DX8 Question
 

I had somthing wierd happen at the field Sat...I fireded up my 1/4 Cub and taxied out and had a flame out....I went out and grabbed it by the tail and pulled it back in for a restart and when I got it back I noticed that none of my controle surfaces were working . The throtle was working but it was very slugish...I played with it for a few mins to make sure I wasent mistaken and checked to make sure my switch was fully on...I shut both transmitter and reciever down and turned them back on and everything was working started working properly again....It has me worried...It could happen again at any time... Has anyone had this happen with Spektrum? I am going to do a rebind and am thinking of maby changing recievers....I am using a Spektrum AR 7010 reciever... It is new ,had maybe 10 flights on it but never been in a crash or anything like that....The battery was fully charged 2500 mahNi Cd ......Any thoughts on this? Thanks

RE: DX8 Question
 

Only way to know would be to look at the RX when it happened to see if you had a brownout, or lost link. There are LED's to indicate it.  Hard to know  at this point.

RE: DX8 Question
 

Well I have called Horizon and the Tec has instructed me to send them both the transmitter and reciever for testing....This is the second time for this transmitter...I am not all that happy with Spektrum at this point....I dont know if I will ever trust it again....I will say they have been good about warranty and the last time they sent me along an extra reciever as a gift for my troubles...I thought that was very nice ....

RE: DX8 Question
 

Was the AR0710 blinking? If so you lost signal - lose wire, brownout, or TX hiccuped (problem).

RE: DX8 Question
 

The AR7010 is buried under the cockpit floorso it is difficultto see ....I can see now that it is an important source of information that should remain accessible...i Will rember ..I hope

RE: DX8 Question
 

A problem with a Spektra system? I don't believe it!!! When will you people learn?!!!!

RE: DX8 Question
 

I have several planes on my DX8 with Spectrum RX, and the only time I ever had a problem was due to a bad ESC. I have dozens of flights on my DX8 without any issues.  Before that I used a DX6i, same thing, never had a problem. Can't generalize saying Spektrum products are all bad. There are problems with Futaba, Airtronics, JR, etc. too. <div>
</div><div>For the most part these problems turn out to be user created due to lack of knowledge in setting the RX up correctly, or not using the correct connections, or servos. </div><div>
</div><div>Case in point, I thought my Futaba RX had gone bad when the servos were glitching and not responding, and the TX link LED kept blinking. Turned out to be a loose battery connection, even though I had a clip on the connector, the vibrations from the motor was causing it to break connection.  I was about ready to rip the RX out and put another one in when I found the problem. One of the pins wasn't fully seated in the plug. It was that simple. </div>

RE: DX8 Question
 

Ihave a DX7 (5 years), 8 Spektrum Rx (AR6200 &amp;AR7000) - problems - zero. Uh, that was <span style="font-size: x-large;">ZERO.</span> Was I clear? <span style="font-size: xx-large;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">ZERO!</span></span>

What do I have to learn?Please share as I'm very much into learning new stuff - it's my life long quest.

RE: DX8 Question
 

I don’t know a lot about Spektrum, but I fly Airtronics and haven’t had any problems with it ever. I fly with an SD-10G and it is a great radio. A lot of people in my club fly Airtronics, too. If you do decide to make a switch in your radio system, I would recommend the Airtronics line.<div>
</div><div>SD-10G:</div><div>http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php...-sx-sd10g.html</div><div>
</div><div>or</div><div>
</div><div>RDS8000:</div><div>http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php...1-rx-only.html</div><div>
</div>

RE: DX8 Question
 

Bikerbc,  <div>I had the same experience.  I was using an old 4.8 nimh pack (that I only use on the bench)  to set up the servos in an electric plane .  The controls worked very sluggish.  Checked the battery and it was way low.  Charged battery and finished set up the next day.  Didn't think much about this until reading about your experience.   ???</div>

RE: DX8 Question
 

If ya check your battery's voltage with a "load" type volt meter you can see 1) if your voltage is as expected and 2) if you have a bad cell. It's the 2nd that can bite you as it charges to a full voltage (maybe 5.70 for a 4.8 v pack) but when you put a load on it the reading shown on the meter is not steady - but declines as you keep the load on the pack. I had one that dropped to 4.2 v in about a minute (from 5.7+). Other packs show a solid 5.6 v with the load. Release the load - back to 5.7. Hit the load - back to 5.6. Both readings are dead solid.

