Well, I just learned that flying with a GoPro seriously affects the battery drain especially on the bottom end of the pack.

I decided to take it home with an extra 45 seconds of flight coming around the back way:



Huge mistake, the battery flattened out as I was touching down which caused it to bounce up then upside down.

Even though the crash doesn't look that serious, it will not power up now.

When I plug in the battery, I hear the ESCs beep, but none of the LEDs on the GEPRC GEP-F722-45A AIO flight controller nor the TBS Nano RX light up.

In addition, when I plug it into my laptop to access Betaflight, the USB connection is not recognized.

I assume because the FC is an all-in-one, I now have to order a new FC board...which means I have to learn to solder...oh the joy....not!

Is there anything else I should look at before I dig into replacing the FC?

The low power state may have erased the firmware settings.

Did you try holding the boot button to connect it to Betaflight in DFU mode?

(21-Dec-2021, 08:13 PM)kafie1980 Wrote: The low power state may have erased the firmware settings.

Did you try holding the boot button to connect it to Betaflight in DFU mode?

Hi Kafie, no, I didn't think to try that.

I'll try it when I get home tonight.

So low power state could cause the firmware to be erased? I thought firmware is read only memory once flashed?

Sorry for the noob question.

Now that I think about it, that could be a possibility.

When I hook up power, though the FC and Nano RX LEDs do not light up, the VTX does and it's plugged into the FC... So power flowing I assume?

Coming from DJI FPV, this is my first proper quad and just starting to learn.

Thanks for the tip, I'll let you know how it goes!

I even have a Mobula6 with a HappyModel AIO FC that will lose settings if the voltage drops below 3 volts.

If you have a multimeter then its best you also read the voltages at the RX 5v pads.

What VTX are you running? Does it power off 5v?

If you are unable to detect voltage at the 5v pads then perhaps the 5v regulator is dead.

Let us know how the tests go.

Well, I tried the boot button when connecting USB to laptop. Nothing at all.

When plugging in the batt, only the first 3 ESC beeps happen, but not the 2 FC confirmation beeps.

After speaking with everyone on the forums, even took it to QSL Labs and Troy confirmed, the FC is shot.

So, it looks like I'll be ordering a new FC from GepRC and waiting for that to come in.

In the meantime, my soldering station, practice boards and soldering supplies come in today.

Looks like I'll be spending the weekend learning how to solder in preparation for my first FC transplant next week.

Funny thing is, I've been a software engineer and systems architect for over 25 yrs...I am intimidated by soldering and the thought of screwing up a new $150 board...hahahaha, welcome to the club right?

Soldering is simply once you get the hang of it.

This is an expensive hobby and every so often we make some expensive mistakes.

(24-Dec-2021, 06:14 PM)kafie1980 Wrote: Soldering is simply once you get the hang of it.

This is an expensive hobby and every so often we make some expensive mistakes.

Well, hoping I don't make an "expensive mistake" with my first transplant ;-)

I hope you have a Blessed and Merry Christmas brother! As well as anyone reading this!

Btw, is it possible to damage the board/components from too much heat when soldering?

Are there tell-tale signs if I'm getting something too hot?

I worry that since this will be my first transplant job, I'll likely need to solder/desolder something several times to produce a good result.

Will doing this several times over and over on the same board risk it to heat damage?

I'm concerned with my first FC replacement since the board is going to cost me $150.

QSL Labs said they'd replace the board for me for $50 labor...but I'm inclined to risk it myself since I know I'll need to learn to fix/build these things myself.

Get a soldering practice board like this: https://www.phaserfpv.com.au/products/di...gIkaPD_BwE

Buy some leaded solder preferably 63/37 tin/lead mix and soldering flux.

A proper temperature controlled soldering iron is a good investment.

A good bevel or chisel soldering tip provides good heat flow.

Key to success is getting the right temperature to heat the pad and flow the solder at the joint.

Tin the pads and wire first and at the right temperature you just need a touch of the iron to make the joint.

Do not heat the joint or pads for more than a few seconds. Holding the tip too long on the wire will make the solder climb up the wire or heating the pad will lift the pad (both not good).

Good lighting, magnification and a steady way to hold the components (blutak works in a pinch).

Watch a few videos.

(25-Dec-2021, 07:41 AM)kafie1980 Wrote: Get a soldering practice board like this: https://www.phaserfpv.com.au/products/di...gIkaPD_BwE

Buy some leaded solder preferably 63/37 tin/lead mix and soldering flux.

A proper temperature controlled soldering iron is a good investment.

A good bevel or chisel soldering tip provides good heat flow.

Key to success is getting the right temperature to heat the pad and flow the solder at the joint.

Tin the pads and wire first and at the right temperature you just need a touch of the iron to make the joint.

Do not heat the joint or pads for more than a few seconds. Holding the tip too long on the wire will make the solder climb up the wire or heating the pad will lift the pad (both not good).

Good lighting, magnification and a steady way to hold the components (blutak works in a pinch).

Watch a few videos.

Merry Christmas Kafie!

Thank you for the tips, much appreciated!

I just got my station and practice boards in yesterday. I wound up getting 8 iFlight practice boards...guess I'll be practicing on those this weekend.

Before I order the new board, I wonder if you or others might have a suggestion for the following board question/concern.

The OEM board is "GEPRC GEP-F722-45A AIO" found here: https://geprc.com/product/geprc-gep-f722-45a-aio/

I am concerned about the quality/durability of the OEM part since as seen in the video, the crash landing really wasn't that violent to cause a total failure.

To be fair to GepRC,  I did have one previous crash a few days prior that was violent onto concrete after hitting some tree branches coming around a corner a little hot. I think that's the one that did the damage but kept on flying. Until the little crash seen in the video above that finished the destruction job?

So considering a replacement with something like "iFlight Beast H743 V2 AIO" from: https://www.getfpv.com/iflight-beast-h74...u6000.html

Not knowing much about components, it looks like the iFlight Beast is more robust. Would this be a reasonable replacement in terms of quality/beefiness?

GepRC states that for the Cinelog35 the 4S version is 35A board, 6S is 45A board (I'm 6S). The Beast is 55A, would this board work?

Are there other board options I should consider or should I just stick with the OEM GepRC FC?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

AIO boards suffer from reliability but things are improving now although some manufacturers dont place a priority on QC and another aspect is the Globa chip shortage that forced manufacturers to cut corners or try alternative chip sets.