Lost my Spark (update)

[sirkkelley]

This is an update for you guys on the DJI Service.

I mailed my Spark in on Oct. 10th. They received it on Oct. 13th. I also got an email on that same day saying that they had evaluated the damage, but the next day I checked the status and it said that they were still assessing the damage (I thought that was odd but I am very impatient) next day same thing “assessing damage”. So I called them on the 18th and they said that they were looking over my flight logs to see if there was any internal damage or to see if my Spark had acted incorrectly. Got an email last night with the quote.

Aircraft Mainboard - $162
Middle Frame Semi-finished Product Module - $12
Repair Service Fee - $65

Total $239

My heart dropped. I couldn’t believe it was going to cost that much to have it fixed (I was thinking around $100 from what I had been reading). But as I continued reading it said that it was going to be free of charge and they would be shipping it back to me in 3-6 days!!!

I don’t have it back yet but so far I’m very happy with their service. They must have found that the Spark didn’t act correctly in the RTH mode. Not sure but either way, I’m happy.

I will update again when I get the Spark back and let you know how she flies after the repair.

 

[sirkkelley]

Got my Spark back today. They even gave me an extra set of props. I flew it for about 6 min just to check everything out and it’s as good as new. Super happy with DJI’s customer service.

I just want to remind everyone that I did not have DJI Care or DJI Refresh. I thought that I would have to cover this out of pocket but they took care of the bill and the shipping.

She’s sleeping on the charger tonight getting ready for a fun day tomorrow.

 

[FishingSpark]

This is why, I only fly, dji. Lol

 

[R1Sparky]

Good score. Lightning never strikes twice in the same spot.

 

[sirkkelley]

I found my crash video. You can see when it turns toward the building it has entered RTH mode.

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[R1Sparky]

LOL...Did you not see that big silver dome?

 

[sirkkelley]

LOL...Did you not see that big silver dome?

It lost signal and went into RTH. Trust me I saw it! I just stood there helpless.

 

[R1Sparky]

It lost signal and went into RTH. Trust me I saw it! I just stood there helpless.

Gotcha! Not sure if you do this, but I set my RTH to something crazy like 225ft. Therefore wherever it loses signal, the first thing it does is climb.

 

[FishingSpark]

Wow, I thought the front sensors are supposed to stop that kinda of crash

 

[FishingSpark]

That dome is causing your signal to redirect away from you, anything conclave and metalic that gets behind you or your RC is gonna throw signals all around

 

[Hayuatma]

This is an update for you guys on the DJI Service.

I mailed my Spark in on Oct. 10th. They received it on Oct. 13th. I also got an email on that same day saying that they had evaluated the damage, but the next day I checked the status and it said that they were still assessing the damage (I thought that was odd but I am very impatient) next day same thing “assessing damage”. So I called them on the 18th and they said that they were looking over my flight logs to see if there was any internal damage or to see if my Spark had acted incorrectly. Got an email last night with the quote.

Aircraft Mainboard - $162
Middle Frame Semi-finished Product Module - $12
Repair Service Fee - $65

Total $239

My heart dropped. I couldn’t believe it was going to cost that much to have it fixed (I was thinking around $100 from what I had been reading). But as I continued reading it said that it was going to be free of charge and they would be shipping it back to me in 3-6 days!!!

I don’t have it back yet but so far I’m very happy with their service. They must have found that the Spark didn’t act correctly in the RTH mode. Not sure but either way, I’m happy.

I will update again when I get the Spark back and let you know how she flies after the repair.

Hmmm, then I should definitely check my RTH behavior in my spark (considering a lot of lost spark post I've read in this forum).

 

[FishingSpark]

When you first lift off, go straight up and look towards you want to go, try and get higher than the tallest structure in that direction, and set your RTH altitude

 

[Miket]

There is another point here. Make sure that battery is strapped in !!! The technologies our Sparks are fantastic, but as soon as the battery is not there, the electronics are gone.

 

[lmel2005]

If spark is more than 100m away, it returns with a speed of 10 m/s, and with obstacle avoidance DISABLED.

It's in the manual.

Watching the video, I didn't see it climbing to failsafe altitude, and that was the problem, I think.

 

[sirkkelley]

Gotcha! Not sure if you do this, but I set my RTH to something crazy like 225ft. Therefore wherever it loses signal, the first thing it does is climb.

Yeah, I had mine set at 300ft but it didn't gain altitude before it started RTH.

If spark is more than 100m away, it returns with a speed of 10 m/s, and with obstacle avoidance DISABLED.

It's in the manual.

Watching the video, I didn't see it climbing to failsafe altitude, and that was the problem, I think.

That's correct. I had my RTH altitude set at 300' and i was 800' away from my home point. When it lost connection it turned and didn't increase altitude as it was supposed to. It was going 22 MPH when it made contact with the dome.

They must have seen a malfunction in the flight log and that's why they did the repair under warranty.

 

[FishingSpark]

I think the battery straps are more to prevent mid air fall outs, but they may have held it in this type of fall also, I got mine on eBay for $3, it snaps onto sparkys arms on both sides of the battery

 

[Asset4air]

Just caught up on this. Great news SirKelley!!!! Back out flying and a set if props better off! Winner

 

[BikeFlagAZ]

My guess is that it must be on that roof as well. I’m going to see if they will let me up there today. My frustration is that my RTH altitude was set at 300’ and it was at 103’ going 22.6 MPH during assumed impact in RTH mode.View attachment 7126

Newbie question:
On my Spark, the max RTH is 50 meters, about 165 feet. How did you set yours to 300 feet?

 

[Spark 317]

Newbie question:
On my Spark, the max RTH is 50 meters, about 165 feet. How did you set yours to 300 feet?

It's in the settings of the Go4 app.
Also be sure you are not in Beginner Mode.

 

[sirkkelley]

You can change the RTH altitude here.