accelerometer has to be recalibrated each flight

[PatR]

They have been known to have a compass/GPS unit go south from time to time so an accelerometer is certainly not out of reach.

 

[Hunter]

I have 3 of the 350QX and after a hard landing, replacing the compass module on the leg was often required.
Maybe the H cannot hold the settings because of shock to the accelorometer.

It may not be replaceable. I have not seen a separate board in there but will ask Yuneec.

 

[m5zealot]

Basically your drone should not be behaving that way - and the vast majority of Typhoons are fine, so you need to identify the problem *before you have an accident*.

Remember rule one - if your drone is not behaving the way you expect, Stop flying. Do not keep trying to fly it as an uncontrollable drone is extremely dangerous.

As for steps to diagnose and fix your problem:

1. Check that your controller is working properly. On the ST-16 go to System Settings -> Hardware Monitor and check that all of the sticks and buttons behave correctly. In particular, check that J1, J2, J3, J4 are at zero when you're not touching the sticks, and go all the way to +/- 100 when pushed fully left / right / up / down.

2. Make sure your software is up to date. The current versions of the ST-16 software are v30.01.b30 (check in the System Settings -> About controller window). The aircraft should have Auto pilot 1.35 which has just been released. If they're not up to date, find the YouTube video released by Yuneec that explains how to do an upgrade.

3. Check that the IMU is stable. Take your Typhoon indoors, put it on a level base away from any major interference or metal then start it up. Run the Yuneec Windows GUI and plug the drone in. On the Sensor Information tab you should see the Accelerometer and Gyroscope readings. For the Accelorometer X, Y, Z on my machine are about 2, -10, -980. Gyroscope are around 2, 2, 2. The small numbers mean that the H thinks it's sitting pretty much still - which is what you want. The Big Z value for the accelerometer is the force of gravity, perfect!

4. Take your Typhoon out, put it on a level surface and switch it on by pressing the power button without moving it at all. Let it sit still whilst it's initialising or the accelerometer will get confused. Let the controller connect and then check the number of satellites - you should get at least 10 on both the controller and drone. Let the Typhoon sit for 15 minutes to ensure the GPS is completely up to date (this is unlikely to be a problem, but we're eliminating all possibilities here). Now go for a flight.

5. When landing, make sure you are in Angle mode, or that the machine is properly outside the safe circle (26 feet) - make sure you understand just how far that is. Pull down cleanly and make sure you land on a relatively flat surface. As soon as the machine is down, keep your throttle stick held down and at the same time hold the red button until the props stop. Do not approach the craft whilst you're doing this. Normally you should hear the props slow down when it lands, but that does not mean it's safe. Wait until you have stopped the props before letting go of the throttle or walking towards it. Note that natural instincts tend to make people do both of these unconsciously, so pay attention when landing.

If the machine gets into an uncontrollable spin when there are no inputs on the controls and does not respond to normal inputs, land immediately, do not attempt to fly again. Contact Yuneec and they should be able to take it in for a fix.

If it drifts slightly (1 or 2 feet), that's perfectly normal. GPS is not 100% accurate, so some movement is to be expected.

If you want to help us, please let us know when you bought the Typhoon, the current firmware versions and how many flights you've had to date.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"If the machine gets into an uncontrollable spin when there are no inputs on the controls and does not respond to normal inputs, land immediately, do not attempt to fly again. Contact Yuneec and they should be able to take it in for a fix."

On this: I have had my H not respond to throttle up or down and just floated in place @ 50 feet! So landing it in angle mode was not an option! I could not get any of sticks to respond to any inputs at all This happened a lot when I had issues with my GPS module which was replaced under warranty. This is the worse feeling for any pilot when you can't even land the H! If this ever happens to you, just put the H in Return Home Mode and it will came back but may not actually land itself. It will at least come close to you and lower it's altitude. I was able to get it within hands reach still in the air and cut the motors.

This happened to me again yesterday when I was flying in a completely different area by the ocean. I did not calibrate the compass so that was my bad. I always get the H at 50 feet and test all inputs before flying any further. So I got the same issue - no stick control (ST16- showing 16 sats and no compass warning) I initiated return to home) I hand caught it and recalibrated everything. Restarted the ST16 and H and let it sit for 10 minutes before flying. Flew for 2 hours with no issues.

 

[PatR]

I have 3 of the 350QX and after a hard landing, replacing the compass module on the leg was often required.
Maybe the H cannot hold the settings because of shock to the accelorometer.

It may not be replaceable. I have not seen a separate board in there but will ask Yuneec.

You bring up a good point. It would be interesting to learn if those experiencing accelerometer issues have a habit of making hard or "bouncy" landings.

Lacking shock absorbers, impact forces (shock impacts) are being telegraphed to every component on the airframe.

 

[Hunter]

I don't make a habit of that it just can occur in rough terrain where I often need to fly if it is windy or just unlevel. When it decides it does it on its own. I usually land on a mat to keep from stirring up dust.
When for whatever reason it gets in that mode of control it sometimes bounces and I take off again.
I thought from the beginning the camera was in for some abuse.

I fly short hops to get the pictures I want rather than flying way out. So today in 10-15 mph I flew with the shock absorbers (pool noodles ) on to see how it would handle that. Unit 2 is my experimental.
I have better clearance now which may save the camera. The H handle them well and was controlled.

