Down in flames!  
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Tower Hobbies
Enter up to 4 keywords or Tower stock numbers
Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
       

All Forums >> RC Helicopters >> Electric RC Helis >> Walkera Helis - Dragonfly, etc.. >> Down in flames!
Page: [1]

Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 11:15:49 AM   
Wez


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Vasa, FINLAND
Status: offline 		Just got my first helicopter (Walkera DF4) and it flew just great until it, on my third flight during a nice and stabile hover, suddenly lost power and dropped to the ground from about 1 meter. I tried to figure out why it died, but I could not find any problems so I gently gave some throttle, and it seemed very powerless. I checked everything once more and tried to start the engine again. Then I noticed some smoke coming out of the electronics box. Before I managed to unplug the battery, thick smoke came out of the box. The motors and servos were jittering and when I got the battery disconnected I noticed the total disaster.. the electronics box was totally destroyed... and so was my day. I am quite experienced in e-flight (have had some 12 e-planes) and I have never seen a piece of brand new equipment going up in smoke without any apparent reason on the first day. I have contacted the store from where I bought it, but I haven´t any hopes of getting a replacement since it is abroad. Does anyone know what could have caused this disaster?

Andreas

Attachments
Click to see fullsize image.
Click for fullsize
       Post #: 1

RE: Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 11:27:42 AM   
soneebee



Posts: 2130
Joined: 3/17/2006
From: las pinas, PHILIPPINES
Status: offline 		try to get the 4-1 to get replaced.. it might be a problem with the box.. or the motors might be shorted frying the FET on the 4 -1 smoked it...

(in reply to Wez)
       Post #: 2

RE: Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 12:57:50 PM   
Wez


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Vasa, FINLAND
Status: offline 		I just ordered a separate gyro since I have all the other equipment needed to build the electronics of standard parts. This will enable me to upgrade the helicopter (brushless?) more easily. But if I am lucky I will get the 4-1 replaced... it really worked fine until it caught on fire. I´ll have to put my depron Extra 300 project on hold for a moment... .

Andreas

(in reply to soneebee)
       Post #: 3

RE: Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 3:17:42 PM   
Wez


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Vasa, FINLAND
Status: offline 		Hi again,

I have tried to find some info on separate elecric heli setup and installation (reciever+2xesc+gyro) , but I can´t find any good sources of information.
Could anyone point me to some good sites or threads about this issue?

Andreas

(in reply to Wez)
       Post #: 4

RE: Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 5:01:11 PM   
credence


 

Posts: 2518
Joined: 5/19/2005
From: Brampton, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		Hi wez, you'll need also either a computer radio with revo mixing (if you're using a cheap rate gyro) or a seperate mixer.


Otherwise, if you're using a heading hold gyro then you got no worries .

As for setup, see this:
http://www.helihobby.com/html/separate_electronics.html

_____________________________

Daniel
True Northern Hobbies, Inc.

(in reply to Wez)
       Post #: 5

RE: Down in flames! - 6/30/2006 9:49:40 PM   
james199



Posts: 216
Joined: 5/28/2006
From: lake city, FL, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Wez

Hi again,

I have tried to find some info on separate elecric heli setup and installation (reciever+2xesc+gyro) , but I can´t find any good sources of information.
Could anyone point me to some good sites or threads about this issue?

Andreas



try the walkera 4 thread there is lots of info and help on hop up's

_____________________________

Remember what goes up must come down !

(in reply to Wez)
       Post #: 6

RE: Down in flames! - 7/1/2006 6:37:28 AM   
ultraviolet


 

Posts: 214
Joined: 10/24/2005
From: Chicago, IL, WESTERN SAHARA
Status: offline 		My Walkera ESC on my 36 went up in smoke on the second day in the living room.

Root cause - Walkera helis are the worst made lowest quality heli available..... PERIOD.
( nicer than a Blade CP though..... lol )
I upgraded to a T Rex and have had a big smile on my face ever since.




Tyro - One who sets house on fire with chinese helicopter.

(in reply to james199)
       Post #: 7

RE: Down in flames! - 7/1/2006 6:46:10 AM   
soneebee



Posts: 2130
Joined: 3/17/2006
From: las pinas, PHILIPPINES
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: ultraviolet

My Walkera ESC on my 36 went up in smoke on the second day in the living room.

Root cause - Walkera helis are the worst made lowest quality heli available..... PERIOD.
( nicer than a Blade CP though..... lol )
I upgraded to a T Rex and have had a big smile on my face ever since.




Tyro - One who sets house on fire with chinese helicopter.



