Yuneec Typhoon H: when two extra propellers don’t compensate for camera and control issues

Yuneec Typhoon H is a hexacopter and the landing gear retracts during flight. The design – with six rotors as opposed to four in the DJI Phantom 4 – is supposed to be futuristic. But this apparent aesthetic appeal of the Yuneec Typhoon H is easily lost among in the complexity to handle the drone. To make it worse, the additional weight caused by the six propellers actually compromised the flying time and altitude limit of the drone.

As experienced by many pilots, the sheer weight of the Yuneec Typhoon H makes it more cumbersome to travel with, as evidenced by a DJI Phantom 4 comparison. A Yuneec Typhoon H unboxing may manage to impress the user at first glance. The carbon-fiber material looks neat. The build quality looks good. The controller feels and includes a built-in screen.

However, the impressions start to turn negative when a simple DJI Phantom 4 vs Yuneec Typhoon H benchmarking is carried out. The concerns start appearing soon after a quick inspection of the Typhoon H remote controller. Also, the various ways of controlling the DJI UAV compared to how the Typhoon H is handled make an interesting comparison.

As seen in almost any DJI Phantom 4 review, the drone’s neat and compact control has thoroughly impressed UAV experts and pilots alike. Compared to Yuneec Typhoon H reviews on forums like DroneCompares or yuneecpilots.com, DJI Phantom 4 has received overwhelmingly positive responses. The icing on the cake is the cool DJI Go app, which allows users to do a lot of stuff from their smartphones or tablets. Moreover, features like ActiveTrack or TapFly – that are nowhere to be found on a Typhoon H – make flying the Phantom a cakewalk. Yuneec drone relies solely on GPS and instances of signal loss are far too frequent.

The deal-breaker for the Yuneec Typhoon H actually comes through its video. Its 4K video quality doesn’t appear as crisp and clear as they’re supposed to. The colors look washed out. And the frames look edgy. One Typhoon H reviewer on a popular social media network actually complained that he “couldn’t capture close to the level of video quality that was possible even with the Phantom 3.” The camera is a modular one, but it’ not supported by a live streaming technology as good as the Phantom’s Lightbridge 2.

Although on paper the Yuneec Typhoon H does remain a strong, high-end drone, it’s the little details that made it an inferior proposition than the Phantom 4. There’s nothing majorly wrong with the machine itself and Yuneec China seems to have put in a lot of R&D efforts to offer a ‘whole package’. However, unfortunately, when control and connectivity features are taken into account, Yuneec Typhoon H simply didn’t reach the top-notch level of engineering. It is ‘just another OK drone” – and that’s a pity because Typhoon H did promise to be something spectacular especially after the Yuneec Intel alliance was announced.

 

 

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Compared to DJI,Yuneec is also full of power

Now the consumer drone market is becoming crowded and companies like Yuneec, and DJI, will have to focus on honing drones and software for business users.

Flying a drone is tricky business. The prosumer models are powerful, fast and can get into trouble in a hurry if you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why smart, logical design and intuitive controls are so important in the drone game.

Don’t get me wrong, the $1,299, six-rotor drone is expertly designed. It has a third more rotors than, say, the DJI Phantom 4 and, unlike virtually every other drone I’ve tested, folds up for relatively easy transport: the rotor arms fold down to the body when not in flight.

The Yuneec Typhoon H is also an intelligent drone, more or less matching DJI on autonomous flight control features, including built-in obstacle avoidance and the ability to track objects on its 4K camera.

It is paired, though, with one of the more confusing remote controls, called a ground station, I’ve encountered in some time.

Like the DJI Phantom 4, Yuneec’s Typhoon H arrives in a rather large gray foam box. Lacking a handle, it doesn’t quite qualify as a carrying case (you can buy a drone backpack separately). Inside is the drone, with all its rotors folded down, the sizable remote control (the ST16 Ground Station), a bag of a dozen propellers, a large drone battery, AC/DC charger with cables for both the drone and remote, a sunshade for the remote’s 7-inch screen, a neck strap to hold the remote and a 16GB micro SD card and SD card-sized micro SD card adapter.

Before we get to flying, it’s worth spending some time talking about the remote control. Unlike the DJI Phantom 4, which uses a much smaller and lighter remote that’s paired with your iPad or iPhone running DJI flight software, Yuneec’s Ground station is an all-in-one device. The centerpiece is a 7-inch screen running Yuneec’s Android-based ground control interface, which offers real-time updates on altitude GPS and satellite availability, current position, altitude, speed, distance from pilot and photography presets. It’s also where you access most of the drone’s deeper settings and more powerful modes.

Yet despite my reservations about the Yuneec Typhoon H, especially its bloated Ground System, I still think it’s a really good prosumer drone. Yes, it will take more time to figure out.

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Yuneec Breeze teardown: A flying white chubby boy

It was known for being acquired by Intel, and amazed everyone at CES by performing a stunning obstacle avoidance show, which was revealed as a fake one. Its flagship, Typhoon H is seldom seen in Chinese market. But the reason behind it seems to be Yuneec’s focus abroad, nothing strange if the Typhoon H is little known in China. And today I’m going to give review to another Yuneec product, Yuneec Breeze.

Unboxing | Build Quality

The box is white, same as the aircraft itself, showing a sense of minimalism.

In the box: accessories as well as a storage box, which I personally like, for it makes the drone’s storage easier.

Aircraft X1, propeller protector X4, flight batteryX1, storage box X1, spared propeller set X1, charger X1, cable X1, user menu.

