Hello from Sausalito, CA

[Dennis B]

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.

Great, thanks! It is on our deck right now, propellers on and running! It's too windy to try to take off, plus I don't have a license. The ST10+ still says zero sats, but the drone side says 15 sats.
I never would have gotten this far without help from this forum! I'm going to try to run down the battery to storage level. I think the battery was at 12.5 volts when I put it in and I left it on for about 2 hours near the window. It has been outside, running for1:30 minutes and the battery is now at 11.8 volts. The camera is not attached. I will try that next.

 

[DoomMeister]

Great, thanks! It is on our deck right now, propellers on and running! It's too windy to try to take off, plus I don't have a license. The ST10+ still says zero sats, but the drone side says 15 sats.
I never would have gotten this far without help from this forum! I'm going to try to run down the battery to storage level. I think the battery was at 12.5 volts when I put it in and I left it on for about 2 hours near the window. It has been outside, running for1:30 minutes and the battery is now at 11.8 volts. The camera is not attached. I will try that next.

Earlier in the thread you mentioned having two ST10+ controllers. You may want to fully charge both of them then set them outside or near a window if weather is bad to see if either starts picking up satellites. It may take some time for them to start acquiring satellites, but I think it would be unlikely for both to have a GPS issue.

 

[Dennis B]

Earlier in the thread you mentioned having two ST10+ controllers. You may want to fully charge both of them then set them outside or near a window if weather is bad to see if either starts picking up satellites. It may take some time for them to start acquiring satellites, but I think it would be unlikely for both to have a GPS issue.

Thanks. I'll try that.
By the way, I said:
"It has been outside, running for1:30 minutes and the battery is now at 11.8 volts. The camera is not attached. I will try that next."
That should have bee 10:30 minutes. I brought it in after about 25 minutes. Of course it wasnt having to do much work, just sitting there spinning. Is it or is it not a good idea to do that without the propellers? I just put them on because I read it was bad.

 

[DoomMeister]

It sounds as if the aircraft had recovered because you are getting the ‘Ready’ on GPS. At this point we need to see if at least one of the controllers will start picking up satellites too.

You can fly without the controller picking up satellites, but RTH won’t work properly because the controller doesn’t know its position to send it to the aircraft. Flying in Smart mode (Main LED is green) may not work as it should either as the Safe Circle function needs to know the position of the controller.

 

[Dennis B]

It sounds as if the aircraft had recovered because you are getting the ‘Ready’ on GPS. At this point we need to see if at least one of the controllers will start picking up satellites too.

You can fly without the controller picking up satellites, but RTH won’t work properly because the controller doesn’t know its position to send it to the aircraft. Flying in Smart mode (Main LED is green) may not work as it should either as the Safe Circle function needs to know the position of the controller.

That is some great info. Thank you

It sounds as if the aircraft had recovered because you are getting the ‘Ready’ on GPS. At this point we need to see if at least one of the controllers will start picking up satellites too.

You can fly without the controller picking up satellites, but RTH won’t work properly because the controller doesn’t know its position to send it to the aircraft. Flying in Smart mode (Main LED is green) may not work as it should either as the Safe Circle function needs to know the position of the controller.

That is some great info. I was wondering if it can be flown without the controller linked to satellites. I don't think I'd try to as I am a novice, but it's great to know. I feel I've picked up so much more understanding of how this thing works in just a few days on this forum !
Thanks a lot!

 

[DoomMeister]

That is some great info. Thank you

That is some great info. I was wondering if it can be flown without the controller linked to satellites. I don't think I'd try to as I am a novice, but it's great to know. I feel I've picked up so much more understanding of how this thing works in just a few days on this forum !
Thanks a lot!

If you have GPS Ready for the aircraft, you can fly it without the ST10+ having satellites as long as you are in Angle mode. It will probably fly in Smart mode too, but the Safe Circle will not function correctly nor will Follow Me/Watch Me. RTH or Home will also not function properly as the ST10+ will not know it’s GPS position.

