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H just flew away ?

We can be here for evaluation too. The first thing is to make sure it is totally dry before trying to power it up at all. Once it is completely dry you can try powering it up and using the GUI to check for any electronic issues.

The battery that was in it is likely no good now, but if you have a multimeter to measure voltages of the cells you can report them here. I will attach a guide for measuring the battery cells.
 

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We can be here for evaluation too. The first thing is to make sure it is totally dry before trying to power it up at all. Once it is completely dry you can try powering it up and using the GUI to check for any electronic issues.

The battery that was in it is likely no good now, but if you have a multimeter to measure voltages of the cells you can report them here. I will attach a guide for measuring the battery cells.
Thank you DoomMeister.
I have not evaluated the battery yet. It is standing up on the connector end on my bench. That way any water inside would drain. The only thing I'm having trouble with is unplugging the motor wires. The bullets will not release. And how does the covers come off the arm LEDs? So far I've killed about 10 earwigs. I want to remove all the electronics just to be sure everything is clean and dry. The flight controller slipped off with little to no resistance. The foam under it is very damp. Rubbing alcohol is removing the pine pitch really easy. So far so good.
Thank you again.
Pete.
 
Thank you DoomMeister.
I have not evaluated the battery yet. It is standing up on the connector end on my bench. That way any water inside would drain. The only thing I'm having trouble with is unplugging the motor wires. The bullets will not release. And how does the covers come off the arm LEDs? So far I've killed about 10 earwigs. I want to remove all the electronics just to be sure everything is clean and dry. The flight controller slipped off with little to no resistance. The foam under it is very damp. Rubbing alcohol is removing the pine pitch really easy. So far so good.
Thank you again.
Pete.
Great news on the recovery. Injured as it is, at least it is home so it can be cared for.

"The only thing I'm having trouble with is unplugging the motor wires."
The entire wire coupler is covered by a single piece of shrink wrap. You have to cut the shrink wrap all the way around at the joint, then the wire connector can be pulled apart. It still isn't easy. There're pretty tight.

"And how does the covers come off the arm LEDs?"
There is a special tool made for that. But any way you can span all sides at the same time, push in a little and turn a VERY little to the right. There are markings on the plastic to show you which way. (Not that I can see them now days, but they used to be there!)

"The flight controller slipped off with little to no resistance"
They normally take a decent pull and tug to get them off. I wonder if a loose fit could have been a factor in the loss of control?
 
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Thank you again.
You guys are the best.
The motor covers are coming off without issue. I found a socket that is gripping them enough to turn. The bullets are coming apart using a pare of slip joint pliers and bent needle nose against them and easily levering apart without damaging anything.
Using the adapter harness for the 4 button charger and my battery tester the cells read 3.07, 3.07, 3.12 and 3.09. Tomorrow I will see how it charges. I don't think it's a total loss. I'll do a couple charge / discharge cycles and record the data.
The fit of the flight controller is troubling me. I think if I hold the ESC board upside down and shake it it would fall out. Way too loose for my liking.
Thank you guys for all your advice and knowledge.
Almost forgot. One of the landing gear actuators is filled with water. I will attempt to disassemble it tomorrow. I haven't touched the camera yet.
 
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The loose fit of the F/C is troubling and may we’ll be part of the issue with GPS troubles and the loss of control.

Make sure the battery does not have any moisture in it before charging and be sure to visually monitor the charging outside on a nonflammable surface. Surprisingly the voltages are only slightly low. You may need to set the charger to NiCad type and charge so the cell voltages get to about 3.3V/cell then switch back to LiPo charging.
 
That boy got a climbing gear? Drones are expensive to replace. You can make a replacement human being out of stuff you have laying around the house. :rolleyes:

Seriously though, glad you found it, and I hope you can retrieve it. (Safely, and still have the Grandson to share it with.)
Tom. Seriously you are truly amazing. There are very few people in this world who will go the extra 10 miles for someone.Thanks from all of us for just being you.KC
 
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Another update.
After a complete disassemble, clean and reassemble yesterday. I took the H minus the top cover/ GPS to a friend of mine who fixes and rebuilds computers. He thinks he can adjust the tension of the plugs. He also peeled the foam and replaced it with a grey colored foam that won't get wet. He also found a cold solder joint and fixed it. It should be ready later today. Except for the use of cheaper components, he's very impressed with the build and complexity. For longevity the FC should be mounted instead of using the plugs for retention.
I haven't addressed the battery yet. The weather was not good for an outdoor charge.
The camera and gimbal are cleaned and the isolators are reseated. Ready to remount.
All and all just 2 props and a leg cushion are the only loss.
Has anyone ever balanced props? My helicopter blade balancer works on them. Just a quick sanding of the underside of the heavy end with some really fine Emory brings it into balance nicely. Anything to lower vibration is a plus.
Pete.
 
Hi guys.
The FC looseness is taken care of. My computer expert was able to tighten up the connecters. The new foam, one solder joint and tighten both connections $35. And a promise to fix his plow truck when needed.
Hooking it up to the GUI was simple. Under sensors the only failure was the realsense which it does not have. The IPS sensor was just spinning around and never connected. What is the IPS sensor?
I'm doing a trickle charge on the battery as I'm typing this. Hopefully it can be salvaged. Figures it was my new battery from Yuneec Skins.
Thanks for all your know how and invaluable wisdom.
Pete
 
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Thank you.
I was guessing that but wasn't sure. Almost ready for a test flight. Too windy today and really humid.
The battery may be ok. It's on its first storage charge after a 4 hour trickle charge of no more than 1amp.
Pete.
 
