G3 Receivers Suck the big one

[timothykordon]

I had my second accident with a G3 reciver today. Because there a peice of crap.
I had a Raptor 90 SE go in for no reason on channel 43. Never any problem with 1024 pcm. The reciver was brand new flew for 5 minutes wammy right into fail safe slowly to the ground chopped up.
The second Time today on my raptor 50, it had glitched a couple of time last time I flew it. So I was all by my self at the field today and I put it in a hover. It glitched once, I thought it might be the wind nope, 2 seconds later ka boom pitched down broke the head off folded the boom to a 90 degree angel.
Needless to say $600 of heli parts $700 of G3 receivers (these accidents were 2 separate recievers) Im going back to 1024. Im even considering going to airtronics. I will be using airtronic servos in my new synergy anyway. If I were anyone I wouldnt use the G3 reciever till they work out the bugs.

Thank for nothing futaba

[Scrub]

I've ran my G3 in the Extreme, Ion, Spectra, Stratus and R50. Never had a problem. (knock on wood)

Sorry to hear about your accidents. I hope you have better luck with 1024.

[DavidH]

The second Time today on my raptor 50, it had glitched a couple of time last time I flew it. So I was all by my self at the field today and I put it in a hover. It glitched once

Sorry for your crash.
Just curious I have been using PCM for well over 10 years. The only time I have seen PCM glitch is when something happens between the receiver and servos. For example a servo wire is frayed or cut and then it causes a glitch.
From my experience unless it is something like above, it will not glitch per say. It will go into hold or failsafe conditions that are set. Usually what causes it go into hold or failsafe is bad bearings, loose bolts, metal to metal contact that is not tight,
radio interference from another source.

Best of luck what ever PCM system you decide to use.

David

[Phaedrus]

As David said, PCM does not usually "glitch" and give some weird uncommanded action. It just goes into hold, or failsafe, whichever you programmed. Unless of course the hold position was full forward cyclic!!

Were your antennas trimmed to the specified 21.6 inches per the recent Futaba tech notice??

Did you try to track down why it "glitched" the last time you flew? Seems like it was trying to tell you something then.

Anyhow, sorry fro your situation. I have G3 RXs running in helis, giant scale gas planes, and carbon fiber gliders all without a single problem.

[flyinfool]

The only time I had a Problem with the G3 RX I was able to track it to a loose metal on metal joint, tightened it up and the glitches were gone.

[WillJames]

My 2 G3 RX's are working great so far. No runs drips or errors for me yet....knock on wood.

[timothykordon]

here is an update. I have flown 2 other pcm receivers on this heli and no issues. But I contacted futaba and they gave me some info. So for everyone flying 5014's
on helis. They say any kind of graphite of carbon fibor will reflect a so called shadow signal cause the receiver to go into fail safe. THE FIX CUT YOU ANNTENA TO 55 CM 55 CM 55 CM. Now ive gone to the futaba site and havent seen this anywhere. Maybe I need to spend more time on the forums. Again havent had this problem with 1024 pcm recievers just the 2048. Thanks for the sympathy. Tim kordon :arggg:

[Scrub]

I haven't cut my antenna rx but I do run it below the skids and wrap it in fuel tubing to protect it. I would think that,
any kind of graphite of carbon fibor will reflect a so called shadow signal cause the receiver to go into fail safe.
would affect any type of rx.

[DavidH]

Yes reading forums more would probably provide some information. Especially this one here on Helifreak that is setup for 14MZ discussion.

http://www.helifreak.com/about9992.html

http://www.helifreak.com/about9350.html

There is a couple threads about the antenna length for the G3 rx that have been out for a couple of months.

David

[Phaedrus]

Did you try this forum:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3488488/tm.htm

Plus this has been out and around for a while now. This is a FULLY AUTHORIZED fix by Futaba and ALL the most recent RXs are shipping with the 55 cm (21.6 inch) RX Antenna. Also, this is for 72 megahertz ONLY. DO NOT TRIM the antenna on any other band beside the 72 band.

It does NOT void your warranty either.

I cut all mine even though I had no problems to begin with. Since the new ones ship like that I figured why wait for a problem to appear??

Trim your antenna and unless you have some huge problem it should be the fix.

I do have one question however. Have you sent ANY of the crashed RXs in for service?? Anything that I prang hard enough to require replacement parts gets the RX looked at before I fly it again. You are just asking for trouble flying a RX that has been flown into the ground without having it looked at.

