C23 flipping around and not steadying at startup

Thecloth · Apr 21, 2020

The first mistake I made was leaving the battery in H+. The next mistake may have been I left it on, by mistake. A few days after use, I discover the drone was warm on opening the case. That makes me think I left it on. Now, when I turn the drone the camera does acrobatic movements then comes to a halt in a non-useful position. The ST16 controller can't control the gimble.

Beside here, where do I start?

BTW, it saddens me to hear Yuneec is going bankrupt, it true. I love my Q500+ and H+ (when working.)

-- Cloth

WTFDproject · Apr 21, 2020

Obviously, this is not good.
1.) Please describe the color and pattern of the camera LED.
2.) Is the camera making any beeping sounds? Please describe.
3.) When it stops doing acrobatics, is it "stabilized" in that position?
4.) Were you able to recharge the battery?

Thecloth · Apr 21, 2020

WTFDproject said:
Obviously, this is not good.
1.) Please describe the color and pattern of the camera LED.
2.) Is the camera making any beeping sounds? Please describe.
3.) When it stops doing acrobatics, is it "stabilized" in that position?
4.) Were you able to recharge the battery?

1. The LED on camera is flashing green. The drone lights are flashing blue in rear(near battery). The one on right is green, the left one is red, and front two( nearest camera) seem to be purple(light blue).

2. Camera is making three pulse sounds, a pause the repeating the patter over and over.

3. When camera stops acrobatics, the camera is pointing front but leaning on its side 45 degrees from normal position as if something is weighing it down. The camera also begins to get in sync with sound pattern. It looks like a small twitch with small gimble movement rotating camera up only about 1/8 inch.

4. The battery was a little swollen so I decided not to test my luck recharging. I have a spare battery to use.

Thanks for your help

WTFDproject · Apr 21, 2020

Thecloth said:
2. Camera is making three pulse sounds, a pause the repeating the patter over and over.

Camera is making three pulse sounds, a pause the repeating the patter over and over.
If the three pulse sounds consist of two longs and one short, then repeat, then that is actually pretty good news. It means the Pitch (Tilt) encoder is not reading. The encoder is pretty cheap, and not all that hard to install. Is it the two long, one short pattern?

NorWiscPilot · Apr 22, 2020

I forget... is there a gimbal calibration for the Plus?

The next question is, has a proper gimbal calibration been performed?

The reason for asking is this: I put one of my H480 machine outside to soak up the sun for about 15 minutes a couple weeks ago, using one of my “calibration only” batteries. It started at about 15v. Of course, I got distracted and forgot about it. Drained the battery to the point the craft was no longer powered.

After installing a fresh battery and power on, things just did not seem right. A quick lift off soon told me to land just as quick. I went through the three main calibrations; accelerometer, compass, and gimbal. All good since.

My hunch is that some time during the critical low voltage period, when the craft is starving for juice and barely getting fed, something happens to the calibration storage; as though the power starve affords the onboard processor to do some weird things.

The story of this OP seems eerily familiar.

Jeff

Thecloth · Apr 22, 2020

It's two long and one short. Where can I find a pitch encoder to install?

NorWiscPilot said:
I forget... is there a gimbal calibration for the Plus?

The next question is, has a proper gimbal calibration been performed?

The reason for asking is this: I put one of my H480 machine outside to soak up the sun for about 15 minutes a couple weeks ago, using one of my “calibration only” batteries. It started at about 15v. Of course, I got distracted and forgot about it. Drained the battery to the point the craft was no longer powered.

After installing a fresh battery and power on, things just did not seem right. A quick lift off soon told me to land just as quick. I went through the three main calibrations; accelerometer, compass, and gimbal. All good since.

My hunch is that some time during the critical low voltage period, when the craft is starving for juice and barely getting fed, something happens to the calibration storage; as though the power starve affords the onboard processor to do some weird things.

The story of this OP seems eerily familiar.

Jeff

I don't know if there's a gimbal calibration for the Plus. It's late now and I'll have to search later. Thanks

WTFDproject · Apr 22, 2020

NorWiscPilot said:
I forget... is there a gimbal calibration for the Plus?
The story of this OP seems eerily familiar.

The story of this OP seems eerily familiar.
Second one in a week. Last one caused a stuck battery.

I forget... is there a gimbal calibration for the Plus?
No. Not on the H Plus. Not even in the secret menu (that didn't use to be secret). But you bring up a valid point. It may not be damaged. It may just be seriously out of cal. I'll add @Steve Carr's name here to ask his opinion if the Gimbal Fix firmware in "C23 Gimbal Fix for Vibration" might override the existing values and restore the gimbal.

Where can I find a pitch encoder to install?
Vertigo indicates they have them. No so cheap as they used to be. Note the C23 uses the same parts as E90, so all parts are listed as E90.
"Yuneec E90 Pitch Encoder"
Actual part number is YUNE90109SVC (E90 Pitch Encoder)

Thecloth · Apr 22, 2020

WTFDproject said:
The story of this OP seems eerily familiar.
Second one in a week. Last one only caused a stuck battery.

