View Full Version : Stock Radio Problems?
I have a Belt CP that I got in the beginning of May. It’s my first CP helicopter. It worked well right out of the box and by my 3rd battery pack I was flying a controlled hover in my garage. I now have about 80 battery packs run through it and I’m doing forward flight and short figure 8’s. Through all of this learning I’ve been fighting mysterious glitches and servo failures. I’ve had 3 of the Esky digital servo’s fail. They where all the ones on the swash plate. The tail servo is the only one of the original servo’s still working. The 3 on the swash plate I replaced with the older Esky 8g servo’s. They have not failed but are jittery at times. Cleaning out my pots with contact cleaner on the radio has helped with the servo jitter some. Several times while flying I would get a hiccup in the helicopter where it would tilt to the right but it only lasted for a fraction of a second. Enough to scare you but by no means cause a crash. I always blamed this on interference. On a couple of occasions I’ve had all three servo’s jittering around during a pre flight check. I would move the cyclic around and could get it to stop. Well last night I was flying around and suddenly the helicopter tilted to the right. I tried to counter but got no response what so ever. The only thing I could do is shut the power down as I watched it continue to tilt to the right and go into the dirt from about 15 feet up. I damaged the main rotor blades, bent the main shaft, bent the feathering shaft, bent the fly bar, and busted the main gear. I have everything fixed up except for the main gear. Had to order that as I did not have one lying around. I also ordered Tower Pro SG90 servo’s that I plan to put in before flying again. But while working on it last night I disconnect all three servo’s from the swash plate. When moving the throttle/collective stick all three servo’s moved as they should. When moving the cyclic stick left and right the aileron servo would jitter but hardly move. I then took the radio from my Lama V4 and put the crystal in from my Belt CP radio. I know its not set up to work the Belt properly but when moving the cyclic stick left and right the aileron servo worked fine. At this point I thought great I found the problem the radio is bad (suspecting the pot). After putting the Belt CP radio back together I replaced the crystal and tried it again. Now everything is working fine. Anyone else had similar problems with the stock Esky radio? Is it worth fixing or replacing this radio? If not what should I be looking at for a replacement? I need to do something as I’m afraid to fly it until I get a handle on these mysterious glitches and moments of working and then not. I guess I was lucking until last night.
tom dubya
07-11-2008, 11:34 AM
Honestly i'd think everybody here would tell you to get a new tx when you can. I still have the stock tx and from time to time get pretty much get the same glitches you are getting. In my opinion the stock tx is just to get ya started and you should upgrade it when you can. But i wouldn't waste money on the same stock tx. The favorite new tx around here seems to be the spectrum dx6i, others i'm sure will elaborate.
mnwizard
07-11-2008, 12:08 PM
GCK - It is possible that the crystal wasn't seated tightly. If it wasn't tight in the sockets it could intermittently loose connection which could cause the glitching. Taking it out and putting it back in could have properly seated it causing the problem to go away.
The stock Esky servos are known for their high failure rate. I've been using SGs for some time now and haven't had a single problem with them. I really think that between reseating the crystal and installing the SGs that your problem will go away.
BTW - the crystals are exactly the same in your Lama and your Belt. You can swap them back and forth with no problem as long as the Tx and the Rx have the same frequency it will work. Be sure that you get the Tx crystals in the Tx and the Rx crystals in the Rx. The crystals are marked Tx and Rx on the stickers.
If you can afford it, the computer radios Tom mentioned are nice but don't get discouraged if you can't get one, me and others here have flown with the stock radios for quite some time.
Well the crystal may have something to do with it and it has been reseated now. I will also check the one in the receiver tonight. I’m still concerned that there may be more wrong with my radio. As I mentioned when testing it last night, after repairing as far as I could from my crash, everything was working properly except for the left and right movement on the cyclic stick. I brought the radio into work today and took it apart again. I checked the resistance of the potentiometer as I move the cyclic stick and it seems fine. Also checked the wire connections and can find anything obvious. I just finished trying to hook it up to Heli-x simulator program and cant get anything to work right. I suspect the radio may not be compatible with that program or I need to do something different to make it work. My Lama radio works fine with it. But I thought it would be interesting to fly with it on the simulator for a while and see if I encountered any more problems with the roll control.
