Emax Archives

EMAX is an industry leader, specifically RTF ready-to-fly, FPV first person view drones (TinyHawk). Known for speed, agility, & maneuverability; racing.

August 2, 2024September 27, 2024

Drone Accessories

Grab Your Drones, Goggles and Transmitters – We Are Racing

New FrSky Taranis Q X7S, Quadcopter Blades, Batteries and Toggle Caps

Gear – Drone Accessories

Adding our at-home, indoor flight “program” (a little tongue-in-cheek), we have new accessories, transmitters and blades – let’s race!

With our Amazon order received, we have a mixed lot of parts and accessories. It’s time to break out the racing drones again, as we needed a few bits and parts to get them flying just right. A new transmitter, a second FrSky Taranis QX7S (Carbon Fiber) Remote for a second racing drone along with blades and batteries. The goal was to fix what needed fixing and get ready for racing.

And racing we shall! With side-by-side flight, using dual transmitters, we can race real-time, with similar nano drones for indoor racing games. I’ve added toggle caps/covers for those new to quad racing – these caps provide pilots and hobbyists with visual cues and help reinforce muscle memory for which toggles are active. This aids in remote usage and recognition during take off, flight, landing and crashes.

Lastly, we are in the process of turning over our battery collection, some of which are over 4 years old. A few have problems, but around 4 to 5 remain in good or optimal shape for flight. So, with a few extra batteries (8 in total, 2 packs of 4 batteries) we can enjoy 15 – 20 minutes of real racing time, assuming normal flight ranges and pilot skill.

Drone Accessories

FrSky Case

New Taranis Transmitter

Carbon Fiber Transmitter

Transmitter with Toggles

Ready 4 Flight

Toggle Covers

Avan Blades

EMAX LiPos

Racing Drone New Blades

Racing Drone

Dual Racing Drones

For those of you interested in learning more about the drone hobby, or wanting to see more. I have one more resource for you: the Drone Racing League. The league flies all around the world, but more specifically the race in Germany. The league race took place at DHL Tower – Race 6 (EU), where drones are reaching speeds over 100mph and race skyward over skyscrapers, performing flips beyound your wildest imagination. The race features super high-end drones and professional pilots running quadcopter and competing for money! It’s crazy tech in action.

Other Drone Resources

If you’re new to quadcopter(s) and are wondering what to buy – drones, drone accessories etc., FPV (First Person View) flight, check out @Bardwells YouTube channel for all kinds of tips and fixes (my goto for FC and BetaFlight help). Most videos are extremely detailed, with the goal of getting you hooked! Shout out to Joshua, he’s a legend as his videos played a pivotal role in getting the EMAX drones bound to the original Taranis transmitter via BetaFlight. For parts, check out our shopping list, where I’ll post links to the quadcopter(s) (drones), parts, accessories and more.

We also have a number of articles on the subject matter; including the Emax TH2, drone repair, full-sized drone operation, video in flight and more. Feel free to preview those any time. Interested in a full sized video drone? Check out the DJI Phantom Pro series as well.

Although it’s been months since we posted anything related to the Taranis Q RC transmitters, more can be found here. Also, if you’re interested in more Emax lab work this two part Emax Series – Part 1 and Part 2 is a great place to start. In order would be best to explore this content, or if you want to jump to the conclusion click on Part 2 for the fix.

Before we sign off, we have to plug our own shopping list, the drone accessories will be posted on the site shortly.

January 30, 2021September 27, 2024

ReFit EMAX FC

Cut, Fit & Refit

EMAX THS & Flight Controller Board

Lab Work – EMAX Flight Controller

ReFit EMAX FC

I thought we could revisit the EMAX FC repair on the EMAX THS. I’ve want to follow up on the previous post, focusing more on the specific, showing the repair process and refitting the EMAX FC. Along the way, I’ll share additional photos of the process as well (in case you come across this article and are in a similar situation with a failing FC). Let’s cover the entire process from start to finish – disassembly process, cutting soldering, and test flight. Once again, soldering/replacing the EMAX AIO FC. Enjoy the photos.

