Syma X5sc Review

TDRacing13

TDRacing13

Member
SYMA X5sc

Hi Everyone! My name is Jon, I have been active on YouTube for a little while now doing RTF quadcopter reviews and wanted to start getting more active in forums. I figured I would start with a review for the new Syma X5sc I have been working on. The review is a work in progress and I will be posting videos and updating this thread (charging time, control distance, etc...) as the testing moves forward. Anyway I'm looking forward to getting to know you all!

Introduction-
The X5sc is the latest rendition of the popular Syma X5. Updates include improved landing feet, improved battery door, change in frame material, and the addition of headless mode. There are three different versions of the improved X5 that you should keep in mind when ordering.
Syma X5s= headless mode, NO camera
Syma X5sc= headless mode, WITH camera
Syma X5s-1/X5sc-1= same as above in smaller packaging to reduce shipping costs.

Specifications (as tested)-
Frequency- 2.4ghz
Battery- Quadcopter 500mah (included)
Transmitter 4x AA batteries (not included)
Flight time- 6min 30sec with prop guards
7min without prop guards
Low voltage warning- 30sec
Charging time-2hrs with supplied USB charger
Control distance- Dropouts begin at 70 meters
Camera- 2MP with video and still shot function
Transmitter- The transmitter is a full size transmitter that features control sticks (non-removable), two shoulder buttons, and a non-lit LCD display. The overall shape and intuitive layout of the transmitter give it a good feel in the hands and make it easy to control all of the functions without taking your eyes off of the quadcopter.

Quadcopter-
Along with the addition of headless mode the X5sc also has updated body features.
Rigid shell construction (has proven to be quite durable)


Hinged battery door.


Enclosed gears


Landing feet with a wide stance


The prop guards are easy to remove/install and have adequate clearance to the prop


The LEDs are bright and easy to see during the day and at night making orientation easy.


Camera-
The camera is easily removed/installed but like its predecessor is still pitched down further than one would like. It seems you could use longer screws and shims in the rear to easily fix this.



The picture quality of the still shots are decent.


While the video quality is very good with crisp bright colors.

Flight Test-

In flight it is very obvious this is a Syma product, the quadcopter is smooth, stable, and very easy to fly. The quadcopter has two rates with low rates being very low and docile and high rates having a reasonable amount of pitch. There is only one yaw rate that is relatively slow but has great resolution, this makes the yaw very easy to control which I find helps in acquiring smooth aerial video. As many have already found this quadcopter is a fair weather flier, the features that make it a smooth camera platform also make it difficult to fly in the wind. With throttle control I have found that you can fly it in mild wind, but it is advised to not fly it in more than a slight breeze. Flips are quick and clean with the quadcopter recovering fast with or without the prop guards installed. The headless mode feature works very well and can be turned on at any time during flight, this means if you remember its initial heading it can be used as a return to home feature.

Conclusion-
Overall the Syma X5sc makes for a great beginners camera platform. The quality and construction is good and on par with what we have known to expect from Syma products. The combination of smooth stable flight and good video quality allows the user to create visually pleasing aerial video with very little practice. The quadcopters inability to fight the wind may be a negative, but if you’re intention is aerial video it is unlikely that you will be flying on very windy days. The ability to use headless mode in the event that you lose orientation further solidifies this as a good beginner quadcopter.

Pros-
• Smooth, easy to fly
• Headless mode can be used as “return to home”
• Spacious battery bay allows for larger batteries
• On/off switch
• Easier to land on wider feet
• Gear cover keeps debris out of drive gears
• High quality camera
• 30sec low voltage warning
Cons-
• Does not fight wind well
• Camera angle not adjustable




Purchase link $66 http://goo.gl/7WBYow
This quadcopter is courtesy of GearBest.com.
 
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I bought the SC5 as my first, great beginner machine. Its pretty rough in the wind. To get more performance I followed someones advice and removed the blade guards, landing gear and camera. Faster and more responsive for learning to handle. This is a tough machine I have crashed many times and no damage, mine came with 4 replacement props, have not used any yet. I bought the 4 pack of batteries off ebay to get more flying time and they work well but do not last any longer than the original. With 5 batteries I can easily fly over 30 - 40 minutes.
 
