1st & 2nd Flight - WOW!!! - Some "Funky" Bits I Did Well To Learn From

[2TO3D]

Hi There,

Well today was the day. "Tee Hee" (Giddy little school kid.) The weather broke here North of the 49th parallel and it was a great day to fly!!! (8 Deg C (46F), South wind nil to10km/hr (6mph), partly cloudy)

I've been chomping at the bit since Xmas to get my H into the air. 25 below is a good time to get all your updates done. Today's mission was two fold:
1. Take the Q500 out and drain some juice from the batteries for storage. (Enough about that)
2. GET THE "H" OFF THE GROUND!

Found a great place outside the city I could set up a table. Open field, no power lines or buildings in sight. Open air space (I checked the charts) with land owner permission...You gotta love it.

Compass calibration took 3 tries. I'm thinking I was too slow on the first 2 tries. Is it normal that when it enters compass calibration that the ST-16 vibrates and says it's lost GPS signal, maintain manual flight? Did it all three times.(Hmm) Acceleramoter calibration - no issue.

20 satellites on the H and ST-16...Perfect! OK...props on, angle mode, get back 30ft and press the pretty little read button....what a nice hum! Double check...screen visible, all parameters showing, see bird, see screen. Up throttle... Hoo boy! Up to about 20ft and let off the stick. Hovered, then within 2 seconds started doing a circle back at me. Adrenaline flowing, OMG what's this?!?!?! Applied sticks to turn away and she responded. All seemed good from there. That was a moment of "I don't have control of this thing and something has possessed it." With that excitement over I continued getting familiar with the controls to see what would do what. Man is this thing torquey! Almost seems jerky. (Maybe I'm just too used to my Q500) A slight movement of direction and Bam, she goes! (Yes, Turtle mode is much slower but I thought gentle movement in rabbit would be smoother than I experienced today. Hmm, more practice perhaps.)

Second and third battery had a different scenario... Just after take off and at about 40 to 50ft up, she dropped like a stone to about 20 ft. It was like the props cut out and started back up again. They didn't stop completely as she stayed level all the way down. More adrenaline! Forth battery was a much smoother flight. I got some figure 8's in and tested high speed fly by. I got about 30mph. Didn't venture beyond 600ft out and 130ft up. Practiced hand catching a few times with no issues. (I normally fly where take off is possible but may not be able to land.) Also practiced some ground landings. So nice that it doesn't try to dance around. Down is down. Good girl!

What a great machine! Love it! Very responsive. Any thoughts on the wonky bits are appreciated. It may be a matter of talking with Yuneec CS and reviewing telemetry data though. I get that. I thought I was doing my best with everything but, perhaps there is something I missed. BTW: I'm not trying to equate the behavior to a particular battery. I had all four batteries charged and needed to deplete them for storage. It was great fun. Burned some fuel and got some flight time. What a GREAT DAY!!!
Cheers,

 

[ArnhemAnt]

Welcome aboard. Great to hear about the successful first flight of your new H.

Not sure exactly why you experienced some strange behaviour over the first few batteries, but for what it's worth, I would be putting this down to not allowing the GPS sufficient time to completely download all data (almanac) before flying. I think this may be the case particularly as you haven't flown it previously. To be sure, when you get the time again, have the batteries charged up, head back out to the same area and wait a good 10 minutes (with the H and ST16 powered on) prior to arming the motors and flying. See if this makes a difference.

 

[PatR]

Before you fly again repeat all the calibrations. Accelerometers, compass, and gimbal.

Yes, it is normal to "lose" GPS when calibrating the compass. I believe the GPS signal is ignored when in calibration mode.

When flying, if the ST-16 vibrates immediately assume you have lost GPS and fly it back using your eyes and stick commands. I'm not sure the arrow head on the screen is accurate with GPS down.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PatR]

One more caution before your next flight.

