XAircraft How is your value series flying?

[Kilby]

So after a year of building my own craft, I decided to give the new XAircraft x650 v8 a try. I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake. I haven't even got it in the air yet and already it seems to be one problem after another.

First, we have the awesome problem of defected props from the factory. If you haven't read about it, there is a problem with certain props exploding and taking the craft down from what ever height it may be at. I've heard of at least 1 user that had their entire craft destroyed by this problem after an exploding prop took his craft down to the ground from 60 meters, and then XA offered them a whopping 10% off of a new kit if he wanted a replacement. Wow... don't do us any favors!

Ok, props are props. I can fit another set on there no problem and avoid that all together. Then, we come to the bad yaw problems. It seems that the compass that is being pushed so hard on everyone is actually causing major yaw glitches. I've been reading posts over at RCG about several people having major problems with both the compass and the GPS. I guess there are some shielding issues?! The bottom line is that the yaw starts spinning out of control and has caused more than one crash.

Beyond that, I've seen reports of ESC's overheating on the bottom (v8 only) and frayed wires under the motor mounts. None of this is giving me the warm and fuzzy feeling that I would like to have after finishing a new build.

I guess what I'm looking for is word from someone else, other than an XA dealer (sorry Jeff) that has had luck with building out a new XA craft and using it as advertised. Have you flown it and had no troubles with exploding props, yaw glitches or frayed wires? Am I just reading to much into the RCG drama that seems to be present in most posts?

 

[DucktileMedia]

Well, aside from props, mine flew perfectly right out of the box. It flew so well I decided to try their FC for my custom. The key word here is QC. It would seem from a years worth of forum reading that NONE of these units are 100% guaranteed to work. I don't know how much is pilot error or building flaws but clearly spending money will not get you perfection without risk. As these things are computers that fly we are at the mercy of a bunch of microscopic switches doing what we hope they will do. I wonder what statistics there are for actual mechanical flaws verse problems that are solvable via software. Either way, I feel for you. Xaircraft seems to be the best of the sub-pro models out there and has a lot going for it. But who knows at the end of the day what makes a pro model pro.

 

[viawave77]

wow

That realy scares me, I did not no about the exploding props or fries ESC!!

 

[RyanArch]

Concerns me as well...as someone just breaking into AP. What sort of solution is there on the prop issue? What brand have you switched to that you are confident with? I'm in the process of having an V8 built...anxious and excited to get in the air though. I went with XA solely based on what I've seen thus far, I haven't read the threads on RCG but am aware of the exploding props. The props exploding is extremely dangerous...not to mention your rig falling onto someone/something.

I saw a video of someone properly shielding the compass within the hood. Wondering if the folks having issues have properly executed that.

 

[Kilby]

Agreed.. who knows what makes pro actually pro. I read about problems with MK rigs as well, so I don't think that any of the manufacturers are without fault, but some of the problems here are starting to scare me. I can make the mod to a pair of props to get around that problem, but if they are having this much trouble with major hardware pieces like the compass and GPS, are we actually the beta testers and not the early adopters?

RyanArch, hopefully the prop issue will sort itself out when they actually produce a batch that aren't faulty. In the meantime, I have seen people retro fit both the APC 10x4.7 (what I"ll be using) and the Graupner 11x5 & 10x5 e-props. You will have to enlarge the hub hole though as they aren't a standard size.

 

[DucktileMedia]

Here are some facts/opinions:

I have only owned an Xaircraft but I can confidently say it has to be the most durable multi out there. It is very well thought out and flies pretty damn well with no soldering.

The downsides are that they have proprietary props which i think many will find a way to use the much stronger APC props on. They also are somewhat small which is great all around for transporting and dealing with wind but they aren't really designed to hold the gear that most "pro's" want to carry. In other words, it is not the right unit for slapping an av130 and a t2i to without seriously modifying the frame height/width. it does have enough power to easily lift it but it is out of the recommended payload.

This is not to say you cant get pro results from it at all. there are some pretty damn nice cameras that weigh near nothing. Where this gets to be more of an issue than ability is QC. At the price point they sell it at it is as good as it gets. i think, like myself, the Xaircraft is the best option to get into the hobby with. The other route is homemade and there is so much more to know than meets the eye, you will probably frustrate yourself. And to go straight to the DW MK route is just kind of silly unless you are wealthy enough to not care about crashing a $4000+ multi a few times.

