Typhoon H officially discontinued

[PatR]

Yes. It is time.

View attachment 17062

I’ll clean off the bench and set up a tripod tomorrow.

 

[Peter b]

From a planned obsolescence standpoint their is ample reason for discontinuing a battery supply. People don’t buy nee models when they can be satisfied flying what they already have. Discontinue the power supply and they are easily enticed to buy new equipment, which is precisely the way the drone market has functioned this far. A constant release of new models only marginally better than the last, yet people line up to buy the next model before fully utilizing the capabilities of the previous version.

We should not need a course from MIT to figure this out, just a basic understanding of a herd mentality and basic advertising/sales methodology. Make the customer aware they have a problem, provide them a solution for the problem at a price they can afford.

So here we have two “problems”; the model is discontinued and batteries do not seem to be available. How to resolve those problems? Buy a newer model, of course, despite the fact the current model functions well. Once the warranty expires the maker owes us nothing. It’s not personal, just business.

Are you serious? My friend we are talking about a battery not a business contract with Wikileaks.

 

[Mrgs1]

Stands to reason they would be ended.

Looks like I finally have to get busy in developing a battery adaptation tutorial. There’s absolutely no shortage of batteries for a long time to come. Just a shortage of desire by some to do things differently.

There’s nothing proprietary about the battery design, only the stupidly expensive plastic box it sits in and the factory charger circuitry. Both of which can be dispensed with.

There's a guy on Facebook and I think here too who's modified the battery and placed it in the original shell.

 

[Mrgs1]

I still think it's criminal (not really) but it's wrong.

It's been mentioned/ claimed on here before, you can use plus batteries.

 

[Ty Pilot]

The Plus (and H 520) batteries are sort of proof of what @PatR has stated in regards to how manufacturers such as Yuneec are constantly striving to force customers into purchasing entirely new platforms that have little to no lineage to their predecessors. The Plus batteries will work in the H and the H batteries will work in the Plus but; one needs to be mindful of the voltage differences, in particular and how each craft interprets 'low voltage'.

Put an H battery in a Plus and fly it down to the first low battery warning and you are right at storage level for that pack. On the other hand, put a Plus battery and fly it down to the H's first low battery warning? You will likely damage the battery though I have never experimented with it.

But this brings it all back to the point: Why not just make the H, H Plus and 520 use the exact same battery? Simple. They expect those Typhoon Owners who passed on the 520 and maybe skipped the Plus to be chomping at the bit when the Super Plus hits. I would bet that the battery for it will have nothing in common with any of the previous Typhoons.

Speaking of that, as soon as (or if) we can figure out how to get in and change the Low Battery warning of the Plus, I will be switching from the stock LiHV packs to a normal 4S LiPo hobby pack and be done with the battery rat race.

 

[Mrgs1]

The Plus (and H 520) batteries are sort of proof of what @PatR has stated in regards to how manufacturers such as Yuneec are constantly striving to force customers into purchasing entirely new platforms that have little to no lineage to their predecessors. The Plus batteries will work in the H and the H batteries will work in the Plus but; one needs to be mindful of the voltage differences, in particular and how each craft interprets 'low voltage'.

Put an H battery in a Plus and fly it down to the first low battery warning and you are right at storage level for that pack. On the other hand, put a Plus battery and fly it down to the H's first low battery warning? You will likely damage the battery though I have never experimented with it.

But this brings it all back to the point: Why not just make the H, H Plus and 520 use the exact same battery? Simple. They expect those Typhoon Owners who passed on the 520 and maybe skipped the Plus to be chomping at the bit when the Super Plus hits. I would bet that the battery for it will have nothing in common with any of the previous Typhoons.

Speaking of that, as soon as (or if) we can figure out how to get in and change the Low Battery warning of the Plus, I will be switching from the stock LiHV packs to a normal 4S LiPo hobby pack and be done with the battery rat race.

What are you all expecting to get from the lifespan of your copters? Some people have many batteries and judging by most performance can run into several hundred charges, once electronic components and spares become unobtainable then that could be it too, batteries won't make a difference if main circuit board goes wrong, the majority won't be able to fix.

