Blog Article Continuation(s) Eye One Xtreme Full Review - Video and more...

Discussion in 'Specific Models of Quadcopters and Drones' started by webman, May 7, 2014.

  1. webman

    webman Administrator Staff Member

    Armrod likes this.
  2. Armrod

    Armrod New Member

    Great article and I agree with everything you wrote. This vehicle is the perfect bridge. I started with the Nano QX 1 month ago and just got the EOX. Flys and maneuvers like a dream even in moderately windy conditions ( in sport mode of course) ! Ihaven't figured out how to tell when the battery is getting low since the warning indicator is mounted on the EOX which can't be seen from a distance. Also, it seems that the battery can be a little tricky to unplug when you're done flying which makes me think that it may cause some damage to the connection in the long run. And yes, I completely agree that requiring proprietary batteries is a nuisance. But when you look at the entire package it's worth it.
    Overall a Great UAV at a fantastic price.
     
  3. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    That's one of the big drawbacks to how they did the battery. If it was a standard battery you could just get a low voltage alarm and hook it up to the balance plug, but since there's no balance plug there's no way to do that. I just set the timer on my DS7s to 7 minutes (which is about the most I can fly with all of my FPV gear and keep it under 80% discharge) and land when the timer is up. There are a few little annoyances with this quad, but when you add up all of the pluses and minuses I think it comes out way ahead in the plus column.
     
  4. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    Here's a new FPV video I just did today with the Xtreme. Much better than the one I put in the review since I'm a lot more comfortable with the quad now. The more I fly this thing the more I like it. It can be a bumpy ride on a windy day, but on a calm day like this it's solid gold.

     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2014
  5. Armrod

    Armrod New Member

    Update to my previous post.
    The EOX flew wonderfully....for about 3 weeks then 2 motors failed to ever start again. The FAQ for the EOX lists this as a problem which would make it seem that I'm not the only one with this issue. Their FAQ states that "moisture" or a broken wire is at fault although coincidentally they're releasing a firmware update to fix this "cosmetic" issue. It seem that great customer support that I read all about is not quite so.
     
  6. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    I'm sorry to hear you're having problems with yours Armrod. Have you tried blowing the FC off with compressed air? Apparently it's very sensitive to dust and I've heard of some guys having luck getting it going again doing that. What problems have you had with RC Logger support? I doubt they'd just send you a new one since it flew for 3 weeks, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't try to work with you to get it going again.
     
  7. Armrod

    Armrod New Member

    Yeah I tried that but no luck. RC logger support said to wait and they'll send a new FC board with the firmware update hopefully sometime this month. Just seems to me that if this unusual problem is listed as #5 on the FAQ they should've realized there was an issue and addressed it promptly. Or maybe it's just frustration talking since this is an awesome little machine.
    Thanks for listening to my rants and getting back to me.
     
  8. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    I actually think they did get right on it once they knew it was a problem, but firmware upgrades don't happen overnight. They have to be coded, tested, produced, and they also have to figure out how to get it to us since the Xtreme doesn't have upgradable firmware (big mistake!). Hopefully it won't be too long and you'll be back out flying again.

    btw, if you want to get a little more hands on help with getting it going with your existing FC try posting in the Xtreme thread over at RC Groups. RC Logger is pretty active over there. I'd direct your post to Adam if you want to try it. Just tell him what they told you and ask if there's anything you can try to get it going again with the current FC while you wait for the new one.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2014
  9. webman

    webman Administrator Staff Member

    Lots of reported problems with this quad - not to say RC Logger has not been trying to get their hands and heads around the stuff, but personally I am waiting a little longer to add it to my fleet.

    I know they are a small company - however, they took almost a year longer than they initially planned to bring it to market and, even so, it appears to be less than perfect (many quads are, to be fair)...

    The ideal customer service, when it comes to quads, is to avoid it altogether. It's virtually impossible for them to "make good" on the costs from tens of thousands of sales....luckily, the "pioneers" who are first flying them won't demand this.

