Anafi wont fly

[Bl4d3]

Hey all

So I'm looking at purchasing an Anafi from someone locally that seems to have a problem.
The seller says that the drone flew perfectly and then one day he went to try fly it and it wouldn't work. He then says the app indicates that the front left motor is faulty.

I can source replacement motors locally so thats not an issue to replace.
What concerns me is if there are underlying issues. The seller everything else is fine and the drone has never crashed.

I am awaiting a screenshot of the error.

Any advice as to what the problem could be would be much appreciated.

 

[Liger 1956]

If it was me personally I would not buy it without seeing it in the flesh and looking at the error on the app. Do you know what firmware is loaded on the Anafi and the controller? The error is not one that I am aware of happening without the Anafi having been damaged.

However if the price is low enough you could take the risk and spilt it for parts if the problem in insurmountable or BER (Beyond Economic Repair).

By the way it may help others if you include your location in your profile.

 

[Bl4d3]

I'll have the details tomorrow on what firmware its running.
I am in Cape Town, South Africa. We're under lockdown so I can only travel to see it on the weekend of the 17th.

The seller wants $155 for it (converted to USD), they're selling new for $680 here and replacement motors cost $78 for the set.

If the Anafi were to have been damaged, what sort of repair could I expect?

 

[Liger 1956]

The seller wants $155 for it (converted to USD), they're selling new for $680 here and replacement motors cost $78 for the set.

Do you know which version of the Anafi it is? The legs and motor come as one unit on the later FPV model which has the same legs as the Thermal version and are different to the 1st Generation Anafi.

Although it seems like a good deal at those prices remember the old adage " if a deal looks to good to be true it probably is ".

 

[Nidge]

At best it could be a loose connection to the motor. The ESC board is mounted behind the camera assembly and this is where each motor connects using a 3pin JST type plug. These plugs are a snug fit BUT that’s not to say they might not make a solid connection. It would be interesting to find out if the seller actually means there’s absolutely no motor movement or if the motor tries to turn but is erratic. If the latter this would indicate that one, or more, of the three phase voltages are not present and could indicate a poor connection at the plug.

Most people will say that they’ve never crashed when their drone presents with a fault, much like a car salesman claims the car was only driven by an old lady once a week to church. If you can inspect before buying look closely for any impact marks. Turn the offending motor to verify that it turns smoothly albeit with regular notches due to the magnets around the bell of the motor. It may not have crashed but still may have had a hard life in the hands of the seller.

At $155 it is a tempting prospect and even if it’s a worse case scenario and one or more of the FETs have failed on the ESC board it would still be an economical repair if you can source a replacement. I bought an Anafi Extended Kit that was advertised as being totally dead for a similar price. It turned out that the ribbon cable that connects the power distribution board to the main board had come loose, they’re only friction fit. Once reconnected everything worked as it should.

Good luck if you go ahead with the purchase.

Regards

Nidge.

 

[Bl4d3]

Just waiting on the seller to get back to me on the firmware versions, screenshot of error and what gen it is.

I've been doing some more research and they go for about $420 used here.
I can get a replacement ESC on ebay for $52.

Should I need to replace the ESC and Motors, that would bring the total expenditure to $285 (including the cost of buying the drone) which doesnt seem half bad.

I'll try get more info and should anything seem fishy, I'll walk away from the deal because $155 is literally 1/4 of my monthly salary (and I'm a distribution manager)

 

[Bl4d3]

I just got the 3 images from the seller

 

[IronSky1]

If the camera and gimbal system are not fuctioning I would pass most of the other parts can be replaced at under 100 except the camera assembly. Being that they do not turn on look for something else.

 

[Bl4d3]

Yeah. Giving it a pass. Looking at possibly buying a new Mavic Mini

 

[IronSky1]

You can break the Anafi into several subsystems and Ebay the parts I have done this 3 times on Anafi #5 now. The motor arms are worth 50-60 each camera with gimbal 100 battery 50 controller 50 and main body with boards 120. So this one could net you 400 plus that what I have got. Assuming only issue is one motor

The MavicMini is great I am on number 2. Only negative is the power to weight. First one got caught in updraft and was carried over 1.5 miles still transmitting datalink video 1280x768 never found. I replaced core drone only 250 usd. If you watch the wind speed this is my choice for low cost GPS drone.

 

[Deleted member 3201]

You can break the Anafi into several subsystems and Ebay the parts I have done this 3 times on Anafi #5 now. The motor arms are worth 50-60 each camera with gimbal 100 battery 50 controller 50 and main body with boards 120. So this one could net you 400 plus that what I have got. Assuming only issue is one motor

The MavicMini is great I am on number 2. Only negative is the power to weight. First one got caught in updraft and was carried over 1.5 miles still transmitting datalink video 1280x768 never found. I replaced core drone only 250 usd. If you watch the wind speed this is my choice for low cost GPS drone.

Lol, in this post alone you indicate you crashed/lost at least 6 drones?