There are screws for the spared propellers, but no screwdriver is included. The capacity of the battery is 1150mAh, a little higher than Dobby’s 970mAh.

The plastic storage box is quite soft but with a very tight “Push” button, creating a lot of trouble when trying to open it.

Yuneec Breeze has soft lines, which makes it look chubby and cute, despite an obvious bump on top of the aircraft for GPS antennas. The white color is also appealing, though might be a bit hard to keep it clean, I guess.

Like many drones in the market, Yuneec Breeze is plastic, too. But its shell is thinner, with a poor texture and even some cracks on it. The build quality is not impressive in general.

Sensors at the bottom of the drone: the large one is IRS, and small one is OFM, for hovering and positioning respectively.

Landing gears at the bottom need to be unfolded manually, otherwise the glass of the sensors will directly touch the ground and get scratched, affecting the precision of hovering and positioning.

When the landing gears are unfolded, the Yuneec Breeze is lifted to about 1cm above the ground, giving effective protection to its bottom. But folding the gears back is a tough job, because the springback is very strong. With no cushion on the gears, the frame arms are hurt due to the strong impact force when folding the gears back.

And the openings on aircraft body is rough too. You can see the cables connecting the main board and motors straightly from the back of the battery compartment. Thermovents are set on the top of the arms, left no cover or protection from the rain which can directly get to the battery and main board, and you can say goodbye to your drone.

Rain can get into the aircraft body from the thermovents on top, risking short-circuited problems.

Cables can be seen from the gap between a motor and the frame arm.

Probably because Breeze is not properly sealed, I found something inside the IRS (on the other side of the glass).
There is no way to remove it, driving an OCD like me crazy.

A huge interface exposes the USB connection as well as the main board inside the aircraft, something so rough that I’ve never seen in other drones…

The camera of the OFM is not at the center, again, driving me crazy.

Though the build quality is not impressive at all, still there is highlights. The camera, for example, is 1-axis and can be adjusted with the dedicated app, instead of doing it manually like Dobby.

Mounting propeller protectors to Yuneec Breeze is very easy, because they are simply fixed by snaps. It brings convenience for setting, but also risk of falling off by a slight impact.

Though Dobby’s body is thick, thanks for its foldable design, it’s still narrower than an iPhone 7 Plus. Apparently Breeze is less portable than Dobby. Its size reaches 196x196x65mm, larger than iPhone 7 Plus even when it’s folded up, impossible to fit in your pocket.

Put Breeze in the storage box and it has nothing to do with portability anymore. The box is a bit larger than an 8-inch cake box, which can only be put in a backpack instead of a chest bag.

Flight | Control

Because the controller and the aircraft is connected with Wi-Fi, the maximum controllable range of Yuneec Breeze is only 80m (at height) and 100m (at distance), typical spec of mini drones emerged since last year. Selfie is the main application scenario.

Yuneec Breeze uses app— the most common way for control. There are two ways of control, joystick and slider. The former serves just like a controller, with the right stick for horizontal moves, and left for ascend/descend and heading. But still, the virtual sticks are not sensitive enough to peer the real ones.

Also when you are flying Yuneec Breeze in joystick mode, you can press a button and the drone will mimic your smart phone’s motion. Latency for this mode is not bad, but still not sensitive enough to get the drone back when accidents happen. So my suggestion is to fly in a wide open space.

The setting of Slider mode, on the other hand, is disastrous. Pushing up for controlling the done back and forth, down for heading, right for ascending/descending and left for pitch. The design is unreasonable and every difficult to predict the attitude of the drone if you don’t look at it.
But the most complicated thing is you can’t control the flight and camera simultaneously.

There are six flight modes:

Pilot Mode：Joystick control, ordinary flight mode

Selfie Mode：Slider control, with the drone facing to the pilot

Orbit Mode：Slider control, using GPS to circle around a certain point

Journey Mode：Slider control, by using camera pitch to calculate the trajectory of the aircraft, Breeze will fly away from you and then back to you.

VisionTrack Mode: Joystick control. In Follow Me, Yuneec Breeze uses GPS to track your movement.

*FPV Mode: Not released yet.

Orbit: In Orbit mode, you need to manually choose a point, and Breeze will circle around it basing on the GPS information of this point. Besides, the camera gimbal also needs manual adjustment, too. But due to GPS error, Breeze is often astray when circling.

Journey: By using camera pitch to calculate the trajectory of the aircraft, Breeze will fly away from you and then back to you. Because Breeze doesn’t have any obstacle avoidance on board, always watch out for obstacles when using this mode.

VisionTrack: In VisionTrack mode, use two fingers to frame a target on the screen, and Yuneec Breeze will adjust its heading and automatically follow the target. You can switch between Watch and Track modes manually.

In our test, the Watch mode is very unstable, with a lot of shakings during recording, because the gimbal keeps tilting up and down. While the Track mode often goes off course when following a target. Can’t figure out why.

Yuneec Breeze is equipped with a 13 megapixel camera, capable of recording 4K/30fps without electronic stabilization, common among small-size drones.

Remember Dobby’s image quality? Due to the lack of built-in damping balls and stabilization gimbal, the edges of images that Dobby shoots will blur out, and videos shows severe jello effect like the screenshot above.

Equipped with built-in damping balls, Yuneec Breeze does a much better job in shooting and recording, compared to Dobby. No sign of jello effect basically. However, limited by its flight stability and camera quality, the overall camera performance is just so-so.

