View Full Version : Spektrum AR6100 Rx "stuck servo" firmware bug (Mar
skripo
03-31-2007, 09:22 AM
I can't believe what I am reading. Horizon confirms a problem and offers to fix it. People say they never have a problem so they decide to continue flying one of the most dangerous models around?
Doesn't seem logical to me. Mine is on it's way to Horizon. And by the way, way to go Horizon! You have the best service around and the balls to admit defects instead of covering them up, like car companies do!
No. Horizon said
This issue only occurs under very unusual and specific circumstances and does not affect the general performance of the product
I don't fly under very unusual and specific circumstances.
My 10 year old son flies a 450 and I a 600 so even the possibility, no matter how remote, of "very unusual circumstances" occurring that can comprise the safety of spectators and pilots with a fairly powerful machine makes me jump on board and say "Sir Yes Sir! Here you go Mr. Horizon, Sir! Thank you Sir!"
Now that is logical, any argument to the contrary is not.
...So, yeah, as an indpendent businessman who's just scraping by, I'm real interested in pissing off my customers, handling product that generates no revenue, keeping stock rotated away from the possibility of sale... and on and on.
:)
Yea, I guess I was only looking at things from my perspective. It was completely selfish.
:wink:
DavidH
03-31-2007, 09:32 AM
Just my opinion. But if I had the suspective receivers. I would send them in and have them updated. Yes I realize the odds are high of anything happening. But in this hobby I like don't like to take chances with suspect equipment no matter what the odds are. I witnessed a crash with a 90 size nitro heli at an event using 2.4 ghz. The pilot did not dumb thumb the heli. It was definitely a radio related problem of some kind. I have no idea if he had one of these receivers. Just respect your equipment and keep it in the best shape possible,
David
rstacy
03-31-2007, 10:25 AM
I agree with you David. I just like stimulating both sides of the conversation.
Ray
sgomes
03-31-2007, 10:58 AM
Hello all,
I am new here, as well as to rc heli flying; and, I have to tell you guys I am so amusingly impressed with the overwhelming PASSION to keep flying innate in every post in this thread.
Everyone clearly wants the upgrade, but the fact that getting it means not flying for a week or two is almost unbearable to every one of you, even to those of you with multiple helis that can be flown while waiting for the receiver to come back from Horizon!!
The conversation sort of sounds like this: "Should I send it in? Damn Horizon, they should have found this out before shipping product. And, what if I decide to keep flying, the rx hangs a servo, and I crash into and derail a train which is carrying spent nuclear fuel rods - effectively detonating a "dirty bomb" - will my attorney get me off (legally that is!). Or, what about that $1.35 postage, why aren't they covering that too! Why are we the beta test monkeys for a "fail safe" technology?"
Anyway, I guess I have the luxury of a spare, for now, 6100 that I have just sent in - 4x4x4" box first class $1.35, they pay return shpg. - which I will send in when I get my upgrade back. But, no problem anyway because I am just now going through setup on the heli.
Thank you all for the very entertaining expression of exactly why I am becoming so consumed by this exciting new hobby.
Steve
Finless
03-31-2007, 11:43 AM
Well one thought on my mine would be.... If not all RX's have this then they should explain to us HOW to recreate it and we can test to see if we have a suspect RX!
If they recreated it then they should be able to tell us HOW so we can test and find out.
Seems a waste of time to send something in that isnt broke. Needless to say I do need 2 more RX's so myself I will wait till the new ones hit the shelves and then send in my others.
BTW I think if your running a 6100 in a Trex600 your taking a risk right there! It should be a AR7000 since the 6100 is not full range.
Bob
PsychoPilot145
03-31-2007, 12:06 PM
OK, while I am new to this hobby, I have been flying sophisticated full scale aircraft for years.
From what I see, this is serious enough to make the manufacturer offer a repair at no cost. (Read: Big liability) If this "glitch" were happening on a full scale aircraft, the FAA and manufacturer would issue an airworthiness directive, giving all operators a specific amount of time to correct the problem. Failure to comply would void the airworthiness certificate.
If I had one, I would send it in. Since I plan on buying one for my 450 build, I am going to ensure that the one I buy has been de-bugged.
As far as testing for the glitch... Remember, even if you perfectly re-create the circumstance, that does not guarantee it will glitch on your work bench. You might have to do it once, or you might have to do it thirty times to get yours to malfunction. Then again, you might not get the same malfunction at all, until a year later when you are in a low, inverted hover. For me, it's a no-brainer. As much as I love tinkering with these helis, I don't want to have to go through a crash rebuild if I can avoid it.
I'll crash enough on my own... I don't need help. :)
> If not all RX's have this then they should explain to us HOW to recreate it and
> we can test to see if we have a suspect RX!
Wasn't the sequence of events to try to make it happen posted? Yeah, it is in this thread: http://www.helifreak.com/viewtopic.php?t=34208
- John
528hemi
03-31-2007, 05:41 PM
I sent my 2 off to Horizon today priority 2 day delievery..signed confimation which cost me $4.10 plus 1.80 for signed confimation...so $5.90 cent...Will let you know when I get them back. They were both sealed in the original packages with bind plug and instructions...
Horizon also said they are not testing every receiver to see if it hqas the problem. It is much faster just to flash the new revision and be done....
TRex888
03-31-2007, 05:51 PM
Not everyone lives in the USA and the cost and time involved is going to be much greater.
I would like to see how they will handle the first personnal injury claim against them if they refuse to do a completely free re-call.
The cost of repairing a model is nothing compared to the risk to pilot and by standers if this thing takes a plunge at them.
