Problems with Micro Mosquito

[clbalmain]

I just purchased a Radio Shack Micro Mosquito and am having some problems with it out of the box. When I throttle up for liftoff, it cuts on and off every few seconds. The blades will spin up and it will come close to lifting off or just get off the ground, and then it will cut out. Also, when I plug it in to recharge, the charge LED on the base doesn't turn on, so I suspect it's not charging properly. Has anyone similar problems with these models?

[DebianDog]

I might guess you are the first one here with one :wink:

Moving to micros

[Jermo]

I haven't had any issues with mine nor has my uncle. I got one for my lovely bride and son to play with (until I can get them to at least try the CX then the T-Rex), and my Uncle is battling cancer so I got him one to play with.

It sounds like there may be a loose connection inside. I'd just exchange it at the store for another one. They don't fly well but it's good for giggles.
Jermo

[clbalmain]

Yeah, unfortunately I bought it off eBay so we'll see if the seller's willing to take it back. It was in an unopened box, but I'm not sure what it's history was.

[Jermo]

sounds like an intermittent connection to the battery. Are you by chance good with electronics..etc?
Jermo

[clbalmain]

Unfortunately, no, I'm no good with electronics. However, based on what I'm seeing, I don't think it's a battery problem. For example, the tail rotor always comes on when commanded, and the LEDs are always on. I'm thinking it's either a problem with the onboard commanding to the main rotor or the transmitter.

[Jermo]

I was thinking wiring to the batteries since charging doesn't function as expected *shrug*, makes me wonder of the batteries are getting charge ??
Jermo

[clbalmain]

The other problem is that I'm not sure that the batteries aren't charging. All I know is that, when I plug it in, the charging LED on the stand doesn't light up. But I played with the helicopter for about thirty minutes last night, plugging it in every now and then, and it never acted like it had less power. But given the control problem I was having, it was hard to tell.

[clbalmain]

To help with the diagnosis, I've made a video of the stuttering problem. Note that during the entire run time of the video, I had the throttle maxed out - I never cut it back. May help if you turn the sound on so you can hear the motor cutting on and off.

http://www.vimeo.com/clip:141430

[Jermo]

hold full forward cyclic and tell me if the tail does the same thing, also what does your TX power bar graph show? just fumbling in the dark to try and help :)
Jermo

[clbalmain]

The tail rotor (which on this model controls pitch, not yaw) responds when it's on the ground. If I try to do it while also trying to throttle, it cuts in and out as well.

Jermo, what's the TX power bar graph?

[Jermo]

On the Transmitter (box you hold with knobs), there's a row of lights that shows how much battery you have left in the transmitter. if the lights are all on then it's full, if they are all off the batteries in the TX need to be replaced.
Jermo

[clbalmain]

The transmitter only has a single LED to indicate on/off.

[Jermo]

oops..had the TX's confused..sorry...and yes I know all about how the mosquito flies :D sounds like maybe one of the motors may have an issue. no idea. sorry man.
Jermo

[clbalmain]

Well, thanks anyway for the help. I'm hoping the manufacturer will take it back without a receipt.

[R1Time]

you should take it back and get a new one. ive had mine since sept/oct ? and it flys very well.

[clbalmain]

Just talked to the manufacturer and they said to ship it back and they'll replace it. Shipping from Houston to Toronto will be pricey, but hopefully it'll be worth it.