I get the feeling EVERYONE on here started with something much less and cheaper than what they are flying now. At least the Xaircraft allows you to take some lickings and keep on ticking with some pretty superb results once tuned right.

 

[Kilby]

I feel a little better after getting a few test hops in with mine tonight. I need to do some more set up and tuning, but it's working. I'll replace the props tomorrow and do a couple of little tweaks to prevent some of the other problems people are talking about. Since I don't have the compass it doesn't really effect me yet, so no biggie.

 

[Kilby]

Progress has been made. I addressed a few of the things I was worried about with the 650 and it's looking pretty good. Of course, as soon as I finish we get rain, and then 10-15mph winds the following morning. I couldn't wait any longer though and took it out in the wind this morning. I am impressed so far. It will be nice to get it out in some decent weather with the FPV gear on to see how it really handles, but I like what I see already.

The biggest thing for me was replacing the props with some APC's. I was a little nervous about doing this, but after I experimented with some old props first it was no big deal. I used a unibit and opened up the the hub to 11/32 (8.71mm) and then took it down the last little bit with sand paper & a file. The hub of the prop was just a hair short so I added some rubber O-rings between the prop & the motor. It works great.

View attachment 1127
View attachment 1128

Lastly, I added a little weight to the bottom of the AHRS unit. Jeff mentioned this to me, so I figured I'd give it a try. I don't have much to compare it to as this was really the first real flight with everything set up. They are adding a small metal plate to the bottom of the new units to add more weight from what I was told.


View attachment 1129

Here is a quick video I made with the new props on. Keep in mind that it was pretty windy, and this is straight out of the box settings. I haven't even double checked all the geometry of the frame yet and made sure it was perfectly square. The camera is a hard mounted GoPro @ 1080.

 

[DucktileMedia]

I think that was the penny they saved by making the props cheaper. Kidding.

I finally got my XA based hex up and it flies amazingly well with the exception of YAW induced altitude change. i am sure this can be fixed with some setting change.

 

[Xaircraft USA]

So after a year of building my own craft, I decided to give the new XAircraft x650 v8 a try. I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake. I haven't even got it in the air yet and already it seems to be one problem after another.

First, we have the awesome problem of defected props from the factory. If you haven't read about it, there is a problem with certain props exploding and taking the craft down from what ever height it may be at. I've heard of at least 1 user that had their entire craft destroyed by this problem after an exploding prop took his craft down to the ground from 60 meters, and then XA offered them a whopping 10% off of a new kit if he wanted a replacement. Wow... don't do us any favors!

Ok, props are props. I can fit another set on there no problem and avoid that all together. Then, we come to the bad yaw problems. It seems that the compass that is being pushed so hard on everyone is actually causing major yaw glitches. I've been reading posts over at RCG about several people having major problems with both the compass and the GPS. I guess there are some shielding issues?! The bottom line is that the yaw starts spinning out of control and has caused more than one crash.

Beyond that, I've seen reports of ESC's overheating on the bottom (v8 only) and frayed wires under the motor mounts. None of this is giving me the warm and fuzzy feeling that I would like to have after finishing a new build.

I guess what I'm looking for is word from someone else, other than an XA dealer (sorry Jeff) that has had luck with building out a new XA craft and using it as advertised. Have you flown it and had no troubles with exploding props, yaw glitches or frayed wires? Am I just reading to much into the RCG drama that seems to be present in most posts?

The XAircraft Props had issues, XAircraft have replaced all crash damaged parts to anyone that claimed it through XAircraft USA and GAVE extras, replaced customers parts who had issues and went as far as purchasing my customers machines back if they have issues of this type and replacing entire machines. In order for this to occur WE Must have items in hand and checked/tested THEN if factory fault is found, we make it right COMPLETELY. Have no knowledge of a 10% discount offer for kit replacement, If it was made!, then was made by a dealer NOT under advisement by XAircraft, if there is any truth to it at all. NOT by XAircraft or XAircraft USA. These are models and subject to builders error and since MANUALS lack in certain areas. I offer support to ALL XAircraft customers AS MOST current customers well KNOW !!! We are working on comprehensive VIDEOS for building and educational purposes, will soon have BUILD, Programming and Flight training videos availbable by XAircraft USA and until these are complete will be offering personal assistance to all customers who request it.