From the data that I have read so far it does only seem to occur when the Rx starts to lose the signal in which case it suggests a problem during fail safe implementation in the AR6100. If that is the case then it may not be such a big issue, but they need to give us the FACTS in stead of ***** footing around.
According to Delivery confirmation, Horizon received 2 of mine yesterday. I will let you know when I see them come back. 1 did not exhibit the problem, 1 did.
They were "marked" so I will know if I get the same one's back.
agiaffa
04-03-2007, 08:06 PM
> I was also told all the new receivers will have the update.
Did they mention any way to tell if a 6100 has had the update or that a "new" one came with the update? Are they putting on a little sticker or anything like that?
Thanks,
John
From Paul Beard on rr forum:
There will be a "V1.2" label on the end of the receiver.
Paul
electricdurango
04-05-2007, 05:54 PM
True that. LHS return.
well, it seems i read this thread too late. i have a 6100 in my trex 450 and a 6100 in my mini-stick. i use a dx7. i bought them at diferent times from different vendors. today during a vertical climb with my stick after a couple of flights already it did a violent rudder kick and the motor went to idle and then nothing - complete lockout. i was lucky and it floated in with repairable damage.
so - now i send in my 6100 and see what happens. after looking online and seeing the forums with these posts, i wonder if horizon should be doing anything more for me than updating firmware on my rx that has a known problem.
Hughes500Bob
04-11-2007, 08:01 AM
Here is the UK address for reprogramming. I will PM TRexx888 and let him know.
Horizon Hobby UK (Attn Ryan.)
Units 1 to 4 Ployters Road
Staple Tye
Southern Way
Harlow
Esses CM18 7NS
Put mine in the mail March 28th and it is still not back! That is why I am not building ..... but I am flying the Phoenix Sim. :glasses2:
528hemi
04-11-2007, 07:45 PM
UPDATE:
Sent my 2 brand new receivers to Horizon on March 31..2 day delivery. They received it April 3rd. Called today to see the status and the tech, told me he does not even see it checked into the system so they are probably sitting in a box in a pile somewhere...
GO HORIZON!!!!! Glad I sent them signed receipt! They said call on Friday typical answer. Tech told me before I sent them it is a 2 minute procedure so would not take so long. The upgrade to my 8103 took less time.
Will keep you posted.
I posted this in the Rex forum, but thought it should go here too.
AR6100 UPDATE: I called Horizon before I sent my AR6100 to them for firmware update. I was told that it would be a 5 working day turn around. They received it on 03/28/07. I asked them to overnite it to me (at my expense) when it was finished. Since then I've been playing the waiting game. I talked with them today and found out that it was finished on the 9th and shipped back to me on 04/10/07. This would mean that I should have recevied it yesterday. I didn't. It turns out that Horizon ignored my shipping request and sent it FEDEX ground instead. Scheduled delivery is for Monday 04/16/07. :arggg: :arggg: :arggg: :arggg: It so happens that I'm going to be out of town all that week. Not very good customer service in my opinion!!! :bomb: :bomb: :bomb: :bomb:
DavidH
04-12-2007, 02:56 PM
Must be a long way from Champaign to Denver. I have shipped a heli Fedex ground a lot further. It got their in 3 days. Fed Ex ground does Saturday deliveries to residences. Unless they have changed in the last couple of years, they don't deliver to residences on Mondays.
David
I received mine today, The have had them in their hands since the 2nd of April.
I received the same one's back I had sent in, inconspicuosly marked, the only difference is some silver paint on the bottom right corner of each rx near the antenna.
I received mine today. Horizon had it in their possession since the 28th of March. It was shipped back to me on April 10th. There is nothing on the receiver to indicate that the firmware change was made. No silver paint as described above. Hope it works!
528hemi
04-13-2007, 02:22 PM
Called Horizon today as they asked. I gave them the tracking number I had and they saw it was delievered to them on April 2nd but have no idea what happened to my 2 AR6100 brand new in package receivers.
Rusty told me they will be sending me 2 brand new ones since I had confimation.
I suggest you pay the exptra $1.80 for signed Confimation.... Just saved me $100 of lost receivers.
UPDATE:
Sent my 2 brand new receivers to Horizon on March 31..2 day delivery. They received it April 3rd. Called today to see the status and the tech, told me he does not even see it checked into the system so they are probably sitting in a box in a pile somewhere...
GO HORIZON!!!!! Glad I sent them signed receipt! They said call on Friday typical answer. Tech told me before I sent them it is a 2 minute procedure so would not take so long. The upgrade to my 8103 took less time.
Will keep you posted.
BobbySmith
04-15-2007, 02:53 PM
Man i have alot of flights on 3 Ar6100's rx and 0 issues and they were from the first batch i also have a friend that has 2 of them from first batch wiht 0 issues
My .02
BobbySmith
04-15-2007, 03:01 PM
I wonder if everyone realizes if you get the rx close to a esc or motor wires it does some weird things also if it dont have steady voltage they will try and reboot
Also i might add i have 3 6100's and 6 7000 all from the first batches and had 0 issues with all....
I have went all spectrum since they first came out and havent looked back!!
MY.02
I put the returned 6100 back in the same place on my t-rex as it was before I sent it in. Where I was getting the elevator lockout within a minute of spooling it up, I have just flown 3 batteries this morning without incident. This was a RX that before I sent it in, displayed the known issue twice in 2 flights, each lasting about a minute total before the elevator locked. So far, I am satisfied that the firmware upgrade resolved my issue.
Hughes500Bob
04-18-2007, 07:49 AM
Mine came back from Horizon yesterday .... so 22 days from time sent, to time returned.