 

[mmidyette]

Did the link posted on the first page originally show that the H was discontinued? Currently it only shows the Breeze and the 4K and everyone seems to be lamenting the demise of the H:

 

[Phaedrus]

FWIW the US Yuneec site still show the H with RealSense.

 

[Ty Pilot]

What are you all expecting to get from the lifespan of your copters? Some people have many batteries and judging by most performance can run into several hundred charges, once electronic components and spares become unobtainable then that could be it too, batteries won't make a difference if main circuit board goes wrong, the majority won't be able to fix.

My Typhoon H is now two and a half years old and I still have the original two stock batteries and a third (Ultrax) that I picked up within days of the purchase so all three have seen equal use in about three hundred flights. They are still able to give 14 minute flights in the conditions I am typically in. To me that is pretty much all anyone should expect from them and they are still going.

On the other hand, I have seen the H Plus batteries performance curve is much shorter, if they get 100 flights each I would be surprised because the LiHV start to lose their performance at around fifty cycles. I have read many reviews on them that say the same thing - LiHv's start life strong but the price to pay is in their longevity.

As for the life of the H's themselves - as long as their camera produces useful imagery. Currently, my H sits as a back up but it will never be a front line tool for me. The Imagery from the Plus (I suspect) will fill my needs for at least another year or more. I don't think the imagery from any sub two thousand dollar drone is going to top it any time soon and even if there is a new Super Plus that comes out, the only improvements will be to the peripherals such as we have long been asking for.

 

[FlushVision]

FWIW the US Yuneec site still show the H with RealSense.

Just looked at Yuneec U.K. Still showing there too

 

[Fred Garvin]

Did the link posted on the first page originally show that the H was discontinued? Currently it only shows the Breeze and the 4K and everyone seems to be lamenting the demise of the H:

Yes, the H was pictured there for a bit.

 

[FlushVision]

Yes, the H was pictured there for a bit.

Could it have been all a mistake? The H is still showing as for sale in the U.K. web site and it seems the U.S. web site

 

[Ty Pilot]

I just checked B&H they are showing 'More on the Way', seems to be out of character for them if it were discontinued.

 

[FlushVision]

I just checked B&H they are showing 'More on the Way', seems to be out of character for them if it were discontinued.

The plot thickens.

 

[Mrgs1]

Could it have been all a mistake? The H is still showing as for sale in the U.K. web site and it seems the U.S. web site

Or it could of been a fake hatched up by OP to provoke!
Hasn't been seen since Monday!

 

[Peter b]

I know I bought the last h in st.louis. I love it and no problems. The q is just not as good but I bought another one because it's fun.

 

[FlushVision]

Or it could of been a fake hatched up by OP to provoke!
Hasn't been seen since Monday!

Hmmm...dunno. @Fred Garvin said he saw it pictured there for a bit and Fred is certainly genuine, no doubt about that. Prolly more like someone made a mistake by including it on that 'discontinued' web page, and if that's the case then the OP prolly posted it in good faith...I'd like to think so anyway.

 

[Fred Garvin]

It was pictured there, but then removed. This is what @LinsonW was referring to.

H480 is removed now!

 

[PatR]

What are you all expecting to get from the lifespan of your copters?.

A well designed multirotor using relatively good components should still be functional 5-6 years after you first obtain it. A well designed transmitter can hold up 30-40 years as long as the internal back up battery is never permitted to go flat. Those that have been flying RC for decades will have a variety of old transmitters, receivers, and servos sitting around they know they can go to and use decades after buying them.

Software and firmware never wears out, it remains functional forever or until someone or something causes a break in the code.

Electrical fuses do not wear out but can be damaged through application of excessive current. Excessive current can be avoided by using components before and after a fuse that do not or will not exceed the fuses design limits, and by avoiding conditions that would force excessive current demands. Avoiding use of larger props or lifting additional weight avoids excessive current demand and loading.