Heli Yea!
07-11-2008, 12:38 PM
I still fly the stock Tx. I think that getting sg90's and changing from the stock ESC are the most important up grades for the belt. A computer Tx would be nice but I'd rather have money for parts to keep flying. I have 5 hungry helis so I'm going to get a computer Tx down the road pitching $20 or so per week in a jar for the Tx.
I agree on the ESC upgrade. By the time I got good enough to hover for more then a few minutes I was having problems with the stock ESC overheating and cutting back on the power. I put in a 30A ESC with an external switching BEC from Hobbywings. I should have went to the SG90 servo’s right away when my stock ones where failing. But I didn’t know any better at the time. I would like to stay with the stock transmitter for the time being as when it works it does what it needs to plenty good to fly the Belt CP. But if I can’t get this figured out I will be looking for a better radio. Can the this 6 channel radio be made to work with FMS or Heli-X simulator programs? I would feel better giving it a work out on the computer just to see if the control portion of the radio is working ok.
sutty
07-11-2008, 01:02 PM
Hi GCK, I had a glitchy radio setup with the stock equipment whilst I was in the early stages of learning to fly. I persevered with it for far too long, trying to resolve the issue, but I eventually gave up as it was destroying my confidence. It was bad enough trying to learn to fly a helicopter without having to wonder if at any moment the radio was going to fail, again, and cause yet another re-build. Finally I took the plunge and got a DX7 with the AR7000 receiver. I chose the DX7 because I wanted some future proofing but from what the guys on here say it would seem the the DX6i is equally good and considerably cheaper.
I accept what has been said about if your stock radio is working then it should be perfectly adequate for learning, and I think that this is true, but I also believe that if you have doubts about your equipment it is just too much of a distraction to allow you to progress successfully. It certainly was for me.
I waited too long and had too many crashes as a result of my dodgy radio, when I finally changed it was like night and day. If you can afford it, get one now, but be prepared for a fairly steep learning curve in order to program it correctly.
Following the manual was not the problem for me, discovering that I didn't know enough about my helicopter, to set the radio up correctly, was. By the time you can program your radio correctly, you will know how your helicopter works in almost every regard. This process, and having almost total control of how you choose to configure your helicopter, is a reward in itself. Together with the additional confidence and accurate control that it brings, I cannot recommend a computer Tx highly enough.
mnwizard
07-11-2008, 01:57 PM
Well the crystal may have something to do with it and it has been reseated now. I will also check the one in the receiver tonight. I’m still concerned that there may be more wrong with my radio. As I mentioned when testing it last night, after repairing as far as I could from my crash, everything was working properly except for the left and right movement on the cyclic stick. I brought the radio into work today and took it apart again. I checked the resistance of the potentiometer as I move the cyclic stick and it seems fine. Also checked the wire connections and can find anything obvious. I just finished trying to hook it up to Heli-x simulator program and cant get anything to work right. I suspect the radio may not be compatible with that program or I need to do something different to make it work. My Lama radio works fine with it. But I thought it would be interesting to fly with it on the simulator for a while and see if I encountered any more problems with the roll control.
In order to use your Belt radio with Heli-x you have to change a couple switches on the Belt Tx.
If you take the batteries out of your Tx, under the batteries are 2 small switches, they both have to be moved to the opposite setting. Several of the popular sims require this.
Don't do like I did though and forget to switch them back before you fly! :lol:
Thanks but yea I just figured that out. I also made a note and taped it to the back of my transmiter so I would not forget that I changed the switches. No problem with the control aspect of the radio so far on the simulator. I will definatly have to check the receiver crystal when I get home. How do you guys route your receiver antenna wire? Its a very long wire with not much room to route it. I was looking around on the internet and it looks like I can get a DX6i radio and 6200 receiver for $169.00 plus shipping. I may have to discuss this with my wife. After seeing the look on my face last night after crashing I don't think she would fight me too hard over this.