"Propeller issue has been addressed and props are NOW pretty much bulletproof !! If a props breaks, it will be DUE only to pilot error, such as flying propellers that have been previously crash damaged or damaged from misuse in someway ETC."

ESC Overheating NON-Issue

After extensive & random Testing of ESC's , NO overheating FOUND. Can't say why some people may be suggesting this. Have found no ESC Overheat. Even @ 103F temperatures

Compass NON - ISSUE !!

Problem mentioned concerning the XAircraft compass upgrade, ISSUE Described could be due to misplacement, poor build and misprogramming of machine ...Have NEVER seen issues with the XAircraft Compass .. Test SEVERAL units daily ... NO problems !!! Works great, wiring needs to moved to the sides and tied down not overtop the Compass unit.

GPS-S NON ISSUE !!

Test GPS-S Systems Daily .. NO issues with this instrument! Works Flawlessly in 100's of tests ...

Motor Wire/ESC Wire Issue!

I apologise but this is alittle late coming!
Here is my direction on wire routing:
PLEASE use heat shrink on joints and also making cross in wiring on the outer edge of the motor mounting plate. Wiring should go straight under motor with no crossing until it makes 180 degree bend back to motor, AGAIN do not let ESC/Motor Wiring Cross beneath the motor mounting plate, you can also raise motor from mount with (2) 3 x .5mm or (1) 3 x 1mm washer(s), this can also help eliminate wire Chaffing V2 motors are being made with shorter motor shafts. CHEERS

I am responding to opening statement in this thread ... Respectfully ask, first POST could be removed or at least edited to show ONLY first HAND experience, not conjecture/second hand knowledge. Enough problems with RCG Drama.

CHEERS
-Jeffery XA / USA

 

[Xaircraft USA]

Will be posting more freguently to support XA products and answer XA Owners questions and concerns.
Want to apologise for not showing up lately, The past 2 weeks have been extremely busy with inventory, shipping backorders, custom builds ETC. The next couple days should complete all in house work and will have more time to support products via these forms. XAircraft USA appreciates all XA Pilots/Customers and will offer service to the best of our ability as always. Cheers & THANKS MultiRotorForums

 

[NormMonkey]

Looks like a good setup and flight!


Are you planning to fly it FPV via goggles? I would love to know how that works out for you. Some day I want to try flying FPV.

 

[Bowley]

Having a bit of grief getting my new build V8 flying. its rolling fwd/ Port very stongly. Using full right roll and almost full pitch up to keep in a hover.
So far I have:

Ensured all motors are plumb.
Ensured all arms are level.
Confirmed all props turning in correct dirction
All Tx trims and subtrims centred, all command set to 100% end point, rate, and no expo
Calibrated Tx in XA centre software.
Ensured AHRS level and calibrated AHRS in XA centre, all looks normal on software tests.
My setting in XA centre are at the moment: 100% stick authority, 75% atti gain, and 65% self levelling gain. in all axis.

Any suggestions welcome......please!!:dejection:

 

[Bowley]

Hooked craft up to computer and software showing the AHRS sitting with left roll and arse down after I cal'd it about 30 mins ago. Just now monitoring the pitch, roll and heading figures on software after another cal and it is drifting drifting considerably, after 5 minutes when all figures were zero, pitch now at 2 deg, roll at 1deg and heading at 50deg and I have not touched the craft.

 

[Kilby]

I've seen a few others make videos of this, so I'm not surprised. This seems to be the major cause of the drifting so many people are seeing.

 

[Bowley]

Noticed now that my pitch and roll figures seem to have stabilized! I wonder if these AHRS units have a running in period, so to speak. Hav'nt flown it again, just been monitoring the output data which have hovered around 0deg +/- 1deg for the last hour.

