eBay - Syma X5C-1 - Not; Buyer Beware

I got my first toy drone. I read that the Syma X5C was a very good model and stable enough to be a first drone. Well, I found exactly the model that I thought the review was about on eBay for less than $35 including shipping from China.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the box and tried it out and could not for the life of me keep the drone in one place. It would veer off to the side and could not possibly be stabilized. I watched several Youtube videos about the Syma X5C-1 and saw how nicely they flew. Finally, I discovered that my drone was not a Syma at all but a no-brand. When I bought it, the title was Syma X5C-1 0.3 MP Camera 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone UFO UAV RTF with 2.4Gz. Since then, it has been relabeled as Best X5C-1.
So, now a buyer at least has a chance of knowing that it is a knock-off. I'm working on returning it, but chances are that shipping will cost more than the price of the drone itself. Buyer Beware!
In any case, the price is good, but the flight of the drone is hopeless to control. One of the features of this Best X5C-1 is that "0.3MP camera, you can enjoy moving shot while flight." meaning FPV in my understanding. Not so, no way does it provide this feature.

 

That's not the meaning I would assume, it just means it has a camera capable of recording in flight. And FWIW the actual Syma comes with a 2MP camera.

Post a LINK to what you bought.

 

https://vod.ebay.com/vod/FetchOrderDetails?sspagename=STRK:MESO:VPS&itemid=161917967030&transid=1361023592006&viewpaymentstatus=
This is the link to what I actually bought. I'm not sure you can actually see the results, it may be tied to my login. The dealer has changed the name from Syma X5C-1 to Best X5C-1. You will not see any entry from this dealer in eBay that says Syma X5C-1 anymore.
This is the title I saw when I bought it. You will not see this title on eBay:
Syma X5C-1 0.3MP Camera 6-Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter Drone UFO UAV RTF with 2.4Ghz
It has been changed to the title in the following link, and the price is a couple of dollars higher since I bought mine. Everything else in the ad is exactly as I saw it. My mistake was in ignoring the part where it said, Brand Name: Unbranded. That was a clue, but I missed that entirely, because I read the title at the top and accepted that as the description.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161917967030

 

I do have a question for anyone who owns a genuine Syma X5C: What can I expect with regard to balance? This "Best X5C-1" is almost impossible to control, because at lift-off, it tips a little and goes in a direction. I was hoping that it would rise vertically and hover. I put the center of gravity on a bottle top, and find that it lists to one side. Of course, it is going to go that direction without any input from my controller. Does that happen to a Syma X5C as well? Am I expecting too much?

 

Well looking at the one pic it appears to be a BAYANGTOYS, who at first were calling it an X5C

Does it look like this?

The latest incarnation is this, but it does list a 2MP camera.
http://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters/pp_252339.html

Too bad you didn't get that one seems to get decent reviews.

Have you recalibrating it? First set the trims to center (see below).

With the last step the lights will start flashing then stop when ready.

Have you tried trimming (fine tuning)? First look in the LCD and center the 3 trims.


Once up in the air push the trim buttons opposite to the direction it is drifting towards.

 

The top picture looks like mine. The controller says "FLY" instead of "ZYMA".

I don't have any manual, so I have no idea what some of the buttons do. I have a picture of the controller and they are labeled like yours is.
I don't know what to expect when I do "fine tuning". The right fine tuning shows a little extra bar in the far right column of the LCD screen.
The left fine tuning button just makes a beep, but nothing shows on the screen.
The High/Low shows wether it is in High or Low mode on the LCD, but I have no idea what it is supposed to do.
The two joy sticks show a dot dead center on the LCD and change I get corresponding changes when I move them. Left/Right Up/Down show the direction when I move the joy sticks.

Do you know of a place to get a reference manual on the controller? The Bayangtoys listing shows one with theirs. I never got any with mine.
I'm guessing that most controllers have a similar set of buttons that do the same functions. If I could find out what those functions are, it would help a lot.

 

Did you calibrate like in the first pic?????????

 

I did. That was one of the first things I learned from Youtube was how to calibrate this drone. It seems to help some. I'm thinking that if I had more space, like outside instead of inside, I would finally get the hang of it. Problem is that it has been around 15-20 degrees all day today, and it was a bit windy as well. I live in Richmond, VA and that kind of temperature is very cold to me. I grew up in Minnesota, but have long, long ago lost my resistance to cold weather.
So my opportunity to go outside and fly where I have some room is at least several days away due to the cold. And then it's supposed to rain.
Just now, I found a website for the Syma X5C manual and have downloaded it. Maybe that will help. Even though it's not the same make, I'm sure I can learn a lot about what is going on with drones generally.
For sure, I appreciate your kindness in trying to help me out and would appreciate it if you would stick with me while I struggle up the learning curve.

 

Well, I took my first movie with the Best X5C-1 Drone. I reformatted my 32 Gb MicroSD to Fat32, and the camera saved the video to it without any problem. The Drone is still a bear to control, but I think I figured out something about the trim switches. Now, to learn fine tuning.
My biggest problem is that I don't have a light touch. That is essential with this guy.

 

That usually comes from nervousness, you are over reacting which is quite common when starting out.

Good Luck.

 

The ebay seller returned from the Chinese New Year holiday today and offered to refund the money. He/she said that a "worker" mislabeled the entry on eBay and that they do sell the Syma X5C-1 for $60. I replied that I do not need a refund and that I will use this one as long as it lasts. I'm getting the hang of flying it, be it ever so slowly.
I'd like to thank you, RGJameson, for your patience with me and for your invaluable guidance in getting me going. Eventually, I expect the motors to burn out and probably other problems; but I guess that comes with the territory. I'm thinking of upgrading to the JJRC X1 with brushless motor. It's available at Banggod for $119. Any thoughts about this one?
http://www.Banggood.com/JJRC-X1-With-Brushless-Motor-2_4G-4CH-6-Axis-RC-Quadcopter-RTF-p-1011622.html

 

I don't know if I like that one, it's pretty much a toy grade and on some flight videos I've seen the yaw looks rather wonky. And everything is pretty proprietary.

