Blog Article Continuation(s) WL Toys v262 Quadcopter - First look and review

This thread will serve as the discussion thread and continuation of our blog post on the v262, which is located at:
https://www.droneflyers.com/2013/08/wl-toys-v262-quadcopter-first-look-and-review/
(review is still being worked on, but offers some facts and opinions which may be useful)

v262 is sold by Banggood at the following link:
http://www.Banggood.com/WLtoys-V262-Cyclone-2_4G-4CH-6-Axis-RC-Quadcopter-Mode-2-RTF-p-77720.html?p=YD2619189125201305JG

 

I fully agree, Mike.

The only caveat is that, for $85, most users will be very happy with 30-40 flights. These are disposable toys, no doubt, but with proper care you can get a bit of education and some fun for a low price....while you are waiting for the many new brushless models which are about to hit the market.

Price must be kept in mind when reviewing, and that is what I tried to do. If this were a $150 model, it would have received a much worse review.

As far as WL Toys learning, I think they have picked their market as disposable and try to have a price point where people buy them and just say "lesson learned" when they find out it's not like the AR Drone which it resembles. I don't think they desire to compete in the sphere of innovation. But, as hobbyists and hackers, we (a minority, to be sure) can stretch the toy a little bit and get our monies worth.

The main thing is to know what you are buying - and between my review, your comments and other comments to come, anyone who reads this should be informed and forewarned.

I should mention that replacing the motors or even the arms for $5 to $15 each is MUCH preferable to the average $80 repair bill I had each time I crashed the Dualsky Hornet from more than 6 feet above the ground. So it's all relative!

Update - over 20 flights in my V262 and no parts replacement yet. I do not fly it aggressively.

 

V262 is available US Ship from MassiveRC. Advantage here is that these are pre-tested, etc. and parts are available quickly as well as support. You can also buy the Mobius cam there and have a complete and low-cost beginner aerial photog setup.
http://www.massiverc.com/PrestaShop/en/167-wl-toys-v262-rtf-.html

Note, these downsized pics (and others in the Aerial Showcase) give you some idea of the v262 and Mobius capability. One is a general landscape and the other might be used to illustrate a Real Estate location - i.e., from the ground you cannot tell that the large hill rises right above that street, etc.

 

Here is my 262 setup - I tend to outfit these instantly off the shop floor (junk sitting around) as opposed to thinking then through - because I want to fly ASAP.

I cut down the foam shell and removed the decal (weight).
I put some zip tie landing gear on - but I should have used heavier zips - or done away with it, since it lands fine on the copper wires. Or, I could have used longer wires and bent them sideways to provide a landing platform..

The wires are fairly heavy - I think #10. I removed the landing skids and glued them into the holes - they have held in there fine. Then I just grabbed a scrap of foam board for the cam platform. Those white things at the bottom are little nylon nuts that thread onto the wire insulation and hold fairly well - and allow adjustment. The Mobius holder is not needed - that is a Range Video made mount which may reduce vibration, but I don't think it works in this application.
Other than that, we are talking rubber bands, etc!

The gold paint on the Mobius may help find it if it falls off in a crash. Those of you who really want to make sure should attach some small folded up streamers (red, etc.) to the bottom of it, so they deploy when the cam ejects. I've had two cam ejections (one with another copter and one with this) and a black cam is tough to find in the grass and weeds.

 

After about 20 flights, one of my v262 gears became stripped. This may be due to my lubricating it with graphite. I'm not going to lube this thing any longer....

The good news is that as it failed, the v262 still did not crash. It was pretty amazing - the 6-axis stabilization tried to keep it level even though most of one gear was stripped, so it just acted as if the battery was low - i.e. it would not go higher easily.

I ordered new gears and other parts from MassiveRC and put it back together tonight - if the wind is low on Sunday I will get a bunch of nice fall scenery pics!

 

Right - it may have had nothing to do with the graphite - and more to do with my demonstrations of how you can let it drop out of the sky and then give it 100% throttle and save it. I have to think that puts some stress on the gears!

At $1 a piece, it's no big deal...this is, after all, a toy....but I am always surprised at how well it goes together and performs.

 

Here is a short video at a local park today with the v262 - the jell0 (rolling shutter) is obvious - I corrected it a small amount in iMovie - but it shows why a heavier quad and better camera mounts, etc. are needed for video which could be used in Real Estate and other such endeavors.