For a Typhoon H, and most other systems, the greatest risk to the system is from impacts that cause a motor/propeller to be stopped while under acceleration. Such a condition forces an extremely high current demand as an electric motor will try to continue spinning by demanding more current. This in turn causes the system to “deep dive” a battery in an attempt to pull more amps than the battery can deliver. That demand can exceed the battery’s C rating and deliver a burst of electrical energy high enough to damage one or more FET’s in an ESC, or over heat a battery to the point of combustion. After a crash where a motor no longer functions the component that has failed is usually an ESC due to current over load, not the motor.

In systems that employ flight control boards that incorporate the ESC’s the most critical components are the FC, fuses, and ESC’s. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace an integrated ESC, and absolutely impossible to replace FET’s within an ESC. Fuses and FC’s can be replaced with care, and FC’s are not high failure rate components in and of themselves. The rest of the board components are typically COTS electrical components that people with the skill, diagnostic, and micro soldering tools could replace. Those skills and equipment excludes about 95%+ of multirotor owners.

That leaves us with the motors. Nobody knows how many hours they should last but in all the years I’ve flown electric aviation I’ve never seen an electric motor worn out from excessive use. Impacts and bad wiring, yes, but general use, no. Bearings have worn out and required replacement but never a rotor or stator. As they do not touch each other they do not generate friction between them to generate wear. That’s a good reason to use a landing pad as they minimize the amount of dust and debris thrown into motors from the prop blast at T/O and landing.

So a reasonably well made multirotor will out last it’s batteries several times over. If all you obtained was a couple of batteries and used them over and over until they no longer would hold a charge you would replace them several times before the aircraft became worn out.

 

[Mrgs1]

A well designed multirotor using relatively good components should still be functional 5-6 years after you first obtain it. A well designed transmitter can hold up 30-40 years as long as the internal back up battery is never permitted to go flat. Those that have been flying RC for decades will have a variety of old transmitters, receivers, and servos sitting around they know they can go to and use decades after buying them.

Software and firmware never wears out, it remains functional forever or until someone or something causes a break in the code.

Electrical fuses do not wear out but can be damaged through application of excessive current. Excessive current can be avoided by using components before and after a fuse that do not or will not exceed the fuses design limits, and by avoiding conditions that would force excessive current demands. Avoiding use of larger props or lifting additional weight avoids excessive current demand and loading.

For a Typhoon H, and most other systems, the greatest risk to the system is from impacts that cause a motor/propeller to be stopped while under acceleration. Such a condition forces an extremely high current demand as an electric motor will try to continue spinning by demanding more current. This in turn causes the system to “deep dive” a battery in an attempt to pull more amps than the battery can deliver. That demand can exceed the battery’s C rating and deliver a burst of electrical energy high enough to damage one or more FET’s in an ESC, or over heat a battery to the point of combustion. After a crash where a motor no longer functions the component that has failed is usually an ESC due to current over load, not the motor.

In systems that employ flight control boards that incorporate the ESC’s the most critical components are the FC, fuses, and ESC’s. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace an integrated ESC, and absolutely impossible to replace FET’s within an ESC. Fuses and FC’s can be replaced with care, and FC’s are not high failure rate components in and of themselves. The rest of the board components are typically COTS electrical components that people with the skill, diagnostic, and micro soldering tools could replace. Those skills and equipment excludes about 95%+ of multirotor owners.

That leaves us with the motors. Nobody knows how many hours they should last but in all the years I’ve flown electric aviation I’ve never seen an electric motor worn out from excessive use. Impacts and bad wiring, yes, but general use, no. Bearings have worn out and required replacement but never a rotor or stator. As they do not touch each other they do not generate friction between them to generate wear. That’s a good reason to use a landing pad as they minimize the amount of dust and debris thrown into motors from the prop blast at T/O and landing.

So a reasonably well made multirotor will out last it’s batteries several times over. If all you obtained was a couple of batteries and used them over and over until they no longer would hold a charge you would replace them several times before the aircraft became worn out.

so in a nutshell, if you want to fly for years. you need plenty of batteries, props, selection of spares, arms, motors etc to cover all bases