This is bit more, but is an actual hobby grade setup.
http://www.Banggood.com/Eachine-EC250-Racer-Drone-With-RadioLink-2_4G-9CH-AT9-Transmitter-R6D-CC3D-RTF-p-1008943.html?P=S2292015656012015045

You get so much more. A real CC3D FC that can be FW updated and tweaked, regular ESCs etc. Plus a full fledged, very sophisticated Transmitter that you can use for future builds just by buying another RX. Say in the future you want to build a long range quad you could grab this RX.
http://www.Banggood.com/RadioLink-AT9-R9D-2_4GHz-9CH-DSSS-Receiver-For-AT9-AT10-Transmitter-p-961972.html

I've seen tests where were that RX was good for ~ 4000M.

And I would imagine these types of arms should fit. You'll need some spares. With the JJRC you'll have to buy a new frame.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Carbon-Fiber-Arm-For-250mm-FPV-Quadcopter-Replacement-QAV250-ZMR250-H250-Mini-/121573952165?hash=item1c4e5f4aa5:g:s~MAAOSwEetWA6vH

These may also be decent props (good reviews). You need lots of props, get 2 colors.
http://www.Banggood.com/10-Pairs-Kingkong-5045-5x4_5-Inch-Bullnose-PC-Fiberglass-Propellers-CW-CCW-p-1029132.html

Now you got something to think about.

 

You are a goldmine of information. I would like a drone with a camera. Can one be fitted to this drone? (I noticed later that the JJRC X1 does not have a camera, either. If so, what would one need to buy?
Please keep these things coming. I really appreciate your advice.

BTW, Microsoft Hotmail is constantly giving me messages that this email and the website are not safe. What gives with those guys?
Have you had any problems. The content certainly doesn't show that it is a dangerous website.

 

Actually I do.

 

Today marks the first day that I was able to fly the drone for the full battery charge (?7 minutes) and only crash it about three times. I'm thinking that maybe this picture shows the reason I'm having so much trouble. Both of my hands look like this. Hard to tell the left from the right.

 

Well, it lasted a week and two days. Much longer than I expected. Today the wires for the battery finally gave out. I tried to fix it and was able to get the inserts out of the plug and solder the wires to those inserts, and plug it back in. The lights came on and blinked, and when I turned on the transmitter, the lights flashed. I was able to calibrate it; but when I tried lift-off, nothing happened. The lights just kept blinking. I suspect some part of the teeny weeny connector failed to connect on the drone. Anyway, I don't think I'll try to recover it by buying a new battery. The whole thing is just too fragile to bother with anymore. My wife said it was just the cost of a good meal for both of us at a restaurant. She's very understanding. I did think of one trick that might have saved the battery and I'm posting a photo of it here. The idea is to use a short piece of shrink tubing to reinforce the wires that are on the connector and give more leverage to pull the wires when one needs to charge it. I'm quite surprised that all my yanking didn't tear it long ago. (I tried forceps, hemostats, tweezers, and long-nosed pliers; but none of those were satisfactory. And with my double-thumb hands, it's too tiny to pull without undue force on the wires.)
For what it is worth, I'm posting my battery post-mortem picture here to show the reinforcing shrink tubing. Caution, if you do this, the shrink tubing cannot be very long. If it is, it is impossible to stuff the battery into the battery compartment. The compartment is way, way too small and forces you to contort the wires beyond any stress limit they have.

 

Camera failed as well. I should mention that the camera that came with this cheapo drone, also failed. I had been taking videos and pictures, and one time the microSD flash drive slipped too far into the camera. I had to take the camera apart. I took it apart and recovered the microSD. I put the camera back together again, but could not find any way to put the lens into it--I'm not even sure it has a lens or if the lens I had was from a DVD that I recycled from a PC. Anyway, it seemed everything went back together again, but the pictures were beyond hope after that episode. So, I already lost the camera. I've got four perfectly good propellers that probably don't fit anything except this drone. I did learn a lot about flying a very uncooperative drone, and I finally got to the point where I could hover it for a short time--maybe a minute or two without crashing. All of this inside with all of the air cross-currents and everything. I was proud of myself. Live and learn.
Now what to get next. I'm looking for a drone that can use a camera. Nice to have an FPV and brushless motors, but not essential. Price range somewhere near $150. In my next reincarnation, maybe I'd go for one in the $300-500 range. If I crash and burn a $150 drone, I may be too discourage to continue on in this lifetime.
In spite of all of this, the help I got on this website was incredibly valuable and prevented me from giving up on day one. I did have fun.

 

Well don't give up. I'd stick with the very inexpensive quadcopters, no camera, till you develop the necessary muscle memory.

 

Well, maybe a "real" Syma? It looks like I will get a full refund for this fake one. Bad camera, bad documentation (the dealer sent me the Syma doc; said how to change modes from 1 to 2; didn't work; asked the dealer; the dealer said the fake only has mode 1; other things don't work per the doc, either), bad battery connection, hard to fly--but possible. Camera would have been fun. The real Syma has a better camera, though. I was getting pretty good at flying this fake one and could hover it inside the house without crashing everywhere. Harrowing ride at times.

 

A point of utter confusion. What Syma calls Mode 1 is actually Mode 2 (throttle on left).