H520 - cold weather, below 5 degrees Celsius

[freelanceeeee]

Hi,
Earlier I flew H plus, I never had any problems at low temperatures. I bought H520 two months ago. When the temperature is below 5 degrees, I have problems connecting, with the camera (e90), with the drone, with everything. Is it normal? If I connect the ST16S to the drone in a car at high temperature, there is no problem. I have 2 ST16S, for the operator and the pilot, both behave the same.

I would like practical information, is this normal?

 

[NorWiscPilot]

I have flown in much colder temps. Cold enough to stiffen the camera dampeners. ( below freezing, for sure)

Never had an issue binding, connecting, or controlling.

Good luck with your efforts to figure out what is going on with your system.

Jeff

 

[freelanceeeee]

I would understand if the equipment was used, old or something similar - but all new. Software updated, both controller the same behavior. And after flights, 10 minutes in a warm car and everything binds normally.

 

[Murray Martz]

Hi,
Earlier I flew H plus, I never had any problems at low temperatures. I bought H520 two months ago. When the temperature is below 5 degrees, I have problems connecting, with the camera (e90), with the drone, with everything. Is it normal? If I connect the ST16S to the drone in a car at high temperature, there is no problem. I have 2 ST16S, for the operator and the pilot, both behave the same.

I would like practical information, is this normal?

I have flown in Canada at minus 28C and no issues with connecting. There are only two things that can cause the problem, software or hardware. If it is hardware, it would be where the camera connects to the H520 and if it was software, well I doubt it is that so I would guess hardware. From your last post you indicated that when it was warmed in a car it worked, so that tells me it is a hardware issue. Make sure your contact points are clean. You can clean the contacts with an eraser, or use some rubbing alcohol to clean them with.

 

[Steve Carr]

I would like practical information, is this normal?

I say it is not normal. It should be connecting just like the H Plus.
Do you still have both the 520 and the H Plus?

 

[freelanceeeee]

I have flown in Canada at minus 28C and no issues with connecting. There are only two things that can cause the problem, software or hardware. If it is hardware, it would be where the camera connects to the H520 and if it was software, well I doubt it is that so I would guess hardware. From your last post you indicated that when it was warmed in a car it worked, so that tells me it is a hardware issue. Make sure your contact points are clean. You can clean the contacts with an eraser, or use some rubbing alcohol to clean them with.

Thank you for the answer, that's enough for me. I just needed checked information that someone was flying in such conditions. In previous H PLUS, I didn't have such a problem.

I say it is not normal. It should be connecting just like the H Plus.
Do you still have both the 520 and the H Plus?

Unfortunately I don't have the second one anymore. Only two ST16S controllers. Or anyone in the area to check.

 

[Pawel_(PL)]

Hi,
I'm from Bydgoszcz, Poland and will check whether my h520 shows problems described by you. Unfortunately the earliest I can do so will be at the following week.
Pawel

 

[MrEd]

Hi,

I have operated the H520 between -5 and +35 Centigrade.

Never had problems like those you describe.

 

[Pawel_(PL)]

Hi,
Before I am back home and look up the thing I remember myself having had extreme difficulties with RC giving live view of e90 what you described as a connection problem. After the flights I consulted Yuneec Polish tech guy who said that he would blame samething i would describe as a noise in the background meaning that something (a radar or sth.) in this area produced strong enough signal to interfere with that used by e90/st16s giving them hard time to connect with each other. I am not an expert here, I am in fact taken abac, all these stuffs work i.e. drones fly, mobile phones work etc. but I have never encountered such situation again flying at other locations.
Now RE. your statement about everything working fine while in a car: pls. those of you who understand physics comment on the following - might it be that a car is a Faraday cage blocking outside interference from affecting RC/e90 connecting one another?


BTW - it was 30+ Centigrade that day.

Could it be the answer to your question? Did it happen to you all at one location or everywhere?

Pawel

 

[freelanceeeee]

Did it happen to you all at one location or everywhere?

All location.
Yesterday when I got home yesterday I put the h520 behind the window (2 degree +). After 15 minutes I tried to connect and the problem occurred. Long connection, "no SD card" etc. several attempts. When he returned home to normal temperature the problem disappeared.

In the car I did not have problems outside, normal connection, control, etc. Radars around 20km are not there, only at the military airport are probably not a problem. In normal conditions I often fly with the BTS / GSM mast very close and I don't have any problems.

Today, maybe I will find a moment in the evening and check all possible contacts about which it was written earlier, but could it be such problems?

 

[arruntus]

I am speculating, but the problem may be that being at low temperature the metal contracts and may not make the contacts correctly in the electronic components. I don't know if in the union of the gimbal with the drone or in an inner circuit, it could be possible, although it would also indicate a wrong design.

Regarding possible external interference that may not happen inside a car it makes a lot of sense since metal is what produces the most interference or shield for the wave propagation.

I find both theories feasible, although it is true that I have not experienced the problems, but it may be simply because I have not been in such specific circumstances or that my E90 (it is one of the first) does not suffer from this problem and the subsequent revisions do.

 

[freelanceeeee]

Today it was about 4 degrees Celsius, I turned it on in a warm car, everything was fine. I pulled out strange things after a few minutes but only with the camera: after one picture "SD: 0" ... Or no memory card, disconnected the camera and hung it.

So I think I'll start leaning towards the E90 camera that she's afraid of cold.

However, the H520 itself flew well without problems

 

[Pawel_(PL)]

Hi,
I'm from Bydgoszcz, Poland and will check whether my h520 shows problems described by you. Unfortunately the earliest I can do so will be at the following week.
Pawel

Hey,

So, as promised, I tried to see whether my h520 is vulnerable to low temparatures or not.

I did not fly in fact cause the weather today is not so good - it was snowing in the morning and is raining once upon a while now - but I checked how it binded/connected to e90 anyway. I let the h520 and RC sit outside on a porch and under a roof for app. 20 minutes + in order to minimise a room temperature effect on the set as when it would have be checked right after taking them from a box.

Outside temp. is around 3 degrees C today.

Results - I cannot tell any difference in between it connects in low or high (>=30 degrees C) temperatures.

@freelanceeeee - have you figured out what caused your h520/e90 connection problems? Have you solved them?

regards,
Pawel

 

[Pawel_(PL)]

Hey,

Today is 5 degrees C. and weather made it possible to fly.
Had no problem at all with h520-e90 connection.

@freelanceeeee - Curious how you solved your issue. Pls. share.

 

[freelanceeeee]

Hi,

I haven't had time for tests lately. It wasn't until this weekend that I flew out a few batteries.


A week ago I opened the whole e90, checked the contacts, antenna. Everything ok. Today I flew and 2 batteries everything ok, suddenly after changing the battery the problem returns. I looked at the slipring wires, they were stiff. Now I removed the rubber mount of the gimbal and I do not like the squeezed wires. Perhaps as the cold stiffens and they are broken. they are very thin. It looks like somebody pressed them down during assembly.