 

[Kilby]

Try moving it around some with it still connected and see what happens? These gyros may reach a point after sitting still for so long that stops the drift problem. If it still holds after that I would power it down and reconnect to see if the problem comes back.

 

[Bowley]

Pitch & Roll were still stable after moving it about in all axis, powered down, powered up all seemed fine.
Got up this morning connected the aircraft to computer and software was reading 28deg pitch up and 9 deg roll right which explains why it wants to roll fwd and left. Just done a cal and it is difting again 5 deg in 5 min.
I guess its a AHRS problem rather than the FC so I dont think adjusting the PID values will make any difference, mine seem to be read only anyway! there is no way of tweaking the AHRS either the only function is 'calibrate'.

 

[Kilby]

Man, you're already up? I still haven't gone to bed yet. :dejection:

 

[jcoahran]

Jeff,

All due respect, but your statements are not fair or accurate. I owned an X650C for a year, so this is firsthand.

The GPS and Compass have had serious issues from the day of release. It is a known defective product. The gps can take hours establish contact with enough satellites to function. The compass typically has to be re-calibrated for each flying site. These should have never released for sale. I owned the gps/compass for five months before giving up and returning it for a full refund.

The props have also been an ongoing issue. Several bad batches have been shipped, causing many crashes. Quality control is the answer, not blaming users.

The carbon fiber used by XA is very, very low grade. It makes no sense, but the cheaper, glass fiber version of XA products is many times stronger.

In addition, I believe the electronics on XA products are just poorly implemented. DJI is going to eat XA's lunch.

I challenge you to make these same comments over on the RCG forum.

Thanks,
Joe

The XAircraft Props had issues, XAircraft have replaced all crash damaged parts to anyone that claimed it through XAircraft USA and GAVE extras, replaced customers parts who had issues and went as far as purchasing my customers machines back if they have issues of this type and replacing entire machines. In order for this to occur WE Must have items in hand and checked/tested THEN if factory fault is found, we make it right COMPLETELY. Have no knowledge of a 10% discount offer for kit replacement, If it was made!, then was made by a dealer NOT under advisement by XAircraft, if there is any truth to it at all. NOT by XAircraft or XAircraft USA. These are models and subject to builders error and since MANUALS lack in certain areas. I offer support to ALL XAircraft customers AS MOST current customers well KNOW !!! We are working on comprehensive VIDEOS for building and educational purposes, will soon have BUILD, Programming and Flight training videos availbable by XAircraft USA and until these are complete will be offering personal assistance to all customers who request it.

"Propeller issue has been addressed and props are NOW pretty much bulletproof !! If a props breaks, it will be DUE only to pilot error, such as flying propellers that have been previously crash damaged or damaged from misuse in someway ETC."

ESC Overheating NON-Issue

After extensive & random Testing of ESC's , NO overheating FOUND. Can't say why some people may be suggesting this. Have found no ESC Overheat. Even @ 103F temperatures

Compass NON - ISSUE !!

Problem mentioned concerning the XAircraft compass upgrade, ISSUE Described could be due to misplacement, poor build and misprogramming of machine ...Have NEVER seen issues with the XAircraft Compass .. Test SEVERAL units daily ... NO problems !!! Works great, wiring needs to moved to the sides and tied down not overtop the Compass unit.

GPS-S NON ISSUE !!

Test GPS-S Systems Daily .. NO issues with this instrument! Works Flawlessly in 100's of tests ...

Motor Wire/ESC Wire Issue!

I apologise but this is alittle late coming!
Here is my direction on wire routing:
PLEASE use heat shrink on joints and also making cross in wiring on the outer edge of the motor mounting plate. Wiring should go straight under motor with no crossing until it makes 180 degree bend back to motor, AGAIN do not let ESC/Motor Wiring Cross beneath the motor mounting plate, you can also raise motor from mount with (2) 3 x .5mm or (1) 3 x 1mm washer(s), this can also help eliminate wire Chaffing V2 motors are being made with shorter motor shafts. CHEERS

I am responding to opening statement in this thread ... Respectfully ask, first POST could be removed or at least edited to show ONLY first HAND experience, not conjecture/second hand knowledge. Enough problems with RCG Drama.

CHEERS
-Jeffery XA / USA