Aloha Matt, I bought the 2450gps and other than a few small issues, it flies. Occasionally triggers RTL at 50% batt. Occasionally behaves erratically on RTL cmd. That’s what happened to my first 2450. To replace it I ordered the 2700.
Now I have major issues. First a firmware update is “available” but update appears unsucessful, app locks on blank background screen. In order to fly, update window must be "skip"ped.
The Launch function is erratic. Occasionally just lifts front end and skids out of control until crash or power button cycle. Once launched you must be ready as it drifts erratically within a 10’ (approx.) area. You have to fly carefully as it will drift aimlessly and need to be corrected. It will continue in whatever direction you are flying until stopped with a control input. Throttle control is barely adequate, and unit often does not want to climb/decend. While flying, GPS Lock goes in and out, even tho GPS is in display and controller is in normal, 17-20 satellites showing. The worst part is that while flying the controller beeps* and unit stops flying. Beeps again, and props spin back up but drone drops without ability to control it, hits ground, and attempts to keep flying. “Landing” displayed and disappears without controller input. This looks like, but is not a battery issue. (Always begin flight fully charged, new batts in controller. This problem begins at first launh, either with button or stick.
*Screen shows GPS lock on second beep but drone crashes at this point.
Drone or controller switches modes briefly without button press. It sometimes displays mode changes that I have never seen. Ardupilot has not had any changes, yet shows change(s) being made (blue highlighted items) the one time I opened it.
This drone is 50g heavier than the 2450 and appears to be unable to support it’s new weight.
The problems I had with the 2450 were minor and at least it flew. This one DOES NOT!
It crashes at least 5-6 times per charge and you cannot predict when problems are going to occur. Even in GPS mode I dare not fly it without at least 50’ square area, no wind, structures, people, etc.
I have successfully calibrated the drone and problems persist. With this drone you must remain hypervigilant or risk crashing or worse. For some reason, the controller batteries die abnormally quickly. The 2450 was a (problematic) dream by comparison! Is this a recognized situation with fixes coming, or should I return the drone?
Thanks, SE
For further consideration, the GPS Lock loss (and resulting altitude loss/crash) may have something to do with large or quick stick movements! I have to wonder if increasing the GPS unit scan rate would help? Most of the lock departures seem to come after some type of manuver is accomplished or during a descent. I also wonder about loss of voltage during manuver causing a disconnect of GPS function? I am hoping this model can be made to fly nearly as well as the 2450 even with the additional flying weight because of it’s cleaner build, nicer tx and more available features. Unfortunately, I need to make a decision within the next week about keeping this currently unpredictable drone, or go back to the comparitively crude 2450.
One last observation, my flight log shows each shutdown as a separate flight!
Thanks SE
Any suggestions on extra batteries?
Thank you
A gripe incoming.
Has anyone seen any SkyViper batteries in store? I was really hoping that with the release of new models we’d see those 1200mah batteries hitting shelves as well. But alas, there are none. Additionally, SV put a “free replacement parts for a year” guarantee on the box but several of the parts are out of stock on their site.
Seems like a launch fail to me. Which is very unfortunate. SV makes good products, but they have major supply chain and production issues.
I was really hoping to get my 2450GPS back up to flying more than 5 minutes by getting new (non-swollen) batteries…guess i’ll continue waiting.
I’m unable to update my Journey firmware and I believe it is bug in the app.
The app tells me I have new firmware available, I click Confirm
Connect to internet, and firmware downloads
After the firmware downloads, I connect to the drone to send the update
But here I can only click Skip, the UPDATE button is not clickable
It seems to be a bug in the app since the file is able to be downloaded but I can’t click the button to push it to the drone.
In the meantime, you can go here
http://firmware.sky-viper.com/Journey/stable/
Download it manually, then follow the instructions here
http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/skyrocket-software.html (Follow the Upload using APWeb Steps) <-- that needs a permalink in the wiki
I can second all of @Steve.Enomoto’s gripes here. I have a couple additional complaints:
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I find that the app takes forever to detect that my phone is connected to the drone’s wifi. Is there any trick to this? I’ve tried with the controller on and off, and have toggled wifi, force-closed the app, I can’t find any one trick to make sure that the connection is detected.
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After <2 mins of flying time, the app will warn me that the drone’s battery is low and the drone will attempt (and fail) to return to the home location, usually this just leads to the drone falling from the sky randomly. After that, the phone fails to re-connect to the drone, but I can keep flying with just the controller for a good while, so I am not sure if it is the battery that is the issue, or if the app is getting false readings. (Last time I plugged in the battery, which was definitely NOT full, it was showing as 100% in the app).
If anyone has any work arounds to the above, or a suggestion of where to report them (Sky Viper GitHub?), please do send tips!
Hi all,
For those of you having issues with the app, it seems that specific models are giving us problems (Samsung S8, etc.). Can you please provide me with the phone types you are using?
FYI, we are making progress on the mission planning aspect of the app (currently won’t arm) and will hopefully have a new version soon. However, we are still getting plagued by non-standard resolution screen phones which have button issues like mentioned above and weird UI spacing.
Any info regarding phones having issues would help us identify handsets to target.
Thanks!
Hi Steve,
Reading this info and the previous post info, it sounds like one of the 4 motors was severely deficient and causing the firmware to think it was being obstructed. Since the flight boards don’t have current sensing on them, obstruction code was written into the firmware to try and ‘see’ when throttle command was given for X amount of time before it would initiate a motor kill to try and save the motors.
We’ve seen what you described (inability to maintain position, sluggish to height, etc.) when one of the motors is greatly different than the other 3.