Resolution of the above image reaches 4160X3120, but image quality is not impressive. Color reproduction isn’t precise; details are not clear; ISO and shutter cannot be adjusted either.

In terms of recording, the footage at 1080p shows visible shakings even when Breeze is hovering and with stabilization. It seems the single axis can only control the camera’s pitch, instead of reducing shakes.

Although Yuneec Breeze manages to satisfy the most basic shooting needs, consider its price is as high as 3000RMB (3299RMB originally), its price/performance ratio is low.

Duration | Summary

After several landings and taking-offs, the real flight time of Breeze is a little longer than 10min, still a gap with the announced 12min. Given the wind speed and operation during the test, such a gap is acceptable, anyway.

Still, 10min flight time is too short for a mini drones with portability and such a high price, meaning it’s not suitable for daily use. Few people will spend this amount of money and effort just for a 10min flight.

But on the other hand, it’s encouraging to see drones like Breeze launched to the market. Small and smart drones are the future of drone industry. In whichever industry, it’s good to have someone dare to give it a go.

Yuneec Breeze

Good points:

1. Adorable appearance, fresh color, appealing to female consumers
2. Storage box to protect the aircraft from collision and scratches
3. Built-in damping balls reduces shakes and increase camera performance
4. Single axis gimbal to control camera movement

Weak points:

1. Poor build quality and material texture. Exposed connector and unreasonable design
2. Not foldable. Poor portability.
3. Mushy control. Slider design is a nightmare
4. Flight and camera cannot be control at the same time
5. The quality of images and videos is not satisfactory
6. Flight time is too short
7. The price is too high.

Tear apart | Notes


From top to bottom: cooling fin, IRS and OFM. Processor and ISP should be behind the fin. Modules are properly set on the main board, cables are well organized and neat.

The camera in Yuneec Breeze can be tilted by a steering gear, and the camera is directly connected to the main board. Damping balls serve as cushions between main board, frame arms and motors, effectively reducing vertical high frequency shakes, the best way to solve jello effect problems.

The build quality inside Breeze is better than that of Typhoon H. however, Yuneec should really improve Breeze’s shell…

 

 

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Yuneec Typhoon H let my girlfriend and me down!

OMG! What a nightmare. My Yuneec Typhoon H remote controller is dead on arrival. It ruined my mood for the flight of Yuneec Typhoon H.

I called Yuneec support and was requested to return it back for repair after spending $1300.

Repair, well, I don’t think anyone agrees to have a repaired unit after spending so much dollars. I learned from the forum that the repaired unit doesn’t work as well as the brand new one.

With my tons of phone calls to push for an exchange, they agreed to send me new one considering I’m the valued customer.

A week later, I received my new controller. I have to say that I’m a beginner. I had to call the support again and again to get it work. It took around 2 hours and many tries to bind the hex.

The support told that if it still didn’t work, I might need to have the remote controller sent back to them again. Again? I did want to kick the Typhoon H off at that time. I told the support, I needed a full refund if it didn’t work this time and I would tell my friends not to purchase anything from Yuneec.

The support seemed to sense something and became very patient after that. With his help, I get the remote controller bind to the hex. I thought the nightmare ended up there. I started to try my first flight after everything was set up. I took off the Typhoon H. It ascended to 10 meters high. I noticed the landing gear was in the live video. Shouldn’t the landing gear retract itself at this height? I tried with my remote controller but still failed to have the landing gear retract. I ascended the Typhoon H and thought the landing gear might retract. But nothing changed when it was 20 meters high.

I landed the Typhoon H and call the tech support. I operated with their instructions but it would start and one leg would get stuck. My patience worn thinner and thinner. I didn’t even want to fly it anymore.

Three days later, my girlfriend told me she would like to watch me flying the typhoon H. I thought it could still fly at least. So we took the drone to an open area. When I tried to fly the typhoon H, the new controller had lost the binding to the aircraft body again. I started to try to bind them again and it took us 30 minutes with trials. It worked finally. But what most ridiculous thing was it lost signal from the aircraft again when my girlfriend was ready to what me flying.

I started the procedure again and again but my trials went in vain. I called tech support and they were even not able to help. I was recommended to send my Typhoon H for test. Seriously?!!!

The Typhoon H just ruined my day! I could see how frustrated my girlfriend was.

Should I send it back to repair or full refund? It is like an endless nightmare and I’m tired of everything about Typhoon H.

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Yuneec Typhoon wifi problems reconfirm why Yuneec fails to challenge market leader DJI

Yuneec China has long been striving to offer a formidable challenge to DJI – the largest of all UAV drone manufacturers in the world. Unfortunately, Typhoon wifi problems, along with other issues with the hexacopter, have made pilots deeply disappointed and frustrated. Online forums like dronecompares or yuneecpilots are already swamped with tens of hundreds of complaints from users who say the Typhoon wifi problem is bigger than what Yuneec is willing to admit publicly.

The Typhoon wifi problem has a clear precursor in the way pilots struggle to get their drone airborne – it takes forever to establish the GPS connection and to get the Typhoon wifi going. As a result, the connection of the camera keeps snapping back and forth with the ground and the Typhoon wifi connection is lost intermittently. Pilots have submitted first-hand reports of Typhoon wifi problems where they experienced sudden loss of connection and the recording stopped without any notice.

Having set up waypoints, some pilots would take off and start recording aerial footage and then, all of a sudden, see the Typhoon wifi connection stop working. And they’re not a small number if online reviews are any indication. In comparison, DJI Phantom 4 signal loss instances are far less frequent – the internal wifi card of the DJI machine delivers a much more reliable performance, speaking volumes for DJI’s superior R&D.

