GPS Acquiring, Not Ready

[wizard]

so i sent in my H to Vertigo Drones for "repair" paid $250 for diagnosis and install of new GPS board - got it back Monday 7/20 tried powering it up today - ****.....same problem - no lock for GPS....this is getting very frustrating...freakin' blinking tail-light.....i'm going to the freezer now.....for ice cream.....

 

[Thomas111]

Did vertigo drones not test it before shipping it back to you could their be something near were you fly that's preventing the GPS just a thought

 

[wizard]

Did vertigo drones not test it before shipping it back to you could their be something near were you fly that's preventing the GPS just a thought

all good questions -=they said that it "achieved 3 successful flights" - so yes i immediately figured it was "operator error". So i grabbed my Typhoon H, my Yuneek Q5004K and my DJI Mavic Pro II and went out to a local park (10's of acres) and tried all of them - Q500 - no problem, DJI Mavic Pro II - no problem - Typhoon H - just sat there and blinked at me for a full battery cycle.....i don't know what else to do at this point - waiting to hear back from Vertigo D's. Thanks for the input - all is graciously accepted, i just want this thing to function properly and fly.

 

[Steve Carr]

freakin' blinking tail-light

Can you describe the blinking status light? Color, fast blinking, so blinking?
Do you see telemetry displayed on the left side of the ST16 such as Voltage?
Did you send them the entire kit or just the H?

 

[wizard]

slow blinking changes color when i select the various modes (smart or angle). I see all the telemetry on the drone - it has 17 sats, fully charged (ST16 had 16 sats and was also fully charged) they got the H, sans battery and the ST16. The "drone" icon in the upper right hand corner of the st16 NEVER lights up as "ready" and i continually get the "lost GPS" signal warning once i power it up and let it sit for a little bit. Another strange and "new" situation for me is that when i go into the calibration screen (i calibrated the compass first) and then get back to the home screen and the H connects - the MOTORS START SPINNING....not fast and thankfully i had the props off - but it was quite the surprise....

 

[Steve Carr]

Wow. Interesting.
Since they had the H and the ST16, we can examine the flight logs to help determine what is happening. Please look at this video so you can access and upload the flight logs here.

 

[wizard]

will do when i get home. Should be around 3pm Pacific time - thanks for the help - it is going to be really humbling when i figure out what I am doing wrong....

 

[wizard]

okay so i downloaded and looked through that file...couple of strange things - there are essentially two different dates for the files - either the date on the data in the file is 12/31/13 (i don't think i was flying on new years eve) and 7/20/2020 - two days AFTER it came back from VD. NO other dates seem to appear in the various files - AND of all the files i looked at - ONLY one had the "Use GPS" column with a "true" field - all the rest "false"...so i am sure i am reading all this wrong - what do you think?

 

[Steve Carr]

You can upload the .zip file here using the Attach files button and the bottom left of the test window. Then we might be able to help.

 

[wizard]

You can upload the .zip file here using the Attach files button and the bottom left of the test window. Then we might be able to help.

i'm not going to have any "black helicopters" circling my home will I? Love to hear your insights...

 

[Steve Carr]

i'm not going to have any "black helicopters" circling my home will I?

Nope. At least not on my behalf. I'll see what I can find in the logs.

 

[Steve Carr]

The logs with dates shown as 2013 (#47-51) were created after the battery had been removed from the ST16 or it simply ran out of power. If power is lost on the ST16, the dates reverts to the default of 12/31/2013. After the date was reset, the ST16 was connected twice (#51-52) but only for about 20 sec.

The last time the ST16 was connected to the H, it did acquire a good GPS lock. I suggest giving it another test outside in a grassy area with a clear view of the sky. Remove the camera. If it transitions from Acquiring to Ready, watch it and see if it stays locked. If so, go to a hover a few feet above the ground and continue to watch it. If the GPS stays locked then it may be good. I suggest a couple of flights w/o the camera mounted to make certain it is airworthy.

