Lock up Near Death!

[Stainless Skills]

Today, at a new field I put 4 16 minute flights on a 30% Yak with a DA 50. This Yak has had 20+ flights with a JR 9303 TX and a R649 receiver; both are in PCM mode on Channel 47.

I have never ever had any interference what so ever with this airplane. Previously the receiver was in another 30% plane with the same setup and over 200 flights with never one glitch.

As I was making a turn at the end of the runway away from the pits maybe 50 feet away from some highline wires I experienced failsafe lockup. The engine went to idle and the plane began to nose over toward the trees at the end of the runway. For 3 or 4 seconds I failed to realize what was even happening. Then as I took my first step to run towards the airplane I regained control. I don’t think my step had anything to do with the control being regained but I quickly decided to walk towards the airplane and land right away. As I made a circle to come back to myself the airplane went into failsafe again. I ran as fast as I could towards the plane, regained control and then landed.

I think this was an interference problem, the amps flowing to the receiver were probably not interrupted, I use a 4800 li-ion with a fromeco regulator and 3 outputs into the receiver. At home I ran down the block about 80-100 yards with the DA 50 running and with it off and the antenna down on the TX. I never once lost control even when I put the JR 9303 in front of a car that was between it and the airplane 80 yards away.

A guy who lives next to the field where I fly is also on Channel 47. Do you think he could of been working on one of his planes in the garage and caused my interference?

I need to figure out how to remedy this situation. I can not re-create the problem so should I send the receiver and TX in? I just had the TX's output checked by horizon 2 weeks ago so it should not be having a problem. I am not sure if the other guy on CH 47 will give me a strait answer.

Many of the guys at the club on all different channels live by the field, I don’t want to just switch to another channel.

How does one go about getting their radio to transmit on 50MHz and how do you get the receiver to pick up 50MHz. What if I wanted to get my own frequency like so many jet pilots do? How do I go about that, can I have Horizon mod my radio to output that freq and then order a receiver that is tuned accordingly. Should I just switch to Spectrum? Does FM or Spectrum have greater range when there is no interference? I do not want to get into Spectrum yet because a module and receiver for my radio would cost $300 and I dont have the money + it is a new technology and it is still susceptible to interference from other 2.4 GHz stuff even though Horizon won’t admit it.

Also, can highline wires cause interference?

Thanks, John.

[3ddd]

can highline wires cause interference?-oh yea

[Stainless Skills]

Huh, I have actually harriered over the top of the highline wires and flown much closer to them on many different occasions in the past and never experienced and trouble, but then again maybe someone was talking on the phone for a little too long....

I have the peerless, 4800mah li-ion from fromeco with a Deans output plugged into one of their super regulated relia-switches. This regulated switch has 3 outputs of servo grade wire and all 3 outputs plug into my receiver.

The receiver has a 6 digital servo's plugged into it. a 5955 and 4 5945's and a throttle servo.

I just went outside, put the wings on the yak, and wiggled the sticks to the corners for a minute on high rates, after a minute I touched the blue metal on the regulator and it was very hot. So hot that if I put my wrist on the metal I would feel a burning sensation to where I could not touch it at all with my wrist. I could keep my fingers on there for a couple of seconds but it got so hot after 3 seconds with my fingers on there that I had to take them off. Is this normal for a heat sink on a fromeco regulator? On their website they suggest this setup for a 30% Plane. With the vibes of the engine actually running and hard 3D flight, like what I was doing today, do you think the regulator could have over heated?


I am going to email fromeco.

[rdgood]

What voltage level do you have your regulator set to???

I had a similar problem a few weeks ago when I found I didnt have my batt secured well enough and it was coming loose and pulling on of the soldered in leads going to my regulator. one of teh leads was barely making contact. I resoldered the leads and all is well now. Maybe try checking all of your power connections coming from the battery to the regulator and to the receiver. Jiggle all of your wires and see if the controls/servos lock up.


Ronster

[en1]

A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to the fromeco batts and regs all with standard connectors... all was great for that weekend the next week I had a ST125mg JR sport servo in my left elevator wig out, replaced all 125's with JR8411's like I had on the rudder, this weekend I checked every thing in preflight range tested w engine running all was great, little hanger 9 27% extra 260 just buzzing away. On taxi just about to runway ........FAILSAFE........killed the plane and opened it up I could recreate the failsafe almost every time I put my finger near the heat sink of the regulator that was near the reciever.relocated regs and moved ign. batt to that regulator position and could no longer create the failsafe issue and got 2, 15 min flights without issue. H9 E 260 27% DA 50 Fromeco batts and regs, Jr9303 w/10 channell SPCM scan select reciever you might try moving the regs farther away from reciever. I will watch and very carefully check mine to see what it does from now on.

[WangoTango]

"Huh, I have actually harriered over the top of the highline wires and flown much closer to them on many different occasions in the past and never experienced and trouble, but then again maybe someone was talking on the phone for a little too long...."

Stainless,
Flying near or hovering over high tension/ high voltage wires and not experiencing any troubles means you are darn lucky. I have flown service for a high line maintenance company before and sitting in the door about 40 feet from the wires, you can feel the hair on your arms and back of your neck standing on end. Part of the "hair standing on end" was due to a cool day and the rotors of our helicopter generating static electricity but the major source was the 60 thousand volts of juice pulsing through the lines just outside the door of the chopper. If you are doing this on a regular basis, I whole heartedly recommend you find somewhere else to fly or at the very least stay well away from the overhead lines. There is no radio made that will fly with any certainty in an environment like that safely. One other thing..... At 17 years of age you are too precious to all of your family and to all of your Flying Giant extended family to get near anything as dangerous as a highline wire. BTW: What field do you fly at?
WT

[Stainless Skills]

So what you are saying is that your regulator was causing interference?