Many of the Spektrum "problems" have been due to momentary Rx brown outs where the available voltage to the Rx drops below 4.4 (the pack's nominal voltage). At that point the Rx is "on its own" until the voltage is above that line - then it reconnects with the Tx. The Rx will be flashing to show that it went into brown out mode (it the plane recovered). There was a firmware upgrade available for Spektrum Rx to shorten the "brown out recovery" time from nearly 5 seconds to maybe 1 second. I sent all of my Rx to Horizon for the free upgrade. Quick turn around too. Many users simply moved up to 6 v. packs (me included for the most part) which also has the benefit for increasing the speed of your servos as well as available torque. A bad 6 v. pack may well cause a brown out too but that's more or less on the "pilot" for not keeping an eye on his battery pack's health.

Kinda funny that the Spektrum "car guys" have used capacitors that plug into an open channel on the Rx - manufacturer of the capacitors? Why Spektrum of course. But they never added them to the airplane menus. Go figure.

HTH

RE: DX8 Question
 

I was using a 4.8 V batt pac in my plane. It is a new pac but still I think I might be better off with 6 V pacs...I really wish I had pulled the floor out of my plane and had a look at the RX...I am not ready to Bash Spektrum..Spektrum has flowen my planes around for 3 yrs with no problems...I am more than likley the problem....Mayby the Batt pac should have been 6 V or somthing like that....This transmitter was recalled just after I bought it .Other than that it has worked fine....I dont think rude posts like when will we ever learn serve any usefull purpose...When will you ever learn manners?

RE: DX8 Question
 

Biker - Manners? We don't need no stinkin' manners (just kidding of course) - need a "smiling" font so ya can see the typer's facial expressions.

A thought - where's your remote receiver? It also has a light on it that mirrors the primary Rx light. So it's not so important to have the "expensive" bit exposed - just one of them. Also, can you explain the antenna orientation of both the primary and remote Rx components?

Cheers

RE: DX8 Question
 

My Main Rx is mounted on foam against the fuse sidewith the antennasvertical , the satilite is aprox 3 ins away mounted on foam againsta formerwith the antennas horizontal. You are rite I could have mounted the sat out where it could be seen..I think I will relocate it when I get it back...Thanks for the pos inputt . ...

RE: DX8 Question
 

I've been successful mounting the remote using thick double sided tape. I prep the wood mounting location with a wash of alcohol diluted epoxy - makes for a nice smooth long lasting mounting location.

RE: DX8 Question
 

Yes that is how I do it too. Or somtimes I will use that Hook and loop stuff ..Mostly I use the two sided tape though...You get the foam vibration dampening included

RE: DX8 Question
 

I use the heavy duty hook type where both sides are the same, and uses a thick cushion adhesive to mount the RX and sat. Works good because I can switch out RX between planes if I want to change up which radio I want to use.

RE: DX8 Question
 

after reading all this if it were me.....I'd never fly Spektrum without a 6 V battery....and I'd change out the on/off switch.....just to be safe...switches fail more than a battery or a receiver.....alway always check battery voltage under a load.....and get the receiver out of it's hidden location.....could it be getting hot under your cockpit?

RE: DX8 Question
 

First of all thank you guys for all the inputt...I have now recieved my Radio back from Horizon...They forgot to send me my reciever but they are going to send me one ASAP...They also sent me a Digital Variable Load Voltmetre for checking my batteries (as a gift) and a Digital Servo&Reciever Current Meter(olso a gift) However they couldnot find anything wrong with my radio or reciever...I notice on the work sheet that transmitter gimbals have been worked on or replaced The Tec suggested I test my Batteries etc.etc. I have since used my new Batt tester and my batt seems fine...I have decided however to go to a 6 volt battery as some of you have advised and I have replaced my switch with a new one just in case... I have a new reciever so all is installed and working fine at this point...I will be doing my test flight this afternoon weather permitting...So far ot looks okay...It takes till noon for the sun to get high enough to be out of your eyes at our field...This Cub is a dream to fly and I really love it but I am nervous because I don't trust my radio....I am sure it will be okay , I hope I hope....I have an Aurora 9 on order and I think it is sitting at the border so it will not be long and I will have a new radio.....I still like my DX8....I sure would like to know what happened...one other thing I have read about is you are not supposto be to close to your reciever with your transmitter...Something like 4 feet...I was closer than that....Thanks again...If it goes south on me I will let you know.....You can bet I will Range check and taxi up and down the runway a few times before take off....

