ST16S Controller Joystick out of whack

[JackMTaco]

So I recently moved from Maryland back to Florida and packed my H Plus(s) in their case and put them in one of our vehicles. Got to Florida, unpacked and went to test fly one of them and noticed it was sluggish moving the right joystick forward and backwards. So I immediately landed and went into the RC Monitor menu and sure enough, the stick movement is only registering 50% up and 30% down. This was working fine before the move and the controller has about 25-30hrs on it. Should I just send this to Yuneec or is this something I can fix myself?

I tested all other functions and joysticks and they are all registering fine in RC monitor. Thought about upgrading to 784 to see if this may resolve the issue. While moving, these were in their cases and in no way bumped, slammed or dropped so this has me at a loss as to why this happened out of the blue.

Any help is greatly appreciated. For now I'm using my other ST16S controller to fly.

 

[Eagle's Eye Video]

Just the process of moving itself is going to create a lot of dust flying around. Have you tried opening it up and giving the pots a good cleaning?

ST-16 Maintenance - Same principals apply to the ST-16S

If you still have issues after all the above is attempted, it is possible the controller may have to be serviced.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Fix it yourself, it's easy. It very likely was caused by the difference in temperature and humidity from where you were, to where you are. I had this happen on my Plus last month, went to take off and it nearly tipped as it began a steady movement forward. landed, checked - same thing. At first I tried to give the sticks a good workout and this did not help.

I disassembled the ST-16s and removed the right stick. Shot the pots directly with some plastic safe cleaner, let it dry a bit and reinstalled. Works perfect ever since. There is a video showing how to get the ST-16 apart in the sticky section of the Typhoon H Help

 

[JackMTaco]

Thank you for the quick response guys (Eagle and Ty)! Had a feeling it was a self repair and didnt need to be sent out.

Ty, I'm staying in Sanford currently. We need to get together some time and fly around.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Okay, I am just south of you, in Oviedo, how long you in town for?

 

[JackMTaco]

Okay, I am just south of you, in Oviedo, how long you in town for?

Permanently.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Okay, sure I have a great place to fly not far from you.

 

[TurboDad81]

I had this exact thing happen to my ST10+ a few weeks back. I ended up sending it to a Yuneec repair center and had the work done under warranty. They told me the transmitter needed recalibrated. It works great now. Haven't really touched it since I tested it out because my H+ came in the mail. Been playing with that and the Q500+ found it's way to the closet. Lol.

 

[JackMTaco]

Happy to report that after finding some time since our move to pull the controller apart and blow the pots out with compressed air, everything is working fine. Went into the calibration menu and re-calibrated all the functions on the controller just in case.

 

[ekko star]

Hi,

The issue can be resolved by spraying electrical contact cleaner on each of the gimbal contacts.

Whilst oxidation can occur on the pots if they haven't been moved in a long, long time that is not really the main issue for this fault. In reality the sticks are moved regularly.

The issue lies in the actual physical connectors that attach the 4 pots of the sticks to the main board. That is where the contact might not be clean.

The permanent solution is to take the connectors out of the equation altogether and solder wires direct between the pots and mainboard. That will sort it for good.

Alternatively you should unseat each of the connectors and thoroughly clean and re-seat them. This will help but may not be a permanent fix.

The real and proper fix is the wires being soldered directly.

Hope that helps.

Thanks

 

[AH-1G]

@ekko star, I don't know if you realize he last posted Dec 28th 20018 and everything is working fine?

 

[ekko star]

Hi AH-1G,

Yes I realise the dates but it is still worth noting what is actually the fault.

The issue will re-occur because that is not the real long term fix you see.

I have read a few threads where a lot of people spray contact cleaner on the pots and it appears to work. That's great short term simply because the spray covers an area not just the pots. As I say the issue will still re-occur.

The proper fix for those interested in a long term fix is removal of the connectors and soldering directly.

Thanks

 

[ekko star]

Also wanted to add a lot of people experience this on the right stick. It is the orientation of that connector.

Which results in drift and can also make landings difficult or prone to the drone toppling.