 

Replacing Propellers, Gears and Motors on the WL Toys v262

Prepare by having the parts available. MassiveRC is one US vendor who does quick ship and has most parts. Replacement of the props and gears requires no soldering - replacement of the bare motors requires basic soldering skills. However, there is a workaround - ask MassiveRC to sell you the entire boom assembly or motors with connectors already attached.

Here are some pics and a short description of replacing the major drive parts on the WL Toys v262. The plastic gears and motors WILL wear, so keep an eye on the gears and on how your copter flies for hints of their failing.

Click pics for enlargements

1. Remove Propeller by backing the prop screw almost all the way out - or removing totally. Be sure to have a bottle cap or other small receptacle to keep the tiny screws in. Slide prop off upwards.

2. Push down on prop shaft or gear and the shaft along with the gear can be removed from the bottom. If either of the brass bearings (one top-one bottom) fall out, you can press them back into their plastic recess.

3. If you are replacing the large gear, slip it off toward the long part of the shaft - then simply replace it with the new one. Reassemble the copter if you are not replacing the motors.....continue if you are!

4. With the v262 upside down, remove the two tiny screws on each side of the motor gear - these hold the motors in place from below.

5. The motor cover (boom end cover made of plastic) must now be slid back. Remove the single screw shown in the picture below and slide the cover back. This screw is facing the main board - so you'll see it by looking from the center out.

6. Slide the Motor cover back on the boom toward the center to expose the motor top.

7. As of this writing, there are not two different (clockwise, counterclockwise) motors - they are the same part! The difference is that the wires are reversed when soldered on. This makes replacement easy - just note which way the motor is already wired and replace it the same way. Desolder the motor leads, slide the new motor in and attach as it was before. Reassemble the copter in the same way you took it apart, taking care to properly route the little motor wires so as not to break them.

 

Romeo from MassiveRC has added the following info - used with permission.

1) Lubricate the bearings whether they're bronze bushings or ball bearings. I know brass\bronze is supposed to be self lubricating but a drop of oil makes a significant difference in noticeable friction reduction.

2) There's a screw holding the gear on and a screw holding the prop on. I like to position the prop screw head 180 degrees from the gear screw head to help keep the assembly balanced.

3) The positive and negative motor wires should not be routed near each other where they are close to the motor. The stock wiring looks like this:

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 800x449.


You want them routed far away from each other and especially route the positive lead at least 1mm away from the motor can:
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 800x449.


If you follow the default motor insertion scheme that WL Toys uses, CCW spinning motors/props have the red lead towards the outside, soldered to the negative terminal of the motor, which is also outside.

The CW spinning motors/props have the black lead and negative motor terminal towards the outside.

This way you can tell at a glance which booms are CW and which booms are CCW simply by looking at which colored lead is outside (when wires are ran the way I do them above).

You can tell which booms are blue/red LED and which are white without powering them on by looking at the LED straight on. Blue/red LEDs are clear and white LEDs have a yellow shade to them.

4) Balance your props very easily\quickly:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977200

5) When inserting your booms back into the frame, make sure they go all the way in and visually check by looking underneath the frame.

 

Well, I lost my first v262 - long story, but my fault 100%.

So I ordered a new one from MassiveRC and he tested it, rerouted the wires to help them stay cool and installed real bearing for me - and also sent without the foam (which no one should use anyway - too heavy!).

I liked the former setup for holding small cams, so I duplicated it and did a slightly better job by using some hot glue and plastic washers to reinforce where the wires go through. Here's a pic. The wires also serve as the landing gear - I put a bunch of hot glue on the bottom of the wire ends after folding them over. It's easy to adjust the angle just by bending or with rubber bands, etc.

Raining now so I am going to fly it as soon as rain and wind stops......

 

Just an update on my v262 flying. I love this thing! After flying the heavier and more expensive Phantoms, I enjoy coming back to this super-light craft and barnstorming around my property! It flies so well - the fun factor is extremely high once you learn what it can do. I also cut up some of the foam shell and used them as legs. They work very well in terms of allowing rough landings. The only problem is that they, as now installed, block the LED's. I think I can fix that.
I will post a picture - but this quad remains as one suggested for learning the ropes.