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Thinking of Buying a 920

Both are standard with the 920+ so yes. The CGO-3 adapter was an added option. With it I can use a CGO-3 camera, which returns team mode to the system when used. Since I have 3 of them, and two more ST-16’s, one camera intended for still images is getting a Peau 8mm lens to provide a rough magnification factor of 4. Using that I’ll also have the geo reference info in photo EXIF data the CGO-4 lacks. Should there be a desire to use a CGO-ET on the 920 there will be no problem doing so. For $200.00 it made too much sense to get the adapter.

I had considered a 520 but since I don’t, and probably would not, do photogrammetry i wanted a system where camera flexibility was present. The 920 allows that and much more and starts out with a pretty good camera in its own right. So it has all the functionality of an H, part of the functionality of a 520, and saves me having to buy an E-90 and E-50. The Peau lens pretty much turns a CGO-3 into an E-50. Same sensor, same bit rate, same resolution, same magnification. Just looks different.

A little later I’ll mess with batteries, connectors, motors, and props to bump up the speed. For the money it’s a very nice foundation for a heavy lift hex.
 
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I love the video from my cgo4, regularly used for cinema release films and TV. I do use a lumix 14mm and 20mm prime lens. I have the 920+ modded to be in permanent team mode, and have just worked with yuneec uk to have pan and tilt on the joysticks of the second st16. The only downsides for me are not having a video feed on the pilots 16, and with 3 x tattus, first batt warning after 12-15mins, but then at least another 12mins before second warning.
 
The big brown truck delvered the CGO-4 and Pro Action yesterday. The carry case is quite nice. Reading through the documentation for them is kind of interesting. Much of it cross relates to the TH directly but has never been incorporated into the TH documentation. Same applies to the 920 documentation, especially where care of batteries is concerned. Printed in 920 docs but missing from TH docs. Eerily similar to the way Yuneec did the documentation for the Typhoon 4k, which was fairly comprehensive while preceding and following systems were almost devoid of info.
 
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Just received my 920. Checking the firmware on the ST-16, which happens to be the 3 antenna version as delivered with the Typhoon H Pro, the version is 3.01 b30, which is also the most recent release for the H-480.
 
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Should anyone elect to buy a 920+, a couple suggestions to be acted on before flying it.

First is to balance the props. All of mine were out of balance a little to quite a lot and the imbalance would not have been good for vibration free images. I was tipped off to the possibility of out of balance props by Seabee and he was right on the money. To balance the props you must first remove the quick mount adapters. This is not difficult but attention to detail is important. Do but one type of props at a time to avoid mixing adapters with the wrong rotation propeller. Use a small amount of medium strength (blue) Loctite on the ends of the screws during reassembly. Assure the adapter plate properly engages the release button. Balancing the props and removing the upper prop adapter also assures all the screws retaining the upper adapters are tight and secure. Mine had several screws that felt ready to back out. When the adapter comes off, so does the prop and you don't want that to happen in flight. While the propellers are off the motors, take a few minutes to remove the screws from the base of the prop mounts on the motors. Apply Loctite to the ends of the screws and re-install them. Some of mine had a very low break away torque, while two screws did not show evidence of a thread lock patch on them.

Use only a hex key with square ends on the prop mount screws. Button head screws and ball drivers make bad company as a rounded ball driver is prone to spinning in the hex socket, which ruins the screw. The 920 arrives with two hex drivers sitting on top of the foam cover inside the travel case. There is also an extra set of prop mounting screws included in the kit.

Before you go fly, with props removed, elevate the booms and set the 920 on a table or bench somewhere outside with a view and make yourself comfortable. Power everything up and relax in your chair while learning all the fun features of the ST-16 and CGO-4. Batteries last a long time when the bird isn't flying and there's zero risk in making a control error when the feet are on the ground and no props to induce motion.
 
First photo sitting on the bench using the CGO-4. Nothing fancy, manual focus at 14mm. Since I forgot to set up JPG & DNG formatting and some other camera settings all that was captured is a lower quality JPG image. It was very, very nice to find the CGO-4 has the quality to effectively capture depth of field and provide bokeh effects in a photo. 14mm at 1/60s, f3.5, ISO 1250, 35mm equivalent focal length: 30. No post as this was just a shot to test out new SD card formatting in exFAT.

Lots of learning to do, both the system and the camera, but this one and only photo provides a lot of reasons to be happy with the purchase decision. One thing is certain, a 920 is not a beginner's or "buy and fly" aircraft. You must have a fair amount of multirotor experience, some patience, and be willing to sit down with the system and learn as much as you can about it before putting it in the air. The airframe itself provides ample evidence much can be done with minor to major modifications as time goes by to provide personally desired feature upgrades. The addition of boom lighting and independent FPV camera would be relatively easy. Changing motors and props to something aftermarket would be more labor intensive but certainly possible. If you want more speed from the 920 that would be how to obtain it. I've experienced a few things that are certainly not intuitive, with a couple that might be termed "minor irritations" but despite those I'm quite pleased with the purchase decision.Y8350001.JPG
 
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[QUOTE="PatR, post: 112629, member: 1911 It was very, very nice to find the CGO-4 has the quality to effectively capture depth of field and provide bokeh effects in a photo.
View attachment 7717[/QUOTE]

Depth of field; awesome. Forgot what that looks like. Thanks Pat. I will pick one up when possible for me.
 