One particular Yuneec user even went on to say that she struggled for 15 minutes to simply get the Typhoon wifi connection established – that’s the extent of Typhoon wifi problems. The drone’s owners have since made numerous complaints about the quality of the Typhoon wifi connection. For some, it is just impossible to connect using Typhoon wifi, because the wifi network on their drones simply doesn’t show up on their devices.

Yuneec Typhoon H vs DJI Phantom 4 benchmarking is not only about the Typhoon wifi performance. Even from a basic navigation and tracking point of view, Phantom 4 is a much more superior product. DJI Phantom 4 reviews are all praise for unique features like ActiveTrack and TapFly. Most importantly, inconsistent Typhoon wifi problem and issues with its GPS connection mean that its video downlink is also unreliable. In comparison, DJI offers its highly advanced and proprietary Lightbridge 2 video downlink technology.

Yuneec Typhoon H has a smaller operating range – about a kilometer – against a DJI Phantom 4 comparison, which can be safely controlled from over five kilometres away. One may think the Typhoon wifi problem is a function of how far the drone is from the ground. In fact, Typhoon wifi problems have been reported at a wide variety of ranges – from 30 feet to 500 feet. Considering the extent of Typhoon wifi problems, experts have concluded that DJI’s RC quadcopter is obviously a better machine than the more expensive Typhoon H.

One of the big promises made to the market when Yuneec announced its alliance with Intel was better navigation and safer flights. Unfortunately, the Yuneec Intel partnership has had no impact on the Typhoon wifi outage. Pilots are more frustrated than ever, and market analysts are just negative in their outlook.

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What a bad Yuneec customer service

I am an experienced pilot, both full-size fixed- and rotary-wing and RC. This Yuneec Typhoon Q500 flies wonderfully, both with and without GPS lock, and functions as advertised EXCEPT: BE ADVISED YOU CANNOT CONTROL A GOPRO WITH THIS UNIT.

Took a 30-minute phone call with Yuneec to even determine this, because it’s not documented at all.

In addition, there were missing parts (no SD card in the package) and even after the phone call to Yuneec, and after they told me they would send me the card, nothing happened. I also ‘ordered’ the 4K camera to mount on the hard point, so as to ‘convert’ my unit to the Typhoon quadcopter, but apparently my order got lost by the tech I spoke with and ten days later I still have that crappy GoPro gimbal, which itself doesn’t hold camera steady under ANY conditions.

Disappointed…

Later,I heard so many complaints about Yuneec customer service, just one example here.

“I elected to go with Yuneec because of the customer service reputation.I was very pleased with the Yuneec Typhoon quadcopter, so much so that I purchased another Yuneec drone as backup should anything go wrong.

It did, big style. First I installed the camera off the new one to test it out and the copter behaved independently crashing and breaking one side of the slide mount off the gimbal.

I ran the GUI and everything checked out. So, the next flight it again goes off at a tangent and took a notion to take a swim and drowned. It behaved as if a rotor was missing but I could see that all were still in place so I am guessing a motor packed up.I’m wary of using the new one until I can determine what actually happened.

Yuneec promised to send a new one or replace at a “deep discount” dependent on the cause.Now they say the telemetry files are unreadable (I can read them????)They also promised to email me a return form to have the second camera (the first is still with the fish) repaired.

The Yuneec return form email promise was over a week ago.The post office would have been quicker i am sure. Beginning to think my desire to obtain an Yuneec drone Typhoon H is not a good idea after all.”

Yuneec customer service and warranty are a joke.

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Yuneec DJI comparison – Phantom drones make it an uneven battle

The Yuneec DJI comparison is a popular topic among drone enthusiasts given the fact that DJI and Yuneec are probably two of the most important players in the consumer drones market so the battle between them is quite fierce.

Yuneec has been putting a lot of effort to challenge DJI, which currently enjoys the biggest market share in the consumer drone market. Yuneec DJI comparison reports or reviews often put a model from each UAV drone manufacturer side-by-side and compare their specs and performances. The most common Yuneec DJI comparison standard is the Yuneec Typhoon H vs DJI Phantom 4 benchmarking.

DroneCompares has done a lot of Yuneec DJI comparison work and almost all the commentators agree that the Phantom 4 has a much better camera than the Typhoon H. While the Yuneec drone has similar specs – both cameras being QHD and high megapixels – the Phantom delivers final outputs that are clearer, sharper and crisper. If you ask a neutral analyst about which camera is the winner in Yuneec DJI comparison, expect to hear that Phantom 4 offers better video quality. The captured aerial videos are crispier with better dynamic range and more ‘natural’ colour contrasts.

And it’s not just the quality of images and video footage that determine the Yuneec DJI comparison. DJI Phantom 4 reviews endorse its proprietary Lightbridge 2 technology and the best available video downlink solution. A Yuneec DJI comparison based on live video streaming is therefore obviously in favour of DJI.

One of the biggest advantages of the Phantom over the Yuneec Typhoon H is the DJI drone’s much greater flight range, first person view and altitude range. Certainly, Phantom 4 wins in terms of control range over Typhoon H in a Yuneec DJI comparison, allowing the Phantom about five times higher distance flights.

In terms of ease of operating the drones, a Yuneec DJI comparison seems evenly poised towards DJI. Both UAVs come in as ready to fly, which mostly means there’s no assembly required – just charge the batteries and fly. However, a closer Yuneec DJI comparison reveals that it takes much longer to get the Typhoon airborne due to the long time it takes to pair with the control unit and to lock its GPS.