RE: DX8 Question
 

I can tell you it doesn't take much to brownout an RX now. I have a T-34 that used to be electric and had the ESC get warm enough to drop the voltage to the RX and cause brownouts, even though the pack was fully charged.  Not the fault of the radio, its just the nature of the beast.  I now fly the same plane with a glow motor and a 5 cell Nimh on the same RX as before and have not had a single brownout, so I know for sure it was the ESC.

RE: DX8 Question
 

I'll have to disagree Acdii that it's not the fault of the radio. JR/Spektrum knows what the standard RC equipment in the hobby is, and they designed and marketed a system that cannot work with a significant amount of it. 4.8v batteries are common, as are 5v BEC's on speed controllers. They know that sometimes servo draw causes voltage to dip below 4v, and they know that many pilots never realize it. All the other manufacturers took this into account and designed systems that wouldn't brownout in those conditions, but somehow JR/Spektrum continue not to. I gave them the benefit of the doubt until the DX8 came out and had to be recalled for reliability problems after only a month or two of being on the market. In today's RC market, there are simply too many well-designed, reliable products to mess around with a brand that isn't.

RE: DX8 Question
 

Do other brand 2.4 radios have brownouts?

RE: DX8 Question
 

All things being even, I haven't had the first problem with either my 6i or my 9503. I did have one plane go in and would have sworn it was the rx or tx but after further investigation found out that it was the switch!

So that said, does it make it right to say that you're all wrong in your conclusion because I haven't had any problems? Not any more so than you saying there are problems with all the whole line because you had a bad experience.

All that would do is start one of those silly internet arguments that neither of us would win.

So, since I've not had any issues using my Spektrum/JR equipment, you must be incorrect in your analysis.........

Just saying.

RE: DX8 Question
 

I started this by asking a question looking for help. The last thing I wanted to do was or is start a Who's is bigger debate... Since my last post I have Re Maidened my 1/4 Cub with a new switch , A new 7010 reciecer , and I changed over to an 1100 mAh A123 reciever pac ...I did a good range check and went for it...It flew beautifuly....I have 6 flights on it with no hint of problems.....I still have that worried feeling while my plane is in the air though ....I have purchaced a Aurora 9 and it is sitting at the border waiting for me....I may end up switching over....I hope not.....Thanks to all for your advice and the positive feedback ...DX8's are still pretty good radios I think...I am hoping my problems were related to my wireing , like my switch or somthing...The Battery is definitely suspect . There is enough Terrorizing going on in this world with out me Terrorizing Spektrum or the DX8's because I had a little problem that I could not easily identify....

RE: DX8 Question
 

Great news! I'm glad it all went well. My guess is that the switch or battery was the culprit. I think you'll find that the DX8 will serve you well provided it, and it's needs are looked after. Most of the time, the plane and radio will talk to you and tell you something is going wrong. We just need to listen closer.

Good Luck.

RE: DX8 Question
 

one little problem I noticed is the failure to get a solid link sometimes. you have got to make sure the lights remain constant and on and is very hard to do if the radio is buried in a plane. they should offer a mod in which you can attach a fiber optic cable to the rx so that you can route the led light to a place where it can be observed

RE: DX8 Question
 

rlipsett That fiber optic Idea is great...I wonder why nobody is doing that...You should patten that or somthing...I wonder If I guy could make somthing up ? All you would need is a strand of fish line maybe . Do you think that might work?If you got the fish line pointed directly at the led indicator lite a then ran it out to some protected spot ,maybe inside the cockpit or something... and it might just transfer enough of the lite to see it....