I guess your T-rex was set-up correctly

(in reply to ultraviolet)
       Post #: 8

RE: Down in flames! - 7/1/2006 11:16:12 AM   
Wez


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 2/5/2003
From: Vasa, FINLAND
Status: offline 		Hi,

Thanks for your replies.
I have a Hitec Eclipse 7 and from what I have read I believe that it will handle a separate setup. I have to study the topic some more.
I can´t understand why I haven´t begun flying helicopters before... the 15 minutes I got from the helicopter were great fun. I agree that Walkeras electronics aren´t that great and I hope that they will put some more effort in developing better quality and more failure tolerant electronics. As I said before I was very happy with the functionallity of the whole package, but that not comforting me right now when I learned that the warranty isn´t valid after using the helicopter... I could just as well have bought an empty DF4 frame and assembled the electronics myself...
BTW... if anyone have a broken 4-ch Walkera transmitter, channel 64 (35.040Mhz), I have one for sale

Andreas

(in reply to soneebee)
       Post #: 9

RE: Down in flames! - 7/1/2006 5:42:00 PM   
ultraviolet


 

Posts: 214
Joined: 10/24/2005
From: Chicago, IL, WESTERN SAHARA
Status: offline 		Soneebe, Yes the T - Rex is setup great....... lol.

Walkera products do allow a great deal of people to enjoy the pleasure
of helicopter flight. I simply believe that the products look a whole lot better
than they actually are. This is a very deceptive way of marketing a product.
They hint at performance and functionality, but they deliver flaming electronics,
random shutdowns, and flying parts.

Not much of a deal when you think about it...............quite the opposite.

(in reply to Wez)
       Post #: 10

RE: Down in flames! - 7/1/2006 8:33:42 PM   
ScratchBuild



Posts: 169
Joined: 4/24/2003
From: WierdaparkGauteng, SOUTH AFRICA
Status: offline 		Hi all,

I just do not understand why you all complain so much about the electronics on the walkera. If it is so bad, why do you guys not oreder the barebone kit and fit your own electronics. I surfed this site quite a while and my first conclusion from reading the df36 and df4 thread was that I should buy a DF36 barebone kit and fit my own electronics. According to the threads the walkera bodies are as good as they can get, it is just the electronics that is the problem. Fortunately I cannot even speak out about the walkera electronics because I have the following setup on my 36 at this stage:

Hitec Eclipse 7 (A great radio for its value)
JR RC610M reciever
2 * Bluebird BMS 371 servo's (Would not recommend, their gears strip for nothing)
2 * E-flite S75 servo's
Telebee HH Gyro with remote gain(This is te Gyro Align sells with their Heli's just rebranded)
Yes, I do have some walkera electronics the brushless and ESC is both walkera.

I am sure I am going to have years of glitch free flying, if I don't crash . I just wish I knew it when I bought my DF4.

Regards

Nic

(in reply to ultraviolet)
       Post #: 11

RE: Down in flames! - 7/2/2006 7:14:10 PM   
ultraviolet


 

Posts: 214
Joined: 10/24/2005
From: Chicago, IL, WESTERN SAHARA
Status: offline 		Scratchbuild, The Walkera helis are an excellent introduction to RC heli flight. They also are a
cheap way for a nitro flyer to experience E - Helis.

That said........

If you do an honest unbiased comparison of the Walkera helis VS T -Rex or MX 400 taking into
consideration several factors like :

Purchase price

QUALITY

performance

avg cost per crash

quality of upgrades available

serviceability / tunability

precision

durability


By the end of the comparison you will come to the conclusion that Walkera heli's are
probably not a good choice either electrically, mechanically, or value wise.

2c

I respect the individuals who, after accumulating numerous Walkera parts, have decided to
keep flying Walkera ' s . I however realized early on that the maintenance cost on a Walkera
is the same as a T - Rex. The so called package deals that Walkera offer are no deal at all.
Why buy just a Walkera airframe ? why not a T -Rex airframe ? The plastic sideframes for a
T -Rex sell for $ 17. All the Rex plastic parts are cheap but very high quality.

NO NEED FOR ALUMINUM PARTS !!!

Fly whatever suits your tastes. As long as your happy at the end of a flying day then thats
all that counts.

(in reply to ScratchBuild)
       Post #: 12

RE: Down in flames! - 7/3/2006 6:46:32 AM   
ScratchBuild



Posts: 169
Joined: 4/24/2003
From: WierdaparkGauteng, SOUTH AFRICA
Status: offline 		Hi ultraviolet,

I did not try to compare a T-Rex with the DF36. I merely cannot understand why everybody complains about the walkera electronics, and they still keep on buying them. Personally I would love to own a T-Rex 450SE, which I think is going to be my Christmas present to myself this year

I am glad you made the comparison of the total cost of flying between the two Heli's, so that I know I can go to the T-Rex and not nescessarily spend much more on the spares. But then again I think the SE's spares is much more expence than for example the HDE kit's spare parts.

Regards

Nic

(in reply to ultraviolet)
       Post #: 13