Contrary to the Typhoon H unboxing experience, where after few flights you will find that you need to purchase additional accessories, the DJI Phantom 4 package is very rich. Some factors that differentiate the Yuneec DJI comparison are the carrying case, the battery, the remote control unit and, of course, the DJI GO app.

On a Yuneec DJI comparison, both models have a nice design in their own ways. Doing a Yuneec DJI comparison solely based on the looks of the drones is difficult. Some people love the rugged and aggressive look of the Yuneec Typhoon while a lot of people appreciate the clean, contemporary, elegant lines of the DJI Phantom 4.

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The typical Yuneec drone:Yuneec Typhoon H

Yuneec is the Chinese aircraft manufacturer that’s giving DJI a run for its money. Yuneec has launched a series of typhoon Yuneec drone models Typhoon H,Typhoon G and Typhoon Q500. As the Typhoon H is the advanced Yuneec drone model,finally it came to my choice.

In this article, I’d like to share some information of Yuneec drone model Typhoon H to you.

The first thing you notice about this monster is its size. The six arms can fold down for easy storage, but it’s a lot more fun to have this sitting around like a giant flying face-hugger waiting to unleash havoc. Once you get over the initial shock of the drone’s size you’re surprised by its simplicity. Except for a fiddly gimbal under the legs, it is about as elegant a piece of consumer electronics as I’ve seen in a long time.

This six-rotor flying machine is actually a camera platform. The webcam-like ball camera on the rotating gimbal records video in 4K UHD 30fps or 1080p 120fps. It can also take 12-megapixel photos.

Charging the battery takes a few hours and it lasts for about 15 minutes of hard flying. There are multiple warnings when you’re about to run out of juice, and the drone will lower itself toward the ground if it’s about to hit empty. You can lift the landing pads up and out of the way with the flip of a switch and you have full 360-control of the camera.

There is also a little “wizard” controller that lets you point the drone in different directions like a Wii controller, allowing for one person to control the flight pattern and another to record images and video.

The drone also has obstacle avoidance and a fairly robust landing system. When it gets too close to a tree or building, the drone will tend to move away from the obstacle. And when you bring it down it will, for the most part, slow itself down. In many cases, however, I noticed that the drone experienced a bumpy landing on almost every surface including cement. Unless you slam down the power button as quickly as possible, the thing will tip and you’ll be out a few propellers.

The best things of the Typhoon H is that it’s amazingly easy to fly even for the beginners. The obvious worst thing about this drone is the price. At $1,200 you could get a few DJI drones. I’d also worry a bit about the camera and gimbal. The entire enclosure is made of plastic and it cannot survive a direct hit with the ground unscathed. Luckily the big landing gear bears most of the weight when the drone comes down too fast but a direct hit on the camera with a tree branch or overhang can cause some major damage. It’s easy enough to replace the pieces but it’s a bit frustrating.

Despite not being a true “game changer”, the Yuneec drone will likely sell well and satisfy many users, especially those who desire a simpler out-of-the-box experience.

 

 

 

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What sets DJI Phantom 4 and Yuneec Typhoon H apart?

With all of the core specifications being similar such as flight time, 4K camera, obstacle avoidance,what sets DJI Phantom 4 and Yuneec Typhoon H apart?

Currently the Phantom 4 wins because of its lower price (when you include the realsense module on the Yuneec Typhoon H). Although the obstacle avoidance system is not perfect (especially with small objects like smaller tree branches), the fact that it also allows for visual object tracking makes it easier to record professional looking videos with ease by keeping your subject in shot as you fly around (most of the time). However if you prefer to film yourself doing stuff from the drone, then the Yuneec Typhoon H follow me functionality is better when using the wizard wand as it still relies on GPS to track you.

The key feature of these two flagship drones of 2016 is the fact that they include object avoidance / anti collision technology. This is a game changer as it takes the safety factor of flying your drone to the next level. This means that when you are flying and your drone detects that it is approaching an obstacle in front of it like a person, tree, or a building, the autopilot will take over and stop your quadcopter, preventing a crash.

Both the Phantom 4 and Yuneec Typhoon H have the ability for obstacle avoidance to prevent you crashing. Assuming you upgrade to the realsense module on your Typhoon H, the performance should be similar as I don’t think the basic ultrasonic sensor will be very useful for smaller obstacles like poles. So what sets the two apart?

For starter the price, when you add the realsense module the overall unit price will be more than the Phantom 4. That said the key thing here is that because the typhoon as a 360 degree gimbal it means that for obstacle avoidance it’s much more useful. If you are flying your Phantom backwards, it’s got no way of detecting an obstacle. If flying the Typhoon you can fly it forwards to the realsense module will detect obstacle, but you can turn the camera gimbal to face backwards allowing you to look backwards without needing to worry about crashing into something.

So there you have it, I tried to keep things brief so you get the basic idea.Which do you prefer the Phantom 4 or Typhoon H and why? Or do you prefer neither?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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An up and a down side of Yuneec Typhoon H

Yuneec Typhoon H,the flagship of Yuneec drone.In this article,we here analyse the up and a down side of the drone.

The first thing you notice about Yuneec Typhoon H is its size. The six arms can fold down for easy storage, but it’s a lot more fun to have this sitting around like a giant flying face-hugger waiting to unleash havoc.

The Yuneec Typhoon H also has obstacle avoidance and a fairly robust landing system. When it gets too close to a tree or building, the drone will tend to move away from the obstacle.

