to repair mine for under $10 using some 19mm water pipe, cut with a channel along the length and sanded to just insert INSIDE the broken tubes.
The channel allowed for the cables to go inside the new sleeving and each end was epoxied in place.
The repair is almost not noticeable and the alignment of the leg was easy as i referenced the broken carbon and measured the angle against the other three legs. Took about half an hour.
 
Tim, just a thought, I had two 1mtr pieces of CF from Japan, and I used over half of one piece for my repair, if you want to buy the unused I meter length and pay half of the £24 cost ? That maybe better as the part piece I have left is a lot less than half of the full length.
Stu
how exactly were you able to use a different carbon tube for the fix? a smaller one that fits inside or over top of the original?
 

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