Typhoon H3 No Camera Video Connection from L1 Pro

[Firebrand]

Greetings fellow pilots!

Have owned this UAV for several years with intermittent use without crashes or issues. Parked it for a year or so, while managing to keep up with battery charge cycles, and now am unable to connect the camera to the ST16.

I've tried the reset procedures listed in other threads with no progress.

Seems like this is a wifi board issue with the camera, yes?

Suggestions for further troubleshooting?

Thank you in advance!

 

[WTFDproject]

........ Seems like this is a wifi board issue with the camera, yes?

It's just as likely to be a problem on the controller end. We need to do a little more troubleshooting.

What color/pattern is the LED on top of the camera flashing?

There is a pin-hole LED on the back of the vertical arm. Each time the camera/gimbal is started, the pin-hole LED should flash green a few times, blue a few times, and then go dark. What color/pattern is the pin-hole LED flashing?

Does the camera WiFi signal show up on:
The binding screen of the ST16S?
The settings/WiFi screen of the ST16S?
The home WiFi screen of your Smartphone?
The home WiFi screen of your PC?


If you happen to have a second ST16S for the H3, a quick check would be to see if the L1 will bind to the second controller.

 

[Firebrand]

It's just as likely to be a problem on the controller end. We need to do a little more troubleshooting.

What color/pattern is the LED on top of the camera flashing?

There is a pin-hole LED on the back of the vertical arm. Each time the camera/gimbal is started, the pin-hole LED should flash green a few times, blue a few times, and then go dark. What color/pattern is the pin-hole LED flashing?

Does the camera WiFi signal show up on:
The binding screen of the ST16S?
The settings/WiFi screen of the ST16S?
The home WiFi screen of your Smartphone?
The home WiFi screen of your PC?


If you happen to have a second ST16S for the H3, a quick check would be to see if the L1 will bind to the second controller.

Taken in turn:

The camera rear led does flash green and blue in an alternating pattern and then shuts of after several seconds.

Camera wifi does not show up on the binding screen of my ST16, the wifi screen of my ST16, my phone or laptop. Full disclosure as my home network is ethernet with no wifi operation can't answer that question. May take all the gear into town to a friend's house to check and will report findings.

Do not have a second ST16 yet so no dice there either.

 

[WTFDproject]

It sounds pretty conclusive the issue is somewhere in the camera.

If the large LED on top of the camera goes red and stays red when starting the camera the issue is probably the WiFi board as you suspected. It could also be a slightly corroded connector.

If the large LED on top of the camera eventually starts flashing either orange or green, the issue may be a damaged WiFi antenna on the back of the camera.

There are some less likely issues, such as damaged ribbons or firmware, but those issue would probably cause noticeable problems in addition to the WiFi transmission.

 

[Firebrand]

It sounds pretty conclusive the issue is somewhere in the camera.

If the large LED on top of the camera goes red and stays red when starting the camera the issue is probably the WiFi board as you suspected. It could also be a slightly corroded connector.

If the large LED on top of the camera eventually starts flashing either orange or green, the issue may be a damaged WiFi antenna on the back of the camera.

There are some less likely issues, such as damaged ribbons or firmware, but those issue would probably cause noticeable problems in addition to the WiFi transmission.

There is no lighting of the top of camera led as there is no control of the camera from the ST16S.

I did just order a spare ST16S unit which is several days away at best.

 

[WTFDproject]

There is no lighting of the top of camera led as there is no control of the camera from the ST16S.

That's important. The absence of the LED and the lack of camera control are examples of those "would probably cause noticeable problems in addition to the WiFi transmission" mentioned above.

That LED should be there even if there is no controller or drone present. The lack of the LED indicates a problem with the actual camera board or possibly an issue with one or more of the communication ribbons.

The phrase "no control of the camera" needs clarification. If you indeed mean "camera" (video) the discussion falls into the same as the LED issue above, If you happen to mean "gimbal" (position), it could expand the discussion to include a slip ring issue.

It sounds like this camera needs to go to a shop for in-hand diagnosis and possible repair. It would be a good idea to contact one of the Forum sponsor vendors to see if they can help.
@joe@vertigodrones is closest to the East coast.
@Yuneec Skins is closest to the West coast.

 

[Firebrand]

Currently, I can fly the H3, pan and tilt the camera, but cannot see any video from the camera on my ST16s.

I'll be reaching out to Vertigo today to chat about options and ideas.

Thank you!