[QUOTE="PatR, post: 112629, member: 1911 It was very, very nice to find the CGO-4 has the quality to effectively capture depth of field and provide bokeh effects in a photo.
View attachment 7717

Depth of field; awesome. Forgot what that looks like. Thanks Pat. I will pick one up when possible for me.[/QUOTE]

It appears Vertigo is just about to have a super blow out sale of the 920+ package. I don't know if others dealers will be doing the same. $700.00 off. Honestly, I feel the 920 is a better platform than the 520. It just flies slower.
 
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Just for giggles, and that it's raining, here's a few pictures from the 920 using a Typhoon H CGO-3 and the 920's CGO-4. All saved as JPG's since this site doesn't like anything else. Manual focus using the CGO-4. Working with it on the bench will make for less fumbling in flight. There are a lot of user adjustments available with auto modes, shutter and/or aperture priority, f stop, ISO adjustment, variable 14 to 42mm zoom (3x total), and a lot of other fun stuff. The aircraft was maintained in the same position and cameras were sitting at the same relative distance from the aircraft, about 1-1/2'-2' away from the aircraft.
 

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920+ Propellers;
Warning, these are a quality 17" carbon fiber product. When safe operating practices are not employed they are extremely dangerous and have the capability to cause serious injury or death. Maintain a safe launch and recovery area absolutely clear of people. Do not operate the aircraft close to people. Avoid flying at "head height" any time people are nearby. The 920+ is not a toy by any stretch of the imagination so some of the things operators may do with smaller aircraft, like hover close in at eye level, should never be done with the 920+. The props employ a 2 bolt pattern on 16mm centers. Industry standard employs 12mm centers.

I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but one of the upgrades from 920 to 920+ was the addition of quick release adapters to the propellers. Note; the propellers used are exactly the same as the original 920 propellers, they've just had a Q.R. adapter installed on them. Owners have a decision to make here; use the quick release props or bolt them on using two screws. There are pros and cons to both. The adapters can be removed from the props and the motors by removing two screws for each. Before re-using the screws the owner must check and assure the screws will not interfere with the inside of the motors when the props are installed. Lock washers should not be used with the screws as they will bite into the carbon propeller as the screws are tightened. Use a flat washer and medium strength blue thread lock compound. Torque the screws to between 6 and 13in.lb, or 0.63 to 1.5 N.m. The downside of going with a bolt down prop is they are not fast and easy to remove, you have to spend a little time and work to install and remove them. The upside is once installed they should remain installed if done correctly, but checks of screw torque should still be performed on a periodic schedule. The schedule might be developed over time after a few torque inspections ae performed and establishing if their is any loosening of screws from one flight to another. The bolt down method might be best for those that have the ability to leave the aircraft fully assembled for area transport.

A few people using quick release adapters have experienced propeller separation in flight. The absolute causes of this has not been consistent; some have experienced screw separation at the adapters, some have seen the propeller depart the motor with the upper and lower portions of the adapters remaining attached to their respective component. Something important to note is the Q.R. adapters employ a center "push to release" pin. If, when installing a propeller, this pin does not "pop up" when the propeller seats on the motor the propeller is not secure as the quick release has not locked. The propeller can separate in flight if the release pin did not self elevate during installation. This is a "Must Check" item during every pre-flight inspection where Q.R. props are employed. Check them even if it's the second, third, or 25th flight of the day after the propellers were initially inspected. Also note the adapters experience some wear after repeated installation/removal cycles. When new there is no free play between the propeller and motor. Over time some free play will become apparent, indication wear at the Q.R./prop interface. You may wish to replace the adapters when wear becomes apparent.

When I'm a little more ambitious I'll shoot and post some pictures.
 
920-First Flight

Weather was good so it’s time to go. No camera or gimbal for the first few flights to minimize damage if something goes wrong. Using two batteries for the first flight, saving a three battery flight for later. Wait for the buzzards to stop low soaring off the slope behind the property. Wind low at 1-5mph from right to left. Powered up and waiting for satellites in Angle mode the first thoughts I have is about having only one light on the aircraft. All the consumer drones and those I made myself have incorporated some level of additional lighting, although my home builds employ an on/off switch for lighting.

Since this is a shake down flight there won’t be anything done in extreme. Take off, verify control functions, some familiarization flying, and a few landings. All of this went very well. Gear cycling appears to cause a small altitude loss, almost like a voltage sag as they cycle. It’s possible but with only one cycle of the gear to qualify it’s not definite. Flies like an H but larger and more ponderous. It’s definitely a camera rig, not a race plane. Extremely stable, and yes, cruise control functions perfectly.