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I'm not very happy.
Finally had time to test it out. I took the camera off and charged up one flight battery. Took it outside and waited for GPS ready. After it acquired 14 satellites it lost GPS.. Powered down and tried again. Same thing. Did a compass calibration and it seemed to have worked. Took off to about 6 feet and it drifts horribly and very jumpy to even slight stick movements. Landing is jumpy and it flipped once breaking another prop. In rabbit mode. I did another accelerometer calibration, checked hardware monitor for maybe a dirty stick. Everything checks out but the drift and loss of GPS is still happening.
You guys are probably getting sick of me by now. I'm at my Witt's end.
Pete.
 
I sounds like you will need a new flight controller. Most of the issues you described are either problems with the GPS module, or with the flight controlle0. The flight controller is normally the culprit.
The bouncy landing was actually made worse by having the controller in rabbit mode. Rabbit mode not only limits how much "Up" you have by 20%, it limits how much "Down" you have by the same 20%. That leaves the drone much closer to neutral buoyancy. Bouncy, tip over landings are a common result. GPS problems certainly didn't help.
 
I sounds like you will need a new flight controller. Most of the issues you described are either problems with the GPS module, or with the flight controlle0. The flight controller is normally the culprit.
The bouncy landing was actually made worse by having the controller in rabbit mode. Rabbit mode not only limits how much "Up" you have by 20%, it limits how much "Down" you have by the same 20%. That leaves the drone much closer to neutral buoyancy. Bouncy, tip over landings are a common result. GPS problems certainly didn't help.
I thought turtle would limit stick output and rabbit was full?
I found a new upper body minus the landing gear on the auction site we all love and hate. I figured I still have my old one for parts. By the time and expense for just the FC and GPS its almost up there. My landing gear is fine. My camera is good too.
Replacing the H body will lose my NFZ unlock. I don't think I need it but it was good to have.
Pete
 
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I thought turtle would limit stick output and rabbit was full?
I found a new upper body minus the landing gear on the auction site we all love and hate. I figured I still have my old one for parts. By the time and expense for just the FC and GPS its almost up there. My landing gear is fine. My camera is good too.
Replacing the H body will lose my NFZ unlock. I don't think I need it but it was good to have.
Pete
You are correct about the rabbit and turtle for full output limits. A rare mistake on the part of @WTFDproject . I know for a fact he is already kicking himself for that one. You can check if the Rate slider is really working by calling up the final output display (double tap the Volts icon in the upper left display). See if there is a difference in the output of the sticks between rabbit and turtle positions.

Did you buy the H with the NFZ unlock installed or did you purchase the unlock from @Yuneec Skins ?
 
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You are correct about the rabbit and turtle for full output limits. A rare mistake on the part of @WTFDproject . I know for a fact he is already kicking himself for that one. You can check if the Rate slider is really working by calling up the final output display (double tap the Volts icon in the upper left display). See if there is a difference in the output of the sticks between rabbit and turtle positions.

Did you buy the H with the NFZ unlock installed or did you purchase the unlock from @Yuneec Skins ?
No need to kick yourself. Nobody is perfect. WTFDproject has been unbelievably helpful like all you guys have.
It does go to 0 and 100 with 50% in the middle like it should. I believe it bounced because of the FC and GPS. The three second delay when pushing the red button and the grass catching the landing leg is what caused the tip over.
I bought it with the NFZ already unlocked.
I really appreciate all the advice I have received. Thank you.
Pete.
 
I never even noticed I crossed up the two terms. Even after @wrench567's reply. When @Doomeister mentioned it, I went back and reread it. And STILL didn't see my error. Then it finally hit me. Dummy me. Glad you guys were awake. ?
 
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I never even noticed I crossed up the two terms. Even after @wrench567's reply. When @Doomeister mentioned it, I went back and reread it. And STILL didn't see my error. Then it finally hit me. Dummy me. Glad you guys were awake. ?
A dummy never! We all all goof up from time to time and like I said before, it is a rarity with you.

@wrench567 the tipping and delay shutting down can happen in long grass and uneven ground even when in Rabbit. I’ve flown at my friends farm a couple of times recently and had issues where uneven ground would prevent the props idling down and holding the red button took longer to disarm the motors. When I flew there this past Sunday I just used hand catch for retrieval. Hover just above head height, grip the landing gear up near the body, and press big red to disarm the motors.
 
The fit of the flight controller is troubling me. I think if I hold the ESC board upside down and shake it it would fall out. Way too loose for my liking.
I think this is the source of all problems. All signals except USB are going through that. This is a unbelievable effect that I have never seen at all (and I have seen a lot strang things). A loose FC means that 72 gold contact springs (36 on ESC board and 36 on FC board) lost there tension. What??? How could this be?

H480_FC_wo_power_A.png

I would like to see a photo how this FC looks like.

br HE
 
I think this is the source of all problems. All signals except USB are going through that. This is a unbelievable effect that I have never seen at all (and I have seen a lot strang things). A loose FC means that 72 gold contact springs (36 on ESC board and 36 on FC board) lost there tension. What??? How could this be?

View attachment 26096

I would like to see a photo how this FC looks like.

br HE
When I picked up the ESC/FC from the computer guy the FC was tight. The fact that the H is following commands from the ST16 leads me to believe that it was repaired. The loss of GPS and the severe drift is what it is doing now. It acts like an RC helicopter except the yaw won't hold. I had the cover off and double checked the connections and ohmed the wires from the GPS to the ESC and they were good. Tried it again at sun up and got the same thing. Constant warning Loss of GPS fly in manual mode. Two meters off the ground drifting with the wind the ST16 said the elevation was 200 feet to negative 190 feet. Even though it never strayed more than a few meters it said it was 120 feet distance.
Next time I take it apart I will snap some pictures for you. I'm too frustrated with it right now.
Thank you for your expertise. All you guys have been great.
Pete.
 

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