 

[IronSky1]

Not quite 3 Anafis had gimbal or camera failures Parrot replaced. 1 Hit tree full tilt and the MavicMini was pulled away by 40-50mph gusts about 100 ft of ground. There have been more a few flyaways and real bad crashes. I have been doing this since 2015. I tend to take more risks with the lower cost ones. I have had 2 DJI Inspiires a 1V2 and I have a 2 now crashed the 1V2 2 times . THey get real exspensive when crashed one crash cost 770 USD. Part of the game.

 

[Deleted member 3201]

Not quite 3 Anafis had gimbal or camera failures Parrot replaced. 1 Hit tree full tilt and the MavicMini was pulled away by 40-50mph gusts about 100 ft of ground. There have been more a few flyaways and real bad crashes. I have been doing this since 2015. I tend to take more risks with the lower cost ones. I have had 2 DJI Inspiires a 1V2 and I have a 2 now crashed the 1V2 2 times . THey get real exspensive when crashed one crash cost 770 USD. Part of the game.

Thanks that makes me feel even better about my piloting skills. I have the money to buy all the drones too. I mean buying inspires without even feeling it, however I am really delicate with my gear. Even with the cheap Anafi I always inspect all the props and make sure everything is working properly.
Sport mode full stick in excess of 15m/s means flying downwind; it will be more energy and it will take more time to get back and so on. Also with flying near obstacles; I am always in control and never did I need any obstacle avoidance for I never crashed.

With these big drones from DJI, people fly like total noobs, always crashing into everything. Learn how to fly without obstacle avoidance lol. I don't think crashing drones is "part of the game", but maybe I am just too good of a pilot. In aviation planes crash all the time as well I guess

But if the drone fails because of firmware error, that's on the manufacturer of course, totally agree

 

[Bl4d3]

Thanks that makes me feel even better about my piloting skills. I have the money to buy all the drones too. I mean buying inspires without even feeling it, however I am really delicate with my gear. Even with the cheap Anafi I always inspect all the props and make sure everything is working properly.
Sport mode full stick in excess of 15m/s means flying downwind; it will be more energy and it will take more time to get back and so on. Also with flying near obstacles; I am always in control and never did I need any obstacle avoidance for I never crashed.

With these big drones from DJI, people fly like total noobs, always crashing into everything. Learn how to fly without obstacle avoidance lol. I don't think crashing drones is "part of the game", but maybe I am just too good of a pilot. In aviation planes crash all the time as well I guess

But if the drone fails because of firmware error, that's on the manufacturer of course, totally agree

Considering it wont be noticable and you wont feel it, willing to sponsor me a mavic mini

Im just taking the piss.
Anyway, thanks for the advice guys, I got some saving to do now because my salary got cut due to lockdown which got extended to 30 April.

 

[Deleted member 3201]

Considering it wont be noticable and you wont feel it, willing to sponsor me a mavic mini

Im just taking the piss.
Anyway, thanks for the advice guys, I got some saving to do now because my salary got cut due to lockdown which got extended to 30 April.

Lol, what a coincidence;
I have a sealed Mavic Mini here which I bought to test out and then give to an orphanage or something but never got around to (I believe most if not all DJI products absolutely s***)

 

[Bl4d3]

Haha, if only. The shipping to South Africa would be killer, probably around the cost of the drone itself due to the lithium ion batteries.

Oh well, thanks for the kind offer though

 

[Deleted member 3201]

I wish the Anafi got some updates though, now with people claiming support is telling them not to fly it, I don't want to risk my no drone-crash streak

 

[Bl4d3]

I think the range of the Anafi puts me off of it.
1km of range with the controller is not good considering the mavic mini gets 4km

 

[IronSky1]

Thanks that makes me feel even better about my piloting skills. I have the money to buy all the drones too. I mean buying inspires without even feeling it, however I am really delicate with my gear. Even with the cheap Anafi I always inspect all the props and make sure everything is working properly.
Sport mode full stick in excess of 15m/s means flying downwind; it will be more energy and it will take more time to get back and so on. Also with flying near obstacles; I am always in control and never did I need any obstacle avoidance for I never crashed.

With these big drones from DJI, people fly like total noobs, always crashing into everything. Learn how to fly without obstacle avoidance lol. I don't think crashing drones is "part of the game", but maybe I am just too good of a pilot. In aviation planes crash all the time as well I guess

But if the drone fails because of firmware error, that's on the manufacturer of course, totally agree

Most of the crashes I have had are related to hardware failure that are not controllable. The old DJI Phantom 2 were known for flyaways. Parrot Anafi has poor quality control. There Bebops had better QC and they had good support not anymore just look at some of the posts. You are correct about collison avoidance it is give pilots a false since of security . I tend to turn of some of the sensors however, failures do occur in any mechanical system .

 

[Deleted member 3201]

Most of the crashes I have had are related to hardware failure that are not controllable. The old DJI Phantom 2 were known for flyaways. Parrot Anafi has poor quality control. There Bebops had better QC and they had good support not anymore just look at some of the posts. You are correct about collison avoidance it is give pilots a false since of security . I tend to turn of some of the sensors however, failures do occur in any mechanical system .

The anafi for me always held its own, but it would be unacceptable if it destroyed itself without my input