Impressive CRASH......could it be the radio ?

[Adrenaline]

Hi Freaks, just wanted to share with you this very bad experience i had yesterday on the flying field (fortunately).

As i got to the field and after filling my 700 LE i started the engine and to my surprise the elevator trims were completely out...i'd thought just a simple issue let's reset them and continue flying...
...i started off with an inverted flight and went for an inside loop and that's when everything went mad, the inside loop was brillant but could no longer stabilise the heli, it went on and on in loops until .......... the Crash !! It was as if i had no more response from my radio a Futaba T 12 FGH...:arggg:

This is the second time that i encounter such a problem, the first time, i thought i did something wrong but yesterday, i realized that it could be the damn radio !
The 2nd Opinion i have is that it could could be the plastic ball link on the blade holder that failed???

Having no choice, i have decided to send my radio to Futaba Japan as we do not have any service centre nearby Mauritius.

Has any one encountered such an issue?

Thanks for your usual positive comments and suggestions,:hug:

Brian

[Liposition]

I hate it for you. Although an expensive one, I hope you find your culprit.

[mikmerl]

Adrenaline
Just speculation of course going by your description.
Crashing is a major bummer but not knowing why is downright distressing as it may occur again.
IMHO I don’t think that your loss was because of a failed blade grip ball link. If that was the case the helicopter would have gone down like a homesick missile. (I have seen that happen)
You mentioned a similar reoccurrence and the fact that it continued to fly albeit in loops possibly means that the helicopter was mechanically sound but locked into a specific flight path by the servos, I believe that points to potential radio problem.
I would thoroughly check/replace the electronics before putting that 700 in the air again.

[Adrenaline]

Thanks Mike for your comments.
In fact, this Heli is almost new (less than a Gallon) and had never crashed it before....
The first thing i did was to strip the elevator servo to find some hints but nothing, it seemed to be just fine.
The more i think of it and the more i condemn the radio.
Just after purchasing this radio, maybe 2 months later i was confronted to a major issue with it as when you entered on either the pitch or throttle menus, the pointer was offset. In other words, when you had your throttle stick at -100, it would show on the graph -30 !!
I had to send my radio with all the hassle back to HKong where i purchased it and they re-installed the software.
I must say this is really disappointing for such an expensive radio !
Regards,
Brian

[mikmerl]

Have you tried starting a thread in the Futaba Radios and Electronics (http://helifreak.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32) section of Helifreak to see if anybody else with your model of Tx has a had similar symptoms?
Quite honestly if I was not sure of the integrity of my systems I would replace them. Other than placing your helicopters in jeopardy they can also be lethal. Try through a process of elimination to isolate the cause but this particular Tx seems to have given reason to doubt its reliability.
I know that handing out advice is easy (and cheap for the advisor) but I would purchase a new Tx if I suspected it.
I don’t think that I would go down the unsure path of getting it repaired (unless it was by the manufacturer).
Sometimes the most expensive route is the cheapest.

[kovar]

Man that does suck, I have flown futaba for years and have never ***knock on wood*** seen issues like that...


Is your radio a 2.4 or the pcm system? If its not 2.4, it might be a frequency overlap..

[mikmerl]

If Brian's problem is radio related it's not because it's FUTABA

The specific model he is using is a great radio but the specific one may have issues.

I prefer and have been flying JR for years but recognise FUTABA as being on par one of the top brands.

[Adrenaline]

Hi Guys,
Mike is absolutely right ! Futaba is a Great Brand but sometimes one's unlucky and this time seems to be me :(
Mike I will post a thread in the radio section and again you are RIGHT when you say that this Heli could be LETHAL !
I really don t want to know what could have happened last saturday.... In fact i was the first and only one flying on the field when i Crashed...
I have contacted RADAR RC Shop in HonG Kong and have asked them if it would be possible for them to send my radio to JAPAN .
I keep my fingers crossed that they can froward it for repairs but i'm still waiting for a favourable answer.....:roll:
In any case, i am already looking for a new radio, would love to buy the same one as the programmes are great but it really costs a fortune.....:(
so, i am contemplating to buy a 10 C !
Cheers,
Brian

[N0FEAR]

Sorry about your misfortune. I fly a 12fgh and have had no problems at all.

By the sounds of things your gimbals are not correctly calibrated. When the 12FG was first released I heard of a few instances where the stick position did not matchup with the position on the display.

The only way to correct this issue was to send it in to Futaba and have them re-calibrate the TX. A software re-install would not fix the issue.

Paul.

[Adrenaline]

Hi Paul,
In fact, the first time i had issues with the gimbals when they re-loaded the software the radio was re-calibrated as well !
but in the cas of this crash, the calibration was not the issue, seemed like i had no authority other the elevator......quite strange !
Cheers,
Brian