[timothykordon]

I found out that info yesterday, when I called hobby sevices. My hobby shop didnt even know and they've sold a dosen or 2. Hobby services says they havent seen any problems since they started trimming them. 55 cm or 21.6 inches, my previous receiver antenna 80 cm. But heres the kicker, wrecked yesterday put it back together 1024 receiver on it rewired just in case I had some kind of shadowing. Well I hover for half a tank looks good take it up do some rolls, tumbles tick tocks. They the tail goes and here it comes to the ground. Broke everything luckily I put the cheap thunder tiger carbon blades on but broke the frame this time. Time to start over building one. Well I checked the tail everything looked fine. Dont know what happend. Probobly could of saved it but it was pretty windy today and cold. Well if youve been thinking about pushing the limits with your heli do it hell ive chashed enough for everyone. good luck guys Tim Kordon

[WillJames]

man that sucks Tim!

[DavidH]

But heres the kicker, wrecked yesterday put it back together 1024 receiver on it rewired just in case I had some kind of shadowing. Well I hover for half a tank looks good take it up do some rolls, tumbles tick tocks. They the tail goes and here it comes to the ground.

I would start looking at the rx battery as a suspect also. From what you wrote above it seems you did not have a problem till you started drawing more current from the battery.
Are you familiar what the PCM rx does when it goes into Battery Failsafe?
Do you have the throttle channel and the channel the governor is plugged into set to go to a failsafe position. For example governer to OFF and throttle to idle?

David

[Shortman]

Just curious, is this [cutting the antenna] for any Futaba receiver? Or just the G3

[Phaedrus]

Just the G3 PCM RX. The 5014DP RX.

[timothykordon]

I havnt checked lately in case I accidently changed something, but I have everything in fail safe but not the battery. The governor was set for fail safe aswell. I really dont trust anything on this machine. The good news is I completely demolished everything yesterday so new frame, gears blade, many head peices hear we come. I think im gonna send everything in though. I dont trust the electronis. My 46% ultimate I have wires running everywhere not a single problem with interuption of fail safe (1024). Its gotta be a heli thing. Tim kordon

[RCfan]

The G3 is by far the best Rx I've ever used. In 6+ months I've had no issues with the stock 30" lengths on two separate Futuras. It certainly is easy now to blame any problem on this Rx. It's probable that most failures are caused by other issues which will never be discovered since most pilots will quickly dismiss it as the G3. :(

[timothykordon]

I understand you know know for a fact that the G3 is perfect. But thousands of other people and futaba decided there was a problem with the reciever. But your are correct.

[DavidH]

But thousands of other people and futaba decided there was a problem with the reciever.

What is that based on?

David

[RCfan]

I understand you know know for a fact that the G3 is perfect. But thousands of other people and futaba decided there was a problem with the reciever. But your are correct.

Nothing is perfect, just ask Murphy! :badair: However, I'm pretty confident based on my own experiences that no more than 3-5 pilots that have had crashes, and blame it on the G3, are actually capable of determining if that is true. I may not know if my two G3's are perfect, however I am 99.9% certain that all my helis are free of anything that might cause a glitch! :noteworthy

[timothykordon]

David futaba would not come out and say cut your G3 receiver legth to 55cm or 21.6 inches if it wasnt a problem. Its based on me calling hobby services (futabas support and repair facility for north America, and my personal conversation with them. Well RC fan you are luck, I try to do the same by keepimg power away for receiver wires and antenna away from both, but maybe I still suck at it. From my conversation with hobby services they said the reciever was even having problems in large scale planes because of long extensions and many batteries. Judging by the fact that I have owned a 1/3 scale and currently own a 46% and run 1024 pcm with no problems there is only 2 posibilities. The shadowing from the receivers signal off the fram of the heli or signal from the other wires on the heli. The first couple times I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but it sarting to cost to much money. Im just trying to get the issues worked out I think futaba could of done a better job of letting their customers know that have spent the money for what you would hope would be a better system. For the sake that my local hobby shop didnt even know and they have sold quite a few, and my telling them was the first they had hear of it. Well I hope no one has had as many problems as I have.

[WillJames]

Well I hope no one has had as many problems as I have.


I hope I never do. I have no idea why you have not found whatever is causing the trouble, that sucks.

Have you tried another 5014 in that heli?

[DavidH]

Im just trying to get the issues worked out I think futaba could of done a better job of letting their customers know that have spent the money for what you would hope would be a better system

You might should join the Futaba Flyers Club. It is setup for the Futaba 14MZ.
http://www.14mz.com/forum/login.php?redirect=ffchome.php

Only 14MZ members in the USA can join I believe. Any issues or questions about the 14MZ are discussed on the above forum.

Did you know there has been an update to the software? To retrieve that update it is located in the Futaba Flyers club. I would think Hobbico has did a great job here in the USA getting information to customers about the 14MZ. They created a website just for the radio about 3 months before it was released.

David

[timothykordon]

My flyers club app. was missing and I know why. Im going to have a talk with the person. I have heard about a software upgrade, but nothing pertaining to what it is.
Hopefully after I get my flyers club membership straitend out. But im going to look into possible battery issue. Thanks for the help guys Tim kordon

[WillJames]

Read this 14MZ forum and you would already have downloaded the upgrade and installed it. Look for software....