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Another Newbie early crash...

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Dec 5, 2019
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Okay, so I was experimenting with recording video by having the Typhoon travel down a private gravel road on heavily wooded private property. At the end of my run, about 500 feet away, I turned the camera around, and then proceeded to try to fly the Typhoon back to where I was at.

There were lots of elevation changes, so I was trying to lower the Typhoon, but apparently my pulling back on the left stick also included a left or right vector and the copter rotated slightly. Being about 500 feet away and slightly higher than the drone, I couldn't see the lights on the drone to determine how it was oriented. I pulled back on the right stick and promptly flew it into a pine tree, breaking 3 propellers, and dropping the Typhoon into some heavy brush. I throttled down and pressed the red kill switch, but it took a while for the Typhoon to shut down.

When I got to the machine it was right side up, in the brush, but the camera had made contact with the ground, and bent the main gimbal arm. I've ordered a replacement part and I tried to straighten the arm with fairly decent success....

HOWEVER....now the gimbal buzzes and vibrates unless I physically apply pressure to it...so, I'm guessing that the bent arm is causing a misalignment that the gimbal is trying to correct with small movements.

At worst case scenario, I figure I'll have to buy a new camera, though I'm going to take a run at fixing the gimbal.

Anybody have any insight, good or bad, into the buzzing and vibrating?

Also, I can't get a GPS lock on the machine. It's stuck in "acquiring" mode. The GPS is showing disabled, and I can't get it to enable. I've turned off GPS and gotten the motors to arm and spin up. However, after a minute or so, one of the motors will stop spinning and I get an error message about switching to Five motor mode and setting it down. I've tried this on multiple occasions and though the motors stop, it's never the same one.

I've hooked the machine up to the Yuneec GUI and I can spin all the motors without incident. The camera binds and is controllable, other than the vibration and buzzing.

What might be causing the GPS Disabled issue? What might be causing the Five rotor error?

Also, as an aside. I loved the ST-16. Is it possible to use it with non Yuneec aircraft??
 
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WTFDproject is the Camera doctor! I can answer one question. ST16 Yuneec Only.
 
Thanks! I'll quit obsessing over that possibility now, LOL. Woulda been a pretty cool option! Time to focus on getting the Typhoon back in the air.!
 
The vertical arm will most certainly cause the buzzing if not perfectly straight. It may not be the only issue, but it is for sure the place to start. Anything that causes even slight off-balance, out of alignment or mechanical resistance will cause the buzzing. But I would not worry about it unless replacing the arm doesn't correct the issue.

I don't know much about the GPS and motor issues. Since you mentioned "setting it down" after loss of a motor, I assume you have one of the Hex series, but it may help if you identify which one you have. My only contribution would be to ensure the flight controller did not get jarred loose.

Perhaps @Steve Carr or some others more familiar with it can offer something more useful.
 
Ahhh.....I neglected to mention that I have a Typhoon H. Sorry about that!

Today, I removed the plastic cover from the vertical arm, as well as the collar and cap at the point of attachment to the mounting plate / dampener....reattached the camera. No buzzing and it spun freely. I'm guessing the fitment on the covers is now somewhat off because of the bend, causing mechanical resistance. I can see an ever so slight bend, more of a general warping, really, near the point of attachment. Not sure I could ever get that one sufficiently straight. Found a replacement arm...so, wish me luck that corrects it!

On the other problem, when I spin the motors, with no propellers and with the GPS off, one of the motors will inevitably stop and the ST-16 will display the "switch to five rotors and land" warning. I've tried this a few times and it's been a different motor that stops each time.

So, flight controller, maybe?
 
Ahhh.....I neglected to mention that I have a Typhoon H. Sorry about that!

Today, I removed the plastic cover from the vertical arm, as well as the collar and cap at the point of attachment to the mounting plate / dampener....reattached the camera. No buzzing and it spun freely. I'm guessing the fitment on the covers is now somewhat off because of the bend, causing mechanical resistance. I can see an ever so slight bend, more of a general warping, really, near the point of attachment. Not sure I could ever get that one sufficiently straight. Found a replacement arm...so, wish me luck that corrects it!

