Thinking of Buying a 920

[PatR]

Odds and Ends

I mentioned in an earlier post about the boom locking rings loosening up a little during the first flight. After tightening them again for the second flight all but one were still tight after the flight, and the one that loosened did so in a very small amount. The locking rings contain an O-ring that needs to be compressed when tightening the locking rings and it's quite probable I did not tighten them enough for the first flight. Regardless, the boom locks are a critical part of every pre-flight check so don't forego them even if you knew they were tight before the previous flight.

Camera Settings

The CGO-4 contains many, but not all, of the functions in the Lumix GH-4. Because of this there is much to learn about the camera and how to make use of the settings features. Thus far I have found little in Yuneec 920+ or Proaction documentation that describes the settings but downloading the Panasonic/Lumix GH-4 manual from the web provides a lot of enlightenment. There will be some time spent learning how to use the camera. I recommend spending much of that learning time with the 920 sitting on a bench with the props removed. Don't spend any time looking for a selector switch for camera/video like the one provided on the Typhoon H. The 920 employs a "mode dial" in the camera control menu where various modes are chosen. For video the mode has to be set to an image on the dial (there are two) that looks like a video camera. Every other mode choice is camera (still photo) specific.

 

[AH-1G]

This seems like a learning curve to master especially camera. Can you apply a type of wax to the locking rings so they don't back out? ♘

 

[PatR]

Probably not, and it's prolly not necessary. Just did the third flight and nothing loosened up at all. That leads me to believe I didn't put enough twist on the rings before the first flight. It could be the O-rings required to be conditioned a little as well.

As for the third flight, I screwed up with the camera settings and had images set for 16-9, which cuts the resolution quite a bit. I'm going to go back at it shortly with a little more attention to camera settings. I'm uploading a short, unedited video that used auto everything to Dropbox demonstrating the zoom feature of the camera lens. The 920 was roughly 30'-40' from the tree. It has a quirk; When zoomed partially out to a higher magnification level it seems it will zoom out just a fraction more before retracting when you activate the control to pull the lens back. So a small bump out before coming back. Zooming out from in there's none of that, just a smooth zoom. It may well have been my finger being placed on the zoom function as well. Time and practice will tell. Not sure yet but when using the auto focus settings it may be that a specific point in the image can be selected for best focus by tapping the ST-16 screen. Don't hold me to that yet though. I need to explore some more. It was very nice having a zoom feature available for sure.

Flew a little over 15 minutes the with the CGO-4 and 2 batteries. The first battery warning again occurred at 21.7v at around 10 minutes, thirty nine seconds. Yuneec seems to want to protect their users very much as the warning pops up quite a few times. Hitting the "back" icon on the ST-16 clears it after a few hits but the warning is fairly persistent until voltage drops below 21.7v, at which time the warnings go away until battery drops to 21.5v. At 21.5 the warnings return, which can still be cleared with the Back button. I flew for an additional 5 minutes after reaching the 21.7v level before reaching the 21.5v level. I do not know what the mandatory landing level voltage is as I have not flown under the 21.5v level. Something kind of important is once the battery warnings display the aircraft is limited to a 60m height limit. I don't know if it auto descends when above 60m when the voltage warnings appear as I have not been at that height or higher with it yet.

Let me know if the link works.
Dropbox - 920 Public

 

[AH-1G]

Link works. Ok I noticed some pulsating in the video was that part of you adjusting or because it was in auto mode?
Country side is nice, your not up northern U.S?
BTW. On the ST16 there is an arrow pointing right at bottom right of the display, tap it twice and your videos will come up or images that you took. I never knew that.

 

[PatR]

I found that review thingie last night. It's set up differently that what's used on the H. North central California, S/E of Sacramento.

Just did another flight and I noticed there is a small amount of vibration evident when zoomed all the way out to 42mm. Pretty common in gimbals, they can handle one or a couple of lens lengths just fine but max zoom can cause them more work than they can handle. That touch screen focus thing I mentioned does seem to be present.

I'm going to stick a rather long video in Dropbox, numbered 011, and some photos in 4/3 jpg's. Attached here is a screen shot from video saved in 16/9 format from the video. This video was 4k-30 using auto everything and auto focus, no scene enhancements, using "Natural" setting. Not sure I like the auto focus yet. Yes, I know the exposure is off Link posted after uploading.

25 minutes, one second of flight using 3 batteries and landing at 21.4v. At that level the voltage vibration warning cycles continuously but the visual warning on the screen was not being depicted.

 

[AH-1G]

Ok, look forward viewing the footage, I'll zap some popcorn.
I see a lot of pine trees. 2 ¾ ton roof?

 

[PatR]

Not mine so I dunno[emoji4]. Mostly Oaks here, pines are more dominant a few miles east. That’s about as exciting as the scenery gets around here. You have to go higher or lower to get the good stuff.

