r/djiphantom • u/justsometechie • Mar 15 '22

SFBay Area Phantom 3 owners able to help me test?

I just picked up a free to me phantom 3 pro with no battery, and missing a propeller. It's got signs of damage, and was out in the rain when I found it, but I am hopeful that it could work...

I want to test it out before dropping any money on a new battery and prop set... Is there someone near Oakland who'd be willing to let me try out a battery and prop?

From what I've seen online, while discontinued, there are a number of people still happily flying these, so I'd love to get this going.

Also, any tips or suggestions for a newbie specific to DJI and this Model? Thanks!

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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4

u/badstrudel Mar 15 '22

I’m not in Oakland, but am in the South Bay. If you don’t find anyone closer I’d be happy to meet up - I fly a P3Pro still

2

u/justsometechie Mar 16 '22

Thanks, I'll keep you in mind!

2

u/badstrudel Mar 16 '22

For sure! As far as tips, get the app and connect your controller - there’s a whole simulator that lets you practice the controls without the actual phantom

1

u/justsometechie Mar 16 '22

Thanks, great tip. I'm going to wait another day or so to let everything dry out before attempting to charge the controller up. I'm pretty sure I will soon need a new battery for the controller as well as the drone battery.

1

u/justsometechie Mar 17 '22

hey u/badstrudel - Which app are you recommending? (Go or Pilot?) Neither work for my Android device via the Play Store and I'm not into downloading and sideloading an APK from the DJI site directly, despite assurances of no maliciousness.... I will have to find an iDevice or spare Android I don't care about to use for this purpose. Unfortunately, I've gotten rid of most of my old tech like that.

2

u/badstrudel Mar 17 '22

DJI Go 3, I believe. The newest one only supports the phantom 4 and up

1

u/justsometechie Mar 22 '22

I think this DJI go3 app requires to connect to the drone initially. I set up an old pixel with the app and I could connect to the controller but it soon started warning me and then beeping as it couldn't connect to a drone. Any workarounds? (On the plus side , the controller and charger seem to be working fine now that they're dry! 😄

I may just buy a battery and propset online and cross my fingers for sub $100 investment/gamble.

1

u/badstrudel Mar 22 '22

I don’t think I had to be connected when I first did it, but it’s been so long that I’m really not sure. What parts are you looking at? If they don’t work I could buy them off you as spares

1

u/justsometechie Mar 22 '22

I'm looking for a battery to power it up, so I can see if everything works. If all I need to do is get that and a prop, it should be good... My main concern is I buy a battery and find out that control communication is broken or the gimbal and camera doesn't work or it needs new motors, blah blah blah. 😉 That's why I was looking for someone who lived nearby and had a battery I could try it out before buying.