SYMA x8g

[Stormrider]

I would hardly call the DBPower action camera kit wasted money. The camera is comparable to the GoPro Hero in it's features for a fraction of the price. Plus it comes with so many mounting accessories that you can attach it to practically ANYTHING. For those of us that are trying to get some quality aerial video (no 'jello', no RF banding, much higher resolution, adjustable color saturation, white levels, etc.) from a camera that doesn't break the bank, this is it.

I agree with you, regarding the strength of the X8. For the money, it's the way to go as a platform for upgrades, mods and videography.

 

[Mike H.]

I would hardly call the DBPower action camera kit wasted money. The camera is comparable to the GoPro Hero in it's features for a fraction of the price. Plus it comes with so many mounting accessories that you can attach it to practically ANYTHING. For those of us that are trying to get some quality aerial video (no 'jello', no RF banding, much higher resolution, adjustable color saturation, white levels, etc.) from a camera that doesn't break the bank, this is it.

I agree with you, regarding the strength of the X8. For the money, it's the way to go as a platform for upgrades, mods and videography.

I was referring to the stock cameras, my friend...If you are going to replace the camera that comes with the G model then why spend the $60.00 more for a camera you arent going to use, was my point.

I think the only difference between the G and C model is the camera and some lettering on the boxes and body...The way SYMA has been going lately it wouldnt surprise me if the protocol was different though..hahaha.

If someone wants a better quality camera than the C model and has no plans to change anything, then by all means would the G model be a better choice for some, is all im trying to say.

 

[Stormrider]

Agreed. The camera on the G is much better than on the C. Another friend has just ordered the same set up as I have from Amazon, including the G, gimbal, camera, the works. I'm really looking forward to seeing if his motors are as good as mine. Or, if it's just some kind of fluke. I know my motors are better than those on the two C models that are already here.

 

[Mike H.]

Make me a deal on one of your C models without camera

 

[Stormrider]

My friend with the C just crashed it and destroyed his G2-D gimbal. Not enough power to support the additional weight. Another friend just ordered a G and all the same gear that I have. Can't wait to see how it goes. He will have either the same exceptional performance that I do, or the same quad-tastrophe that the C had. As I said, I can see and feel some kind of difference in the motors. My G handles the weight of the Walkera G2-D gimbal and the DBPower camera like it wasn't even there. The C struggles to get it off the ground and can't stay aloft as long. It certainly can't recover from descent, as I saw tonight.

Tell you what, I'm going to upload some video of what I've done and some footage from the quad. Gimme a couple of days, and you'll see.

BTW, you wouldn't want one of these C's. They've been through Hell and are ready for scrapping for spare parts.

 

[Mike H.]

Maybe they used different programming to supply more power to the motors..not sure but as far as i know the motors are exactly the same.

Id still be interested in one of them though..Mainly for the FCB and transmitter if you wanted to part those out...I want to build a hybrid using the X8C board.​

 

[Glo]

I'm not so sure about different motors. I'm new to this, but I have a x8c and one of the first things I noticed was the same tight (in a good way, magnetic) feeling when moving the props by hand as mentioned earlier about the x8g.

My C has a lot of power. Yesterday a friend was over and had an action cam in his truck. I weighed it at 228 grams so not too light. I strapped it on my C with 2 strong rubber bands. I did notice the difference, but with a little more throttle I was able to fly around great for right at 9 min before I brought it back in (no low voltage warning either).

I watched 100's of videos of x8's running all types of tests before I bought one. It seems like there are some good units and not as good units out there with no exception for C, G, or W. It seems real obvious in my opinion that my C takes off faster than some of the test videos I saw online. There was one video I saw that compared take-off speeds between the Syma x8g and Tarantula x6 where the x8 looked like a school bus and the tarantula like a corvette. At the same time I saw another video where a tarantula couldn't lift a 185 gram camera more than a few inches and another where a tarantula did okay with a 200 gram gopro. This leads me to believe there is some inconsistency in the manufacturing of some of these quads. I don't know if it's motors, software, or excess solder inside some units that makes them perform less well than some other units of the same type.