 

[Dennis B]

Yesterday went very well. We finally had some clear weather with blue skies! I was able to acquire sats (up to 12 or so) on both ST10+. I ran down 2 batteries by turning on the Q500. One I did with the props off and the other with them on, which made me a bit nervous. It is clear today to and I have another drone battery that I would like to drain down to 50% or so as it's around 90+% now. Is it OK to run it down without the props on? I have read it isn't and it is. I would just let it sit there idling. It was about 55 degrees F out yesterday when I did it without props.
Today, if I get a chance, I want to run down that battery and reconnect the camera as well to make sure all is working.
I guess I had better see about getting a license so I can go to the schoolyard across the way and try some flights. Also, the woman I got the drone from said that she had registered it. I don't see anything on the drone indicating that. Should it have a sticker or something and do you think that I should re-register it just in case?
I really appreciate all the help I have received from all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks again,
Dennis

 

[DoomMeister]

Hi Dennis,

You can run the battery down with or without the props on. It is always safer with them off. That said, if you add throttle with the props off you will most likely get a ‘5 rotor error’. This happens because the flight controller in the aircraft sees an increase in throttle, but the aircraft doesn’t lift off and sees this as a problem.

Unless the person you bought the Q500 from held a §107 certification the drone itself is not registered. Either way you need to register as a recreational pilot (the Q500 weighs more than 0.55 lbs and less than 55 lbs) and you place your ID from the FAA in a conspicuous place on the aircraft. I print mine on paper then use Scotch tape to cover and affix it to the aircraft. It is removable without leaving a mess. To register yourself go to FAADroneZone to create your account, select recreational, pay your $5, and receive your ID. Make sure to save the information you register with.

It was good to hear that both ST10+’s were able to get satellites. You should be good to go.

BTW when you go to Pilot Institute to take the TRUST test, you can also get free labels with your FAA ID. Here are the links:

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

Labels

Free FAA Drone Registration Stickers - Pilot Institute

pilotinstitute.com

 

[Dennis B]

Hi Dennis,

You can run the battery down with or without the props on. It is always safer with them off. That said, if you add throttle with the props off you will most likely get a ‘5 rotor error’. This happens because the flight controller in the aircraft sees an increase in throttle, but the aircraft doesn’t lift off and sees this as a problem.

Unless the person you bought the Q500 from held a §107 certification the drone itself is not registered. Either way you need to register as a recreational pilot (the Q500 weighs more than 0.55 lbs and less than 55 lbs) and you place your ID from the FAA in a conspicuous place on the aircraft. I print mine on paper then use Scotch tape to cover and affix it to the aircraft. It is removable without leaving a mess. To register yourself go to FAADroneZone to create your account, select recreational, pay your $5, and receive your ID. Make sure to save the information you register with.

It was good to hear that both ST10+’s were able to get satellites. You should be good to go.

BTW when you go to Pilot Institute to take the TRUST test, you can also get free labels with your FAA ID. Here are the links:

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

Labels

Free FAA Drone Registration Stickers - Pilot Institute

pilotinstitute.com

Thank you very much!

 

[Dennis B]

I took a quick look. I will try to get around to the Test, etc. possibly this weekend. I'm slightly confused as half the stuff says "if your drone weighs more than 55 pounds" and the other half says .55 pounds. Is that a typo?

 

[WTFDproject]

I took a quick look. I will try to get around to the Test, etc. possibly this weekend. I'm slightly confused as half the stuff says "if your drone weighs more than 55 pounds" and the other half says .55 pounds. Is that a typo?

It must be a typo. Or you're looking at the part that is talking about weight BETWEEN .55 and 55. Either way, your Q500 requires the number.
And for sure don't get stressed about the test. It's not really much of a test. You get a short discussion of the subject, followed by a question. with multiple choice answers. If you choose the wrong answer, it clarifies the info and asks the same question, repeating until you get it right. I think it's more a way to ensure you have at least been exposed to the correct information than it is an actual test of your knowledge.

 

[Dennis B]

It must be a typo. Or you're looking at the part that is talking about weight BETWEEN .55 and 55. Either way, your Q500 requires the number.
And for sure don't get stressed about the test. It's not really much of a test. You get a short discussion of the subject, followed by a question. with multiple choice answers. If you choose the wrong answer, it clarifies the info and asks the same question, repeating until you get it right. I think it's more a way to ensure you have at least been exposed to the correct information than it is an actual test of your knowledge.