I forget... is there a gimbal calibration for the Plus?
No. Not on the H Plus. Not even in the secret menu (that didn't use to be secret). But you bring up a valid point. It may not be damaged. It may just be seriously out of cal. I'll add @Steve Carr's name here to get his opinion if the Gimbal Fix firmware in "C23 Gimbal Fix for Vibration" might override the existing values and restore the gimbal.

Where can I find a pitch encoder to install?
Vertigo indicates they have them. No so cheap as they used to be. Note the C23 uses the same parts as E90, so all parts are listed as E90.
"Yuneec E90 Pitch Encoder"
Actual part number is YUNE90109SVC (E90 Pitch Encoder)

Thanks, I'll contact Vertigo Drones later today Also, I'll wait to hear about Gimbal Fix firmware.

Good night

Mrgs1 · Apr 22, 2020

Thecloth said:
It's two long and one short. Where can I find a pitch encoder to install?

I don't know if there's a gimbal calibration for the Plus. It's late now and I'll have to search later. Thanks

Wasn't the calibration there but the capability removed with subsequent firmware updates? I suspect it's been updated, not many would keep the old/earliest build.

Steve Carr · Apr 22, 2020

Thecloth said:
Also, I'll wait to hear about Gimbal Fix firmware.

I would suggest trying the gimbal firmware to see if it helps. It certainly will not cause any new problems.

Thecloth · Apr 26, 2020

Steve Carr said:
I would suggest trying the gimbal firmware to see if it helps. It certainly will not cause any new problems.

I ordered a new microSD drive and installed the gimbal firmware as directed in the video. There was no change except camera does swing madly on startup. It still gives the two long pulses and a short one. I'm still waiting for a pitch controller from Vertigo Drones.

Thecloth · Apr 29, 2020

Thecloth said:
I ordered a new microSD drive and installed the gimbal firmware as directed in the video. There was no change except camera does swing madly on startup. It still gives the two long pulses and a short one. I'm still waiting for a pitch controller from Vertigo Drones.

OK, pitch controllers(2) arrive and I get up the courage to repair with video found here. Do I need a special screwdriver to remove screws on CG03? They seem smaller than the smallest Allen wrench I have.

WTFDproject · Apr 29, 2020

Thecloth said:
OK, pitch controllers(2) arrive and I get up the courage to repair with video found here. Do I need a special screwdriver to remove screws on CG03? They seem smaller than the smallest Allen wrench I have.

No special tools required. Something to pry off the black cover piece, which I think you've already done, and a small Phillips screwdriver (size #0 or #1) to remove the four screws involved. You might be able to remove the plug in connector and the snap on connector with just fingernails.

Where did you see a video? That would be a good link for others that need it in the future.

Mrgs1 · Apr 29, 2020

Thecloth said:
OK, pitch controllers(2) arrive and I get up the courage to repair with video found here. Do I need a special screwdriver to remove screws on CG03? They seem smaller than the smallest Allen wrench I have.

I thought it was a C23?

WTFDproject · Apr 29, 2020

Mrgs1 said:
I thought it was a C23?

Good catch @Mrgs1. I've thought all along we were talking about C23. There was a brief mention of a Q500 (CGo3) early, but all recommendations were about the H Plus (C23).

@Thecloth, please confirm the issue is with your C23.

Thecloth · Apr 29, 2020

WTFDproject said:
No special tools required. Something to pry off the black cover piece, which I think you've already done, and a small Phillips screwdriver (size #0 or #1) to remove the four screws involved. You might be able to remove the plug in connector and the snap on connector with just fingernails.

Where did you see a video? That would be a good link for others that need it in the future.

It's been a few days since you helped point me in the right direction, until replacement pitch controllers arrived. There was no video but the WTFproject.pdf file I quickly viewed. There it shows how to replace the controller. Hopefully, this will fix problem. I'll keep you informed.

Thecloth · Apr 29, 2020

WTFDproject said:
Good catch @Mrgs1. I've thought all along we were talking about C23. There was a brief mention of a Q500 (CGo3) early, but all recommendations were about the H Plus (C23).

@Thecloth, please confirm the issue is with your C23.

Yes, the model number is right on the camera. Now, I have to see if I ordered the wrong pitch controller.

WTFDproject · Apr 29, 2020

Thecloth said:
There was no video but the WTFproject.pdf file I quickly viewed. There it shows how to replace the controller.

"Yes, the model number is right on the camera. Now, I have to see if I ordered the wrong pitch controller."
If you have a C23, and ordered the part number recommended by post #7 above, you are in good shape.

"There was no video but the WTFproject.pdf file I quickly viewed. There it shows how to replace the controller."
The WTFDproject.pdf does not have a section for replacing the tilt encoder on a C23. It does have a section for replacing the equivalent component on a CGo3+. The task is far more difficult on a CGo3+. The C23 only involves prying the decorative cover off the right hub, four screws, and two connectors. Prying the cover off is a bear, but other than the incredibly difficult glue on the cover, it is a far, far easier task than on the CG03+.