The good

The Yuneec Typhoon H is amazingly easy to fly. Getting it up into the air is as simple as pressing a button and the controls are unique if a little odd in that, when set in their default configuration, forward is always forward for the drone. In other words, if you’re facing North and push the left stick forward the drone will fly north. If you turn to face East and you press forward, the Yuneec drone will fly East. It’s an odd experience.

The Yuneec Typhoon H controller looks complex at first but there’s not much to worry about when you’re taking the drone through its paces. In short, you’re basically dealing with a powerful drone with a powerful internal computer and you practically can’t crash it unless you’re reckless.

The Bad

The obvious worst thing about this Yuneec Typhoon H is the price. At $1,200 you could get a few Parrot drones or an old Phantom 4. However, the features and power of this Yuneec Typhoon H drone make it well worth a look if you’re in the market for a mobile camera platform.

I’d also worry a bit about the camera and gimbal.The entire enclosure is made of plastic and it cannot survive a direct hit with the ground unscathed. Luckily the big landing gear bears most of the weight when the Yuneec Typhoon H comes down too fast but a direct hit on the camera with a tree branch or overhang can cause some major damage. It’s easy enough to replace the pieces but it’s a bit frustrating.

I’m also slightly concerned about Yuneec drone support. Yuneec is a smaller company in California and I’d be concerned about follow-up support if your drone goes into the drink. I didn’t have trouble getting a new landing gear after a crash, though, so they’re definitely doing their best to be responsive.

 

 

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Better to avoid Intel RealSense add-on for Yuneec Typhoon H?

Early buyers of Yuneec Typhoon H face a choice.

How will the Intel RealSense collision avoidance system be added-on to Yuneec Typhoon H models bought earlier this year without the unit? That’s a big question and one that raises issues of cost, reliability and warranty coverage.

These concerns started earlier this year as Yuneec forum threads exploded with questions on the new Yuneec Typhoon H models.

“I’m confused, is the Typhoon H available with the Intel crash avoidance? Just on the site and the H that is there doesn’t mention this,” wrote Vicki Felmlee in March

Her question was answered by Mr. Burns, another Yuneec Typhoon H user.

“Early models will not have the intel system fitted. It will be a bolt on after purchase or you will be able to buy complete, but neither will be available until June.”

That June date has come and gone with the latest news in August suggesting problems fitting the unit on the Yuneec Typhoon H. Yuneec has had well-documented production glitches for the Typhoon H series that have been also linked to a growing backlog of warranty repairs for the Yuneec Q500 4K. The Typhoon series evolution from the RC quadcopter Q500 models stands out for its six-blade or hexacopter offering at twice the price – nearly $1,300.

Yuneec launched the Q500+ in 2015 and the Yuneec Q500 4K quickly followed running at $899. The big leap in price for the Yuneec Typhoon H raised eyebrows, especially when a comparison of the DJI Phantom 4 vs the Yuneec Typhoon H is done. The DJI Phantom series is more stable in flight while awaiting controller commands, thanks to Lightbridge 2 proprietary technology that enables fast, smooth and reliable downlinks over a longer range.

But for the Yuneec Typhoon H the main add-ons from the Q500 4K outside of the extra two flying rotors was a 360-degree rotatable gimbal and a front-facing ultrasonic module. Not bad to have, but the lower cost DJI Phantom 4 can already rotate the drone body 360 degrees while airborne.

That brings us back to the Intel RealSense feature for the Yuneec Typhoon H – a technology used on laptops and sometimes worn atop helmets by bikers during races – but still not widely field tested in drones. It’s possible however that Yuneec may bite the bullet and at least let early Yuneec Typhoon H owners get access, especially since DJI is already ahead of the game as the DJI Phantom 4 comes standard with their version of collision avoidance.

It seems Yuneec has missed other opportunities with the Yuneec Typhoon H, including with the backpack as feedback from distributors and customers that getting the cover over the hard-shell version takes a few days of stretching and that placing the foam into the carrier means to get a sequence exactly correct of inserting both foam pieces (with, or without drone) before permanently attaching the top foam piece.

Afterwards, buyers are advised to carefully zip the pack closed, and allow it to sit for 1-3 days to properly stretch.

 

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Phantom 4 compares Yuneec Typhoon H on Flight Features for Filmmaking

Drones are an amazing new tool for content creators at all levels. In the past, only skilled operators could capture the best shots and 2 operators are often needed, one for the drone and one for the camera. Using intelligent flight features, a second operator is not always necessary.

To give you an idea of the intelligent flight features that are out there, let’s look at the features available on the DJI Phantom 4 and the Yuneec Typhoon H.

Point of Interest

Both the Inspire and Typhoon have the Point of Interest feature. This will allow the user to orbit around a subject at a predetermined speed and height. This is a very difficult more for an inexperienced pilot. Try adjusting the height in flight for an amazing spiral effect.

Waypoints / Curve Cable Cam

With these features, you can create a pre-determined fight path so that concentration can be focused on the camera. Once the points are set, the drone will continue to fly the path over at over at the set speed. This can allow for multiple takes with exactly the same drone path.

Following a Subject

This is one area where the Phantom 4 clearly prevails. With the Phantom’s ActiveTrack mode, the user can drag their finger over any subject, such as a person that is walking or biking, and it will follow that object. The Typhoon H only has Orbit Me mode which will orbit around the operator, which is typically not what would be needed for a creative film unless it is about a drone pilot.

