Self-made ​​s800 retractable landing gear.

heli001

heli001

Triple Tree Aerodrome
Remember that there is a fourteen hour time difference (for us on the east Coast of the US) when expecting a response. They are very quick to respond to any question....just state your question very simply, as there is also the language barrier.....You will find Sang to be the best when it comes to customer service. These guys have been around for a long time so feel safe in dealing with them and their shipping times still amazes me........espicially at this time of year. Customs does not seem to be much of a problem for items coming out of Korea....China is a whole different story.....
 


V

vislaw

Member
Just got the Secraft retracting landing gear. I'm very pleased and impressed with the quality. We have a second s800 and will be picking up the DJI retractables tomorrow for it so I can have a direct comparison for you all.
 

Dale UK

Dale UK

Member
That will be very interesting!

BTW - This is the next 'must have Multi accessory'! - joking apart, interesting twist on landing gear with low slung payloads - would need to be accurate on the landings though!!

 
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V

vislaw

Member
Just finished installing the new Secraft retracts. ... Appreciated the tips on this thread. Definitely made a huge difference to keep the arms on in order to install and align.

Haven't hooked up the servos yet, but will plan to fly tomorrow if the weather is clear and will shoot some video. My initial impression is extremely favorable as to the design and manufacturing of the components.
 

MombasaFlash

MombasaFlash

Heli's & Tele's bloke
heli001 said:
.....Customs does not seem to be much of a problem for items coming out of Korea....
Click to expand...

That depends. With the full value stated on the packing slip I got slammed by French Customs. Actually, to be more accurate the duty component is bearable, it is the additional administration charges that the French slap on top that are excessive. Greedy bastards.

Anyway, as for the Secraft retracts, they have not been flown yet but they have been fitted and tested. Various logic switch combinations on the Futaba 12Z ensure that they can only be activated under specific conditions and cannot suddenly dump the Z15 into the ground. So they certainly work but I would like them to be a bit smoother on the way down. Really, really juddery. Interestingly, all this jerking and juddering still doesn't find its way to the video image. That Z15 is pretty amazing!

No sooner had the Secraft retracts arrived than an email did from Secraft informing me (and a bunch of others around here, judging by the CC email addresses) that there is a potential fault where "... We have found sometimes stop of Retracting Landing Gear ...". No real description of what happens other than "stop of Landing Gear", although they also claim to have a fixed it, but I am wondering if this jerky behaviour is a prelude to them "stopping". They have offered everyone in the email replacements if they have this problem. I would like to know for sure what the problem is and have it sorted BEFORE going out to fly but I don't want to unnecessarily incur another €100 of French customs duty and frais de dossier.

So, have any of you Secraft Retract purchasers come across a problem yet? And how smooth are your Retracts operating?
 

A

AEMontoya

Member
MombasaFlash said:
That depends. With the full value stated on the packing slip I got slammed by French Customs. Actually, to be more accurate the duty component is bearable, it is the additional administration charges that the French slap on top that are excessive. Greedy bastards.

Anyway, as for the Secraft retracts, they have not been flown yet but they have been fitted and tested. Various logic switch combinations on the Futaba 12Z ensure that they can only be activated under specific conditions and cannot suddenly dump the Z15 into the ground. So they certainly work but I would like them to be a bit smoother on the way down. Really, really juddery. Interestingly, all this jerking and juddering still doesn't find its way to the video image. That Z15 is pretty amazing!

No sooner had the Secraft retracts arrived than an email did from Secraft informing me (and a bunch of others around here, judging by the CC email addresses) that there is a potential fault where "... We have found sometimes stop of Retracting Landing Gear ...". No real description of what happens other than "stop of Landing Gear", although they also claim to have a fixed it, but I am wondering if this jerky behaviour is a prelude to them "stopping". They have offered everyone in the email replacements if they have this problem. I would like to know for sure what the problem is and have it sorted BEFORE going out to fly but I don't want to unnecessarily incur another €100 of French customs duty and frais de dossier.

So, have any of you Secraft Retract purchasers come across a problem yet? And how smooth are your Retracts operating?
Click to expand...

Howdy,

You might want to check out post #3308 on this thread:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1677105&page=221

AEM
 

BorisS

BorisS

Drone Enthusiast
guys having issues with the sec raft retracts installed them aligned everything and during installation I already notice that one of the units with a little pressure goes out of lock and folds up ! Hooked them put to a servos tester to see if the mechanism didn't close correctly but thats not the case. Just seems that one can't lock correctly ! Is there a way to strength the lock down or does the units just have an issue ?