Drone Repair Photos

New Parts

THs

EMAX FC

Drone Frame

Add Connections

Reattach Power

Once you have all the parts, fitted, soldered and ready for flight, we will need to configure the FC. Rest, bind, configure and fly, in that order. Check out the EMAX FC and BetaFlight post for more information. You can also learn more about the repair, configuration process and in-flight troubleshooting. If you are having troubles, log into the EMAX Support Portal for assistance with your EMAX products. Lastly, I want to reiterate the steps to fix the FC – Support EMAX THS, remove EMAX FC screws from the Drone PC frame, Cut/Add Connection to Board, Re-Attach New Power Connector with the Battery Carrier”. Time has moved on since the original post, I wanted to share other Emax content where applicable. If you’re looking for Emax content, give these a shot (in reverse order from this postings date) – Emax Fix Part 1 and Part 2, Quadcopter Rewire, and the TinyHawk 2.

As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

January 30, 2021September 27, 2024

EMAX FC and Betaflight

Update EMAX Flight Controller with BetaFlight

FIXED: EMAX & Configurators –

EMAX – Betaflight

Betaflight Config – Today, we (you and I) tackle some drone issues… make/model drone controller configs ((same drone, FRSKY controller profiles)), soldering/replacing EMAX AIO FC, and BETA config issues. Photos to follow.

In the meantime, sit back and relax, enjoy… enjoy the pain, the torment, cause I’ve been at this for days… Literally, days. Nothing but borrowed time; borrowed not wasted! Link above will get you your very own Betaflight configurator via Chrome extension.

FC And BetaFlight

Receiver/Modes

BetaFlight

PID Mode

BetaFlight Notes

Like most things, there are more ways to make your cake and eat it. The Chrome extension is helpful when bouncing back-and-forth between systems/releases/drones etc. I run Big Sur MacOS, Ubuntu Linux and a Win Server 7… it’s handy here, as the config remains the same, helps to maintain a certain sense of sanity. Especially when you’re a NOOB.

Two, from time to time, I run my Win7Server via MS Remote Desktop or Linux instance via Oracle’s Virtual Box. One advantage might be number of USB ports available… as you know, most MacBook Pros are limited to 3 of 4 USB-C ports. Unless you run usb ports, which I don’t care for (B.S. but that is for another day). Anyhow, regardless of how you run Betaflight, be aware of the nuances, versioning and pitfalls with each new iteration or release. T

ake notes, take screenshots, vlog about it… anything to help you remember the ‘deltas’ (change) over time. These will come in handy the next time you crash or repair your drones. Notes and support can be found here: Betaflight – Github Notes/Docs Moreover, issues came up when I swapped AIO boards, soldering power and reconfiguring modes. For more information, I posted more about the config, various configs like EmuFlight and BLHeli, look for 8/17/2020 post – Hack’r-A-Thon//

As usual leave a comment below, let us know what you’re thinking?

August 17, 2020September 27, 2024

EMAX Fix – Part 1

EMAX Repair Start

Hack-A-Thon Part 1

Lab Work – EMAX Fix – Part 1

On The Bench – TH2

Assess The Damage, Teardown

Back from the airfield, EMAX Fix – part 1. Be sure to check out the rebuild of in this series in the EMAX Quad Motor Rewire Video posted just before.

The airfield was clear, with no traffic, especially over in the helicopter and quadcopter area, so we were good to go. I unpacked the TH2 from its flight bag, got it out and up in the air with no problems. After a final check of the batteries and controller, we were ready to go. The weather was clear, and according to the flight radar, it was a clear day with mild temperatures and wind gusts of around 2-5mph. So, up we go!

Teardown

Reattach Antennae

Solder Antennae

Antennae Position

Lift is good, strong, and perhaps the easiest part of controlling the drone in flight. These drones when properly tuned , offer a smooth and vanilla flight experience. Be sure to check out the binding process using BetaFlight to bind/connect the flight controller to the remote.