 

[Stuart]

When I bought my Typhoon H it had the latest update that was in December 2016 by January 2017 there was another update. I feel there are to many updates. If you need to update every month or so then for me that means problems. I had the scenario of my drone deciding to fly on its own when in gps mode I can see this happening when you fly out of gps. The result was rather than come down in controlled descent it came down at an angle and clipped bottom of tree and ripped camera off. After long discussion with Yuneec uk and passing on telemetry reports which showed the opposite from what actually happened they fixed it free off charge. Must point out still under warranty at this point. After this happening made me think that what ever program they use to read telemetry is NOT accurate as I know from experience and also having an experienced UAV pilot next to me that the read out they get is different from what actually happened.

 

[Tuna]

Most of the updates that have come out have added useful new features and tools, so I'm more than happy that Yuneec continues to improve the Typhoon and support existing users.

 

[Hunter]

Key word is "most". This is the platform I have invested in and have two of them. Just after what I have been thru I feel the need to hold off on firmware until things settle down. Not sure what to believe at this point. I just want to fly and shoot pictures for awhile.

I too am glad that Yuneec is staying with it and hopefully will continue with this model into the future.

 

[Rubik]

After this happening made me think that what ever program they use to read telemetry is NOT accurate as I know from experience and also having an experienced UAV pilot next to me that the read out they get is different from what actually happened.

I also noticed that the telemetry did not match what actually happened on an aborted flight. I stupidly took off from a heavy metal bridge. The TH headed off on its own and was sure to end up in the river except that I had enough overriding control to bring it back down HARD on the bridge deck. My sticks were hard over to get the desired response. I assume that the same compass errors that it experienced due to the metal in the bridge also caused the data to be in error. The telemetry probably represented what the TH believed to be true.

 

[Tuna]

The idea that the 'telemetry is not true' is a new one on me. The compass is completely independent of the GPS. You can get compass interference from large metal objects, or having your typhoon in your car trunk next to the speakers. You can get GPS errors from reflected signals (which requires some big buildings - the 'New York Canyon' effect). Either of those can cause the machine to fly in the wrong direction, but it would be very odd for both to be wrong in the telemetry, and unusual for the GPS to be consistently wrong - it just doesn't work that way.

 

[Old School]

Basically your drone should not be behaving that way - and the vast majority of Typhoons are fine, so you need to identify the problem *before you have an accident*.

Remember rule one - if your drone is not behaving the way you expect, Stop flying. Do not keep trying to fly it as an uncontrollable drone is extremely dangerous.

As for steps to diagnose and fix your problem:

1. Check that your controller is working properly. On the ST-16 go to System Settings -> Hardware Monitor and check that all of the sticks and buttons behave correctly. In particular, check that J1, J2, J3, J4 are at zero when you're not touching the sticks, and go all the way to +/- 100 when pushed fully left / right / up / down.

2. Make sure your software is up to date. The current versions of the ST-16 software are v30.01.b30 (check in the System Settings -> About controller window). The aircraft should have Auto pilot 1.35 which has just been released. If they're not up to date, find the YouTube video released by Yuneec that explains how to do an upgrade.

3. Check that the IMU is stable. Take your Typhoon indoors, put it on a level base away from any major interference or metal then start it up. Run the Yuneec Windows GUI and plug the drone in. On the Sensor Information tab you should see the Accelerometer and Gyroscope readings. For the Accelorometer X, Y, Z on my machine are about 2, -10, -980. Gyroscope are around 2, 2, 2. The small numbers mean that the H thinks it's sitting pretty much still - which is what you want. The Big Z value for the accelerometer is the force of gravity, perfect!

4. Take your Typhoon out, put it on a level surface and switch it on by pressing the power button without moving it at all. Let it sit still whilst it's initialising or the accelerometer will get confused. Let the controller connect and then check the number of satellites - you should get at least 10 on both the controller and drone. Let the Typhoon sit for 15 minutes to ensure the GPS is completely up to date (this is unlikely to be a problem, but we're eliminating all possibilities here). Now go for a flight.

5. When landing, make sure you are in Angle mode, or that the machine is properly outside the safe circle (26 feet) - make sure you understand just how far that is. Pull down cleanly and make sure you land on a relatively flat surface. As soon as the machine is down, keep your throttle stick held down and at the same time hold the red button until the props stop. Do not approach the craft whilst you're doing this. Normally you should hear the props slow down when it lands, but that does not mean it's safe. Wait until you have stopped the props before letting go of the throttle or walking towards it. Note that natural instincts tend to make people do both of these unconsciously, so pay attention when landing.

If the machine gets into an uncontrollable spin when there are no inputs on the controls and does not respond to normal inputs, land immediately, do not attempt to fly again. Contact Yuneec and they should be able to take it in for a fix.

If it drifts slightly (1 or 2 feet), that's perfectly normal. GPS is not 100% accurate, so some movement is to be expected.

If you want to help us, please let us know when you bought the Typhoon, the current firmware versions and how many flights you've had to date.

Hi Tuna, you say the j1,j2,j3,j4 up down left right should go from 0 - 100, my left right doesn't go quite to 100, bout 75 - 80. Should this be of concern?

 

[Old School]

Almost none, since the vast majority of power is used by the motors when engaged, and the camera...
I'd be surprised if the actual flight time is reduced by more than 90 seconds - 2 minutes max.

At some point, you will have one of your batteries start to go and show a significantly reduced flight time.
When that happens, get a new battery and earmark the one with reduced flight time to be your
calibrations/firmware updates/camera settings/sitting to get GPS lock battery...

Nice, answered two of my questions

 

[Tuna]

Hi Tuna, you say the j1,j2,j3,j4 up down left right should go from 0 - 100, my left right doesn't go quite to 100, bout 75 - 80. Should this be of concern?

I would imagine you'll find it turns rather sluggishly one way. I've had a bad stick, and sometimes with a bit of use they do get better. Otherwise, drop your dealer or Yuneec a line, they can confirm the problem and it's an easy swap out.