    I do find the thread over at RC Groups a bit disturbing for this reason - those who have valid complaints about defects and shortcomings of the quad are often yelled out and shut down and branded as being idiots of some sort. It's a club mentality which does not understand that these particular aerial robots have jumped from being "hackers and hobbyists only" to a larger audience. It's one thing to suggest a quad for a person who doesn't mind pulling it apart, dealing with hooking it to other TX's, buying a 2nd or 3rd one for parts, etc. - and suggesting it to your father or brother as something which may endear them to the hobby.

    I have my own opinions about everything - but my take is that RC Logger tried too hard to compete at the bottom end of the scale and had to cut corners which may not have helped things along. IMHO, this quad would sell just as well if it had a better stock TX and some better testing and parts - at $179 instead of $129-$139. After all, there is really not much in the under-$200 price category in terms of brushless models quads.

    I hope they can recover by getting most or all of the bugs squashed. They may be the nicest people in the world and a part of the community, but in this day and age you have to, as Steve Jobs said, "ship" (and, as Apple shows us, ship it close to perfect the first time).

    Hopefully, the final updates happening as we speak will solve most of the problems.
     
  10. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    I pretty much agree with that. I wouldn't quite recommend to people not to buy it, but I would recommend that if they do they go in with their eyes open. I think your chances of success with this quad right now are much higher if you use a hobby grade Radio and Receiver. Unfortunately I think the included radio is of poor quality, and if your intention is to use the stock controller to fly with then I would definitely recommend waiting a while on this one.
     
  11. Armrod

    Armrod New Member

    Webman.
    Thoughtful and convincing comments.
    Very well put.
     
  12. Rook33

    Rook33 New Member

    Are some of the problems they are having due to their stock radio and receiver? I have been looking at the quad for a awhile but have not pulled the trigger on getting it due to all of the problems I have been reading about, but I thought the majority of them were with the motor mounts? Just from this short thread it looks like the general vote is to wait on buying one for now.
     
  13. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    Rook,

    Here's a summary of the current issues with the quad, my take on them for what it's worth, and what's being done about them to the best of my knowledge:

    1) Motors popping out of the motor mounts while in flight. I had this happen once following a crash, my fault as I didn't properly inspect the quad or I'd have noticed the motor was not seated all the way. Properly re-seated the motor and tightened the nut and it hasn't happened since. RC-Logger is re-designing the mounts and also going to be offering aluminum mounts as an alternative. Not sure when the new mounts will be available.

    2) Motors not starting up on one side. I've had this happen a couple of times, always went away when I re-seated or changed the battery. This will be addressed in the upcoming firmware update. In the meantime, here's a technical note on how to resolve the issue (sorry for the long link): http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_14026939762787&key=8a24c98a696b4e5723db293f62190b87&libId=6171ae5e-f9c4-49ee-b66a-11f234607ad6&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rcgroups.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1802117%26page%3D808&v=1&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rclogger.com%2Fforum%2Fattachment.php%3Fattachmentid%3D716%26d%3D1399374423&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rcgroups.com%2Fforums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1802117%26page%3D807&title=RC%20EYE%20One%20Xtreme%20(brushless)%20by%20RC%20Logger-%20Discussion%2C%20updates%20etc.%20-%20Page%20808%20-%20RC%20Groups&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rclogger.com%2Fforum%2Fattach...6%26amp%3Bd%3D1399374423

    3) Sudden loss of control, causing the quad to dart to one direction or occasionally fly away. I experienced this once when I first got it when I was flying using the stock controller. Since I switched to the LemonRX and my DX7s I have not had this happen. From what I've seen virtually all of the control problems have been with the stock controller. I don't think RC Logger has been able to replicate this issue and I haven't read anything about a fix as of yet. This problem also seems to be triggered by the auto-flip feature (which I don't use and in fact have programmed my Tx to disable it just to be safe).

    As far as I know those are the major issues. There are also some gripes about the props being too brittle, the motor mounts breaking too easily, etc. but there are alternative props available and the mounts cost something like $5 for a 4 pack so I wouldn't classify those as major issues.

