There also seem to be lots of walls and water around, which might be bouncing the GPS signals all over the place.
But good news that you got a lock and some success.
But good news that you got a lock and some success.
Hello from Sausalito, CA
- Thread starter Dennis B
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We live in a floating home on the Bay. If the weather improves I will try to get to a schoolyard nearby.
I got Mode=EMER again and shut down. Will try another battery.
Thanks
Do you think that the gps battery might charge better if the camera wasn't on? If so, how can I disable it?
Just a thought.
Thanks
Just a thought.
Thanks
The GPS battery is not the real problem. It's just sort of a sideline nuisance that will fix itself eventually. Something else is causing the real failure to acquire. My current thought is the issue is related to the location. That thought may well change, of course, if things don't happen in the park.
It's still a good idea to remove the camera. No need to waste the battery power, and the first flight should be without the camera anyway.
The camera mount has a press latch at the front/center/bottom of the mount. Push the latch up and pull the camera forward to remove it from the drone.
@Dennis B, Listen mate through all the issues you have had with the 4k and have learned a great deal from theses experts, my advise is to keep the drone, I have had mine for over 8 years would not sell it, great piece of KIT
I may, but it's very difficult to find a place where you are allowed to fly it here and I have to get some kind of license. I enjoyed the few times i did fly it.
If you can down power the camera by unplugging it, you may not have a factory standard 4K. If you decide to sell and are interested in exactly what you have for the add, we can certainly discuss it. But for practical personal use, all the variants are pretty much the same except the color of the plastic, the cameras and a few minor mechanical and wiring details.
The GPS stuff is pretty much the same for all the Q500 variants.
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Thanks. I'm still not sure about selling, but I use it so rarely that it's kind of a shame to have it just sitting around, I'd rather see it put to use by somebody who would appreciate it.
I assumed (I guess incorrectly) that the wire handled all the power and that the mount was just a physical connection. I'll take off the camera. I had it off earlier this week to replace the dampers with some fat, stiff ones that I got on Amazon and had to trim to make them fit.
Thanks for another steer in the right direction!
You only need to take the TRUST test ( FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute ) and register as a recreational pilot ( FAADroneZone ) which is $5 every 3 years.
I suggest using Air Control (by Aloft) to check your airspace for flying. The screenshot below shows your area.
Your local area may have restrictions for takeoff and landing from public property, but overflight is under FAA jurisdiction and not subject to local regulation.
Dennis,
Where was "last time"?
Have you ever acquired good satellites in your current location?
I've only flown it 3-4 times and it was always at a school field across the street from us. My neighbors hate drones as do the seagulls, so I haven't flown it from our immediate area. However, I have charged the batteries from time to time and thenrin them down to about 50% in our house(boat) and it started fine. I didn't have the props on and recently read that that isn't a good idea. I also wasn't looking to see if satellites were acquired. I just wanted to partially drain the batteries (which I now think aren'r in great shape).
Thanks
The fact you could start motors inside the house dims the hope this is a "location" issue. It will still be good to know if things get better in a wide-open area.
This is the camera. You will notice I installed two big fat dampers in opposing corners, but will do the other two as well. I'd love to find some OEM ones! One place has them for like $6/ea which seems a little crazy to me.
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That is the normal CGo3 associated with a true 4K. The "pigtail" was supplied with the camera as a quick alternative for use with older Q500 models, the Blade Chroma, or as a repair option following damage to the original wiring.
Does the camera power up and operate normally without using the pigtail?
I don't think this is my problem, but I think my drone batteries must be weakened. I use an EV-PEAK to charge the controller battery and the drone batteries of which I have 4.
The batteries are 6300mAh batteries. When I was charging them a few days ago, which is when this all started, they were all at about 55% after having sat unused for well over a year, possibly as long nas 3 years. I don't remember when I last charged them. But is seems to me that when zi chrged them a few days ago I was a little alarmed to see over 6300 mAh on the charger. Today I charged one again as I had used it during all this testing and it got to 100% from 80 something % in under10 mins.and 41 sec.,which sounds right, but the mAh sows 156 mAh. I don't know if this means the battery is shot, or that it will just work for a few minutes in flight, or if it just added that much to the alread almost charged battery (see photo). Is the EV-PEAK a good charger?
The batteries are 6300mAh batteries. When I was charging them a few days ago, which is when this all started, they were all at about 55% after having sat unused for well over a year, possibly as long nas 3 years. I don't remember when I last charged them. But is seems to me that when zi chrged them a few days ago I was a little alarmed to see over 6300 mAh on the charger. Today I charged one again as I had used it during all this testing and it got to 100% from 80 something % in under10 mins.and 41 sec.,which sounds right, but the mAh sows 156 mAh. I don't know if this means the battery is shot, or that it will just work for a few minutes in flight, or if it just added that much to the alread almost charged battery (see photo). Is the EV-PEAK a good charger?
That value is the amount of charge added to the battery to reach full charge.
The prior charge that added 6300 mAh or more can happen due to balance charging. This is more apt to happen after long storage where the individual cells have discharged to different voltages. Balance charging starts after the pack reaches full voltage, but the individual cells have too much differentiation in voltage. The charger adds to the entire pack for a short amount of time then discharged the cell with the highest voltage to keep it from overcharging. This process repeats until all cells are at full charge and voltage differences are within tolerance.
It is likely the packs are not as healthy after extended storage, but exercising them will help restore some longevity.
The prior charge that added 6300 mAh or more can happen due to balance charging. This is more apt to happen after long storage where the individual cells have discharged to different voltages. Balance charging starts after the pack reaches full voltage, but the individual cells have too much differentiation in voltage. The charger adds to the entire pack for a short amount of time then discharged the cell with the highest voltage to keep it from overcharging. This process repeats until all cells are at full charge and voltage differences are within tolerance.
It is likely the packs are not as healthy after extended storage, but exercising them will help restore some longevity.
