Twitch in my Futaba 14MZ and 6014 receiver

[Rolado Gomez]

I hope somebody could give me some idea about what could be happening........

I have been flying a 14MZ for two years without problems, great radio.....!!! recently I got the 2.4 TX & RX (6014). I have two helis, Align trex nitro 600 and raptor 50 se. Both have a 6014 receiver. Now..... last weekend I flew the raptor for 15 minutes, everithing OK. Second fly, after 10 minutes it sudenly "twitch" to the right (like a very fast impulse of right aileron.....). I got surprised and I tougth....it was me...? I started to just hover the heli in front of me in order to watch if it would happend again..... sudenly there was the right aileron twitch..... in miliseconds... and it started to happend again.... I never lost the control.

I stoped the heli and went to review if there were a bad or lose nut or something; everithing ok. Then I started to fly again.... after AND just after 8 or 10 minutes it started again.....twitch the right aileron....it seems like if the TX could be affected by the heat .... I know it could be such not possible.... (temperature of the OS head 92° celcius once I land the heli and then check the temp).

I use a Duralite battery with a regulator, Gyro 401, OS 50, RX 6014 well placed antenas, 14 mz with the last software update.... My radio battery was around 65% and duralite indictaes 7.6 (yellow end).

I hope you could give me some idea about wath to do..... by the way, that day I decided not to fly more the heli and I started to fly an electric plane. No problem at all.

Here comes the fun.... Last weekend My Align wich has the exactly same gadgets (servo 611 instead) DO EXACTLY the same twitch, just a couple of times........ Both helis have a 6014 RX...... I insist, when I flew my planes I have never had a twitch.... it is important to let you know that my planes have the 2.4 617 7channels receiver..... So, it could be the 6014.....?

I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. A friends of mine (Ernesto Jimenz and Javier Arreola) review both helis, both great machies, well enssambled..... really we do not know what could be happening....

Thanks in advance for any advices....

Rolando Gómez

[mongo]

rolando:
ya might want to check out the threads in the radio section of RCU and RCGroups.

in both places it comes out that the fasst chip fails at about 60 deg c. ya got a temp gun ya can temp chack the rx with to see how hot it is getting?

[Rolado Gomez]

Mongo,

Thanks for the advice....... it appears that there is a real temperature problem with the 6014 Fasst receiver.

Folks, be aware of this issue. Give a look to rcgroups, search: fasst temperature.

Regards......!

Rolando G

[FlyJ]

I had the same problem
really bad right aileron twitch on THREE different aircraft. i just sent it in and updated software and i haven't seen the glitch since.

[Rolado Gomez]

FlyJ

Sorry, I dont understand what you mean: " I just sent it in".....
I wonder if you could give me more info where you sent it....

I tried my best english, but still learning.

Regards......!

Rolando Gómez

[FlyJ]

I sent it to the Futaba product support
I think hobbico actually is the head of the futaba product support but you can probably find it on the futaba website. http://futaba-rc.com/

[oak]

It sounds like you have problems with the potensiometer in your transmitter. This problem has been reported on quite a few 14MZ's. Had the same problem myself. Send it in for a pot. replacement.

OAK

[FlyJ]

Thats the problem i had but i just didn't remember the name.

[Rolado Gomez]

If it is the potmeter......... twitch/glitch would appear since the begining of the fly, correct..?
I mean, if it is the potmeter the twitch wont appear after 10 minutes on fly....

The problem appears just 8 or 10 minutes after I start flying, before this time the problem does not appers and I can fly without problems. What do you think...?

Regards.....!

Rolando G

[Wyn]

If the problem is actually the stick's potentiometer (Futaba may call it an "encoder"), I think it could be somewhat intermittent, and would happen on a ground test just as often as in the air. Also, it would most likely happen at the same stick position every time it twitched, but not when using the servo test screen (because that moves the servo without input from the sticks). Obviously, if it's transmitter stick related, it will happen with every model you fly.

I'd test it on the ground for a while and see what happens.

[oak]

With mine the problem was very intermittent and really hard to troubleshoot. It could work perfect for weeks, then trouble on every flight. And for a while I only noticed it in air, but not on the ground etc... The problem is that you use the stick very differently when flying rather than when testing on ground.

On mine i would get an occasional twitch/glitch on elevator when stick was centered and applying VERY LITTLE up or down stick. So little in fact that there was rather more like applying pressure on the stick than actually moving it. But again...the problem was intermittent so not easy to make it fail when you want to.

I'm pretty sure this is your problem since the symptoms is very similar, and this is now a known problem on the 14mz. The temperature-issue with the 6014 will as far as I know NOT give "twitch" on any channels.

[Rolado Gomez]

I changed the 6014 rx for a 617 rx, problem appears again after 8 - 10 minutes of flying; so it could not be the temp issue with the 6014, in fact, thet temp issue make it to lost the signal until it returns to the operating temp: and this is not my problem. I have tested on ground and never appears the problem, even when it occurs on air, I land the heli and move the sticks in the same way and it does not appears......

Guys, do you think it could be the servo....? I mean, the servos have a potmeter inside, correct.....? it could be a potmeter failing once it reach some temperature.......?

I´ll change the servo and will let you know.....what do you think.?

Regards.........!

Rolando G

[oak]

You know what I think ;-)

Didn't you say that you had the same problem on several models? I think that makes it pretty clear that it cannot be a servo problem.

I promise you...I experienced the exact same as you. Glithching in air, but did not see it on ground. I repeated this several times before I could reproduce the symptom on ground. The movement you make on the stick from the point where you get glitch in air, and until you are on the ground can very often be enough to "clear up" the pot so it will not fail for a while again...

OAK

[Rolado Gomez]

Oak,

You are right....! Maybe I´m trying to refuse the pot radio idea because I woldn't like to send it to Futaba service center.... and stop flying for a while... but this tought just will get worse the problem.

I´ll take the radio to a friend that is Futaba certified... I hope he could repair it insted send it to Illinois.

I´ll let you know what he found....

Rolando G

[trans]

Hi,
any body to think of it may cause from power supply, if you use an 4.8V nicd battery, some time heavy load cause voltage drop can cause receiver intermitient problem,
to judge that just simply use 5v BEC with 7.4v lipo,

[trans]

Hi,
any body to think of it may cause from power supply, if you use an 4.8V nicd battery, some time heavy load cause voltage drop can cause receiver intermitient problem,
to judge that just simply use 5v BEC with 7.4v lipo,
I have turbine fligt with GY402 is work just fine, one day I change to GY611 and in first fligh I got twicth , the pitch go low and throttle down, I finally understand that GY611 consume more power to GY401, after I change BEC with 7.4v LiPo. the problem gone...