Everything was put in the same folder. Please advise if there's access problems. It's an "anybody" folder.
Dropbox - 920 Public

 

[AH-1G]

That evening pic is beautiful. Watching the video I really like the zoom. Can't wait until you figure out how to adjust iso and shutter speed to capture really colorful video's.
I can see you having traffic congestion, how do you deal with it?

 

[PatR]

It can be pretty tough. It's become so bad the county has just put in the first traffic light in this town. Living in the country instead of a city means there are some things you have to do without and travel further for things you need. The upside is some of what you do without you don’t want anyway; crime, crowding, traffic, noise, light at night, higher taxes. Essentially all that goes with a city environment.

Earlier I mentioned, and you heard, the sound of ringing in a couple motors or ESC's, which I attributed to a possible timing issue at one or more ESC's. That occurred when flying the 920 in a no payload or ballast state. After a couple of flights carrying the CGO-4 I can say that ringing is no longer present when the aircraft is loaded up to design weight. The ringing was likely caused by the power system being used in a manner that was well out of the system tuning design specs. More power than needed for the amount of weight carried. It's something I've experienced before when designing and building heavy lift systems during lightly loaded test flights. Systems get a bit uppity when hover throttle requires a lot less than 50% of available power. Since Yuneec and others set their systems up with a spring loaded center stick and underweight aircraft could be pretty light on their feet at a pre-established current loading for a center throttle stick position.

So no motor/ESC ringing with a fully set up 920.

 

[grind]

Glad the 920+ is working out for you--it is an impressive machine.

 

[PatR]

Thanks. It can't be all things to all people but I'm finding it seriously expands my abilities over the Typhoon and avoids the usual issues associated with a new product. It's quite a bit larger than many want to deal with but having spent some time in building and operating larger systems and having adequate means of transport it works for me. What's kind of funny is that Olympus Zuiko lenses for the CGO-4 cost the same or less than lenses from Peau and PixAero lenses for the H-480, and they can qualify for Prime shipping

 

[DonArneson]

Hey, thanks for watching! I didn’t think anyone was looking at this thread.

Thanks so much PatR for the vids,pics & all the great info on the 920+. I've been eyeballing the 920 for some time now but it didn't have enough bang for the buck, now that they have upgraded to the 920+, well, now that's really got me thinking, but there was never enough info posted to make a concrete decision, especially at $4K, but with your pics and vids and great input on this forum, I WANT ONE !! I started with the Yuneec Q500 4K then had to have the Typhoon H so I'm not a total newbie, plus I'm not into creating a business adventure, mostly just for fun/hobby and getting great video/still pics.

I do have a couple of questions; you mentioned how large the 920+ is, would it be possible for one person to do the compass calibration? And I'm pretty sure that you had mentioned in one of the earlier posts that with the introduction of the 520 that Yuneec may in the near future phase out the 920+ and concentrate on the 520 instead?

 

[PatR]

I did my 920 compass cal by myself. Since I use a "roller stand" to support long lumber when using a cut off saw I just rolled up, wrapped, and taped a short towel to both ends of the roller stand to prevent an arm from sliding off during rotations. The roller stand was height adjusted to a comfortable level and used to support the arm I wasn't holding during the calibration process. That process works essentially the same as the Typhoon H, but the instructions call out a specific method. Start with the nose oriented north, the 920 makes a tone when each arm has been calibrated (one tone for the first arm, two tones for the second arm, increasing to 6 tones when all are complete. The 920 is specifically mentioned to be rotated to the left and rolled forward during the calibration. It works as specified.

I would wait until after Christmas before making a purchase to see what happens to pricing. A week after I bought mine Vertigo Drones unilaterally slashed their 920 price by $700.00 for the full kit. As Yuneec did not extend price cuts to other dealers and does not offer lower price guarantees I became the proud owner of a system that could have been had a week later than I did for a lot less money. OTOH, I have a really good dealer that takes care of their customers otherwise. It's not reasonable for them to refund more money than they made on the sale.

If you elect to buy a 920, assume there will be no further upgrades of any kind for the 920. Rumor has it the 920 is discontinued. That has not been publicized by Yuneec, but various semi official sources say it is true.

My primary concern is with battery supplies so I've been doing some research to source battery alternatives. There are batteries that will fit the 920 port but none that will allow two or more to fit in the port at the same time. That turns out not to be a problem as a single battery can provide all the power needed but a Wye adapter has to be made and utilized to split the single battery lead into a pair or more to run power into at least two of the three 920 battery inputs. The 920 uses a trio of EC3 battery plugs, you can make use of just two or all three, and the EC3 is rated at 30 amps of electrical current. Some ground testing using a Watts Up meter yesterday established the 920 draws ~4.5 amps at idle power but jumps to a little over 76 amps at take off power. You don't want to run 76 amps through a single EC3 connector as eventual failure is probable. An EC3 will handle a little more than 30 amps but they probably will not sustain over 2.5 times their rated capacity forever. Something in the power distribution system could also fail should that be done. An adapter is not hard to make. I made adapters for single EC5 to double EC3, and single XT60 to double EC3, the other night and they worked just fine when using 6200ma and 7000ma 6s batteries I had on hand that fit in the battery well.

