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H520 Complete Power Failure(?)

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Good day. I'm new to these threads...and confess I haven't kept up with reading past threads (I get the daily email) as I should, but...I've had an issue I need to get some feedback from all the experienced "pros" on this channel.

On Oct 27th I was flying a job (my first "real job) and was on my 5th and final flight of the day when the H520 experienced a total power loss (it seems) and fell out of the sky (the results were not pretty). I had just replaced the battery with a freshly charged one just before the flight...and double checked the battery was correctly and firmly seated.

FYI: I've been flying my H520 for about 9 months...and have loved it, experiencing only two very minor hiccups while doing so.

I confess I had just looked down at the screen on the controller (no VO for this flight...was in a big farm field...and the drone was only about 15 to 20 yards away at 165 feet)...first indication of trouble was the camera pan stopped...and there was no indication of movement when I tried to "turn" the drone). I glanced up and could not see the drone (which again...was in very easy visual range). After scanning for about 3 seconds...I got the "Communication Lost" warning from the controller. Of course...by that time it seems the drone was on the ground (found it pretty quick...camera destroyed...3 arms and port landing gear busted...does NOT look like gear attempted to deploy back to a landing configuration...nor did the unit try to Return Home...hence the feeling this was an abrupt total power loss).

Anyone else ever experience anything like this?

I attempted to contact Yuneec tech support on Oct 28th but no one was available on their chat services ALL day. I eventually began the process of repair by submitting a repair ticket with the vendor I purchased from (Vertigo Drones)...and since have heard crickets. When I decided to get "into" the Drone Business (still only part time)...I chose Yuneec because 1) I like what they offered, and 2) I heard their Tech Support was vastly superior to "that other Drone Company" (which I heard was awful). In the past year I'm still happy with #1 and love my H520...but #2 is failing badly at the moment. I "think" there was a Drone Conference in Las Vegas last week...so I'm giving both companies the benefit of the doubt...but I really kinda need to hear something by Monday Nov 4th. Another reason I'm pestering folks on this thread for thoughts, etc.,

Thanks

Kent
 
You can pretty much forget chat. I rarely get through on it anymore. Get on the Yuneec website and go to Support and Schedule a Call as it is the only reliable means of contacting Customer Support.

Have all of your information ready when they give you a call. You will have 15 minutes to present your case. At the present time it may be sure me time to get anything done with your H520. I would also pester Vertigo Drones as they were the retailer you used and are supposed to have a repair facility of their own. The only Yuneec repair facility is KAV Service just outside of KC, MO and they are in negotiations with Yuneec at the present time over remaining an authorized repair facility (check the threads on KAV service from the past couple of weeks).

Wish I could say things were more optimistic at the present time, but unfortunately that is not the case.
 
Thanks for the rapid response. But I guess I now know why you go by "DoomMeister" (just trying to add some levity to a depressing situation).

Yes...I kinda figured Vertigo Drones is going to have to be my best path forward. Sad...a year ago I got great help with the "chat support" at Yuneec. Reading another thread on the Yuneec Pilots forum...it seems overall US Tech Support has been trending sharply downward over the past 6 months. With the situation of KAV Services perhaps leaving the Yuneec support space...makes me wonder about Yuneec's commitment to the US Market
 
Gotta love levity! Especially in the face of a downed H520, OUCH! I use DoomMeister as an avatar from when my son and I played a lot of the FPS game Doom in the ‘90’s

If you want you can upload your telemetry here and have it analyzed using @h-elsner program Q500log2kml. You should be able to find instructions in the sticky threads at the beginning of the H520 Discussion or How To forum.

Keep us informed on progress with Yuneec CS as well as Vertigo Drones.
 
Just curious......was the battery still locked when you recovered the 520? Did you take any pics?
 
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Good day. I'm new to these threads...and confess I haven't kept up with reading past threads (I get the daily email) as I should, but...I've had an issue I need to get some feedback from all the experienced "pros" on this channel.

On Oct 27th I was flying a job (my first "real job) and was on my 5th and final flight of the day when the H520 experienced a total power loss (it seems) and fell out of the sky (the results were not pretty). I had just replaced the battery with a freshly charged one just before the flight...and double checked the battery was correctly and firmly seated.

FYI: I've been flying my H520 for about 9 months...and have loved it, experiencing only two very minor hiccups while doing so.

I confess I had just looked down at the screen on the controller (no VO for this flight...was in a big farm field...and the drone was only about 15 to 20 yards away at 165 feet)...first indication of trouble was the camera pan stopped...and there was no indication of movement when I tried to "turn" the drone). I glanced up and could not see the drone (which again...was in very easy visual range). After scanning for about 3 seconds...I got the "Communication Lost" warning from the controller. Of course...by that time it seems the drone was on the ground (found it pretty quick...camera destroyed...3 arms and port landing gear busted...does NOT look like gear attempted to deploy back to a landing configuration...nor did the unit try to Return Home...hence the feeling this was an abrupt total power loss).

