Broken Arm on Spark!

[Old Man Grizz]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

 

[Chuck Halfacre]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

First thing get rid of that JB weld crap? Get either gorilla glue and or super glue and us it! Just make sure you don't get it down into the electronics I did it on one of my drones and it's still holding over a year-and-a-half later. Good luck

 

[Spark 317]

Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?

Although JB Weld is a good short time fix in a pinch, it may not be the proper repair in the long run.

I have watched YouTube videos and built confidence in my ability to repair the appliances around the house that I never would have tried on my own.

The Spark was put together which means it can come apart.

The Spark tear down and rebuild videos I've seen look to be very informative, as long as you follow the steps.

Watch different videos and take notes.
One may have an easier way than the other when reaching a goal.

It looks like a soldering gun, a torx driver set, and patience may be all that's needed.

Practice soldering with scrap wire before working on the Spark.

If you don't feel confident yourself, there are repair shops available that will do it for you.

Here is DJI's site.

 

[I B Spectre]

Not all adhesives work equally well on different plastics. I've had good luck with E6000, but I haven't had to use it on my Spark.

 

[brushpilot]

I believe that the plastic used in the spark arms is PVC (polyvinyl chlouride) which needs either solvent cement (plumbing store) or maybe plastic welding. Shops that repair ATVs and snowmobiles usually have a plastic welding rig to fix cracks in body parts. Let us know what works or doesn't!

 

[Gduk]

Hi, this video mentions he snapped one arm off, he used crazy glue (towards end of video)

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[Barbara]

At work I used to have pretty good luck repairing cracks in plastic using super/crazy glue type products. Loctite was the brand I used. Can't remember the exact product number, but it was thin and great at wicking into cracks in plastic. Just need to be very careful applying it. And patient, let it dry, they really aren't "Instant" (except on skin).

 

[McCloudSpark]

At work I used to have pretty good luck repairing cracks in plastic using super/crazy glue type products. Loctite was the brand I used. Can't remember the exact product number, but it was thin and great at wicking into cracks in plastic. Just need to be very careful applying it. And patient, let it dry, they really aren't "Instant" (except on skin).

Glues like that also can be used with an activator then then they become instant.

 

[Tom R]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

Earlier this year I had a similar problem. After reading other posts of attempting to glue or JB Weld it, I decided to buy a shell and transfer all the rotor motors and internal parts to the new shell. I think performing brain surgery is a little easier. I was successful in repairing the Spark however, but it takes a lot of patience and decent small soldering iron to unsolder then resolder the tiny motor wires.
Tom R

 

[David Siugzda]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

It's not hard to do if you're used to working on cell phones lots of small pieces take your time and you'll be fine you'll be replacing the frame that means everything comes out but the motors and wires and you put it all back in get a frame with the motors already installed it's worth it

 

[Roger S]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

I had the same experience. The arm was bent down, crack at top. I removed the top shell, glued it with JB Weld then clamp it in place over night. It looked like new and flew fine. However the crash killed the camera so I sent to dji for repair and they insisted on replacing the body.

 

[PhantomFandom]

Howdy!
I just bought a Crashed Spark to tinker with. I got her up and flying perfectly, but it has a good size crack on one of the motor arms near the body. I tried some JB Weld.
Just got back from running 3 batteries through it, I was thrilled!!
It performed as well as my other Spark! Then I noticed that the JB Weld had not held and it was really cracked again.??
My questions: Has anyone had any luck repairing their Spark Body?
Is anyone out there interested in replacing the lower body on this Spark?
Thanks for reading this LONG Post!
I appreciate your time and support.
Old Man Grizz

I have done this exact job. I purchased a wrecked Spark Fly More Combo back in April at a good price and then repaired it. Everything internally was functional, as well as the camera and gimbal. One of the arms was snapped in half and dangling from the motor wires. I purchased a new shell, one motor, one ESC board, and new propellers just in case the board/motor with the cracked arm suffered any damage.

I have repaired laptop computers and cell phones so I thought I could handle the Spark disassemble and re-assembly. I did indeed get it done but it took time and patience. The end result was a brand new looking Spark that flew perfectly. Some suggestions and issues:

• The soldering work for the motors is very small and tedious. That is what took me longer than anything else. Make sure you have a really good magnifying glass as part of your soldering station.
• Buy only original DJI OEM replacement parts. May cost a bit more but you know that everything will fit perfectly and work as it should.
• Working with the new ESC board with clean solder pads was so much easier than working with the old ESC boards. Would be nice to replace all of them but they are about $16 each.
• You will also need LocTite for some of the screws, as well as some silicone adhesive. You don't want screws working their way loose due to vibration after the repair.
• If you have never done any work of this type, it may not be the best project to start with.
• Take pictures and/or video at every step before you disassemble each component. That way when you are ready to re-assemble you have a reference picture to see how it all fit together before you started.
• Very worthwhile investment is a magnetic parts board where you can place all of the screws and parts and label them as you go.

It is definitely doable and very rewarding when you finish. It flew perfectly after the repair.

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

Depending on where it is and how severe, it may be too far gone. As someone already mentioned you don't want to get any glue or adhesive into the electronic parts

 

[Old Man Grizz]

Thanks for all the insight Folks!
I have watched several rebuild videos, and I have decided to give it a whirl!
The New Frame arrived yesterday, the weather is supposed to be yucky, so, other than watching Michigan vs. Ohio today, I’m going to lock myself in my workshop and hopefully attain a successful transplant.
Wish Me Luck!!
Old Man Grizz

 

[Jmc657]

Good luck! I was going to try mine, but decided to send it back to DJI. $100 was steep, but cheaper than a new spark.

send updates!

 

[PhantomFandom]

Thanks for all the insight Folks!
I have watched several rebuild videos, and I have decided to give it a whirl!
The New Frame arrived yesterday, the weather is supposed to be yucky, so, other than watching Michigan vs. Ohio today, I’m going to lock myself in my workshop and hopefully attain a successful transplant.
Wish Me Luck!!
Old Man Grizz

Good luck to you. Just take it slow. If it motivates you, here are some Before and After pictures of the one I repaired....

Before Repair:


Repairs Underway:


Fully Repaired:

 

[Old Man Grizz]

Howdy Folks!
After several relaxing hours of fun, I am THRILLED to announce that my frame transplant is a resounding success!!
It’s really not that difficult.
BUT!!!
You really need to relax and go slow and steady, but the results are pretty darn satisfying!!!

 

[Spark 317]

Good deal. ?

 

[I B Spectre]

Outstanding! Now I know to whom to refer people with Sparks in need of repair ?

 

[Dragonfly Joe]

Congrats Old Man Grizz, nice job!