.

 

[DonArneson]

Thanks again PatR .. Kind of disappointing that Yuneec may discontinue the 920+, especially since Vertigo has them on sale for $3299.00. It does seem odd that Yuneec would go through all the trouble to upgrade the 920 and then discontinue it. Heck, a 520 with an E90 camera is going for over $3200.

 

[seabee]

Thanks again PatR .. Kind of disappointing that Yuneec may discontinue the 920+, especially since Vertigo has them on sale for $3299.00. It does seem odd that Yuneec would go through all the trouble to upgrade the 920 and then discontinue it. Heck, a 520 with an E90 camera is going for over $3200.

Terrestrial Imaging has the same deal. $3299.00 for the H920+ with CGO4.

 

[PatR]

Indeed, and if mapping is not part of your services the 920 is a better camera rig choice.

Terrestrial received Yuneec’s ok on the reduced pricing almost a week after Vertigo did their thing. We discussed it before the price change was made. Again, I don’t fault Terrestrial in any way about that. If I was looking to buy a 920 Terrestrial is where I would still go. They seem to have more 920 system knowledge than other dealers. Very helpful people.

 

[seabee]

Indeed, and if mapping is not part of your services the 920 is a better camera rig choice.

Terrestrial received Yuneec’s ok on the reduced pricing almost a week after Vertigo did their thing. We discussed it before the price change was made. Again, I don’t fault Terrestrial in any way about that. If I was looking to buy a 920 Terrestrial is where I would still go. They seem to have more 920 system knowledge than other dealers. Very helpful people.

Totally agree.

 

[DonArneson]

Was gonna call Terrestrial today and get the best deal I could and pop on a 920+, BUT the other half got involved and somehow talked me out of it and made it sound like I should be happy that I didn't get it .. darn .. double darn .. looks like there's no H920+ in my future .. that's OK .. I'm happy with my Q500 and Typhoon H. Kind of a bummer though cause Terrestrial has it for $3299.00 and says to call them for even a better price. I was having dreams last night of being out in a wide open field flying my H920+ and everybody was ewing and aweing .. then poof .. it was gone.

 

[PatR]

That opportunity is still present

 

[PatR]

Amazing what making something a little larger will do for visibility. Had the 920 out a little over 1600' at 250' of altitude today on a three battery test flight. Those values were based on the ST-16 screen telemetry info but knowing the area I was certain is was over 1/4 mile away. No problems with visibility and orientation was acceptable with the gear down. Based on today's flight I'm guessing it can get out to ~2000' or so and still be under LOS control. Not bad considering there are no boom lights on the 920, only the flight mode/GPS/battery light at the back. No perceived issues with video, or control link but we should consider it's a rural area with a lot fewer home WiFi systems than you encounter in the city. Flying pretty aggressively it went for 0:21:20 before the second battery warning kicked in at 21.5v. The first one occurs between 21.8v and 21.7v. It's annoying but can be over ridden using the back button on the ST-16. After passing through 27.7v the warnings stop until 21.6v, which is about another 5 minutes of flight time. I have not flown to the minimum battery/auto land level and don't intend to, figuring it's better to be safely on the ground wishing I was in the air than on the ground in pieces wishing I had landed earlier.

I'm experiencing a little bit of video shake in the vertical plane when the lens is fully zoomed out. This is sooo typical of gimbals that have been well balanced for a particular lens and focal length. The CGO-4 gimbal is perfectly balanced when the lens is short but extending the lens changes the camera's center of gravity. I'll be looking into obtaining some slightly stiffer damper balls to put one on each corner to see what happens. Perhaps 8 soft and 4 stiff dampers will take care of the shudder. Still looking into battery alternatives but the best I've been able to come up with is with using a pair of 5,000ma batteries. I have not been able to find anything small enough to cram 3 into the 920 battery well, or even 2 that will match the 12,000ma provided with 3 of the Yuneec 4000ma batteries. I'm reading of a graphene battery of large capacity that will fit but those are not noted for having a long life span.

Working with the camera more I'm finding the lack of a histogram is not a major handicap. What you see through the lens is pretty accurate and if you set the W/B for the type of lighting you are dealing with you can adjust the EV to obtain a VERY accurate reproduction of the scene, and you have more scene selections available to work with than with the Typhoon H. The depth of field is something i just can't get over. Manual focus works out pretty well. Set your focal length, adjust the focus for the distance you want, and go fly. The CGO-3 ain't got nuthin' on the CGO-4. I'm contemplating picking up a fixed focal length 44mm lens for it. Better glass, a lot more light, and better gimbal balance for close up work. At a couple hundred $$ it's a lot cheaper than changing lenses on a CGO-3. Just push the lens release, take one off and screw one on. Another plus is the CGO-4 retains all the camera settings in use from one battery to the next.