When setting up to fly, do not move the H after it was been powered up. Power up is not the time to be raising and locking arms, installing props, or carrying it from one location to another. Power up is the time the H self checks and verifies accelerometers. It should not be moved. If you do move it during the boot up process you can be assured the accelerometer checks failed, perhaps compass alignment as well. Expect unstable flight in hover, perhaps to the point of toilet bowling.

The above advice is common to any make and model that uses a compass, accelerometers, and rate sensors.

 

[iride4u]

PatR thanks for the information. I have been short cutting the warm up by starting the bird in the garage and walking it out to the launch site.
This could be part of the reason that I had a crash on Sunday.

 

[PatR]

Hopefully that straightens things out. Often we allow haste, exuberance or flamboyance get in the way and shoot ourselves in the foot.

 

[Tuna]

Personally, I wouldn't be hand catching if the drone had shown unexpected and sudden movements of any kind.

If you're getting unexpected movements, go into the hardware check menu on the ST-16 and check that the sticks give smooth and continuous responses, center correctly and do not stick or jump to values. This is often overlooked in the rush to recalibrate, but one sticky control can make for very bad flying.

 

[iride4u]

It will be next week before I get the H back together again. I ordered all the parts and then some Monday, but part of the order did not take. So I reordered the missing parts on Tuesday. Currently I am flying a DJI Phantom 4. I will continue to fly both birds as they are very different.

 

[2TO3D]

ArnhemAnt, Pat,

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated.
So, even though both the H and ST16 show 20 satellites after about 5 minutes (Did my calibrations, powered down then back up again, waited for all connections 5 minutes then engaged props) I may not have given sufficient time for satellite lock/download? I was certainly a little nervous on first flight so I was trying to be extra patient. Read numerous threads and I know this from playing with my other units. Note: ST16 & H showed 20 satellites even before camera connected. Had solid purple LED before start as well. Hmm.

Yes, moving any RC on boot is BAD! I was launching from my table and performed all calibrations with arms locked. (Forgot, I did do the gimbal calibration as well.) Yes, props were installed with power on but arms were already locked. Once it was on the table, she never moved. I didn't install the props until about 3 minutes after connection. Next time I'll install them while power is off, after compass calibration.

Pat, you reminded me of another instance that occurred...I was flying in Angle mode so the obstacle avoidance was not being used. Happened only once during flight, got the message on screen that "Obstacle Avoidance Failed". Tapped return button on screen and flew the rest of the battery without issue. Chalked that up to cooler ambient temperature that may have had an effect.

ArnhemAnt, I understand all calibrations need to be done when flying in a new location. Is the H performing additional background "stuff" with satellite info that is not displayed on screen? i.e.: Even though you see "X" satellites and have solid purple LED, the software is chugging away at something that you see no indication of?

Thanks guys, very good points. Revising checklist...

 

[2TO3D]

Tuna,
I hear you!. Hand catching is not for the faint of heart. I'm very comfortable doing it with my Q. I only attempted if hover was stable for more than 5 seconds. Pretty scary grabbing hold of something that sounds like an angry swarm of wasps and can do more damage than a run-away saw blade.

Good point on the hardware check. I did it while playing on the bench at home and all seemed fine. I didn't check at site but I will next time I'm out.

 

[PatR]

Then we have the WiFi factors to contend with. Location, saturation, slowest component in the systems being used, obstacles. There are so many independent factors that can gang up on us.

Those with wire 2.4 antennas, take a moment to see if they are laying up against the body. If they are carefully bend them out away from the body. Best reception/transmission will have them clear all around and oriented 90* to each other. It's also possible that with gear down the gear legs block the view of the antennas from directly aft of the antennas. Check that and adjust them accordingly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ArnhemAnt]

ArnhemAnt, I understand all calibrations need to be done when flying in a new location. Is the H performing additional background "stuff" with satellite info that is not displayed on screen? i.e.: Even though you see "X" satellites and have solid purple LED, the software is chugging away at something that you see no indication of?
.