On the other problem, when I spin the motors, with no propellers and with the GPS off, one of the motors will inevitably stop and the ST-16 will display the "switch to five rotors and land" warning. I've tried this a few times and it's been a different motor that stops each time.

So, flight controller, maybe?
It will without props on.
 
Uh-oh. It just occurred to me that you might be trying to spin up the motors without props on. What you describe is perfectly normal on a TH. It will normally let them spin in idle without props, but if you increase speed, you get all sorts of odd behavior, and motors turning off at random. Your initial post mentioned "setting it down", and I interpreted that to mean you were in flight and able to land it safely. I wonder now if you were only referring to the warning message?
 
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Thanks! I'll quit obsessing over that possibility now, LOL. Woulda been a pretty cool option! Time to focus on getting the Typhoon back in the air.!

You can use the ST16/SR24 to control pretty much whatever you want. The PX4 autopilot has a ready-made implementation for Yuneec's serial protocol, which has been decoded few times here. I've decoded and provided an example for the telemetry data, so it's pretty easy to get battery voltage and status information back from the drone to the ST16. It is also rather easy to build a converter for Yuneec Serial -> PPM / PWM with Arduino, Teensy or similar. If a little electronics work and C programming does not scare you away, there is no problem in repurposing the ST16 for pretty much anything; all the information is available here, and if you don't find them, drop me a line... ;-)

Also, I think that your Typhoon is fine. Take the camera off and go flying it. ;-) The GPS does not go to "READY" mode indoors. GNSS signal reception indoors is poor and insufficient. If the GPS is damaged, a new module costs about $20 and takes 5 minutes to replace. Remember to calibrate compass after that, since that changes too. That 5 motor mode without propellers is completely normal, the speed controllers do not work well without load. For the camera/gimbal, spare parts are available, WTFD has provided good instructions to repair it and if everything goes south on that one, complete cameras are available for $150 in ebay, not bad. ;-)
 
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You can use the ST16/SR24 to control pretty much whatever you want. The PX4 autopilot has a ready-made implementation for Yuneec's serial protocol, which has been decoded few times here. I've decoded and provided an example for the telemetry data, so it's pretty easy to get battery voltage and status information back from the drone to the ST16. It is also rather easy to build a converter for Yuneec Serial -> PPM / PWM with Arduino, Teensy or similar. If a little electronics work and C programming does not scare you away, there is no problem in repurposing the ST16 for pretty much anything; all the information is available here, and if you don't find them, drop me a line... ;-)

Also, I think that your Typhoon is fine. Take the camera off and go flying it. ;-) The GPS does not go to "READY" mode indoors. GNSS signal reception indoors is poor and insufficient. If the GPS is damaged, a new module costs about $20 and takes 5 minutes to replace. Remember to calibrate compass after that, since that changes too. That 5 motor mode without propellers is completely normal, the speed controllers do not work well without load. For the camera/gimbal, spare parts are available, WTFD has provided good instructions to repair it and if everything goes south on that one, complete cameras are available for $150 in ebay, not bad. ;-)
Do you have link for the $20 GPS module?
 
Do you have link for the $20 GPS module?


Here is how to replace it:

 
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Uh-oh. It just occurred to me that you might be trying to spin up the motors without props on. What you describe is perfectly normal on a TH. It will normally let them spin in idle without props, but if you increase speed, you get all sorts of odd behavior, and motors turning off at random. Your initial post mentioned "setting it down", and I interpreted that to mean you were in flight and able to land it safely. I wonder now if you were only referring to the warning message?

Yep, just referring to the message....
 