All my connections are secure. I got an email back from Fromeco and while I dont think that the regulator was actually the cause for the failsafe, it is suplying up to or ever 10 amps when all my servos are being moved rapidly so I need to check each servo and make sure it is not taking up a bunch of amps. Each servo is only attached to one surface and there is no binding in anything so I am thinking that a servo might be bad, maybe the 5955 on the rudder but I really could not see how this is happening.

[Stainless Skills]

	Quote: Originally Posted by WangoTango;249399 [FONT=Tahoma
	Stainless,[/font] Flying near or hovering over high tension/ high voltage wires and not experiencing any troubles means you are darn lucky. I have flown service for a high line maintenance company before and sitting in the door about 40 feet from the wires, you can feel the hair on your arms and back of your neck standing on end. Part of the "hair standing on end" was due to a cool day and the rotors of our helicopter generating static electricity but the major source was the 60 thousand volts of juice pulsing through the lines just outside the door of the chopper. If you are doing this on a regular basis, I whole heartedly recommend you find somewhere else to fly or at the very least stay well away from the overhead lines. There is no radio made that will fly with any certainty in an environment like that safely. One other thing..... At 17 years of age you are too precious to all of your family and to all of your Flying Giant extended family to get near anything as dangerous as a highline wire. BTW: What field do you fly at? WT

So you are saying that getting near anything as dangerous as a highline wire is well, dangerous? And no I don’t go fly and think, oh it might be fun to go HOVER OVER SOME HIGHLINE WIRES.

I know the dangers; my cousin was killed when an irrigation pipe he was trying to dislodge mud from was attracted to a highline wire which electrocuted him where he stood. I don’t know about 60 thousand volts or what kind of lines you are thinking of but not getting near them sounds a little absurd.

However the interference from the lines does not sound absurd. The lines are just hung from the top of a wooden pole, just like any other highline wire in the US. They are about 50-70 meters from where the runway ends. They are just like the highline wires that carry the power to your house.

To land into the wind I have flown right above them just like I would have a tree to set up a reasonable approach. I have flown closer to them without a hint of trouble before. Maybe the antenna was oriented differently this time. 10 previous flights never rendered problems though.

[Stainless Skills]

The club where I fly has tons of members fly there every day, they would probably know if there was interference from the wires and I have seen them get closer than I would.

I finished a range check today with the engine on and off and I had control from over 150 feet with the antenna down. 180 degrees around the plane engine on, engine off I had control so I am thinking it is the highline wires, the regulator, or a guy on my channel in his garage working on a plane next to the field.

To me the order of importance is the guy on my channel, the highline wires, and then my regulator.

What I really want to do is just change my channel to one no one is on and hopefully figure out how to get my own on 50MHz, how does one go about that?

[Freddy Warbird]

	Quote:
	guy who lives next to the field where I fly is also on Channel 47. Do you think he could of been working on one of his planes in the garage and caused my interference?

Hell ya!

That is some scarry stuff your experiencing at your field.

[WangoTango]

Stainless,
When You refer to "highline" they are usually on four leg or two leg structures that go from one city or region of the country to another. A regular service line located on wooden service poles as you are now referring to, probably won't give off much in the way of interference but coming in contact with or crashing into can bring the two legs of cable together causing a pretty good short. Sparks from these contacting cables can fall to the ground starting fires. Some cables have been known to fry and sever the cables and hit the ground. Once that happens, even a morning dew or rain- soaked ground can be enough to give you a pretty good jolt or a life-threatening jolt from 75-100 feet away once these cables hit the ground. I've got years of experience when it comes to these sources of electricity and you'd do well to stay away from them. My condolences to your cousin and his family but wires are wires and they'll kill you. I have owned 50mhz radios and I think regulations governing them have changed since I got my ham license years ago. Contact somebody with the FCC or the AMA and get the current scoop on this. No mater what you fly on..... 2.4, 72 mhz or 35mhz or 50 mhz is not going to make a hill of beans difference when you challenge a "highline" wire. Interference is what you'll get. You can fly over or under your local service lines all you want but you still can misjudge and clip it rendering your pride and joy a useless piece of scrap balsa waiting to be picked up......
Happy flying,
WT

[Stainless Skills]

Now that I think back on my flying, I have taken off and landed on many roads with "survice line" wires running right alongside.

Wile interference from these does make sense I dont think that they caused the interference.

It was probably some guy on my channel but I just went out and spent $40 on an Eflight current meter, it is really an awsome device!

I am going to see if I can pull 10 amps from the battery and heat up that regulator like I did earlier.

[rdgood]

Stainless,

yes- absolutely - a servo starting to die will most definitely start sucking up amps. If you have noticed any undue jittering or constantly have one servo that does not want to remember zero - that is usually a dead give away that it might be the one getting ready to die. It will make you think you have a radio lock out especially if you just got thru wringing it out and it gets hot...

This has made me pull my hair out several times!!! As you can tell from my avitar I dont have much left. hehehehehe!!!

Kurt and Mike are very good they know their stuff - by the way!!!!

Ronster

[Freddy Warbird]

Take a frequency checker out to the field with you, and have a friend turn the thing on whenever the issue may arise.

[Stainless Skills]

That is a great idea, I was just thinking about it too. It would work to perfection but I dont have any $$$ right now. Oh well. I wont be flying there for a while or atleast untill I change my Freq.