Anyone else ever experience anything like this?

I attempted to contact Yuneec tech support on Oct 28th but no one was available on their chat services ALL day. I eventually began the process of repair by submitting a repair ticket with the vendor I purchased from (Vertigo Drones)...and since have heard crickets. When I decided to get "into" the Drone Business (still only part time)...I chose Yuneec because 1) I like what they offered, and 2) I heard their Tech Support was vastly superior to "that other Drone Company" (which I heard was awful). In the past year I'm still happy with #1 and love my H520...but #2 is failing badly at the moment. I "think" there was a Drone Conference in Las Vegas last week...so I'm giving both companies the benefit of the doubt...but I really kinda need to hear something by Monday Nov 4th. Another reason I'm pestering folks on this thread for thoughts, etc.,

Thanks

Kent


OK this is a very good place to do business with,you call some one answers,you ask questions same person answers will help you over the phone if possible!!!
 

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Just curious......was the battery still locked when you recovered the 520? Did you take any pics?
Yes. Battery was still locked in place. Alas, I did not take pictures. I DID double check battery connection prior to the flight. It's part of my preflight.
 
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Gotta love levity! Especially in the face of a downed H520, OUCH! I use DoomMeister as an avatar from when my son and I played a lot of the FPS game Doom in the ‘90’s

If you want you can upload your telemetry here and have it analyzed using @h-elsner program Q500log2kml. You should be able to find instructions in the sticky threads at the beginning of the H520 Discussion or How To forum.

Keep us informed on progress with Yuneec CS as well as Vertigo Drones.
Good day "Doom". Nice story about your avatar. My daughter has tried for years to get me into playing Skyrim (PS4). But I would have to play 3 times as much as I do just to be called a casual gamer.

After a week of being "dark" (due to Drone conference???) I did hear from Vertigo Drones on Monday this week. They were most responsive and I do enjoy being able to quickly connect with them (when they are in the office). I got a shipping label from them at once to return the drone for service (after estimate). However... They also said they did NOT do warranty work...so I should talk to Yuneec (USA) first. Had my 15 minutes of fame with them yesterday. I'll need to ship them the unit before they can determine if the warranty comes into play...so guess I'm going to go that route (am going to Kansas City this weekend...so might try to look up KAV also). Yuneec DID ask for the telemetry...but...(there's always a but). Perhaps I'm doing something wrong trying to get the telemetry off of the STS16. I've inserted the microSD card into he controller, have went through DataPilot...but when I try to "Export" the log file I keep getting an error “Error creating destination /storage/sdcard1//Missions". The microSD card loads just find on my computer (MacBook Pro) and shows 64GB free...so I "guess" it is formatted (unless there is a different format the STS16 is looking for). I've scheduled an additional 15 minutes of fame with Yuneec for this afternoon. I'll also check out the "How To" forum to see about the "how too" of telemetry download. I too am VERY curious what it recorded as nothing out of the ordinary was happening on the fatal flight...until it did.

Have a great day.
 
The microSD card loads just find on my computer (MacBook Pro) and shows 64GB free..
Format the card as Fat32 or use a smaller card. I generally use a 16GB card in the controller because of this very issue. Cards formatted as ExFAT can give you trouble in the controller and a 64GB card will most certainly be formatted in ExFat. An old slow card works just fine in the ST.

I would be curious to see the telemetry log if you are able to find and copy it.
 
Format the card as Fat32 or use a smaller card. I generally use a 16GB card in the controller because of this very issue. Cards formatted as ExFAT can give you trouble in the controller and a 64GB card will most certainly be formatted in ExFat. An old slow card works just fine in the ST.

I would be curious to see the telemetry log if you are able to find and copy it.
Thanks Steve! Shall do
 
Thanks for the rapid response. But I guess I now know why you go by "DoomMeister" (just trying to add some levity to a depressing situation).

Yes...I kinda figured Vertigo Drones is going to have to be my best path forward. Sad...a year ago I got great help with the "chat support" at Yuneec. Reading another thread on the Yuneec Pilots forum...it seems overall US Tech Support has been trending sharply downward over the past 6 months. With the situation of KAV Services perhaps leaving the Yuneec support space...makes me wonder about Yuneec's commitment to the US Market
Call Chris at Terrestrial imaging they are great to work with. They just fixed mine.
 
Call Chris at Terrestrial imaging they are great to work with. They just fixed mine.
Thanks for the suggestion Ben. I did get my 15 minutes of fame with Yuneec Tech Support. They are going to check it to determine if the warranty is in play...therefore I’ll be sending it to them. Vertigo Drones was willing to do the repair but they don’t do warranty work. Not sure if Terrestrial Imaging does or not.
 
Gotta love levity! Especially in the face of a downed H520, OUCH! I use DoomMeister as an avatar from when my son and I played a lot of the FPS game Doom in the ‘90’s

If you want you can upload your telemetry here and have it analyzed using @h-elsner program Q500log2kml. You should be able to find instructions in the sticky threads at the beginning of the H520 Discussion or How To forum.

