Typhoon H Fell from the Sky!

[kai_bcn]

I must admit I have flown it to less charge to the point where I was getting the land immediately message, the message on screen before dropping was descend to 60m and that is where it was when it dropped. I thought descend to 60m was a helpful message and I used to still fly for minutes after that message (making sure I was way lower tan 60m)
Just checked, I have flown it down to 13.3V
The H is such an sophisticated kit, once I flew around 2 ºC and it warned me to wait for the battery and system to warm up before taking off.
I really totally trusted the messages all this time so I was guttered when the bird fell out of the sky within minutes after take off.

 

[FlushVision]

I must admit I have flown it to less charge to the point where I was getting the land immediately message, the message on screen before dropping was descend to 60m and that is where it was when it dropped. I thought descend to 60m was a helpful message and I used to still fly for minutes after that message (making sure I was way lower tan 60m)
Just checked, I have flown it down to 13.3V
The H is such an sophisticated kit, once I flew around 2 ºC and it warned me to wait for the battery and system to warm up before taking off.
I really totally trusted the messages all this time so I was guttered when the bird fell out of the sky within minutes after take off.

I'm lost for words.

 

[kai_bcn]

Well, if it is that critical, why don´t they change the message from drop to 60m to land asap. That would be much clearer, no?

 

[Shadowolf]

Well, if it is that critical, why don´t they change the message from drop to 60m to land asap. That would be much clearer, no?

This is the classic statement blame everything else for my mistake. Like I burned myself on the McDonald's hot coffee. It's their felt the cup didn't say it was hot!
Not saying they can't or shouldn't put a message like that. But then people would say I landed in a lake, tree etc because it told me to land. So people need to take responsibility for their own actions and use common sense. And safe practice when flying. There us a reason alot of the veterans don't have the same issues the new pilots due.
We have learned what not to push. The problem is new pilots want the drone to do everything for them and not lean to fly it. Classic "oh not I lost gps can it fly how do you fly it". I have been flying quads, helps planes long before all this tech of automated flight came out so there was no gps or rather or self level or smart mode, etc you had to fly it. I see this automated flight as a safety not a flying aid. One reason I bought the H is for the additional safety of the 6 motors not that I think a motor will fail or I will run into something to cause a prop to fail. But in the event it does or I do then it's there to help bring the bird down safely.
Sorry for the rant and kai_bcn this is not directed at you. Just what I noticed.
So let's put the responsibly where it's needs to be.

 

[kai_bcn]

I get it, not blaming anybody for what happened and that is how you learn. I bought the H because quality / price relation seemed very good. I looked at other copters and I decided to buy something that would not leave me in too much agony if I trashed it or lost it or whatever.
I learned a lot And I still have loads to learn. I did buy a battery voltage meter to check batteries from now on before inserting them.
Now I do understand why it is not a good idea to fly over people, busy roads etc
I have flown over water and glad it did not drop that time
Also flew into a tree and snapped a prop and got back safe in 5 prop mode. Shaky, but still works and you can land. I have also tried flying without GPS and it was great to know what happens when...

I was very confident about the H telling me what to do and now thanks to people like you I understand that it is not that simple.
Maybe it is really simple, just don´t push it and always have a bit of spare Vs.

Maybe important to say here that I am not complaining about the H, I have no others to compare it to but I find it pretty simple to operate and watching videos of people that have experience helps to learn as well. Just posted about the drop so I would maybe get some feedback from experienced people. I will send my camera to Yuneec and they will decide if they fix it for free or if they charge me for it. Either way it is fine with me.

Also, maybe someone else with no clew like me reads what happened to me and learns from that and it helps her/him avoid relying on the on screen messages only.

 

[Shadowolf]

I get it, not blaming anybody for what happened and that is how you learn. I bought the H because quality / price relation seemed very good. I looked at other copters and I decided to buy something that would not leave me in too much agony if I trashed it or lost it or whatever.
I learned a lot And I still have loads to learn. I did buy a battery voltage meter to check batteries from now on before inserting them.
Now I do understand why it is not a good idea to fly over people, busy roads etc
I have flown over water and glad it did not drop that time
Also flew into a tree and snapped a prop and got back safe in 5 prop mode. Shaky, but still works and you can land. I have also tried flying without GPS and it was great to know what happens when...

I was very confident about the H telling me what to do and now thanks to people like you I understand that it is not that simple.
Maybe it is really simple, just don´t push it and always have a bit of spare Vs.

