Futaba Heat Issue

[canavanbob]

Is this Futaba's "official" stand on the heat issue?

Support and Service Manager:

The "whole heat issue" has been quite well over-blown by a few scare-mongers. Yes, some receivers have had issues when they have become hot, whereupon they stopped operating, the R617FS is not one of these receivers. Electronics will tend to do this when they are overheated. If your model's internal temperature is exceeding 140 degrees F, then your receiver may quit working, but that also means you have other issues to deal with.

Regarding the person on one of the web forums who said his receiver quit at 102 degrees F, well you have to understand that his test was performed after a crash. That ONE PERSON also had a crash for unknown reasons, but made the blind assumption that it was heat, even though the conditions were not such that high heat was a consideration. We've only heard of actual heat-related problems with models on the ground that were sitting in direct sunlight in areas of the country where the outside air temperature exceeded 100 degrees F, and the radio equipment was in the model and under a large, clear canopy. Some models were large-scale models that had the exhaust canister mufflers inside the fuselage with nothing between them and the interior of the model.

Such conditions can cause damage to the model structure and other components inside the model. NiCd and NiMH battery packs are only rated to 140 degrees F. Switches and wiring can also have problems when you get that hot.

We don't believe that people have reason to worry if they take the precautions that modelers have done for decades: be sensible in equipment installation, keep the model out of direct sunlight or cover it with a light-colored cloth, perform range and system checks at the start of each day, and check operation before each flight.

Our installation guidelines are here:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7606959/tm.htm

Sincerely,
Krysta
Product Development & Support Specialist
Futaba Service Center USA
service@futaba-rc.com

[MikeC3D]

Sounds like common sense to me..........but you know.

[Sevans16]

Not sure how to answer your poll?

I am a die hard Futaba fan. I have been since I started 21 years ago.
I started flying my 14ch FASST in Jan 2008. I have had good luck with all of my gear till last Sun. I did have one 6014 quit during plane setup months ago. My last episode occured after 3 months of flying. Iused it all summer here in the Vegas heat 110+ temps.

Last Sunday I lost control of my plane 6 mins into a flight. The plane was going straight and level after a snap roll when it quit working. I watched it die a slow death. The engine quit(Smart-Fly Opt-Kill). I watched as the plane slowly decended and met it's end. I am able to setup my radio gear on the bench. After about 10-15 mins of being powered up the RX led starts flashing from green to red. If I set the stuff on my porch(shaded) the led with flash 0-5mins. It is very repeatable.

Here are a couple of my pics just to show I am no Mole/Basher!!

[canavanbob]

I reported to the tech dept several months ago that I have a 617 that quit before it was even turned on. I put the plane on the tarmac assembled and when I turned it on nothing, dead as a doornail. I moved it under the canopy for 20 minutes and it worked. I moved it back out from under the canopy and within a couple of minutes it did not work. The plane has a solid floor and the receiver was not under a "large clear canopy". This was a BLACK 50 cc Ohio RC Extra. The tech guy said he would send some approved covering material so I could recover it in a lighter color. I finally got the covering material and have since flown the plane with no problems. So, if that is Futaba's official reply I may end up with a Jeti module for my 12FG. I would rather not have my receiver be the weak link in my system.

[crazyjoe]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Sevans16
	Not sure how to answer your poll? I am a die hard Futaba fan. I have been since I started 21 years ago. I started flying my 14ch FASST in Jan 2008. I have had good luck with all of my gear till last Sun. I did have one 6014 quit during plane setup months ago. My last episode occured after 3 months of flying. Iused it all summer here in the Vegas heat 110+ temps. Last Sunday I lost control of my plane 6 mins into a flight. The plane was going straight and level after a snap roll when it quit working. I watched it die a slow death. The engine quit(Smart-Fly Opt-Kill). I watched as the plane slowly decended and met it's end. I am able to setup my radio gear on the bench. After about 10-15 mins of being powered up the RX led starts flashing from green to red. If I set the stuff on my porch(shaded) the led with flash 0-5mins. It is very repeatable. Here are a couple of my pics just to show I am no Mole/Basher!!

Im a futaba fan as well but I will pass on their 2.4 equipment that doesnt have a heat issue.

[Steve]

I have a 12 and a 14 channel Futaba also. I'm staying clear of the 2.4 until new equipment is out and tested.

[Hammerman]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Steve
	I have a 12 and a 14 channel Futaba also. I'm staying clear of the 2.4 until new equipment is out and tested.

I agree.

[rking]

	Quote: Originally Posted by canavanbob
	I reported to the tech dept several months ago that I have a 617 that quit before it was even turned on. I put the plane on the tarmac assembled and when I turned it on nothing, dead as a doornail. I moved it under the canopy for 20 minutes and it worked. I moved it back out from under the canopy and within a couple of minutes it did not work. The plane has a solid floor and the receiver was not under a "large clear canopy". This was a BLACK 50 cc Ohio RC Extra. The tech guy said he would send some approved covering material so I could recover it in a lighter color. I finally got the covering material and have since flown the plane with no problems. So, if that is Futaba's official reply I may end up with a Jeti module for my 12FG. I would rather not have my receiver be the weak link in my system.

approved covering material? lighter color? man, that is really sad and pathetic. if that was an official reply from Futaba, i couldn't imagine them being in such a low point in there history. i used to admire Futaba, i used to be a Futaba user myself (9Z) but these kind of responses and non-recognition of their issues has made me lose respect for their company.