There are a lot of things happening at once when flying the EMAX drones. You have to be mindful of your location, both as you ascend and descend. The flight went well, as planned/expected. I did a few loops, full power, turns, and hard bankings just to set the pace. Don’t forget to check the battery warning before your flight.

Power Leads, LED’s

Clip Leads

Resolder Leads

Clean Power Leads

Set Leads Properly

LED Seated

Now, at this point it was time to bring the TH2 home safely. As you can imagine, trouble came knocking. Damage report, minor issues included 2 LED strips out, severed antenna, severed power leads loose (+positive lead), and burned or malformed poly-frame. We fixed the issues by clipping and prepping for new wires, ordering new LED strips and poly frame, replacing the antenna, re-soldering leads, and shrink-wrapping wires where applicable.

Similar Emax status update, time has moved on since the original article and I wanted to share additional Emax content where applicable. If you’re looking for Emax content, give these a shot (in reverse order from this postings date) – ReFit Emax Flight Controller, Emax Fix Part 1 (this article) and Part 2, Quadcopter Rewire, and the TinyHawk 2.

Wrap Up Part 1

Find EMAX parts, and more, through our Amazon Affiliate links, or visit the EMAX – US Store. For additional reference, check out the UAV Performance software used to update and run the EMAX TH and FRSky Taranis QX7s controller or more from the devs of Betaflight. Own it and have fun!

August 16, 2020September 27, 2024

EMAX Fix – Part 2

TH2 Repair In Progress

eMax Fix – Hack-A-Thon Part 2

Lab Work – eMax Fix – Part 2

On The Bench – EMAX Tiny Hawk 2

In this case, we are addressing the second half of the build. Just to clarify or set the stage we have returned from the airfield with the eMax TinyHawk 2 in disparate need of repair. this is eMax Fix – Part 2. This is not the first time, nor the last time we will have this drone on the bench for repair. If you are interested in getting into drone flying, check out more EMAX Drone Kits, Drones and more here.

Total Damage, Repair

While difficult, soldering in new, nano-sized parts on these micro drones requires serious patience. Looking back, the drone may have encountered a gust of wind or air under the drone motor poly-frame; it’s hard to say. The crash wasn’t as severe as others, but the drone ended up sustaining more damage than usual. We’ve had to replace a fan blade, FC, or motor from time-to-time, but nothing like this.

Power On, Visual and Manual Checks, Power Down

LED’s Confirmed

Power On Chimes

Remove Battery

Read eMax Part 1 if you would like. Also, be sure to watch the successful rebuild video for this series EMAX Quad Motor Rewire Video which was posted just before the wrap-up article.

Additionally, similar Emax status update, time has moved on since the original article and I wanted to share additional Emax content where applicable. If you’re looking for Emax content, give these a shot (in reverse order from this postings date) – Drone Accessories, ReFit Emax Flight Controller, and TinyHawk 2.

Wrapping up the final steps, we encountered a few minor issues: 2 LED strips out, the antenna, replace positive and negative power leads, same for two of the motor wires, and a burnt out/malformed poly-frame. To fix these issues, we clipped and prepped for new wires, ordered new LED strips and a new poly frame, replace the antenna, re-soldered leads, and shrink-wrapped wires where applicable.

August 16, 2020September 27, 2024

eMax Quad Motor Rewire Video

Drone Rewire, Resolder Power On

Hack-a-thon, Patching eMax TH2

Lab Work – eMax Quad Motor Rewire Video

After the crash, the eMax TH2 needed a new Flight Controller (FC) or FC Board, motors and fan blades. A quick peek underneath, revealed that everything was good as new with the new FC, motors, copper leads, LED’s, and alarms all working as expected.

Time has moved on since this original video post, I wanted to share other Emax content where applicable. If you’re looking for Emax content, give these a shot (in reverse order from this postings date) – Emax FC, Emax Fix Part 1 and Part 2, Quadcopter Rewire video (this post), and the TinyHawk 2 mini project. More to come, stay tuned.