I recently bought a used drone, and it turns out the arm is broken.
I need some advice on what to do next. Has anyone dealt with this before? Should I repair it myself or send it in? Any help is appreciated!
Only the arm? What about the propellers… they look damaged too. I’m guessing this drone had a pretty hard crash. Maybe the gimbal motor is also messed up. Hate to say it, but you might have gotten a bad deal here.
@Peyton
I wasn’t worried about the propellers since there’s a spare set still in the packaging, but I didn’t even think about the gimbal… That’s a good point. Ugh, just my luck.
Oli said:
@Peyton
I wasn’t worried about the propellers since there’s a spare set still in the packaging, but I didn’t even think about the gimbal… That’s a good point. Ugh, just my luck.
The easiest way to check the gimbal is to power up the drone and see if any error codes pop up. You don’t need to fly it, just see if the gimbal moves freely. I crashed my Mini 3 once and it messed up the gimbal cable. I bought a new one on Amazon and fixed it myself after watching some videos online. It’s a bit of a pain, but it’s doable if you’re handy.
Oli said:
@Peyton
I wasn’t worried about the propellers since there’s a spare set still in the packaging, but I didn’t even think about the gimbal… That’s a good point. Ugh, just my luck.
I noticed that the area where the other front arm connects to the body looks a bit sketchy too. Could be heat damage or something. Good luck with it though! Hope this doesn’t ruin your first experience with drones.
Hey there. Mini drone arms don’t cost too much to replace. If you take it somewhere, expect to pay for both the parts and the service fee, but I’d guess it’s under $100.
You could try sending it to the manufacturer. I’ve heard they’ll replace the drone for pretty cheap, like under $100.
Harlan said:
You could try sending it to the manufacturer. I’ve heard they’ll replace the drone for pretty cheap, like under $100.
Yeah, that’s been my experience with them too. Their support has always been solid in my case.
Did you check if it’s bound to someone else’s account? Just in case it’s stolen or something.
Breck said:
Did you check if it’s bound to someone else’s account? Just in case it’s stolen or something.
It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s stolen, but yeah, you should definitely make sure. You can see if it’s linked to another account through the DJI Fly app: go to Profile > Settings > Manage Devices.
You can get a repair kit on Amazon for around $25. Here’s a link to the parts: parts.
It looks fixable to me. You might just need a new axis part; the arm itself seems okay. It might end up costing less than $100, or maybe not… Here’s a video that shows how to repair it: Repair Tutorial.
Yeah, I think you can repair it without too much trouble.
It costs around $100 CAD to get a Mini 3 Pro replaced by DJI.
I had mine repaired not too long ago. If you open a case with them, they’ll send you a free shipping label. I sent the drone along with the controller and battery, and they returned a ‘new’ sealed refurbished unit. They even sent my controller and battery back separately along with a free hat. It cost about $90.
I heard DJI products are being held at the U.S. border right now… I’d definitely contact them first and download their app for more details.
Had the same problem with my Mini 3. Ended up buying a hinge for around $10-$15 on AliExpress.
You can find a replacement part on eBay, or I’ve got one I’d be willing to sell. The repair isn’t too tough, but you’ll need to do some soldering for three connections.
Oh no, that’s such a bummer! Maybe you can turn it into a cool DIY project? Good luck with the repairs!
If all the cables are still intact, you could just tape it together for a quick fix.