[FixedWing172]

I have always been loyal to Futaba ever since I started flying. Recently I purchased a brand new Futaba 12Z 2.4 ghz. I sold it before even putting it in my 40% when I saw the problems some users were having. Some of the reported problems are questionable in my opinion but then some are indisputable. I know that there are many pilots who have zero issues with theirs but I don't want to take a chance with a system that was intended to protect my airplane, not destroy it. Futaba is obviously convinced that there is nothing wrong with their equipment and that no radio gear should operated at those temperatures. This argument doesn't stand up when you consider that we have all been flying for many many years under the same conditions and I personally have never heard of a receiver locking out. Common sense tells me that the issue is related to their receivers. On a side note......a good friend of mine jumped ship and purchased a JR 12X. When I go 2.4 I'm jumping ship too.

[Tin man]

	Quote: Originally Posted by FixedWing172
	I have always been loyal to Futaba ever since I started flying. Recently I purchased a brand new Futaba 12Z 2.4 ghz. I sold it before even putting it in my 40% when I saw the problems some users were having. Some of the reported problems are questionable in my opinion but then some are indisputable. I know that there are many pilots who have zero issues with theirs but I don't want to take a chance with a system that was intended to protect my airplane, not destroy it. Futaba is obviously convinced that there is nothing wrong with their equipment and that no radio gear should operated at those temperatures. This argument doesn't stand up when you consider that we have all been flying for many many years under the same conditions and I personally have never heard of a receiver locking out. Common sense tells me that the issue is related to their receivers. On a side note......a good friend of mine jumped ship and purchased a JR 12X. When I go 2.4 I'm jumping ship too.

People had been "flying for many many years" with battery setups that worked fine till they switched to Spektrum. Indeed I'd wager there have been far more crashes due to Spektrum brownouts. For some reason though in those cases the people are blamed for not having adequate power. But a crashed plane is a crashed plane. I won't get too into the impossible-to-happen lost bind problems. Suffice to say I see it once per week.

But having to take simple precautions with FASST is suddenly the end of the world. Meanwhile I've been flying FASST in 27%-40% planes all summer. And I live in a place slightly hotter than hell.



--
Mike

[rking]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Tin man
	People had been "flying for many many years" with battery setups that worked fine till they switched to Spektrum. Indeed I'd wager there have been far more crashes due to Spektrum brownouts. For some reason though in those cases the people are blamed for not having adequate power. But a crashed plane is a crashed plane. I won't get too into the impossible-to-happen lost bind problems. Suffice to say I see it once per week. But having to take simple precautions with FASST is suddenly the end of the world. Meanwhile I've been flying FASST in 27%-40% planes all summer. And I live in a place slightly hotter than hell. -- Mike

Mike,

Given Spektrum/JR's brownout issues, the reset voltage is user manageable because the variables are still under the users control. In this case, using batteries with voltages of 6.0v and higher does the trick.

Futaba's issue's are totally different. basically, the environment which we do not have control of plays a major role on whether Futaba's product would work properly or not.

Just like you, I also live in a warmer than hell environment. Its a tropical country close to the equator where it is hot and humid and the FASST receivers do get hot out here. Unfortunately, they also do come to the point that they stop working.

[capgains]

	Quote: Originally Posted by canavanbob
	Is this Futaba's "official" stand on the heat issue? The "whole heat issue" has been quite well over-blown by a few scare-mongers. Yes, some receivers have had issues when they have become hot, whereupon they stopped operating, the R617FS is not one of these receivers. Electronics will tend to do this when they are overheated. If your model's internal temperature is exceeding 140 degrees F, then your receiver may quit working, but that also means you have other issues to deal with.

Okay, this is just stupid. The assumption here is that in order for the RX to fail, the entire inside of the airframe must be getting to 140 degrees. But it is the RX's internal system that is generating excessive heat. That's like saying in order to boil water in your kitchen on the stove, obviously the room temperature must be at the boiling temperature too.

If the inside of the aircraft is just 102 degrees, I would think there is a darn good chance the RX could hit 140, simply because 102 does not provide a low enough temperature for the heat to transfer into.

[50%plane]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Sevans16
	Here are a couple of my pics just to show I am no Mole/Basher!!

Holy cow dude! You do love Futaba. I was just like you last year, until I had to make the switch due to constant interferance on 72 last year.

Chris

[A-Track]

[Aerobat]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Tin man
	People had been "flying for many many years" with battery setups that worked fine till they switched to Spektrum. Indeed I'd wager there have been far more crashes due to Spektrum brownouts. For some reason though in those cases the people are blamed for not having adequate power. But a crashed plane is a crashed plane. I won't get too into the impossible-to-happen lost bind problems. Suffice to say I see it once per week. But having to take simple precautions with FASST is suddenly the end of the world. Meanwhile I've been flying FASST in 27%-40% planes all summer. And I live in a place slightly hotter than hell. -- Mike

In my club, there are a number of planes that have gone in due to unexplained glitches on JR 2.4 systems. I also see people spending a lot of money for power management systems on small planes, just to keep the JR receiver from rebooting due to low volts. It's a new technology and both manufacturers will have issues. I agree that the Futaba heat thing is overblown.