cbs52

Having recently dragged my old buggy out of the loft and got it going again, I am having some issues with range that I can't quite work out. The receiver is a very old Acoms AP227 which has been rather abused, with different connectors soldered on, etc. My old ESC bit the dust, so I now have a new Mtroniks Viper RV11 paired with an old Demon triple 17 turn motor.

Now, when I run it, it works fine when close to the transmitter, but when it gets about 7m away, it stops. I can then operate the steering servo, but the ESC does not respond. If I move a bit closer, it starts to respond, but is very glitchy until I get even closer when it takes off again. I don't think it is the ESC as it works as long as I am close by, so I am assuming that it is the receiver. I thought it was a straightforward range issue at first, but the steering still works, so I don't think it is. I have tried repositioning the ESC and receiver and have routed the antenna completely away from any power cables, with no change.

So, is this something that anyone has come across. I am considering getting a newer receiver off ebay just to try - is it worth it, or should I just get a new set of different radio gear?

DaveG55

Try swapping the steering and esc plugs at the receiver and see if you then have esc control (but no steering) at the distance where you start to experience problems. That will tell you if it's the radio or the esc. If the problem moves then it's the radio, if the problem does not move then it's the esc. If it's the radio then you still don't know if it's the tx or the rx. You might try a new set of crystals and be sure all the batteries (both tx & rx) are good. If that still doesn't fix it then I'd say just go for a completely new radio set up because you still don't know if the problem is in the remote or the receiver. Besides an inexpensive AM (or even FM) system is not all that much money - especially if you get one off e-bay.

cbs52

Thanks for the response. I haven't yet tried swapping the plugs around as I had put my own connectors on the receiver and had put each one on a different connector (one male, one female) so as to avoid getting them wrong. I have now swapped connectors around so that I can plug the servo and ESC into the opposite channel, and am waiting for a charged battery to try it.

Before I did that, I was wondering whether the receiver was having a problem with the BEC setup, as it is from the days before receivers had their own BEC circuitry. I was wondering if the power it was getting was not enough for decent range and if the ESC came on, it dropped slightly and reduced the range even more. To test this, I wired in a separate battery box for the receiver which should have eliminated this problem completely. It actually didn't, and the problem was the same.

Well, I'll try the swapping of the channels later, and then we'll see. I have my eye on a later Acoms Rx on ebay that is finishing tonight, so it would be nice to confirm if it is the Rx at fault. If it isn't, I'll be in contact with the ESC manufacturer...

R/C model rocket launcher

hi cbs52.
i have one very old R/C system is ACOMS AP-227 by ASAHI CORP from made in japan.
the old R/C dont have IC ( integrated circuit ) chip inside on the electric board.
no AM / no FM even no 2.4GHZ.
only follow color code with crystal plug 1 to 6.

R/C model rocket launcher

hi daveg55.
i have one very old R/C system is ACOMS AP-227 by ASAHI CORP from made in japan.
the old R/C dont have IC ( integrated circuit ) chip inside on the electric board.
no AM / no FM / even no 2.4GHZ
only follow color code with crystal plug 1 to 6.

SteveM

My Feedback: (1)

I'd dump the ancient Acoms radio gear and buy a new 2.4gHz system instead. I've used Spektrum systems and they've worked perfectly. A less expensive cheaper system is the Tactic TTX240 radio set and I've had two of these and they are great value.

RustyUs

TTX240 are discontinued I believe. For a good basic 2.4ghz radio, a FlySky FS-GT2 or FS-GT2B would fit the bill. They are sold for $20~$24 at most places.