180 CFX with Ikon Micro - cutting out in flight after 1o sec or so

[HarryR]

So, I have the Castle link ( USB complete). I also have an adapter cable which is the Eflite EFLRA100 ( plugged into the ESC and into the Castle link at the other end).
I have SW loaded and when the USB is plugged in , I see the LED lighting up on the Castle link.
The Link software tells me it sees the Castle Link but the second field in the software screen (confirming that it sees the ESC) does not show that it is active .
I took the complete set up to the local Hobby Shop, they electrically tested the cabling and it looks like all the cables are all functioning.
The reason I want to look at the Talon 15 setup is because I am wondering if perhaps the Throttle min max setting is off.
Note I have two more 180 CFX with the same configuration and both of them seem not to have that issue.

[pctomlin]

What vehicle type is the ESC set to and what is the governor throttle min/max settings in the iKon setup GUI governor tab.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by pctomlin

What vehicle type is the ESC set to and what is the governor throttle min/max settings in the iKon setup GUI governor tab.

I will check it put tomorrow.
The ESC should be helicopter because it is mounted in a Blade 180 CFX. I get back.

[pctomlin]

Will check back for the info.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by pctomlin

Will check back for the info.

Paul, In the Castle link sw ,the ESC is set for Helicopter, and Governor ( not Fixed end points)
In the Ikon/ brain sw is now set up to 1073/1960 ( it was 1040 / 2000).

I will go out later today and see if everything works now.

Will get back when I have an answer.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by HarryR

Paul, In the Castle link sw ,the ESC is set for Helicopter, and Governor ( not Fixed end points)
In the Ikon/ brain sw is now set up to 1073/1960 ( it was 1040 / 2000).

I will go out later today and see if everything works now.

Will get back when I have an answer.

So , I was able to set the end points of the ESC , it ended up to be 92 / 113 using the standard stick method and the Motor fired up as expected.
Then I went into the Ikon sw. Page 5, I had to increase the Throttle settings to 131/132 to get 100 percent Throttle.
I did a flight check / test and although the motor fired up, I got very little head speed, more like the speed of a kitchen food mixer, I did get Normal / Idle1 / 2 with a little more but basically, maybe 500 revs per minute.. I have not yet seen a problem in the software. I will do some more checking. And yes, I reset the Tcurve etc.
Also, I reset the ESC using the Castle link and reentered all the data which I had printed out.

[HarryR]

OK, So the Talon 15 has a governor that is being used in the Blade 180 CFX and I set the field in the Castle Link as Governor and completed all the appropriate fields in that section. I updated and checked and verified Page 5 & 12 in the Brain / Ikon.
I now am thinking I have a dodgy ESC. Would that be the next step??

[pctomlin]

One thing to remember is the iKon sends the throttle signal to the ESC, not the transmitter. The transmitter tells the iKon what you want to do with the throttle. Tab 5 of the iKon GUI it is important to set the transmitter throttle signal so the iKon sees 0% low and 100% high. Sounds like you have a Spektrum transmitter by your endpoints, match what I have in my DX18. In tab 12 set min at ~1173 and max at 1960, this should give you good arming and max throttle for the Talon. Helicopter has a higher low throttle point than multi-rotor and external governor which a lot of us use with Brain/iKons. That is where the 1073 number comes from.

What type governor did you select in the Talon? This could be your issue. My preference with the Castle governor is Set RPM mode. If you choose this you need to fill in the battery voltage box and motor/gearing box then select you desired headspeed at the bottom of the Castle Link GUI. You will need battery type (LiPo), how many cells, motor KV, motor magnetic pole count, pinion tooth count and main gear tooth count. I can help you out with this if you tell me what motor, pinion and batteries you are using.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by HarryR

OK, So the Talon 15 has a governor that is being used in the Blade 180 CFX and I set the field in the Castle Link as Governor and completed all the appropriate fields in that section. I updated and checked and verified Page 5 & 12 in the Brain / Ikon.
I now am thinking I have a dodgy ESC. Would that be the next step??

I am going to order a new Talon 15 ESC. In talking with my flying pals, that's what the problem seems to be. We will find out soon.

[LubeMan1]

Did you solve this? I had a similar problem last summer that turned out to be broken motor/ESC wires that made sporadic connection in flight.

