I often find myself defending 3DR on Twitter and Facebook as having experienced other multicopters I appreciate for one, 3DR’s customer service to date has been good, especially when compared to the competition.
However, it’s getting difficult when customers post facts about their IRIS and those are disputed and the threads locked before the customer even has chance to defend their comments.
Already a valid observation was made about 3DR using Red loctite, I know full well they have as I removed the screws from my consumer version IRIS this very evening, one motor even needs replacing now as I seemed to have over tightened one screw (so you’ll be able to confirm that on my order history as of tomorrow).
Here’s a photo from one of the screws, so it would be nice if staff here would listen to customers before suggesting they’re mistaken, this is Red not blue.
Also I would add, I’ve had my IRIS on loiter drop in height, I’ve posted this somewhere before, possibly in the review on DVXusers, so the issue a customer has mentioned about the GPS module pressing against the Pixhawk shouldn’t simply be dismissed, at least tell us what is causing the IRIS to drop in height unexpectedly if it’s not that.
How have you checked the IRIS GPS isn’t touching, have you put a camera inside a sealed IRIS or drilled a hole in the side of a case and looked through after it was assembled? I’ve seen Randy post about the way the way the APM and presumably Pixhawk don’t like Z-axis vibration so if there is a user report of a potential cause (and solution) I hope it’s not been dismissed out of hand.
How have you checked the IRIS GPS isn’t touching, have you put a camera inside a sealed IRIS or drilled a hole in the side of a case and looked through after it was assembled?
We used 3D modelling software to ensure the clearances were ok and then we also have a shell that is cut in half so we can see the clearances between the components in the vehicle.
I’ve had my IRIS on loiter drop in height,
Sorry I can’t comment much without a log file to analyse.
And thanks for the heads up about the Red Loctite. Using Red Loctite is not normal nor recommended. I have passed that onto our production folks and I will do some investigation.
I agree 3DR are great and I’ve been defending them as well especially when people have seen my Iris in pieces a bunch of times, not from crashes.
Maybe its the first batch that went out? I preordered in 2013 and mine most definitely has red Loctite (not a problem to me) and the GPS and pixhawk most definitely touch. I can see the pixhawk getting pushed down a bit, I can see wear marks on the cables and the GPS module, I can see more wear marks after I cover the cables with electrical tape and I can see a clear imprint when I put a thin layer of Play Doh on the GPS.
Anyway I’m sure it will get resolved and not really a big deal mine seems to fly just fine.
I would also like to suggest that people with issues include when they purchased/received their iris so 3dr can try to pinpoint if there may be a certain batch that may have a particular issue, too bad they don’t have serial numbers
I should add the Red loctite was put on carefully and hadn’t got on the plastic so that itself isn’t an issue, it was the fact a customer mentioning the fact was ignored and contradicted, when I don’t think customers would take to a forum to post misinformation just for kicks.
If the factory have put Red loctite on some IRIS models is it not possible they’ve for example also put foam on which isn’t the same height in some builds for arguments sake causing the issue of the GPS touching, is everyone sure every single sheet of foam is the same height as the 3D model suggests? I’d imagine there’s a manufacturing tolerance where there could be a small variation in height, just playing devils advocate on that one.
DJI test their firmware using simulations according to an old Colin Guinn video and have release after release that is bugged, so I don’t have much regard for any checks being done on computer alone.
One thing is for sure, the IRIS definitely, 100% is prone for whatever reason to drop about a meter or two in height for no good reason in loiter mode now and then. I recently changed to Xoar props and bigger motor shafts and I’ve not had the issue since, then again I don’t fly that often (due to the poor English weather) so it maybe just coincidence.
Incidentally I have a consumer IRIS, I assume one of the first as I preordered over 90 days before I received mine, if that helps.
Craig, have you a photo of the shell cut in half to see how much the clearances are and to allow people to see if they can spot differences with their builds?