You can use the ST16/SR24 to control pretty much whatever you want. The PX4 autopilot has a ready-made implementation for Yuneec's serial protocol, which has been decoded few times here. I've decoded and provided an example for the telemetry data, so it's pretty easy to get battery voltage and status information back from the drone to the ST16. It is also rather easy to build a converter for Yuneec Serial -> PPM / PWM with Arduino, Teensy or similar. If a little electronics work and C programming does not scare you away, there is no problem in repurposing the ST16 for pretty much anything; all the information is available here, and if you don't find them, drop me a line... ;-)

Also, I think that your Typhoon is fine. Take the camera off and go flying it. ;-) The GPS does not go to "READY" mode indoors. GNSS signal reception indoors is poor and insufficient. If the GPS is damaged, a new module costs about $20 and takes 5 minutes to replace. Remember to calibrate compass after that, since that changes too. That 5 motor mode without propellers is completely normal, the speed controllers do not work well without load. For the camera/gimbal, spare parts are available, WTFD has provided good instructions to repair it and if everything goes south on that one, complete cameras are available for $150 in ebay, not bad. ;-)
Awesome! Thanks!

I'll try to get her in the air as soon as the new props arrrive!
 
Awesome! Thanks!

I'll try to get her in the air as soon as the new props arrrive!
Did you buy this new? Is it still in warranty? Modifications to copter or controller will invalidate if you have any of course. If your confident to alter it OK, I was just stating my own personal view, I wouldn't attempt to mess around with it, some have come unstuck with playstore fiasco, some have experimented with disastrous results, at least we've learnt from their painful mistakes, but I don't want to add my experience to that list.
 
Did you buy this new? Is it still in warranty? Modifications to copter or controller will invalidate if you have any of course. If your confident to alter it OK, I was just stating my own personal view, I wouldn't attempt to mess around with it, some have come unstuck with playstore fiasco, some have experimented with disastrous results, at least we've learnt from their painful mistakes, but I don't want to add my experience to that list.

I'm a bit afraid, that the warranty was left in that pine tree or bush... ;-)
 

Here is how to replace it:

Yes I've got them new and in top cover. plug and play "New other" that's a loose description on eBay, not saying it isn't a genuine claim by the seller. Thanks for the link.
 
Remove the props and camera to cal the compass.
It is a good practice to calibrate the compass after a crash, and removing the props makes that operation FAR easier. However I do not believe that it is good idea to remove the camera for compass calibration. The camera/gimbal is an integral part of the aircraft and is (normally) always present during a flight. We want to calibrate the compass in an atmosphere free of interference that will not be present during normal flight. This is why we keep the aircraft away from cell phones, transformers, and other geomagnetic sources when calibrating the compass, that will not be present during normal flight. At the same time we want any and all in-flight accessories (e.g. camera/gimbal) that might effect calibration to be in place during the procedure, not added on after the procedure possibly nullifying the calibration. The camera is loaded with electronics, including an active radio transmitter/receiver that is always on. Therefore it is very important to calibrate the compass with the camera/gimbal in place -where it will be in flight- so the calibration can account and adjust for any interference it may cause.
 
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It is a good practice to calibrate the compass after a crash, and removing the props makes that operation FAR easier. However I do not believe that it is good idea to remove the camera for compass calibration. The camera/gimbal is an integral part of the aircraft and is (normally) always present during a flight. We want to calibrate the compass in an atmosphere free of interference that will not be present during normal flight. This is why we keep the aircraft away from cell phones, transformers, and other geomagnetic sources when calibrating the compass, that will not be present during normal flight. At the same time we want any and all in-flight accessories (e.g. camera/gimbal) that might effect calibration to be in place during the procedure, not added on after the procedure possibly nullifying the calibration. The camera is loaded with electronics, including an active radio transmitter/receiver that is always on. Therefore it is very important to calibrate the compass with the camera/gimbal in place -where it will be in flight- so the calibration can account and adjust for any interference it may cause.
I actually agree.
Many pilots on this forum advocate removing the camera during compass calibration, their argument being that it prevents stresses to the gimbal motors during the calibration process. Prevents the camera flapping around...and that is a fair point that I won't argue against. However, like you, I'm of the opinion that it is better to calibrate the compass while the aircraft is in it's normal configuration for flight, and that means calibrate with the camera attached. But I do advise to calibrate with the props off...far easier.

But, the watchwords here are: 'Each to their own'. Go with whatever works for you.
 

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