[HarryR]

Sorry for the delay, I have been busy.
I bought another ESC ( and a motor - just in case). I swapped the ESC , still the same issue.
I talked with Alex ( MSH) who suggested the settings in the ESC especially the Low Voltage setting might be suspect.
I have attached the screenshots of the Castle ESC Talon 15 ( I reset them to factory so they are NOT what I used before). Remember I am using the MicroIKON.

I am looking for someone to " give me the numbers you are using for each of the boxes in these screens.

I hope that will show me the problem. THANKS

[HarryR]

So, I made sure that I did not have a problem with my TX ( DX8) or anyo other part of the system. I am zooming in on the ESC and possible the Governor. I used several ESC's and one totally taken out of the airframe to eliminate variations.
All to no avail.
Again, after a take - off, 5-10 seconds later, the power drops off, the heli descends and keeps slowly turning the main blades ( and tail), then 5 seconds or so later, it regains power and will climb for 5 seconds when it starts all over again. I have been using multiple 3 C batteries, so it is not the battery supply either.

Remember, I use the Standard ESC and motor, and the MICRO IKON.

Here are some pictures of the setup snapped from the Brain software and the Talon 15 software.

One last note . I have 3 Blade 180's with the same configuration , loaded in different model slots in my DX8. THEY ALL do the same thing.
Appreciate any input.

[pctomlin]

Can't use governor low on this setup. Even at 11.1 volts the electric rpm is over 64,000 so the ESC doesn't know what to do. You need to use governor high or set rpm mode for the ESC to be able to read the electric rpm of the motor.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by pctomlin

Can't use governor low on this setup. Even at 11.1 volts the electric rpm is over 64,000 so the ESC doesn't know what to do. You need to use governor high or set rpm mode for the ESC to be able to read the electric rpm of the motor.

I have RPM SET as you can see from the screen capture. Am I missing something ??

[pctomlin]

Sorry, my bad. Was on the wrong set of pictures.

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by pctomlin

Sorry, my bad. Was on the wrong set of pictures.

NP... LOL... I am just trying to get to the bottom of this.. If you or anybody else have some suggestions. Let me know, PM me direct is fine too.

[learnedthehardway]

Have you tested with the gov turned off plus checked wires, solder joints and connectors for damage/wear to rule out any issues with all that?

[HarryR]

Originally Posted by learnedthehardway

Have you tested with the gov turned off plus checked wires, solder joints and connectors for damage/wear to rule out any issues with all that?

Thanks for the questions.


1/ Gov turned off? No,
Reason : This is the Talon 15 which works with 3 gov settings that are built in 30-70-100 %.
In the Setup ( software from Talon) it registers all the correct settings , RPM, voltages, etc etc so it looks as the three ESC ( one on each of the heli) are functioning correctly. I also bought a stand alone so I have checked that one away from a hely frame and I have the same issues after I installed it..

2/ Wiring
Remember I have 3 x Blade 180 CFX and all three of them have the same issue , so wiring a etc is not the problem.

So I have IKON Micro which replace the ARXXFBL / Gyro that comes with the Blade 180 CFX. The IKON's have been set up like my other IKON'S which control my fleet of Protos 500. They all work perfectly.

The Blade 180 CFX all have the standard Blade motor and ESC and they are completely OEM / stock otherwise.

Any suggestions are welcome.

[HarryR]

I am somewhat curious as to why nobody from Castle would monitor or even participate in these forums.

I have a specific question out for months so it seems and did not see any actions..

Am I wrong???

[learnedthehardway]

Originally Posted by HarryR

Thanks for the questions.


1/ Gov turned off? No,
Reason : This is the Talon 15 which works with 3 gov settings that are built in 30-70-100 %.
In the Setup ( software from Talon) it registers all the correct settings , RPM, voltages, etc etc so it looks as the three ESC ( one on each of the heli) are functioning correctly. I also bought a stand alone so I have checked that one away from a hely frame and I have the same issues after I installed it..

2/ Wiring
Remember I have 3 x Blade 180 CFX and all three of them have the same issue , so wiring a etc is not the problem.

So I have IKON Micro which replace the ARXXFBL / Gyro that comes with the Blade 180 CFX. The IKON's have been set up like my other IKON'S which control my fleet of Protos 500. They all work perfectly.

The Blade 180 CFX all have the standard Blade motor and ESC and they are completely OEM / stock otherwise.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Oh, must have glanced over that part. Thought the other ones did not have the same problem.

With the stuff I use 9x out of 10 this would be from not setting the endpoints between esc and tx, then esc-tx-fbl properly or not in the correct order but I don't use iKon or Castle so that's just a shot in the dark