It lands like an H-480, only heavier. You don’t want to drive it onto the ground using a full throttle pull back. I feel the landing gear, although very stout, would sustain damage after a few slams onto the ground. Bring it down as fast as you want but slow it down or stop before touch down and ease it onto the ground. It’s very easy to land but once you start the final descent don’t let off the throttle until after touch down. It will rise up 6” or so after releasing throttle if still in the air. Pretty much like the H-480. Land it like you are in control, not letting the system drive itself into the ground.

Overall, so far I’m quite pleased with it. Yea, there’s video of the flight, done just in case it went badly. A bit over 10 minutes of flight time, landing at 23 volts.
 
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Second flight of the 920 today, again without a camera and using 2 batteries.

I left the 920 fully assembled after yesterday’s flight in order to check assembly integrity. Inspection today noted all the prop screws were still secure but a small amount of play was present in each of the Quick Release mounts. There was none prior to the first flight. It should be noted that I was informed by another 920 owner of play in prop adapters after a number of flights. 25 in his case. I will be removing the prop adapters rather than accept the risk of adapter failure.

Five of the six boom locks had loosened approximately 1/8 turn during the course of yesterday’s flight. The sixth was still tight. Those that always pre-flight their aircraft will not have issue with this but those that are cavalier with pre-flight inspections should make it a point to check the boom locks.

Flight: The 920 was put through some serious flight testing today, checking stability, maneuvering, and flight time. As mentioned previously, the 920 is not a sports car, it’s more like a luxury pick up truck. It is not fast (22-23mph GPS on, faster with GPS off) but is rock solid in all axis. Those that fly by stick banging when flying at speed, meaning those that like to release sticks to cancel previous control input, will be rewarded with heavy braking and up to 20-25 degrees of angular deflection opposing the flight direction. Those that ease off the controls will not experience strong braking or much angular displacement. The 920 has mass and it’s mass requires counter energy to stop. You can ease into a maneuver or horse it. One will provide better imagery than the other. Control response is sort of like a full scale Piper Cub. Lead a turn with a bit of yaw before applying roll. Keeps the maneuver coordinated.

Hover stability is incredible! I have not seen another system not using a Pixhawk this stable. When parked in a hover (light wind today) the 920 deviates in position only a few inches, even when left to hover for several minutes. With the exception of one motor/ESC that seems to be “ringing” in flight, a characteristic of an incorrectly timed ESC, the 920 is extremely quiet.

Flight time; As noted, the camera was left off so the aircraft was light. Two batteries were employed with the third battery slot left vacant. Take off voltage was 24.4v and it flew quite aggressively for most of the flight. After 00:20:38 the first voltage warning occurred at 21.7v. Electing to land immediately, the gear were on the ground at 00:20:51 and the voltage read out displayed 21.1v. Double tapping the “Return” icon on the ST-16 clears the battery warning from the screen while in flight. 21v is as low as I feel is safe with a 6s battery. I don’t know when the second warning or auto land activates but I’m certain that it will occur at a voltage lower than I consider safe for the cell count. Parked on the ground with the motors still running, voltage increased to 22.1v, and then to 22.3v shortly after the flight load terminated.

Something learned is there is more than one identifier for the “current” aircraft firmware. What’s interesting is at least two of them share a v1.07 revision number. I mention this because some with early conversions are complaining of erroneous battery warning messages.

General feeling; I still like it very much.
 
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Nice but loud. where are the turbine engines located?:rolleyes: Ahhh ringing motor.
 
I would have liked to purchased a used 920 used but was unsure if $4500.00 was a bit much. So I passed it up. It was somebody who was selling it here on this forum. And then there was a $400.00 software update.
I do like the machine.
However Pat you are more savvy than I, I can only do so much, like take it apart and some electronics but software and firmware is my shortfall. :confused:
If you're ever in Florida come on by and I'll grill up some burgers.
 
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920+ package is $3999. Vertigo unilaterally just started selling them for $700.00 less. They appear to be over stocked. I bought extra batteries and the gimbal adapter wirh mine, pushing the price up to $4500 from $3999 at Terrestrial. I have no regrets. I plan to use it “as is” for the next year at least.
 
Interesting. I did a gig for Seminole Sports Tourism and they are planning more events for me, I feel the 480H can only do so much. I want a better camera though. I'm not liking the results I see on the 520.
 
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Soon as the weather clears I'll be hanging the CGO-4 and doing some "learning" shoots with it. Both video and stills will start out using auto settings and bland scenery, and expand after some comparative views are done. Still inspection shots using the zoom are definitely part of the plan. My goal is to perform as many back to back type shots as I can during the familiarization process, which takes a little time with a DSLR. I know Sony set ups but not Lumix or the 920 settings interface so I'll be dealing with a learning curve. I'll either post the stuff here and at Yuneecforum.com or post links. I use Vimeo and Dropbox, not You Tube.

This one just got posted by a 920 owner at Facebook:
 
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Interesting. I did a gig for Seminole Sports Tourism and they are planning more events for me, I feel the 480H can only do so much. I want a better camera though. I'm not liking the results I see on the 520.

Need a zoom lens?
 
Great, Thanks Pat, looking forward to your video post
 
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