Maybe important to say here that I am not complaining about the H, I have no others to compare it to but I find it pretty simple to operate and watching videos of people that have experience helps to learn as well. Just posted about the drop so I would maybe get some feedback from experienced people. I will send my camera to Yuneec and they will decide if they fix it for free or if they charge me for it. Either way it is fine with me.

Also, maybe someone else with no clew like me reads what happened to me and learns from that and it helps her/him avoid relying on the on screen messages only.

I glad you posted here and I hope people don't feel like they can't. Also glad you got the H back after hitting the tree also glad to know it works just hope I don't ever need it. Also trust me I have made my share of stupid mistakes and errors and I'm sure I will have some more but trying not to [emoji4]

 

[kai_bcn]

Thanks I flew it today after replacing the metal clips and getting the broken metal bits out of the body. Flew nicely, the landing gear is not working correctly though (won`t fold up) so will fix that next.
Pretty incredible it still flies after a drop like that

Does anyone know if I can order just the clip thats broken?

 

[kai_bcn]

Just found out I can order these bits separately, no need to replace the whole mechanism

 

[kai_bcn]

Just wondering, is there a way to know if I pressed the engine shut off button and made it drop?

 

[ChadCloses]

Rename the .csv extension to .txt and then upload to the forum, as below...

Also had a "fell from the sky" crash about a week ago, attempting to do my
first CCC route... waiting on Yuneec CS to review the log.

Oh no!! I remember you saying you were trying to learn more about using CCC sorry to hear it crashed. Keep me updated on what Yuneec says!!

 

[PatR]

kai_bcn,

I'm a bit late to this thread but something for you, and others, to consider concerning batteries and voltage. When the -16 is telling us the battery voltage is getting low it's also indirectly telling us not to be using max throttle, speed, and hard maneuvering to get back to where we need to be. Our batteries deliver the best flight performance when they are at higher voltage levels, which is where pulling a maximum amp load through the system is safe to do. As motors spin faster they require more current (amps) and the batteries are at a high enough voltage that high current does not stress them as much. However, demanding high current levels reduces battery voltage faster. As battery voltage drops they lose the ability to deliver high current levels over time as they could at higher voltage levels. As current demands reduce battery voltage the load on the battery will reach a point where the battery may not (will not) be able to provide a high current demand without reducing voltage to or below a dangerous threshold. You've probably seen an example of how this works when you land you H. The battery might be showing 14.3v while in the air and jump to 14.7v after landing. That change in voltage was because the current demand was reduced. At a certain level the system will not receive enough voltage to power all the things that are needed to keep the aircraft in the air. That moment in time is called a "brownout". Essentially the system shuts down for lack of electricity and the aircraft falls from the sky. Another factor involved is heat. High current loads generate high battery temperatures and high temperature increases battery resistance. High resistance also reduces the amount of current a battery can provide, in turn reducing our flight time, and worse, how long our batteries will last before needing to be replaced.

If current loads are reduced during periods of reduced voltage the system will remain active and effective for continued flight for a longer period of time. One battery voltage falls to about 14.5v or so it's a good time to reduce the loads on the battery by reducing flight speed and full throttle climbs. It's definitely not the time to be turning off GPS and chasing mach speeds Don't know for sure but I suspect some may be pushing hard on their batteries after receiving a low voltage indicator by flying fast and unknowingly induce a situation where the battery can't deliver the current being demanded by the operators.

When the first low voltage warning appears, do like you would in a car that's soon to run out of gas and has a long ways to go to the next gas station. Go lightly on the gas pedal (throttle stick) to travel much further than you would flooring it.

Multirotors on the surface appear to be simple to operate, and they are, but there are many things that influence how they function that we need to understand. I don't know of any multirotor maker that provides the vast amount of component and systems information necessary for users to be as informed as they should be. Researching RC electric airplane forums can help build some good foundations, along with locations where batteries are covered in depth. Everything expands from there as people develop more interest in how flight control systems function. The learning process is never ending but it can be a lot of fun.

 

[PMLGEZER]

I know I have seen a few posts about this but, I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with Yuneec and getting a replacement or I may be SOL. I pulled all the logs but, I cannot pull the video. When the H fell from the sky the camera took it pretty hard and broke the end of the SD card and when I insert it into my computer, it doesn't even recognize it. Looking at logs I can tell it the battery voltage looks fine but, it lost all 16 satellites and I believe thats maybe when it happened. I may be reading the logs incorrectly. Any advice would be appreciated!

My first typhoon h pro committed suiside four minutes into first flight. Yuneec replaced it including shipping. Now I'm afraid of the darn thing.

