Syma X5HW does not fly level

[Tom Hobbs]

I have a fairly new Syma X5HW which seems to take off and then fly hard to the left (the camera is facing me). I did calibrate on a level surface. I cannot compensate by pushing the joystick to the right. I also noticed that two of the propellers do not spin at the same speed as the other two. Facing the camera toward me, the right motor and the one at the opposite end of the same stalk spin slower. It has taken a few hits on the grass. Is this a printed circuit board issue?

Thanks

 

[Jackson]

How do the slow ones act when you spin them by hand compared to the good ones? First thing carefully where the motor's pinion meshes with the large gear. Even a couple grains of sand can cause problems.

 

[Tom Hobbs]

Hmmm, that's a good point you bring up. I need to check it when I get home. It did hit the grass and driveway a few times. I think I'll clean any debris off and apply some silicone paste. Thanks. Something to work on.

 

[Jackson]

and apply some silicone paste.

Maybe a dri-lube instead.

 

[Tom Hobbs]

Well, I finally found my answer. Somehow, I had adjusted my trim all the way to the left. I can't remember doing that. Synaptic junctions not working well. I had disassembled the drone, lubed it up, and replaced the pc board. It then struck me to look at the transmitter. Here's the funny thing though. Apparently, the transmitter retains the settings even after removing the batteries. I had removed the batteries to check their strength thinking maybe they were weak. Nope, they were fine. Reinstalled them. This makes me think there is a capacitor in the system which will retain the settings for a period of time with the batteries removed. My assumption was that the trim settings were erased each time you turn the transmitter off. It also means if I have a drift to the left push the button to the right to compensate. I didn't know if it was push to the left or right to compensate. I've seen it both ways. Now I know.

 

[Rick M]

You can reset the trim settings on the Syma TX by holding the left stick horizontal trim to the left, then turning on the TX on. You will get three beeps to confirm the trims have been zeroed.

 

[Tom Hobbs]

Thanks. An undocumented tip I guess?

 

[Rick M]

Yeah, there are a few Syma transmitter commands that never made it into what they call a manual!

 

[Rick M]

Here are the ones I know of - a couple of these are in the manual

Tx low/high power mode toggle: Hold right stick vertical trim up, turn Tx power on, bind.
Mode change: Hold right stick horizontal trim right, turn power on.
High/low rate: Left shoulder button
Headless mode: Left shoulder button Press & hold - steady beeping confirms
Change base heading for headless: Hold both sticks down left
Zero trims: Hold left stick horizontal trim left, turn power on - 3 beeps confirms

The TX high-low power mode is a sneaky one. Make SURE yours is in high power mode. If the heli icon on your LED is flashing, it's in low. Range is greatly reduced. On high mode the heli icon is steady. In some cases (I was one) a Syma transmitter will ship with it set in low power mode.

 

[Tom Hobbs]

Thanks for the help Rick. You must have a better manual than I.

 

[Rick M]

Thanks for the help Rick. You must have a better manual than I.

Well, some of them are definitely not in the manual! I have picked them up from others and just started a list so I could remember them when I needed to. Nobody ever accused Syma of writing good manuals....

 

[Rodney Maraist]

Hi, can someone please help me out here,!..?....I'm sooooo frustrated with my brand new x5hw, !...i don't want to go through the aggravation of returning it,,,....ive tried EVERYTHING, !....When I try to take off,,,it religiously dives fiercely down and to the left. !...Everytime!..ive tried resetting, ,,,,please help

 

[Rodney Maraist]

I can't even get my x5hw off the ground. please help,,incredibly frustrating. I bought it brand new on ebay,,,,shipping back will be such a headache, thanks for reading

 

[Rick M]

If you've tried zeroing trims and re-calibrating the gyro, next guess would be a bad motor. Set it on a flat surface and throttle it up a bit (not enough to lift off) and then cut the throttle. Do this a few times and see if there is one motor that stops consistently before the others. Based on the behavior you described, if there is one it's probably the left front. ?

If it turns out to have shipped with an issue, returning it for a replacement might be your best option.