If you connect to the WEB AP through any browser form a device connected to the drone (192.168.99.1) you can go to the System Status page, select the Motors tab, then send commands to each motor individually. I usually set mine to around 70% throttle for about 4 seconds, making sure the frame is secure in my grip. Send each motor a command and listen to the ‘hum’ or sound of the motor as it’s spinning. All 4 should be harmonicly close to each other. If one sounds really different than the other 3, then that one is probably the culprit.
Hope that helps.
- Matt
Hi @Matt_M, my phone is an OG Google Pixel XL.
What you mentioned to Steve about the motor may very well explain some of the trouble I was having. I had one of my motos essentially grind to a halt. I took the gear out, and the tube on the gear was rather “scratchy” in the cylinder that holds it. I blew through it to see if there was any dust or other obstruction, but I don’t think that was it. A little wd40 made the movement much smoother. I’ll see if that solved the sudden “dive bombing” that I was experiencing. Is this a good place to keep a thread on these issues, or should we open a new one somewhere?
I was lucky to grab a handful of the 1200s during the summer at Wally World, for me and a friend at work. (that I recommended the SV to…!) But I’m using them on other drones as a prop gear on my v2450 is damaged and they never have restocked. It sits waiting for the part, over 6 months now. I bought the prop gear for the v2700 but it’s smaller in diameter. Because of the lack of part support on the v2450 I’m going to skip this year’s model. I’ll probably give my v2450 to my friend to make sure he has spare parts for his.
I think that is a common thought.I thought about buying the cheaper Scout, but haven’t been motivated enough to do it. But with SkyViper’s poor parts availability, combined with non-standard sized parts (and apparently the gears aren’t even interchangeable!!!) keeps me from spending the money. But, for me, the 1 reason I didn’t buy a new one is because there are no batteries! At least last year, I could snatch up a battery every now and then at WalMart, but now, there are none available. And are WAY beyond their expected life lol. They started to look like little balloons before i stopped using them. And I was only getting like 3 minutes from them anyways.
Hi Conor,
That ‘scratchiness’ you describe sounds like the copper windings inside starting to break, which is a sign of the motor beginning to deteriorate, I’m afraid. You can do some maintenance like you’ve already done to help the issue, but I’d plan on looking to get a replacement set, if possible.
6 November, 2018
I am a big fan of the Sky Viper v2450GPS!
I do not intend to sound negative in attempting to communicate experiences and suggest improvements with this drone. I have accumulated 478:54 minutes in 373 flights, reaching 234.4 feet altitude with my current 2450! My entire last flight is on video, and shows the 2450 holding position without moving. It is now tuned to hold a Learned Throttle Value of 0.3517%, which is an acceptable performance level in calm conditions. The fact that this drone can help to familarize one with Ardupilot, which I believe will play a significant role in the future of drones, is worth the price alone.
If Sky Rocket offered aftermarket type upgrade parts for the Sky Viper, I’m sure I would continue flying it. Having a ready supply of all of it’s wear parts in stock would also make a real difference. I would upgrade the frame if a rigid, fiber reinforced Cycolac version were available. I sure folks would want to buy parts to upgrade their drone. I had to have been flying with upgraded props in order to get to 234.4 feet flying from a base altitude of 4200’ asl!
Hopefully, a new, lighter, stiffer version with all the bells like GPS, barometer, AND flowhold is “on the horizon”. Brushed motors are still viable if well implemented, and the investment in the necessary
If the good folks at Sky Rocket, or anyone else for that matter, has any questions regarding the Sky Viper that I may be able to help with, feel free to LMK. Happy Flying!
SteveE
The Journey is the update to the 2450GPS with a stiffer frame. But before they would offer upgrade parts simply making spare parts and batteries available would be wise…
I have a 2450GPS also and paid $150 for it (peak Skyviper!) the day Target put them on the shelf. Countless flight hrs and am generally happy with it but mostly because I ditched the Tx right way and fly it with my Taranis with a Orange module and configure it in Mission Planner like all my other craft.
Aloha,
I didn’t notice a stiffer frame on the 2700. My 2700 had a motor fail at only :30 which is how I learned that the motor leads are soldered to the board. Have you put new motor in and do you know the tooth count on the main gear(s)? I’d like a better fly/wrench ratio and am building a similar bird (5.5" pixhawk).
Thanks se
Sorry Steve, I don’t have a 2700 . I thought the claim was the frame was stiffer but I could be wrong.
Fly/wrench ratio! Indeed 
Aloha!
I have handled a 2700 and the plastic was shinier and more brittle (feeling) so you are probably right. If the main reduc gear on the 2700 is a different size than the 2450 as I have read, SR may have been trying to address the power to weight issue. My 2450 is now down due to this gear and I wonder if one should try the 2700 version(s) as I can’t find the 2450 version. Lesson very well learned.
RESEARCH PRODUCT SUPPORT CAREFULLY BEFORE BUYING IN THE FUTURE! I found websites that specialize in drone parts. They carried most other brands but had almost nothing for SV products.
Also, I need to order and install bearings as my frame bushing to axle/reduc gear setup is getting sloppy and slow. This will obviously be a terminal problem that is already beginning to affect power transmission balance. Next?
I may end getting a Pixhawk based 5.5" or a brushless frame for the SV “board hack” done before I can get this bird flying again, which means that it’s original frame/motors would be done. Oh well, what a ($$$) pity. At least I won’t be clogging up this thread anymore.
One CAN make use of the board, as this community has done a great job with that mod.
Good luck with your SV. Keep it up! se
p.s. my last (string) frame reinforcement setup was working very well by itself, without any other frame braces. This mod shows how good the SV can be. I’ll post the video taken of/with it at some point. Impressive, as it held dead still with tiny little corrections. So cool.
Be sure to use 100#+ Spectra or Dyneema kite/fishing line that doesn’t stretch…
Luck, se