Hi, firstly let me say I'm totally new to Hubsan Quads but I do have a Q500, Blade 200 QX, and a 450 spider. So I was looking to buy a small quad with GPS to carry in a backpack when an advert popped up on a FB group offering a Hubsan Quads 501S for sale. I went and took a look and all seemed in order so I bought it. I charged the battery and flew it without issue except if I engage GPS and put it in a hover it's got a small but very annoying rock from side to side. Is this normal? Could this be a gains issue? if so how can I correct it or lastly could this be down to an unbalanced prop? Thanks in anticipation! Dave
That machine is too new for us to know too much about it. My first guess is that the GPS is trying to keep it steady and that could have something to do with the rocking. Another guess would be to see if there is a way you can reset the IMU and the compass calibration. Most of the stock props these days are fairly well balanced out of the box... Then again, this particular machine is not really made for ultimate stability - it's a bit of a cross between an FPV 250 type and the larger GPS quads. That said, I am going to get one soon myself - was waiting for some of the initial bugs to be worked out (I always wait 3 months or so after any new machine comes on the market just to sort out whether it's worth buying!).
Thanks for the response, I've seen video on youtube of this model and it's rock steady in the hover. There is a definite constant pulsing which is probably the gyros and barometer trying to maintain position but it's very noticeable, it's almost as if the gains need adjusting. I notice though that even when I put it on a flat surface the P and R values are greater than 1 or -1 values suggested - perhaps the gyro board has become dislodged and out of level which would meant the quad would be constantly trying to correct. Other than that it's great little quad, ideal for back packing. The Return feature is THE most accurate I've seen and I've owned DJI, Yuneec and APM products which were all pretty good. This returns to within 2 feet! I intend to hang a runcam 2 underneath as the camera in the quad isn't adjustable for down angle and although it's pretty good it won't live with the quality of the runcam 2. I'll use the onboard camera purely as a viewfinder to get position.
Dear Dave1960, I just purchased a H501S and I cannot get this thing to fly, despite seemingly following all the instructions, calibrations, attention to battery strength, adequate satellites, etc. The motors spin in idle mode but when the throttle is engaged nothing more happens. Sometimes I also have trouble just shutting the motors off. This thing seems extremely finicky/inconsistent in its operation. Since you own this model do you have any suggestions or nuggets as to what I need to do to get this craft to work. Otherwise it's just a shelf decoration. Thanks.
OK, so I'm sorry to hear you're having problems! I bought mine second hand and it's always been OK with regard to most aspects of flight. I'm assuming that you have a fully charged battery and that your props are all in the correct orientation. So here's my routine - Install the battery into the quad but do not connect. Check that the switches on the quad are in GPS mode. Turn on the TX and then connect the battery inside the quad. You should get a video link and ultimately it should say "begin calibration 1", holding the quad in the horizontal position rotate the nose in a clockwise direction until the lights on the arms flash green and the message in the display changes to "begin calibration 2". point the nose of the quad directly skywards then rotate the quad anti-clockwise on until the lights stop flashing. You have to follow this routine EVERY TIME you change a battery (theres a firmware update I believe which allows you to do this once and for all but it's s quick I decided not to bother!) Check that you have plenty of satellites showing for the quad AND for the TX. Now arm the motors and you should be good to fly. Can I ask where you are and where you bought the quad from? When you DO get it flying I suggest you order these batteries from HK, it will mean that you will need to change the connector on the quad BUT these are a LOT cheaper than stock batteries and fly EXACTLY the same time period. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__51362__Rhino_2150mAh_2S1P_20C_Lipoly_Pack_UK_Warehouse_.html Also you can remove the inner battery tray from the Quad (4 screws) and install this LIPO directly as the board will accept 5 - 13V sources. - this will save you a FORTUNE in Alkalines! http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__34386__Turnigy_nano_tech_1500mAh_2S1P_20_40C_Lipo_Receiver_Pack_UK_Warehouse_.html
Dear Dave1960, Thanks for your reply! Yes, I've done pretty much everything you mentioned in your comments. I also took the drone to a hobby shop that sells these drones and after checking it out they think there must be something wrong with the internal circuitry. I purchased the drone online from H & P Photo & Video in New York City. Anyway, I finally decided that I had spent way too much time on this (getting the drone to work) so I just sent it back for a refund. By the way, H & P has very good customer service and returning the drone was no problem. Nonetheless, I really appreciated your feedback. Very glad I found this forum. Also, when I was at the hobby shop here in San Jose, CA they showed me another drone called an X-Star Premium by Autel Robotics in case I wanted to "move up" a bit. It's a fairly new drone and I guess is competes with the Phantom 3 or 4, but cheaper. It lists for $899 which is more than I want to spend but I looked it up on the Internet and it has great reviews, and also a number of informative YouTube demonstrations. Also, the customer service is located here in the USA (even though the drone is built in China) and they're open about 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. The guy at the shop said customer service (if you need it) is much better than with the Phantom drones. Just thought I'd pass this along as something to consider on our "wish lists."
Sorry to hear you had no joy with the Hubsan Quads, to be honest if you're looking to get started in the world of multirotors and in particular looking for decent video then the Hubsan Quads isn't ideal. I bought mine on a whim, a guy was selling it for 1/3 cost of a new one and I thought it would be handy to keep in the car. Whilst it's true that it has all of the RTH, GPS and loiter functions, the quality of the video and photographs isn't earth shattering, lacking any gimbal for stabilization it's more like a nice toy than a serious aerial platform - I'm about to suspend a Mobius under mine set for either video or on 1 second interval stills. I will only use it as a convenience - it's small enough to take on walks any time whereas my Yuneec Q500 isnt! The X star sounds good if a little pricey. Frankly I spend more time with my planks lately, I used to fly fixed wing a lot then moved to multi rotors but I've "acquired" a few powered gliders recently and am happy to put cameras on the wings!
I just started flying drones myself and purchased the 501s X4 pro. Once I was finally able to get the motors to arm it is a blast to fly and very easy. Mine hovers nicely and love the return home feature. I do wish it had a gamble for the camera but those are a little out of my price range right now. I think the quality of the pictures and videos are great. Would like to research gamble options to mount under this one. I have the controller with those options. I do have one problem with it. It is still hard to arm motors. I move sticks to down and out as instructed but does not arm. So I move them down and in as some have suggested and still no arm. So then I just keep moving sticks around till they finally arm. And they always arm at the down and out position.