Thanks, that's reassuring.I was wodering if there was something like a pamphlet you study to get a driver's license.

A slightly strange thing happened today. I put the camera back on the Q500 and ST10+ outside and ran it for a while to drain the battery. Then I stopped to go for a bike ride and about an hour and a half later tried to drain some more. The Q500 showed 12 satellites and the ST10 showed 10, but after 15 minutes it still said Acquiring and wouldn't start. I noticed that the controller was only about 1/3 full, so maybe that had something to do with it? I'm charging it now. It takes quite a long time to charge.

Also, I keep forgetting to ask, but do you think that after all this I have to re-calibrate the compass again with the turning forward, 45, 90, etc. routine before I try to fly it? We are expecting more bad weather so it mya have to wait for a few days or more.

An, finally does anybody know where I can get some oem gimbal dampers? The ones I got on ebay are terrible and very stiff.

Thanks and have a good weekend,
Dennis

 

[Chris Koch]

Thanks, that's reassuring.I was wodering if there was something like a pamphlet you study to get a driver's license.

A slightly strange thing happened today. I put the camera back on the Q500 and ST10+ outside and ran it for a while to drain the battery. Then I stopped to go for a bike ride and about an hour and a half later tried to drain some more. The Q500 showed 12 satellites and the ST10 showed 10, but after 15 minutes it still said Acquiring and wouldn't start. I noticed that the controller was only about 1/3 full, so maybe that had something to do with it? I'm charging it now. It takes quite a long time to charge.

Also, I keep forgetting to ask, but do you think that after all this I have to re-calibrate the compass again with the turning forward, 45, 90, etc. routine before I try to fly it? We are expecting more bad weather so it mya have to wait for a few days or more.

An, finally does anybody know where I can get some oem gimbal dampers? The ones I got on ebay are terrible and very stiff.

Thanks and have a good weekend,
Dennis

Yes try Yuneeskins, I saw that he have spares, good price too Yuneec Skins

 

[Dennis B]

Yes try Yuneeskins, I saw that he have spares, good price too Yuneec Skins

Thanks Chris.

 

[Tonyhd]

Hello from Sausalito, California, just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
I own a Typhoon Q500 4k and have some problems with it after not using it for 3+ years.
I'm so glad I found this forum and I'm hoping to find some answers or members in the Bay Area that can give me some advice.
I'm leaning toward selling mine since I don't use it enough, but I want it to be in perfect working order before I do that.
It worked fine the last time I used t, but now after recharging the batteries the camera seems to work fine, but the rotors don't turn when I press the start button.

If the flight switch is in home position rotorswill not start

 

[Steve Carr]

If you decide to perform the compass cal, do it in a place where you will fly such as the ball field. Your current location is likely to have magnetic interference.
Also, remove the camera and props before doing the calibration.
Once you have done a good cal, don't do it again. It will remain valid for a very long time.

 

[Dennis B]

If you decide to perform the compass cal, do it in a place where you will fly such as the ball field. Your current location is likely to have magnetic interference.
Also, remove the camera and props before doing the calibration.
Once you have done a good cal, don't do it again. It will remain valid for a very long time.

Thanks for the good advice!

 

[Dennis B]

If the flight switch is in home position rotorswill not start

Thanks!

 

[Chris Koch]

If you decide to perform the compass cal, do it in a place where you will fly such as the ball field. Your current location is likely to have magnetic interference.
Also, remove the camera and props before doing the calibration.
Once you have done a good cal, don't do it again. It will remain valid for a very long time.

@Steve Carr, what is your recommendation, when you need to cal again, is it time frame or heavy bump in landing?

 

[Steve Carr]

@Steve Carr, what is your recommendation, when you need to cal again, is it time frame or heavy bump in landing?

There are likely 10's of thousands of Q500's that have never been calibrated and still function.
Generally, after a crash or when traveling over 500 miles East or West you should consider a compass cal.
If you see unusual flight behavior it's possible the calibration is off but it's more commonly local magnetic interference.