Make me a deal on one of your C models without camera

Mike, I ordered a Flying 3D X8 today. It is supposed to arrive in 7-10 days and if it arrives without an issue, I might be looking to sell my C if you are still looking for one by then. Not sure if I told you before, but I run a small trucking company and we go through WV a lot on runs to NY so we might even be able to avoid shipping cost.

 

[Badger74]

Hi guys
First of all I am very new to this forum and I'm really, really impressed with everything that I am reading. I am also very new to the quadcopter world and only MJX X101 and soon to be having my Sym x8g and Walkera 2D gimbal showing up from Gearbest.
On my X101 it can support the weight of my GoPro hero3 with no problems at all. I am very much hoping that my G with gimbal will be able to support my gopro as well. I have yet to see any YouTube videos of the G model with this combination.
I did send a message to the guy on YouTube known as quadcopter 101 and he had said to me because of the brushless motors that the G model does not have the gimbal could cause a problem, I'm hoping not! If anybody has any feedback or input, I would sure appreciate it... Not that I can stop my gimbal from coming in the mail at this point anyway.

 

[Glo]

Hi guys
First of all I am very new to this forum and I'm really, really impressed with everything that I am reading. I am also very new to the quadcopter world and only MJX X101 and soon to be having my Sym x8g and Walkera 2D gimbal showing up from Gearbest.
On my X101 it can support the weight of my GoPro hero3 with no problems at all. I am very much hoping that my G with gimbal will be able to support my gopro as well. I have yet to see any YouTube videos of the G model with this combination.
I did send a message to the guy on YouTube known as quadcopter 101 and he had said to me because of the brushless motors that the G model does not have the gimbal could cause a problem, I'm hoping not! If anybody has any feedback or input, I would sure appreciate it... Not that I can stop my gimbal from coming in the mail at this point anyway.

I cannot say from personal experience if that will work or not. You probably need to take the gopro out of the waterproof case for it to be light enough. With case they are close to 200 grams. The gimbal you ordered is probably close to 150 grams. 350 grams is likely too much for it. But I have seen some videos where others put a 40-50 gram mobius on a 150 gram gimbal and have no issues at all. Like I mentioned earlier, my X8C carried a 228 gram cam with no issues.

 

[Mike H.]

Im not seeing why some need a fancy expensive and heavy gimbal to have a jello free video..There are so many home fixes to eliminate that without all the added weight.

I did some more researching last night and there is nothing different parts wise except the cameras and the plugs used to connect to the boards...The motors and gears and shafts and flight board and props are all otherwise exactly the same parts and are what is sold as replacements parts for all the x8 models minus features like the different plugs on the flight boards.

The plug for the camera on the X8C will not plug into the G model nor the W model and vice versa for all 3 models.

Any 3 of these models will carry a go pro and do so with no problems...If you choose to hook up heavy gimbals and have an issue then maybe a brushless hobby model is better suited to ones needs.

Batteries can sometimes be an issue with lift as well as improper maintenance of your quad...Again, all 3 are more than powerful enough to use a good camera...The X8C with camera and prop guards is 601g according to one reviewer...The X8G has to already be even heavier with its much larger "go pro style" camera but yet carries it with no issues..fix the jello without a heavy gimbal and problems should be next to nothing for either model.

Some simple foam or rubber gromets can solve any jello issues with either model.

 

[Glo]

Im not seeing why some need a fancy expensive and heavy gimbal to have a jello free video..There are so many home fixes to eliminate that without all the added weight...

I agree. Can you even control the pitch of the gimbal from the ground with a X8?

There are many ways to fix jello like Mike said. Foam, sticky rubber/foam tape, credit card mount (

), rubber bands and more.

Speaking of saving money and improving quality. I just took my cam apart on the X8C and like many others have mentioned all over, it is the same little cam as the X5C, but in a 2nd case. It was moving inside the 2nd case so that probably has a lot to do with the jello. I know this cam is bad quality, but if I can improve and use it, why not. I also saw a website somewhere that shows you how to upgrade the lens in this cheap cam. Not sure if it is worth it tho.

 

[Mike H.]