Thanks

Boris
 

A

achta

Member
Boris,

they have some other Problems too,
too much space on the axis, themperatur problems
uso...
also in the V2 version...
secraft make a total new concept...
send them a email they are very helpfull,
and i hope the new V3 version much better ;-)
Will see...;)
 
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BorisS

BorisS

Drone Enthusiast
thanks michi !

took it apart didn't want to wait for their reply and I can see what the issue is. If they get an earlier mechanical resistance they lock nicely, so i could add maybe a 5mm thick piece to have them lock earlier but that doesnt make me feel confident ! Damaging your Gimbal and Cam and maybe also flipping because your landdingear dint do its job, is like braking your legs while taking of your skis :) not cool :)

Yeah lets see what V3 brings and how they respond to my mail. But tho hasn't been a good experience i must say !

Boris
 

MombasaFlash

MombasaFlash

Heli's & Tele's bloke
BorisS said:
guys having issues with the sec raft retracts ....
Click to expand...

They certainly need some further development. The first pair that arrived seemed to function okay with no sign of either getting stuck. A very quick test flight showed that they worked okay but they were extremely wobbly when in the 'down' position, so much so that I wondered if this extra vibration they were creating was getting through to the camera. When raised everything was tight. I emailed to ask precisely what is this 'sticking' problem and mentioned the loose play and Mr. Sang wrote back "we send you a replacement today". Well, that was a surprise!

So a week later v.2 arrived and were duly fitted. One of them collapsed during installation, right onto the Z15 (!!@**!), and kept doing so. Could not work out why. Then, when powered up it didn't work anyway! On top of this, their technique to alleviate the 'sticking' was to make the hinged section very slightly narrower to avoid it binding but this has only increased the mount of loose, free-play wobble.

So v.1 went back on, with some sponge pads to soak up the loose play, but there has been no opportunity to fly with all this wind and rain.

Ultimately, they look very nice out of the box and seem quite a neat solution but I do not have faith in them and they will most likely both go back for a refund.
 

BorisS

BorisS

Drone Enthusiast
MombasaFlash said:
One of them collapsed during installation, right onto the Z15 (!!@**!), and kept doing so.
Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me. Like always i have to do everything fast and without thinking so the zenmuse with the GH3 was on which both slammed to the ground ! Not so happy about it !

Since i need two anyways I think I will try the DJI originals and see whats up with them !

Thanks !

Boris
 
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K

ksrimoungchanh

Member
MombasaFlash, I agree the wobbling did concern me on working, but mine did not have any issues retracting and extended. Instead, I flew in a 28 Degree F and after a few retracts and extending, my plastic housing on the servo cracked. I notice it was wobbly, but did know how much more, till I watch it closer and closer and notice one leg was all the way cracked.. though it continued to work.. "wondered how".


This is the results in cooler weather flying.. my suspicion.. I did not have any hard landing..
View attachment 8469

I did get a fast response from Sang, that is something still worth alot. He was quick and responsive and ask me to wait for the V3. He also was quick to agree with my diagnostic, which was far from my experience on trouble shooting with other vendors.

Only thing, is that since I purchase 2 units, only one was tested in cold weather flight and crack, Sang will replace that unit. But my other unit sits on the desk after I made the video above to show Sang.

And was told that he cannot take that unit back for a V3 replacement. I am stuck with a Secraft V2 that I cannot use in my environment. Only thing :(.. Maybe I will chat with Sang again since I really cannot use this in this weather.

waiting on V3 now..:)

KS
 

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BorisS

BorisS

Drone Enthusiast
guys how do you guys communicate with secraft didnt really get a response via the website Q&A portl.

Thanks

Boris
 



heli001

heli001

Triple Tree Aerodrome
KS,

In your picture of the cracked actuator....Is the turnbuckle shaft bent, where it goes around your Vtx...? I have my turnbuckles adjusted pretty tight and I do not get that "Bounce" that you are getting. It appears that you had to bend it for clearance....of course it can be an optical illusion, from the angle of the photo.
 


MombasaFlash

MombasaFlash

Heli's & Tele's bloke
Hellish windy today but at least it wasn't raining so the S800/WKM/Z15 rig (The Virgin for short) went out for its second only flight. Pretty much a waste of time for attempting any meaningful adjustment of settings but I am still at the stage of curious if it actually flies. It has Secraft v.1 retracts and they wobble far too much when in the down position - although not as badly as v.2. They are tight enough when raised though. I tried sticking on small sponge pads to soak up the movement when down but it is finicky because too much sponge prevents them from closing and locking reliably and too little improves nothing.

Although they appear nicely made the basic design is flawed because they simply rely upon gravity to return to the down position. They might be more precise and less juddery if driven down as well as up.

I wonder what they have in mind for v.3?

Mr Heinz the kopter-pimper: Is your system driven in both directions? How do they lock at the extremes of travel?
 


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