 

[kai_bcn]

Thanks PatR, lots to learn, that´s for sure. I was really flying as long as I could most of the times so far since my idea was to get some hours sued up flying, basically learning to manoeuvre the drone since I am interested in nice video footage and therefore adequate movement of the drone is key and safety of course.
The going easy on throttle etc is a great tip, logical thing to do but logic sometimes faints when panic sets in...
Is it correct to say that when in a situation where the batteries are low it is a good idea to turn the gps off since it uses loads of battery?

 

[Texy]

In nicer cars there is a gauge that estimates the number of miles you have left on your gas tank before you need to fill up. It takes into account various factors to determine the MPG and adjusts the number constantly so the driver can have a better feel for not only how much farther the vehicle can go, but also which maneuvers will give the best and worst fuel mileage. It would be nice to have a similar display on the ST16 that says, "At the rate you are draining the batteries right now, this is how many minutes you can fly."

 

[Rayray]

In nicer cars there is a gauge that estimates the number of miles you have left on your gas tank before you need to fill up. It takes into account various factors to determine the MPG and adjusts the number constantly so the driver can have a better feel for not only how much farther the vehicle can go, but also which maneuvers will give the best and worst fuel mileage. It would be nice to have a similar display on the ST16 that says, "At the rate you are draining the batteries right now, this is how many minutes you can fly."

My car does that, then at 50 miles or less remaining it gives a visual reminder. Ignore that, and at 10 miles left, it says "You are an idiot!"
Is the haste to have tech protect us from ourselves turning us into unthinking Automatons?

 

[Old School]

At a low voltage of 14.1, which is bad, I'd say that's what did it. I just flew my H for the first time two days ago and almost made the same mistake. My low voltage on one flight was 14.3. Had it been 14.1 I bet mine would have dropped out of the sky too. I think I will be prepared and in a landing sequence at 14.6 which is about where Yuneec says to land. I actually got all the motor LEDs blinking white and immediately dropped the gear and landed (a bit harder than I'd prefer). That flight was just a few seconds over 20 minutes. To ensure a margin of safety I'm going to be prepared to land at around 15, but that will depend on the voltage level which will override my approximate time limits.

Guys if the voltage drops the H wont just drop from the sky, it will overide & land. Be that over water, freeway, tree, house or whatever its gonna land not DROP

 

[kai_bcn]

Guys if the voltage drops the H wont just drop from the sky, it will overide & land. Be that over water, freeway, tree, house or whatever its gonna land not DROP

That is what I thought the drone would do pushing it too far.

 

[0ldsc00ld0g]

To give you some hope. A few months ago, after flying for around 6 min my H dropped out of the sky. broke 3 arms and both landing gear. Camera was fine surprisingly. Made a call, told them what happened and they said send it in. About 35 days later I received a brand new H and new camera with my old ST16. new box and foam. No explanation as to why my H dropped, just a new bird. I am in Canada and it is all handled by Staples business depot. So other then taking a long time, they did not give me any trouble at all.
Cheers,

 

[PatR]

Thanks PatR, lots to learn, that´s for sure. I was really flying as long as I could most of the times so far since my idea was to get some hours sued up flying, basically learning to manoeuvre the drone since I am interested in nice video footage and therefore adequate movement of the drone is key and safety of course.
The going easy on throttle etc is a great tip, logical thing to do but logic sometimes faints when panic sets in...
Is it correct to say that when in a situation where the batteries are low it is a good idea to turn the gps off since it uses loads of battery?

GPS will function down to 3v so it really doesn't use all that much. For many, turning off GPS would land them in a whole bunch of trouble trying to deal with wind drift along with navigating back. If they had a need to use RTH they would not be able to do so. A much better plan would be to not run the batteries down as far, which provides a couple of benefits. One; you won't crash because of a dead battery, two; your batteries will last much, much longer and you won't have to spend a lot of money replacing them.

 

[PatR]

In nicer cars there is a gauge that estimates the number of miles you have left on your gas tank before you need to fill up. It takes into account various factors to determine the MPG and adjusts the number constantly so the driver can have a better feel for not only how much farther the vehicle can go, but also which maneuvers will give the best and worst fuel mileage. It would be nice to have a similar display on the ST16 that says, "At the rate you are draining the batteries right now, this is how many minutes you can fly."

How many thousands of $$ did you car cost? If the price of an H was increased a few grand I'm sure they could find a way to add a whole bunch of stuff to it, but would you be willing to pay the higher price?