Well I finally got the Belt CP put back together last night and tuned up. I didn’t have a chance to fly it yet as it was getting pretty late. I have the Tower Pro SG90 servo’s installed. They were not a direct replacement to the Esky servo as the shaft sticks out further and it won’t work with the Esky servo arms. I had to do a little filing to get the pitch servo to fit. Not a big deal just took a bit more time to get everything right then I anticipated. I still have some servo jitter when moving the cyclic left and right (roll). Not for the whole travel just when making slight movements on the cyclic stick. Moving the collective everything is smooth through out the entire range. I also swapped crystals with my Lama V4 radio and set the dip switches to work in CCPM mode. Got the same results with the Lama radio. It acts almost like the potentiometers are dirty but I have cleaned them with contact cleaner. I’m sure this is not what caused my crash as the servos respond to all my inputs it’s just jittery in the low range of movement on the cyclic left and right. Do you guys that are flying stock radio’s notice this as well? I guess I’ve never looked that close at the servo’s with that small of stick movement. Normally when I do a preflight check I move the cyclic stick to the extremes and make sure the servos are moving. I guess tonight I’ll do some hovering close to the ground with the training gear on and see if there is any erratic behavior. I do have power lines in front of my house. The closest I get to them when flying is about 100 feet. Last Thursday when I crashed I was about 150 feet from them. Could this be the cause of the loss of control? If so I could move to the back yard and fly. If been flying in that location for a while now. On occasion I would get a glitch for a split second but never a complete loss of control. Also how do you guys route the receiver antenna? It’s rather long wire with not much area to route it. If I can’t come up with something here I think I have no choice but to look for a different radio.
Thanks for your input.
Ian 777
07-16-2008, 04:05 PM
Im afraid your right GCK, the stock radio is fine if you get a good one but IMO its just a bit too cheaply built to be reliable. I had similar probs to to you and bought a DX6i which is a brilliant radio for the price. It obviously take's some setting up but there are plenty of people who can help you with that here.:)
All the best
Ian
Well I’ve had a chance to fly 4 battery packs through over the last two days since the rebuild. The first night I had cleaned the potentiometers out in the radio with contact cleaner……again. The aileron servo was still jittery when making small movements on the cyclic stick but not as bad as I had seen it act in the past. I hovered the first battery pack through and everything reacted just fine. I will say though that these Tower Pro SG90 servo’s are much more responsive then the Esky servo’s. But after a couple of minutes of hovering I was enjoying the feel of the helicopter much better. On the second battery back about half way through the aileron servo started jumping again. You could actually see the helicopter tilting to the right. Nothing that got out of control but it was not coming from any inputs I was giving it. This is where I came to the conclusion that I’m done messing around with the stock radio. I will be upgrading to the Spectrum DX6I which hopefully I will have next week some time. In the mean time I took the stock radio apart last night. This time I cleaned the potentiometers out with WD40. I tested the servo’s and the jitter was gone. This is by far the best this radio has ever worked. I went outside and flew two battery packs through with out one single hiccup of the helicopter. But given my lack of confidence that things where truly fixed I only hovered few feet off the ground with the training gear on. I was afraid to fly figure 8’s or anything of that sort as I had in the past. I just can’t get past the idea that there is still something going on in the radio that is going to ground me unexpectedly. My wife is not happy about me spending even more money then I already have to get this new radio. But she understands that I’m too far in to give up and that the stock radio is not going to cut it. So my guess is when it’s all said in done the new radio should cost me about $170 landed and $2000 for a new dining room set.
mnwizard
07-18-2008, 10:33 AM
My last Exi cost me $90 and $1700 for the new living room couch and coffee table. :roll:
I've been looking at a new computer radio and my wife has been looking at new kitchen cabinents. I'm afraid that the new radio is gonna be REALLY expensive!
tom dubya
07-18-2008, 11:08 AM
Lol, thats pretty funny jack. Im lookin at buying a new tx to and my wife wants me to build a deck around our pool. I'm not even done with the new siding on our house yet. Who says our hobby is to expensive. All i want to do is fly,all she wants me to do is work.:bawl
copterboy
07-18-2008, 05:12 PM
Good one....lol :YeaBaby:
A new cooker and fridge/freezer wasn't enough to keep my missus happy when I got the Rex and DX6i.....but it was a 2nd hand bargain!