You can pre adjust pitch using foam to lower the front of the camera down or raise the rear up..Once its set where you like it i dont see any reason to need multi adjustable gimbals to get the view you are after..granted, one might want to shoot straight down or straight up or whatever but, most of us just want a decent horizon/ground view which you can get without an expensive and heavy gimbal.

 

[Badger74]

These at awesome tools and tips, thank you guys.
I am mostly intrigued to use my Gopro for now camera images but I am starting to realize how many camera there are our there for Quadcopters.
Like I said, I still have yet to see anybody put a video on youtube of the gimbal hand feed gopro on the G model. I did buy the plastic version of the gimbal, so I did read somewhere else that because it is a little bit more lightweight compared to the aluminum or metal version that is also available from Walkera.

 

[Glo]

You can pre adjust pitch using foam to lower the front of the camera down or raise the rear up..Once its set where you like it i dont see any reason to need multi adjustable gimbals to get the view you are after..granted, one might want to shoot straight down or straight up or whatever but, most of us just want a decent horizon/ground view which you can get without an expensive and heavy gimbal.

See, if you can't adjust it remotely then I see no use in it at all. Even being able to move it remotely doesn't make it seem worth it in my eyes unless you have something that flies long distance and you want to do some serious photography with different angles. Even then, you can always make more than one flight with different angles. Like you said, plenty of cheap (not to mention much lighter) options you can do yourself.

These at awesome tools and tips, thank you guys.
I am mostly intrigued to use my Gopro for now camera images but I am starting to realize how many camera there are our there for Quadcopters.
Like I said, I still have yet to see anybody put a video on youtube of the gimbal hand feed gopro on the G model. I did buy the plastic version of the gimbal, so I did read somewhere else that because it is a little bit more lightweight compared to the aluminum or metal version that is also available from Walkera.

Once you get it, you might want to see about selling it. I've seen quite a few people selling things they ordered and getting pretty much their money back, sometimes a little more no problem, because you have the item in hand and not in China where it takes forever to get to you (if it does get to you.) Just a thought so you don't feel like you are stuck with a piece of plastic if you end up not using it.

Either way your X8 will carry the GoPro Hero with a cheap mod mount you can build yourself without an issue. It won't be as agile as no cam, but it will perform well and likely perform the same as a stock G model as Syma uses their version of a GoPro on that. You can probably use the gimbal because it is plastic, but it might be sluggish and have short flight times with all that weight together. You also have to consider motors wearing out faster and crashes being more damaging with added weight and added valuables attached (ie: a bad crash damaging your GoPro and gimbal, vs damaging your GoPro and $2 mount you built yourself.)

 

[Mike H.]

I already have an idea for a home made vibration damper with some adjustability for less than $10.00 at the hardware store and it might weigh 20 grams.

 

[Glo]

I already have an idea for a home made vibration damper with some adjustability for less than $10.00 at the hardware store and it might weigh 20 grams.

Heck yeah, can't wait to see it.

I just finished modding my cam. It's not really adjustable, but hopefully will have less jello. We'll see how it does in flight tomorrow. Total weight loss = 18.3 grams.

 

[RGJameson]

Folks seem too concerned with GoPro looking cameras.

Here's a vid featuring the 42 gram Runcam. Which will go a long way to towards not overworking/overheating the X8's motors.

Looks really nice I'd say.
http://shop.runcam.com/runcam-hd/

There are also these replacement motors that have very good reviews. Note they have removed any identifying numbers.
http://goo.gl/iOX3Zz

 

[Mike H.]

A very nice way to improve motor power is to break them in inside a glass of warm soapy water under low current for about 5 minutes.

This gives a "clean" brush break in and a very "polished" and smooth commutator giving you more overall current and power to the motor as well as allowing less wear out of the commutator for improved motor life.

This is an old trick among stock traxxas class racers for a power advantage when using the non serviceable 380 540 and 550 sized motors.

Let the motors dry out and apply some silicone oil or synthetic oil to the bushings and re install them.

 

[Glo]

Oh, just to update. The cam mod I did seems to have stopped 90% of the jello effect. But it is still a cheap-o-cam and the quality is poor especially in changing light.

 

[Mike H.]

An 808 #16 v3 is the next step up from stock and has its own battery....then the mobius cam, then the go pro clones.