Hey all, So. I bought myself a Syma X1 Quadcopter off of Amazon. It arrived today. I took it out for a test flight, and after awhile (it did take a few beatings) it won't hover. Two of the opposite rotors spin faster than the other two. This causes it to spin around on the ground on low throttle. When I ramp up the speed, it freaks out and flips around all crazy like. I have callibrated it and re-callibrated it multiple times (by taking the battery out and putting back in on a level surface. Then waiting for the light to quit flashing super fast.) This still hasn't gotten rid of the problem. What can I do to narrow down the issue? Any suggestions? Is it toast? I've checked all the wires and such as well. No snapped or broken wires.
It's really a matter of a guess - or percentages - as to what is wrong. Normally I would say that two motors need replaced, however my birds usually only had one go bad at a time. But if you've hit it hard, you could have screwed up two. Carefully check the gears on the two that seem to spin slower. Also, remove the props and perhaps try to lube the motor with a bit of graphite or teflon drops. I have to assume you didn't take the props off...because if you did, you have to make sure they are on in the right order. Props being on wrong always make it flip and act crazy. I've never had a FC (flight controller) board go bad, but it's surely possible that yours got banged up from too many G forces...but I've crashed X1's very hard, left them up in trees during ice storms, etc...and the board always worked. If it were me I'd probably replace the two motors if the lube and luck doesn't get you there. If that does not work, you may want to use that one for other spare parts and get a new bird. These days I often order two of the cheaper quads because the parts I can use (battery, motors, etc.) are as cheap or cheaper that way when freight, etc. is figured in.
Welcome Tsaude. I agree with Webman about the rarity of two motors failing simultaneously. You say that the two motors that are not functioning properly are diagonally opposite? That is really strange. And you seem to imply that the flight control board led never really stops flashing. It should stay solidly lit when bound. I am assuming that it is solidly lit once it is bound since it appears that your receiver on the quad is getting signal from the transmitter from what you are describing. I suspect that you knocked loose one of the gyros on the board, or less likely that the board has cracked or lifted off the chassis and is not level, or the flight control board has failed. I would check the board components to see if a solder connection has failed and check to see if the board has lifted off the chassis or cracked What you describe is very strange. I also think you should post your situation at Syma X1 dedicated thread at the www.rcgroup.com website. There are many supportive, experienced, and knowledgeable X1 owners there who may additional recommendations. I haves read all the 5701 posts in that X1 thread and I do not recall anything similar to what you are describing. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1797545&referrerid=451939 I hope there is a repair solution. Otherwise it could make for a good source for parts as Webman suggests. Good luck. JB
The motors that are causing problems are the blue and red wired motors. If I take the battery out and put it back in and connect it, all of the propellors start. Then eventually the blue and red wired motors just slow down and then stop.
Thanks for the reply! I might do that. The wires all look soldered still. I'm just really not sure what to do. The board looks fine!
Then it does appear that those motors are failing. Sometimes bad motors can run in batches, especially with those small brushed motors. Many makes and models of quads and their respective motors from different manufacturers have been plagued by this ongoing problem. Replacing motors is really not that big a deal. I do not replace motor wire leads from the board, I splice into the wires somewhere midpoint from the wire leads leading from the board after I replace the motor and do the procedure that I will explain. I do not even solder anymore. I use liquid electrician's tape. It's not pretty, but no one sees my replacement work under the canopy. The biggest challenges are #1 removing the props from the driveshaft and #2 removing the motors motors from the motor housing casing without pulling the wires off the board or severing those very thin motor lead wires. I run my replacement motor lead wires back through the boom holes like the original wires. Care must be taken not to sever those wires when reinserting the boom back into the chassis and when reinserting the motor back into the motor casing. Now what I am describing is my method of motor replacement for the original version Syma X1. There might be a newer version. Recent posts at RCG seem to indicate that there is a newer version where the motor housing is fit to the boom via a mounting screw instead of these form fitting tabs in the original version which can be a little difficult to compress when one is attempting to remove the motor casing. Regardless of version my method of motor replacement should work. I get my motors from "Hobbyparts" I forget the actual name and link presently. You can also get replacements from Amazon. Just make sure that you have the correct motors and that the motors have those pinion gears included or save your originals. And get both sets of motors CW and CCW for backup replacement. For motor longevity it is best not to stall the motors by trying to run the props when the props are bound by debris, branches, grass, etc,; kill the throttle when a crash seems imminent, and let those motors cool down after a full battery run of flight. Your motors will appreciate it and reward you with longevity usually. Your situation is pretty rare. The fact that you used it and crashed it prior to motor failure may hurt your efforts at returning this quad for a refund which is unfortunate. I hope this information is helpful. Good luck. JB