I'm not sure that you need to do ALL calibrations when flying in a new location. I would definitely consider the compass calibration.In regards to the GPS and satellite data, if you haven't flown in a location for at least two weeks, then make sure you give your H sufficient time to ensure everything is up to date. My rule of thumb is at least 10 minutes - stationary. I use this time to go over my flight plan, check the location, look at alternative landing locations, etc. The time goes by pretty quickly.
Just because the H or the ST16 may have X number of satellites displayed does not necessarily mean that you are ready to fly straight away. Do a search on the net about GPS acquisition of the almanac. Here's one link.
Once you have done this at a particular location, then you should be right with subsequent flights, providing you don't leave too much time between them (up to 2 weeks to be safe). Whenever you fly at a new location, let things sit once again, before your first flight.
As other members have posted, there are a few factors to consider and this is just one of them. Letting things sit once you have powered up the H is also something this is very often overlooked, particularly by newer members to RC flying.

Keen to get your feedback after your next flight. I am confident you will be fine.

 

[2TO3D]

ArnhemAnt,
You're probably right about ALL calibrations. Gimbal, not so much. Acceleramoter, maybe. Compass, not a bad idea. I'll admit you had me going with the "Almanac". Hadn't considered it. Very good article, thank you for the link. I'm probably too used to my Garmin GPS and the Q not taking very long to get a fix on location. Poor assumption that the H "may" have better/faster acquisition capabilities than a 5 year old GPS or 2 yr old Q500. I see where I could have rushed things a bit. Particularly since my H hasn't seen power since the factory and here I am in Western Canada.
Looking forward to another flight soon. Weather is staying above -5C for a few more days. I'll let you know what I find out. Batteries charging!

 

[2TO3D]

OH BOY!!! I feel much better now!!!!!!

Today was another good day for flying. +4C with a South wind of about 10kmh with minor gusts and clear sky.

Went to the same spot. Set up was pretty much the same but with radically better results. Took along my level instead of just “eyeballing” the table to level. (Potential betterment factor #1.) I would suspect this had more to do with a better Gimbal & Accelerometer calibration. Compass not so much as that’s done while holding it in the air. Potential #2 was using a better compass. If I had to guess, I was probably 5 to 8 degrees off last time out. With that done I proceeded to recalibrate everything. I did the compass first. Went perfectly on the first go. Next was the Accelerometer followed by Gimbal. Not sure if it had any effect but, I did power down, remove and reinsert the battery then power back up after each calibration. While the battery was removed after the Gimbal calibration, I installed the props before powering back up again. I paid a visit to my local hobby shop and picked up a balancer. (Du-Bro) Nice little unit. Of the 10 props that came with my Pro, 2 didn’t require balancing. A couple of small bits of 3M Magic Scotch tape did the trick. Yeah, I could have sanded or used nail polish but I’ll try that another time.

So, after taking my time on the set up, I now took my time on the flight power up. (Just because the ST16 indicates GPS “Ready”, it may not be.) ArnhemAnt, very good advice and very likely Potential #3! I’m sure mileage varies based on geographical location and proximity of “Stuff” but, the full 10 minutes didn’t necessarily apply to me today. I was curious and pushed it to 5 minutes instead. (Of course this could have everything to do with being in the same location again.) She took off from the table and settled like a rock at 20ft when I let go of the stick. Perfect! I’m confident the successful calibration process had everything to do with her behavior as well. Jerky? Not in the slightest!! Controls all behaved as smoothly as I would have expected them to. Played that battery out just practicing with the controls.

Now that I was braver, I tried to replicate some of what happened last time out. On the second battery I decided not to wait as long as the first time for the satellites. Yup! Just as suspected, even though I had GPS Ready, she wasn’t. After the camera linked up I gave it about a minute before taking off. (The ST16 showed GPS ready long before the camera connected.) Jerky as all heck, drop in altitude for no reason, hovered like an anxious dog for a bone. Brought her in, shut her down and started over. I probably can’t stress enough that mileage will vary but, for me, a good 5 minutes just sitting after camera link…LIFE IS GOOD!

