CGO3 Repair

[WernerJB]

I have an old crashed CGO3 and before discarding it I would like to repair it - or at least try it.
The board where the memory card is inserted is damaged and needs to be replaced - at least I think it is damaged as you can see on the part I have marked.
In addition I cannot find the cable going from that plug and I have no idea where it is going to even if I found it. I'm thinking that cable goes to the side of the gimbal where that little round board is missing. Does anyone think that camera is fixable? I do not really need it just want to play around with it to learn.

 

[WTFDproject]

Nothing went to the plug in your version of the CGo3. Some cameras had the microphones in the gimbal mount, and they were wired to the top three pins in this connector. Yours has the microphones mounted in the front of the camera ball (those red and black wires), and go directly to the main processor board without using the WIFI board. See Attachment 9, addendum 2 (CGo3 WIFI Board 7 Pin Connector) in "Way To Fix Drones project".

What isn't working on your camera?

 

[WernerJB]

Basically everything is not working. The camera has a light but the gimbal board gets very hot. Nothing is moving. I connect it to my steady grip for testing.
So I was thinking first to exchange the board with the damaged plug. But now you tell me that that plug is not used. I also would imaging it would not be easy to find that board.

 

[WTFDproject]

The board with the damaged connector is generally available. Search for "CGo3 WIFI Board".
But that is not the problem. IF the gimbal board is getting hot, it's a pretty good bet it is damaged. And that cannot be replaced by any other than an authorized service center.

 

[WernerJB]

I searched for the wifi board but no luck. It seems the gimbal board is easier to find although it can only be installed by an service center.

 

[WTFDproject]

You need to contact the service center first. They can probably set up an assesment of the camera. I understand it is cheaper to buy the gimbal board from them and let them install it than it is to buy it elsewhere and send it with the camera. they might give you an idea of whether it is cheaper to repair or to replace.

 

[WernerJB]

Well thanks to the member who found the wifi board I ordered it. Since my wifi board has visible damage and the gimbal board has no visible damage I might just as well try to change that.

 

[WernerJB]

So just to end this story.
I changed the wifi board on the CGO3 camera and did some testing before assembly of the unit. It behaved better as before but did not properly initialize. I had a red light on the camera and a green light on the gimbal board. And in addition some grinding noise. The camera would stay horizontal ok but not vertical when moving the unit. I tried a few things like flushing the firmware and also some electrical contact/cleaning spray - no luck. So I thought I'm going to assemble the unit and send it in for a repair estimate. Maybe it needed just a calibration.
After assembling the camera I made a final test and to my surprise the camera worked just fine. I did not make any test shots yet but the unit starts up nicely and the gimbal keeps the camera in perfect horizontal position. Moving the camera down 90 degrees works as well.
So I have no idea what solved the problem. Obviously the wifi board needed replacement since it had damage on it but it still did not work good after that. It could have been the spray or maybe the camera did not like being disassembled? This must have been my lucky day.
The only thing I need to attache are the 2 round covers on the gimbal arm with the CGO 3 printed on it. I tried some double sided tape but it would not hold.
Be well and thanks for your input.