    As for whether to buy now or wait, that's totally up to the individual. Personally I've read about all of these problems but my Xtreme works fine, and It's currently my most fun quad to fly (I have 4 not counting the micros). I suppose I'd feel differently if I was having all of these problems, but I haven't, and I can only base my opinion on what I've experienced personally.
     
    Lodebar likes this.
  14. webman

    webman Administrator Staff Member

    Editors Note (from craigi - admin) - Due to hundreds of reported problems, we (site admin) cannot suggest this quadcopter to either beginners....or to anyone other than those who desire to hack, replace parts, etc.
    While I hope this changes sometime in the future, the current models have proven unreliable and expensive to maintain.

    We are currently purchasing and testing some similarly sized quadcopters which are reportedly more reliable. Details soon...
     
  15. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    Hi Craigi,

    Just curious, is this based on recent reports? I have to admit I've fallen way behind on the thread on RC Groups, but they were supposed to release some upgrades (new firmware, new motor mounts) that were supposed to help with many if not most of the reported problems. Are people still reporting issues even after the updates?
     
  16. webman

    webman Administrator Staff Member

    Yes.
    Problems are being reported with upgraded boards. It seems the Eye One has become a unit for those who are buying 3rd party frames and doing a number of modifications. Many of the owners also admit they have bought 3 or more - so they often have at least one which works.

    If we were being really frank - I'd think we'd say they released a defective product and that they are now trying very hard to address the defects. But how deep are the defects? They may not even be aware of them internally - as they were not with all the former problems.

    It saddens me because I love to see the little guys make it. But it's been 18 months since this bird was announced and now it seems to have gone from the ideal "buy and fly" quad to one where only those who enjoy the pain (and pleasure) of hacking and fixing can deal with it.

    That puts it out of the scope of our particular focus. While modifications are fine and dandy, I wouldn't buy one myself nor suggest it to a family member or friend. That's unfortunate. I think there needs to be a couple models in that size range for the RTF crowd......with reliability, easy parts availability and replacement, etc.
     
  17. Akcobra

    Akcobra Member

    Yeah, it's a shame they've had so many problems with it because it has a great price point and it really is a fun quad when it's working right. Mine still works fine, but I'm using a hobby grade Tx/Rx and not using features like auto-flip and altitude hold that seem to be causing many of the problems. I think I would have to agree, if you're looking for a headache free quad then this one probably isn't for you.
     
  18. Lodebar

    Lodebar New Member

    I started out with the AR Drone and quickly moved to the RC Logger Xtreme. I love this little quadcopter!! Since starting in April 2014 I've tried to fly at least once a day. I've purchased two 1150mAh batteries and one extra Xtreme for a spare giving me four batteries to use on a daily outing. I'm using the stock controller. Other than crashes that were pilot error I've had a wonderful time learning to fly. The stock frame is one weak point and I've just replaced one frame with a PFG 242 Ring carbon fiber frame. Other than blades, two stock frames and the PFG frame the overhead has been manageable. No headaches here. My next step will be to master Expert Mode. I would and have recommended the Xtreme as I know of no other quadcopter that matches it in price and performance.
     
  19. webman

    webman Administrator Staff Member

    Glad you've enjoyed it!

    I think there is a difference between true "RTF" and what folks have done with the EOE. Maybe it's the diff between "consumer" and "hobbyist". Only a part of the target market would be willing to buy two - and then to buy a new frame and remount the parts. Also, many people have complained about the stock TX, so they then have to deal with setting up a different one. All well and good, but the money and/or time invested may not appeal to some buyers.

    I suspect this quad will continue to improve in initial quality - also, that's a decently priced package they are now offering with that HD camera!
    http://www.rclogger.com/RC-EYE/RC-EYE-One-Xtreme/Xtreme-Aerial-Full-HD-Photography-Set-Mode-2.html

    At $299, it's screaming "buy one"....
     

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