Collision Avoidance

The two drones both have technology built-in to avoid obstacles. The Phantom 4 and the Typhoon H have sensors in the front and on the bottom. Though the Typhoon employs RealSense technology that they have developed with Intel, the Phantom 4 in practice has performed at a much higher level.

Course Lock / Home Lock

The Phantom 4 also comes with features Course Lock, which keeps the drone pointing in the same direction, and Home Lock, which makes it easier to fly further and closer to the home point. The only comparison on the Typhoon H is Journey which flies the drone out to a set distance instead of the variable distance that the Phantom 4 allows.

Return to Home

Lastly, these drones have safety features that allow them to come back to where they started at the push of a button or if signal is lost. DJI now puts a Home button in all of its products.

Overall, while there’s no substitute for a good pilot, intelligent flight features make it much easier to capture incredible shots with minimal effort. By mastering these features, you’ll be miles ahead of most filmmakers. Just be sure to always fly safely and use technology wisely to create great projects. As Toy Story Director John Lasseter said, “the art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.”

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How will Yuneec fare in getting Typhoon H Pro features up to speed?

Yuneec has set out to provide a host of delicate new features on the Typhoon H Pro and that has more than a few users worried that the initial cost will only grow quickly as the inevitable need for third-party accessories and replacements for damaged parts comes into play.

Already reports are out that the retractable landing gear has had issues and at times halts, making the flying profile more awkward. Other problems stemming from the landing gear mean moving around placements for the Intel Realsense module and figuring out an entire new production line sequence.

Of course UAV drone manufacturers normally go through teething issues to bring models up to scratch and invite a feedback loop from beta, or early, users who can help tweak R&D efforts.

Forums say Yuneec is along in that process, but as seen in the past with its internal WiFi card and related issues with GPS, fixing problems means sending units back to the head office where they pile up in need of attention as engineers in the company try and move ahead on new models.

At stake in that back-and-forth on the old and new is the real prospect of quality getting sidelined as a user, Andrew Z., in an August video posting showed.

“Just got my Yuneec Typhoon H Pro last week and took it to my overseas trip. 1.5 hours into flying it crashes into lake with no warning. There was a message on screen about 5 engine failures or something like it.”

And the feedback from fellow users then highlighted other probable causes, including issues that harken back to the Yuneec Q500.

“You know, that looks much like a battery failure, flying fine then no warning falls from sky then lights up the ST16,” said Batfire.

“Seen this myself with my copters but fortunately was only 2 foot off ground when failed. There is a lag time from bird to transmitter. The Yuneec batteries are not good batteries from the get go … check the resistance of a new one verses other brands and you will see. That’s why I replace them as soon as I get a high resistance battery. I saw this with the Q500 batteries and only use them in my land drones, no flying with those batteries due to this very issue.”

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Yuneec Typhoon H Backpack has very poor quality and design

When I bought the Yuneec Typhoon H, I didn’t get a backpack and after breaking enough little parts by having it rattle around in the back of my car, I knew a backpack would be the first accessory I’d buy with my Typhoon H that I just got a few weeks ago.

I really considered getting some of the other backpack on Amazon made for the Yuneec Typhoon H but after reading a lot of reviews, I just saw too many comments from people who said it never quite fit the Yuneec Typhoon H properly. I think the reason this is an issue with so many of the third party Yuneec Typhoon H backpack is that the manufacturers own one model of the Yuneec and make the backpack for it, but it doesn’t fit all of the slightly different models. That’s a key reason to get this official Yuneec Typhoon H backpack. But this official back pack still does not fit well!

The zipper is the first thing I look at when reviewing bags because they are often not sewn well, or are too tight and eventually break.  Really disappointed that this backpack cannot zip with the foam inside it and too tight to open it and close it like you put a big guy in the skinny pants. If I were to force the zipper it would break. There is no other material to pull or gather to place the two zippers closer together.

Also I do have some durability concerns with the material on the outside of the bag. It seems to scratch pretty easily.  I don’t think this Yuneec Typhoon H backpack can offer a great protection to my drone.

Also, I don’t like that the styrofoam on the top of this Yuneec Typhoon H backpack the lid is not glued in. Mine keeps shifting and I have to keep putting it back in its spot when shutting the pack. I think I’ll just get some glue and put mine in permanently.

One thing I am not satisfied about the build of this Yuneec Typhoon H backpack is that it has four feet on the back of the case so when you set it down, the bag is propped up on the ground directly, which is bad and will cause some scratchings.

The straps on the Yuneec Typhoon H backpack really too thin you’d miss the straps on a typical school backpack (like a Jansport). And there is no waist belt, which I usually like to have, but doesn’t really matter on this pack because all you’re holding in the pack is an ultralight quadcopter.

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Hardware or software in Yuneec Typhoon H not a match to the DJI Phantom 4

In any DJI Phantom 4 vs Yuneec Typhoon H comparison, the Yuneec Typhoon H UAV has consistently lagged behind the DJI RC quadcopter models on a number of important features – the areas of gap include both hardware and software.

At first glance, a DJI Phantom 4 comparison against the Yuneec Typhoon H makes them look like similar drones with comparable features. DJI, the largest UAV drone manufacturer in the world, demonstrates its advanced technological excellence and human capital on a regular basis.

The demonstration of the superior R&D at DJI includes the DJI Go app, an all-in-one mobile platform to control all aspects of a DJI Phantom 4 from a smart device. All this investment has helped DJI secure more than 500 patents worldwide.