She's already moaning about a new sofa, bed and we got a baby on the way!!!
Will find a way to buy 6200 Rx I want for my Belt though! :thumbup:
Should have called this thread 'stock girlfriend problems when replacing tx'. Hahaha!!
Ian 777
07-18-2008, 05:40 PM
maybe it's just me but many posts seem to express a view that our precious life parteners are no more than a hinderence to a childishly selfish obsession with getting whatever we want for our helicopters; regardless of their needs or claims on the houshold finances?:YeaBaby:
I just want to say, my wife is brilliant, I love her, she is far more important than any toy helicopter:)
Great though toy helicopters are
mnwizard
07-18-2008, 07:22 PM
You're absolutely right of course Ian, but I'm being silly. We've been married for 30 years and have 5 teriffic sons. My post was poking fun at me as much as it was complaining about buying new furniture. The only reason I have all the toys now is that I'm at a point in life where I have the disposible income to spend without taking anything away from the family :)
Ian 777
07-18-2008, 07:57 PM
Bless you bro, I'm sure you are :) I've heard you speak of your marriage before. I know that this is an escapist 'boys' club where real life is momentarily pushed to one side in favour of heli utopian daydreams.
Still, some of comments about wives and girlfriends really make me feel quite sad, relationships not things are what matter IMO:hug:
Wow! Lan 777. I was only trying to make a bit of humor about the situation. My wife and I have been happily married for 16 years as of this month. We have a 12 year old son who is into BMX racing and the cost of that for a season makes helicopters almost nonexistent on the radar. When she first met me, and we started dating, I was hopelessly addicted to RC cars. We would drive 200 miles round trip each weekend during the summer so I could race them. When we got married and bought our first house I gave all that up, as we could not afford it. Well 16 years latter we can. I have said nothing about my wife that I would not say in front of her. We are doing fairly well financially at the moment and we both give each other a hard time about things like this. Sometimes we need to justify our point to each other on expenditures like this. But if it makes sense and we can afford to do so we do it. If you were to ask her about my helicopter addiction she would give you an ear full. If you suggested to her that I was being selfish she would set you strait I guarantee, as would I with her new dinning room set. I understand what you are saying and you are right in your thinking. I just wanted you to know I was only joking around.
tom dubya
07-20-2008, 11:30 PM
Well not that im in a unhappy marriage,but i still stand by what i said. Being that im a contractor my "honey do" lists are always large and extensive. I try to tell her just one project a year but it always seems to be "Well just this last one, then that will be it." Don't get me wrong i love her to death but she hit the jackpot as far as that stuff goes with me. All i got were some crazy in laws, although i must say sometimes they can be quite entertaining and sometimes:arggg:.
Orange Devil
08-26-2008, 05:46 PM
@ GCK: your troubles sound familiar to me :(. I very recently bot a Belt CP and even befor take off had a serious crash :arggg:. I found this forum and several hints & tips about cleaning the pots etc, but nothing worked. Then I noticed that the left hand lower corner of the TX got warm!? After opening the TX once again I burned my fingers on the RF board (the little one on the right were there antenna is connected to). That made me curious, so I took an electronic thermometer and .... it went e-sky high:wow2: at over 130 celsius. It is amazing that the TX still worked and didn't melt down. I also measured the power consumption: 220 mA just for the RF board. Since I don't have a lay out of the circuitboard, I can't find out what is wrong. But I know for sure that I'm not going to use it again. So now I'm waiting for my new Futaba 7C 2,4 Ghz to arrive :YeaBaby:. Does anyone have ever experienced the same? And if so, is there away to fix the problem?