More practice and more outings required but I cannot express enough how impressed I am with the H. A dream to fly when you take the time to set it up properly. I don’t consider myself a noob to RC aircraft but to the H I’m as green as a cucumber. Looking forward to learning more as I go. What a great forum to learn and share. Thanks all.

 

[Tuna]

I hope you have many hours of enjoyable flying.

 

[ArnhemAnt]

^^ Great news on the flight. Like a good bottle of red wine, time plays an important role.

 

[PatR]

I think you worked a little harder that you had to with perfect north alignment and popping batteries in and out between calibrations but overall I know you learned a lot and now have it right. The devil is in the details. Well done!

Now for a glass of Port.

 

[2TO3D]

Agreed, perhaps a little too aggressive on certain points. Something to look into more perhaps and not sure if it was my 4th time calibrating the compass but, those few degrees "seemed" to make a difference. She locked in and beeped much quicker on the last try than the previous. Time and practice will tell.

My goal here is to eliminate potential negative factors (User Error being the biggest) and ensure a clean start-up and flight. With that success under my belt, then attempt to recreate negative factors to determine what will and will not work in a safer environment. I need the practice before attempting some of the more complicated areas I normally fly in. That includes wooded areas, launching and returning to a boat and areas of interest that may crop up from time to time.

The "2TO3D" comes from decades of wheeled RC "toys". I've always had the deepest respect & admiration for the "flyers" out there. The initial investment, maintenance and inevitable repair costs kept me out of the game. It wasn't until the availability/affordability and stability of drones that I ventured into the 3D realm of RC. It's a blast! The Parrot Bebop was my first and only disappointment. Cool to play with but the flight time is almost nonexistent. Did my homework and landed on Yuneec products. No regrets at all. The Q500 has more than 70 hours on it and in spite of my best efforts to kill it, she's back together and going strong. The H Pro was the next logical choice. Yup, a "little" more to it than the Q500 but I feel I've landed on something that will last me a while. Though their literature could use some improvement, I have no issue with Yuneec products.

Thanks All!,
Mine will be a Single Malt.
Stefan

 

[ArnhemAnt]

Mine will be a Single Malt.

Oh, yeah - doesn't get much better than that.

Stefan, you mentioned an interest in flying (and landing) from a boat. I've done this a few times with my H. I have a 5.2 metre centre console fibreglass boat and have found that I have to launch from the bow. I've tried numerous times to launch from the stern and I get all sorts of errors. I think it is because of the outboard motor, wiring and batteries which are all down that end of the boat.
Also be mindful of the start-up with the H. If the boat is moving, or rocking, then you may have issues as the H should be still during the start-up.
Landing is quite standard, as long as the boat isn't moving. I very rarely "hand catch", and have had no issues landing the H back on the bow of my boat.
Hope this helps in some way.

 

[2TO3D]

Hey ArnhemAnt,
I'd be willing to bet it has a lot to do with the EMF given off by the alternator, spark plugs, etc. If it's not running then there's probably some permanent magnets in the motor somewhere too. (But you know all that.)

I used to have a 6m inboard/outboard but downsized to a 5.2m. I've found that most of the lakes I like to fish around here don't allow gas powered craft. We also have some pretty "ugly" places to fish:
The H will only go up when the water is like you see above. (Sorry, no aerial shots from the H until this summer.) I doubt the on-board batteries are an issue and I'm hoping they aren't. I've got 8 deep cycles on board as I'm 100% electric powered. I deploy two solar panels at the bow that make a good launch/landing pad: 80" x 27". (Used them for the Q500) DC motors = permanent magnets. The bow motor will be deployed and off at launch so the magnet will be a good 5ft away and enclosed in a steel housing. Fingers crossed it won't be an issue. As all flying will be within a 5km range from camp, I'll perform all calibrations on shore. Then it will just be a matter of getting a good satellite lock before launch. I prefer to land as opposed to hand catch however, I like to be comfortable in the event it becomes necessary. Murphy's Law reference: "Murphy" loves to work overtime. I like to be prepared when he decides to shows up.

All good info... Thanks for sharing.