RE: DX8 Question
 

pdm52956- I'm glad you haven't had a problem. My one beef that I brought up is the voltage at which a reboot happens. With many electrical systems in common use, there simply isn't enough wiggle room to have a reliable radio link using Spektrum equipment. Anyone flying a 4.8v battery is teetering dangerously close to the edge if his servos draw any significant current, and electric pilots who have 5v BEC's are as well. Spektrum sells their equipment to be used with those systems, and has confirmed that the Rx will reboot if it sees less than 4v for even a split second. True enough, Spektrum users have learned to work around the issue by running 6v packs and higher capacity BEC's, but we shouldn't need to. Futaba, Hitec and Airtronics all have lower thresholds for their receivers browning out so that if even a 4.8v battery is on the bottom half of its discharge the receiver will still work. To take it to the extreme, Airtronics receivers will work all the way down to 2 volts. The servos will stop working before the receiver does. So my point is that if Airtronics, Hitec, and Futaba can build a receiver that can work with the current electrical systems we have in our planes without any worry, Spektrum should be able to also.

RE: DX8 Question
 

on ebay you can find bundles of small length fiber optic filaments and end glow tips for cheap prices. ithink you could supply a few lifetimes needs of fiber optics for about 40 dollars. I would make a base with a hole in it that would line up over the led of the rx. I would then put the filament in the holeon top of the led, then tape or secure the base to the rx.. the base could be made from something as simple as 1/4 square stock. then you could run the cable where you need it and mount a glow tip through the side of the plane.

RE: DX8 Question
 

rlipsett I think that is a very cool idea...

RE: DX8 Question
 

Oh I'm not disagreeing with you, instead I'm just pointing out that we each have our own method to our madness and just because what works for one doesn't mean it's the only way to go.

I've flown one Futaba system and that was my trainer. The reason I switched was more because everyone I learned from, everyone at the club I was flying at, and everyone I currently fly with, fly either Spektrum or JR. Did I have to learn a few things to make that switch? Sure I did. Do I regret it? No I don't.

The 4.8 battery issue has been known for a long time. I can't think of anyone I know flying with that voltage any more other than someone that has been flying them since they began flying in 19XX and swears by them, or new pilots that don't know and haven't been told. The options available out there that allow us all to get away from 4.8, and even Nicd or Nimh are so prevalent that there isn't really any reason to be flying any of those to begin with. Now that's just me and I'm not condemning someone else's opinion or right to fly those packs. Just doesn't make sense to me with any system.

It's all good. What works for you, or what works for someone else may not suit me is all. For me, Spektrum and JR have given me very reliable service where that obviously isn't the case for you. Let's not put one system down just because of that.

Happy flying...........and smile when they crash! It's time for something new! :D

RE: DX8 Question
 

Ditch the Dx8. I have three DX6i and never an issue. I got a dx8 and kept having wierd things happen, getting holds etc on numerous planes/ Finally one hit the groun full throttle due to a "hold".

I have a guy at my field going through this now with a Dx8. His habu 32 suddently locked up and started spiraling down and he got it back at the last second. I told him, and like me, he makes excuses for what happened/

I got futuba for my big stuff.

BTW, the correct term for a glow or gas engine when it quits, is a "engine stall" or stall, or stalled, or quit. When you say flameout people will think turbine.

RE: DX8 Question
 

Actually the correct term is "deadstick". "Engine stall" works I guess, but just plane (or plain whichever you prefer) "stall" is when the wing(s) quits flying.

But you are correct in that "flameout" would tend to make you think turbine.

RE: DX8 Question
 

Chances are it's a problem with the switch or a wiring problem, nothing to do with your tx or receiver.I own DX8 and DX7 no issues whatsoever.

Have not read every post here, but would like some information or help.
Need advice. I left my DX8 transmitter turned on over night. Not sure of the number of hours it was on when I discovered that I forgot to turn it off. I have the lipo battery installed in the transmitter and it was reading 7.4 volts on the display. I had accidently left the throttle at about half throttle and the warning beep was what caught my attention. I have turned off the transmitter and plugged it in for a full charge. Will this lipo battery be OK? The battery alarm was not sounding, it was the high throttle alarm that was going off. Battery alarm is set to 6.4 and battery type is set to LIPO on the transmitter. How long should it be left on the charger?

OOps.

I just put a new Spectrum receiver in a plane yesterday and had sluggish servo response. Measuring some voltages I found the on/off switch had gotten quite resistive. (Moving it from on to off would make it work okay but occasionally there was about 1.5 volt drop across it.) Replaced the switch harness with a new one and things were good again. Glad I caught it before flying!