PCR said:
I bought the SC5 as my first, great beginner machine. Its pretty rough in the wind. To get more performance I followed someones advice and removed the blade guards, landing gear and camera. Faster and more responsive for learning to handle. This is a tough machine I have crashed many times and no damage, mine came with 4 replacement props, have not used any yet. I bought the 4 pack of batteries off ebay to get more flying time and they work well but do not last any longer than the original. With 5 batteries I can easily fly over 30 - 40 minutes.
Click to expand...
I would say that's the one definite downside is it really doesn't like to fight the wind. How long have you had yours?
 
Little over a month, quite a few flights, the wind is and issue for some reason we have had a bit of wind lately,
 
You did a good job. Hitting all the high points at the start before flying it. You should include some full screen onboard video though.
 
My X5C-1 arrived yesterday.....DOA :-(
One motor won't run.
The other three motors and everything else appear to be working.

Would you guys recommend I return it or fix it? I'm good at stuff like that, but I know opening it voids any chance for return or warranty.
It may cost me $12.00 to ship it back.
Receiver board is about $9.00 and motor about $4.00

But what if it turns out to be the transmitter?

Is it a common thing to get a bad one or was it just my lucky day ?
I ordered from an ebay seller..... egrandmart

Thanks
 
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Patton said:
My X5C-1 arrived yesterday.....DOA :-(
One motor won't run.
The other three motors and everything else appear to be working.

Would you guys recommend I return it or fix it? I'm good at stuff like that, but I know opening it voids any chance for return or warranty.
It may cost me $12.00 to ship it back.
Receiver board is about $9.00 and motor about $4.00

But what if it turns out to be the transmitter?

Is it a common thing to get a bad one or was it just my lucky day ?
I ordered from an ebay seller..... egrandmart

Thanks
Click to expand...
I would contact the seller, I have ordered from them and they have been good. They may just send you the parts to fix it. Did they ship from the U.S.?
 
TDRacing13 said:
I would contact the seller, I have ordered from them and they have been good. They may just send you the parts to fix it. Did they ship from the U.S.?
Click to expand...

Yes....from California.
Super fast shipping. That part went well. But the Quad AND the battery charger were both defective.
I sent them a video of the issue this morning.
If they send parts to fix it I would be satisfied.

Glad to hear this is not common. Just sucks when it happens.
 
Patton said:
Yes....from California.
Super fast shipping. That part went well. But the Quad AND the battery charger were both defective.
I sent them a video of the issue this morning.
If they send parts to fix it I would be satisfied.

Glad to hear this is not common. Just sucks when it happens.
Click to expand...
I agree, hopefully it all works out well. I think they are related to one of the larger names like Banggood or TMart. If it shipped from California it's likely Banggood.
 
Found the problem.

I removed the battery and took a close look into the bay around the front of the controller board with magnifying glasses.
Right there was a red wire dangling, not connected to anything...and it came from the arm and was alongside the blue wire so I knew
that was the immediate problem.

Dissassembled the bird, soldered the wire, stitched her all back together and VOILA !!! I'm flying.
Smoooooth as silk.

Not having as much luck with the battery charger unfortunately.
 
Im
Patton said:
Found the problem.

I removed the battery and took a close look into the bay around the front of the controller board with magnifying glasses.
Right there was a red wire dangling, not connected to anything...and it came from the arm and was alongside the blue wire so I knew
that was the immediate problem.

Dissassembled the bird, soldered the wire, stitched her all back together and VOILA !!! I'm flying.
Smoooooth as silk.

Not having as much luck with the battery charger unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Im happy to hear that your up and flying! Its too bad about the charger though. Enjoy!
 
I purchased the Syma x5c-1 for my sons birthday this weekend. He was super excited until we did everthing the manual said from charging the lithium battery, placing the prop guards on, placing batteries in the transmitter and NO luck taking off. I made sure the props were on the same way all the YouTube videos had them. All it does is lift up on one side(back) and slide or drag across the ground. It doesnt even lift off the ground. Very frustrating!
Would you know what could be causing this to happen? Much appreciated.
 
If you know how a fan works, it should be easy to determine if the props are on correctly.

Sync up the quad to the transmitter, then one by one, for each motor, tap the throttle just enough to see the prop spin and note the direction.
Now look at the propeller....is it spinning in the direction that will force air DOWN or UP ?

You can also hold the quad and blip the throttle. ANY propeller that pushes air UPWARDS is going the wrong way.
 
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