The Yuneec Typhoon H – the first Yuneec drone to be launched since the Yuneec Intel partnership was announced in 2015 – doesn’t have an answer to this level of innovation underway at DJI.

Unlike the Yuneec Typhoon H, the DJI Phantom 4 is bolstered by an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that allows the DJI RC quadcopter to remain stable and stationary while waiting for pilot commands. The Phantom 4 has a dual IMU system.

On the other hand, the Yuneec Typhoon H is incapable of detecting non-gravitational acceleration for the three axes of the drone. Nor does the Yuneec Typhoon H measure orientation and rotation within a 3D spinning wheel. The Yuneec Typhoon H simply depends on its sonar detectors and GPS to track and navigate. The IMU collects flight data to improve flight safety and ensure robust systems – these are areas where the Yuneec Typhoon H clearly lags behind.

While reviewing the Yuneec Typhoon H, experts have taken into consideration both the software aspects and the hardware specs. For any drone, the software that supports the bird is just as important as the hardware that makes it possible for the drones to fly. Compared to the Yuneec Typhoon H, DJI’s Phantom 4 is supported by best-in-class software that has features like ActiveTrack and TapFly. ActiveTrack offers visual tracking and features that allow a pilot to control the drone by tapping on a tablet or smart device.

Lightbridge 2 is yet another proprietary technology that features in the DJI drones but not found in any Yuneec Typhoon H. A Yuneec drone offers video downlink that is often inconsistent and unreliable. On the other hand, DJI Lightbridge 2 technology delivers fast, smooth, and reliable live streaming. Lightbridge 2 actually enables the Phantom 4 to stream from a range longer than all other comparable drones in the market.

The Yuneec Typhoon H, the flagship Yuneec drone, launched with an Intel RealSense module as its flagship flight safety and collision avoidance feature.

The DJI Phantom 4 includes a much more reliable state-of-the-art optical avoidance system with forward-facing sensors and cameras. It is a tested and trusted feature that has so far performed better than the Typhoon H RealSense technology featured in a Yuneec Typhoon H.

 

 

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Yuneec Typhoon H520 overview

Yuneec is announcing a new drone Typhoon H520, a six-rotor drone for commercial applications. It looks very much like the Typhoon H drone (but is bright orange for high visibility), building off the six-rotor platform (that is capable of flying under emergency situations with just five rotors) while incorporating commercial-grade cameras and applications for high-end commercial use. 

Like the Typhoon H, Yuneec Typhoon H520 has a 360-degree, 3-axis gimbal with retractable landing gear, forward obstacle detection, dual operator support, and a the large ST16 remote with an integrated 7-inch tablet. Camera options include the CGO-ET dual thermal RGB camera, CGO-CI seven-element inspection-ready camera and CGO-3+ which is the same bundled with the Typhoon H.

It also packs more powerful motors and propellers to deliver a higher top speed, and the CGO-ET is another option. It’s a dual-lens model, with one lens capturing infrared and the other recoding residual light. You can set which temperature ranges it detects, making it an ideal choice for search-and-rescue, building inspection, firefighting, and law enforcement use.

Finally there’s the CGO-CI, a traditional 4K video camera with a standard-angle 50mm field of view. It features an all-glass lens for improved video and image quality, and makes it possible for the drone to be further way from objects while still capturing them in exquisite detail. Cinematographers will appreciate the tighter field of view, as it produces a very different aerial shot than the ultra-wide cameras typically used with drones.

We’ll update the pricing and availability as Yuneec sets.

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Why I returned my Typhoon H!

First off, I am not here to talk bad about Yuneec drone or say that people shouldn’t buy the Typhoon H, I am just explaining the reasons I returned it. The first one I got a big time camera issues and it took a month to get a new camera. I was using a Phantom 3 Standard and was wanting to get into making serious video projects, so I decided it was time for an upgrade.

Reasons I wanted the Typhoon H:
*Retractable landing gear- I saw this as an awesome feature for un-interrupted filming.
*360 gimbal- I really liked the Pan dial for precise panning.
*Ground Station- one big reason I wanted it was because I loved the controlled and built in display.

Reasons I returned it:
*Software- A big reason I returned it was because of the software. Compared to DJI Go or Litchi, it’s like going from an iPhone to a flip phone. It just seems very cheaply made and is not nearly as functional as DJI software, and lacks a lot of critical information for flying that the DJI offers, especially in the gps and tracking abilities. Also, it doesn’t seem to hover very stable. I feel that at the moment this is Yuneec’s biggest problem.

*Camera- For me the camera quality is a bit off the Phantom 4, both in the fact that it has a very wide field of view, it focuses on object that I very close rather than far away, which when you’re flying it should be focused further away, and the 1080P 120fps is just completely useless quality.

*Build quality- For me the build quality made me a bit nervous, especially the camera and gimbal. While I love the few carbon fiber pieces, the rest feels like a problem waiting to happen. The arm hinges felt pretty weak, when I would takeoff I could see them flex, and the body plastic is very thin and you can easily flex it. Bottom line, it just feels much more vulnerable then let’s say the Phantom 4.

CONCLUSION:
On paper I love the Yuneec Typhoon H, that’s why I bought it, but to me it seemed they rushed it. If it had the quality of the Phantom 4 software and build quality I no doubt would buy it again. For those of you who fly or buy the H, it is still a good drone, and hopefully they will develop new software, make some camera adjustments and generally just improve it for the future. But that was why I returned it and bought the Phantom 4, which I love so far but they have been around a lot longer so I have high hopes for Yuneec!

 

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