The Flight Controllers on the H are very sensitive to overheating. So avoid turning it on when the temp is higher than 85 if the sun is out. Also be careful not to store the H in a hot place such as the trunk of the car. The FC can be permanently damaged if it gets too hot.

 

[wizard]

i will give that a try today - Yesterday i went out to that park i mentioned and tried letting it sit and acquire - it never shows "ready" and i can't start the motors..,.i'll let it sit for a long time this time and see what happens...thanks for looking - i'll check back when i have had the chance to give your process some time.

 

[Steve Carr]

it never shows "ready"

Hmmm......the telem shows the GPS going to true pretty quickly with 16 sats and increasing to 19.

 

[wizard]

Hmmm......the telem shows the GPS going to true pretty quickly with 16 sats and increasing to 19.

okay - so this is today - looks like the gps kicks in pretty quickly - but once again slow blinking tail-light and never get the ability to start the motors - much less "hover" I have yet to hear back from VD - that is kind of depressing....what else could this be?

 

[Steve Carr]

I will look at the file.

So the GPS never changed from "Acquiring" to "Ready"?

 

[wizard]

I will look at the file.

So the GPS never changed from "Acquiring" to "Ready"?

the gps on the left side of the st16 says "ready" but the tail light continues to blink slowly and never becomes solid in either angle or smart mode - my understanding is that the "drone" image in the upper right hand portion of the st16 is supposed to "light up" when you get a good gps lock. Is there some sort of factory reset i can do and start over with pairing? the issue where i get into system settings, for example to calibrate, and then get back to home page and the drone links up WITH THE MOTORS RUNNING and i have no control over that. I have to get back out of the connection - wait for the motors to stop then turn off the drone. I am going to go out tomorrow am and re-calibrate the compass - i have followed a couple of other strings that said motors won't start until the compass is properly calibrated - which i thought i did...but will do again tomorrow. I'll start with rebinding the H and then calibrate....

i feel like that old joke where you have someone go outside and swing a bag over their heads and cluck like a chicken - ....but if it will work...well then "bock..bock...bock"

 

[Steve Carr]

Yes, a factory reset of the ST16 is a good next step. Follow this video;
I will add some additional comments shortly.

 

[Steve Carr]

but once again slow blinking tail-light and never get the ability to start the motors

We should cover a few basics before moving on with this issue:

The status light will blink slowly after the ST16 and the H are bound/connected.
Once there are enough satellites displayed, the status light continues to blink 3 times Blue (Angle mode), then one flash of white (GPS Ready)
In order for the GPS to change to Ready, the H needs 12 or more sats and the ST16 needs 9 or more.
So both the H and the controller need a clear view of the sky to maintain a GPS fix. At least 15 and 11 are preferable before launch.
Once Ready is displayed, press the arming button long enough for the motors to start.

When you set up the H, pick an area with a good view of the sky, preferably a grassy area. Avoid concrete. Set the H level, press the power button and then don't touch the aircraft until it is fully booted and bound to the controller.

 

[wizard]

Factory reset the st16 - Check
Rebound the Typhoon - Check
Rebound the Camera - Check
Selected the Camera - Check
Calibrated the accelerometer - Check
Went to a LARGE park near my home and wandered into the wilderness (actually an RC flying club) and calibrated the compass, leaving all my worldly possessions in the car (like my cell phone) got the Good Calibration sound from the Typhoon H - Check
Put props on the Typhoon H - Check
Fired up the ST16 - Check
Fired up the Typhoon H - Check
Didn't touch anything until all the lights and beeps settled and the Sats read 18 on the Typhoon and 20 on the ST16
Slow blinking tail light....
NO MOTORS.....couldn't start the engines to save my life.
Went to System settings to make sure everything looked good - went back "home" and the Typhoon H "re-engaged" AND THE PROPS STARTED SPINNING - i had no control - at all. thankfully they were spinning at idle...

You want a free typhoon H? - i'm getting tired of chasing this thing around...but truly do appreciate your help.