Keep us informed on progress with Yuneec CS as well as Vertigo Drones.
Good day Doom. I was able to get the tlogs from the controller and the ulogs from the H520. Did a replay of both using the tips in the H520 Help on this site. Everything seems to be fine right up to the point it wasn’t. Everything seems good right up to the point everything cuts off and logging stops. No indication that the battery was having issues. Just...everything stops. Altitude show 60 feet when logging stops.

in re-examining the H520 I discovered the motors must have been stopped prior to impact with the ground. There is NO prop damage at all. Indeed only one blade of one prop even has dirt on it. Based on the damage I’m almost at the point of being able to identify the orientation of the drone as it hit the ground.

Waiting on a shipping label to send the H520 to Yuneec. Vertigo Drones was going to do the repair but they do not do warranty work...and I’m still hoping Yuneec will cover this under the warranty.

Beautiful day here. Would be flying if the H520 were in flyable shape.
 
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There have been instances in the past with the H520 and the TH Plus where there was a fault with the FC causing it the total power loss like the battery disconnected. Hopefully that is the case for yours as it sounds like you have a good preflight routine and are positive the battery was fully seated.

Where are you having to send the H520 for warranty work? Hopefully is is somewhere other than KAV Services in Raytown, MO (Kansas City, MO). Warranty work is on hold there until Yuneec and KAV can work out their differences.
 
There have been instances in the past with the H520 and the TH Plus where there was a fault with the FC causing it the total power loss like the battery disconnected. Hopefully that is the case for yours as it sounds like you have a good preflight routine and are positive the battery was fully seated.

Where are you having to send the H520 for warranty work? Hopefully is is somewhere other than KAV Services in Raytown, MO (Kansas City, MO). Warranty work is on hold there until Yuneec and KAV can work out their differences.
I’m awaiting a shipping label from Yuneec...so I’m assuming it’s going back to them. Funny you should mention KAV....I’m only about 30 miles from Raytown right now

im hoping the fault is the reason. In reviewing the threads today I discovered a discussion that if you “double check” the battery connection it’s best to totally pull the battery and reseat it. Alas I just lifted to battery latch and made sure it was not loose...and it was not. But sounds like that has been known to cause problems

thanks for keeping up with this. I crave your input as well on the other thread I started today about whether I’m going to continue with the H520 (I love mine...but am starting to have real reservations about Yuneec as a company)

have a great day tomorrow
 
UPDATE: Good News.

It took several weeks...but I got Yuneec USA to agree to repair my H520 as a warranty repair. The nearby shop in KC (KAV Services) apparently isn't doing Yuneec work anymore...so ended up sending everything back to Vertigo Drones (who I am very pleased with). It did take almost 6 weeks to get everything back, but I once again have my H520 AND a new (refurbished?) E90 camera. All at no cost (well...I purchased a backpack to facilitate the shipping back...I have a big hardshell case...but I wanted a backpack anyway). So...VERY happy Vertigo Drones customer. I should give a shout out to Yuneec USA too...although the process of "finally" getting them to approve the warranty work and number of times I had to schedule tech calls was "more than" a pain (not kidney stones painful...but probably root canal painful).

So...getting ready to fly my first mission of 2020. Ready to be back in the air.

Now...I just have to resolve a pesky Wifi disconnecting problem when I'm trying to do Software updates. But I'm gonna start a NEW post for that issue. I'm hoping someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong on that on...I'm guessing its "me" not the system
 
Wifi disconnecting problem when I'm trying to do Software updates.
Glad to hear this has been resolved even though it took so long. Please post the details of the wifi problem in a new post. I'm curious.
 
Glad to hear this has been resolved even though it took so long. Please post the details of the wifi problem in a new post. I'm curious.
Thanks Steve...I "think" I may have resolved the wifi problem...needed to go to a "different" System Settings to tell Software Updater "how" to connect to my home wifi. Just telling the Android System Settings isn't sufficient. We got 4 to 5 inches of snow yesterday...and hoping to get some nice "snowscape" videos tomorrow.
 
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Share your pics when you get them. :)

BTW, reading back through this thread................don't lift the battery latch....ever......after the battery is seated. Often that will unlock the battery. If you lift the lever, you must remove the battery and reinstall it. I found this out the hard way.
 
Share your pics when you get them. :)

BTW, reading back through this thread................don't lift the battery latch....ever......after the battery is seated. Often that will unlock the battery. If you lift the lever, you must remove the battery and reinstall it. I found this out the hard way.
I'm guessing you can add me to that particular "school of hard knocks". I have added a step to my "pre-flight" checklist to remind me to do EXACTLY that if I question whether the battery is seated properly.

Now...the bad news...seems one of my updates has killed my ST16 (sigh). Power light is on...but screen is black..and unit seems dead. It was the final update...wish I had written down the "name" of the update and the version...my bad.
 

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