The fault however is not limited to one internal connector.

The mod should be done on both sticks so all 4 connectors. The fix is a fix for the life of the ST16.

Yuneec should perform this mod FOC as it is a known issue and the fault has been diagnosed as the connector.

I would advise that you have it done. If you haven't experienced the problem already then you will at some point. Not worth the risk otherwise

 

[Ty Pilot]

I am curious as to why you think it is the connectors that are at fault and not the pots. In addition, you mention four (4) connectors that attach the gimbals to the Main Board ; there are only two (2) connectors for the gimbals to the main board but those two do split off into four end connectors, one for each pot so in reality there are six (six) connectors. And it is this fact that there are not only six connectors for the gimbals but countless more such connectors all over the main board and other components inside the ST-16 that bring up a bigger point.

My question is; if there are 20 or more such little connectors inside the ST-16, how could it be that only the ones attached to the gimbals that are failing? If it is the little connectors that are the problem wouldn't we see all sorts of failures beyond just the occasional partially operational stick?

I've had this problem and have seen the correlation of stick movement to the indicator in the Hardware monitor, one can see how there is a corresponding spot or area of the stick movement where the signal from the pot is disrupted. If it were a faulty connection inside of a connector, there would likely be little or no correlation of signal disruption due to stick/pot position as those connectors are not being disturbed or moved during those tests, and certainly not in a way that could specifically match up to stick position.

I'm not suggesting that those connectors would not benefit from a solid connection, just that there have been way too many instances where a faulty stick was fixed via cleaning the pots and none that I can remember where it was a connector, but perhaps I am wrong.

 

[ekko star]

Hi there,

If the problem you are experiencing is similar to this

Then this is the fix.

The issue is not the connector failing or the potentiometer. It is the oxidation forming on those gimbal connectors. There are 2 on each gimbal, making 4 in total. Unfortunately the QC in the materials used on these particular ones was not the best so they are more susceptible to oxidising.

The resulting effect is it creates a difference in resistance further to what the potentiometer is indicating which is then interpreted by the main board as a genuine/deliberate movement of the stick. That is the phenomenon that results in the drift and the slow response.

The solution is either

1. Spraying Electrical contact cleaner randomly via the front of the gimbal or via the grommets on the rear of the ST16. This will be a temporary fix

2. Dismantle the rear cover of the ST16 then unseat each of those 4 connectors and clean them thoroughly. More so the connecters on the gimbal rather than the cable itself. This will be a medium to longer term fix (if you are lucky)

3. Dismantle the rear cover of the ST16 and modify by soldering a solid connection to those connector points. This is the long term permanent fix which Yuneec should now do for you FOC.

Hope that helps

Thanks

 

[jgunth689]

You dont have to take it apart to clean it. There are port holes on the back of the controller covered with rubber plugs. I saw a YouTube video where you can spray cleaner into the porthole. Haven't tried it yet. Wish me luck.

 

[jgunth689]

Worked like a charm. Restored the left joystick back to 100%. The right is acting up too. Restored all to 100 except turn left gets to 90%. Once you take off the plugs you can aim the spray extender into the two little holes. I didnt spray much. I used CRC QD Electronic cleaner. Not sure if they make it anymore. See the picture of the can.

 

[AH-1G]

@jgunth689 this post is 3 months old.

 

[jgunth689]

@jgunth689 this post is 3 months old.

Thanks. I was just replying to help others who might see this subject like I did. Anyway, my right joystick is acting up again. Calling Yuneec tomorrow.

 

[Jesnees]

Hi AH-1G,

Yes I realise the dates but it is still worth noting what is actually the fault.

The issue will re-occur because that is not the real long term fix you see.

I have read a few threads where a lot of people spray contact cleaner on the pots and it appears to work. That's great short term simply because the spray covers an area not just the pots. As I say the issue will still re-occur.

The proper fix for those interested in a long term fix is removal of the connectors and soldering directly.

Thanks

I really appreciate you posting the long term fix especially long after the last post. Very good information. Thank you.