motors not starting and connection lost mid mission

Hans Van Eylen · Jun 22, 2019

Hi,

I'm running the latest firmware (on ST16, H520 and E90) and the first two flights with this version went very well.

Since my 3rd flight I cannot start the motors anymore with the red button. When I press that, I get the error : "Critical: Not arming: One or more RC sticks not centered" :

I can still start flying by tapping the Takeoff icon on the screen though, so while annoying, it's not blocking.

On my two last flights I had prepared two missions in DataPilotPlanner. The mission itself was done flawlessly, but mid mission, I'd get this on my screen :

The camera disappeared briefly but came back after a few seconds. The DataPilot app became unresponsive but the mission continued, so I let it fly. At the end of the mission I used S4 to bring the H520 home and quit the DataPilot app and restared it. The ST16 couldn't connect to the H520, nor the camera anymore. Aafter switching off the drone and RC and switching them back on, it wouldn't connect for minutes. I almost gave up and pressed the Wifi icon (top right) and suddenly camera connected and a few seconds later the H520 as well.

Does anyone know what causes this and how I can solve it? Next week Friday I need to fly a couple of missions with local officials and police present and cannot afford to run into these issues.

thanks,

Hans

Steve Carr · Jun 22, 2019

I can address the problem with the sticks. One or both are not returning to the center position. Usually the right stick if you are in mode 2.
Open Remote RC and test both sticks while watching the graphs. The graphs should look smooth and responsive with no lag or jerky movement. They should return to exactly zero each time you release them.
I give the sticks a rapid "stir" before each flight to keep them clean. This should fix that issue.

Are you able to fly frequently over the next few days to get a better feel for how the connection is working? You need to know if this was a one time event or if it will happen frequently.

Hans Van Eylen · Jun 22, 2019

Steve Carr said:
I can address the problem with the sticks. One or both are not returning to the center position. Usually the right stick if you are in mode 2.
Open Remote RC and test both sticks while watching the graphs. The graphs should look smooth and responsive with no lag or jerky movement. They should return to exactly zero each time you release them.
I give the sticks a rapid "stir" before each flight to keep them clean. This should fix that issue.

Are you able to fly frequently over the next few days to get a better feel for how the connection is working? You need to know if this was a one time event or if it will happen frequently.

I did check in Remote RC. Both sticks are on zero when released and go smoothly to 100. I recalibrated them in the advanced menu and will try again tomorrow or on Monday.

Gadget2628 · Jun 24, 2019

Had exactly the same problem a month ago. I found I could start the motors if I stirred the right stick BUT I had to do it before each flight. I did all the usual tricks to fix it (manual stick cleaning, spray cleaning the pots, rebinding the drone) but in the end determined it was a software issue with the ST16. I deleted DataPilot from the ST16, then reinstalled it. Problem disappeared. Not promising it will fix your problem but it did the trick for me.

Hans Van Eylen · Jun 24, 2019

The issue of not being able to start the motors via the red button is solved, either by the recalibration I did yesterday or by the quick "stir" of the sticks. If it occurs again, I'll uninstall and reinstall DataPilot.

If anyone would have any clues to the communication loss, that would be great. I checked the E90 after the failed survey mission and only 3 photo's were made.