RCU Forums - View Single Post - Cortex Gyro Failure
View Single Post
Old 01-04-2015 | 05:14 PM
  #2  
Len Todd
 
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 0
Received 47 Likes on 38 Posts
From: Baldwin, MI
Default

Your servo current readings seem high. Are those readings at idle? Mine typically are .001 to .003 at idle. (The flap servo may typically be more as it is being held up tight against the wing. But it unloads some in flight and I use half flap position on the ground.) I would be be working on that linkage or surfaces to get the readings lower. If these are truly the minimal readings you can get, they are significant and need to be calculated into your overall power usage (i.e. The current used during eight starts and taxis, etc. would be significant.)

Unless you have a lab grade meter with peak recording, your current meter is most-likely NOT fast enough to read peak current usage. A servo momentarily uses a lot of current to begin and stop the movement. It also uses a lot of current, which is consistent enough to fairly accurately read, to hold a control surface when the plane is moving. But at best you would be seeing an average current use, even if you recorded it in flight. HV Digital servos use a lot of current. I am assuming you are at least using Digital servos. In giants with digital servos, 5 Amps is a good number for momentary peak calcs. It is the peaks that you can not see. It is the peaks that cause electronic components to fail. Also, with digital servos, the calculated potential current usage is cumulative (i.e. they can all move at the same time unlike analog servos).

How many flights were actually on the batteries? Eight flights is a lot, especially when you have high servo current readings. Mah in a battery means little after 30-40% is used. I still have 60% of the Mah in my Jet's ECU battery and the thing will not start because the battery will not consistently deliver the current. Do not believe that your battery will consistently deliver rated current after it is 40% used. Some batteries may. Some won't. We tested and proved that this year.

Are you using a power distribution system? If you are using digital servos, the peaks can be up to 5 amps and all can be drawing at the same time. Getting all that current thru a Rxer bus w/o a significant voltage drop is not likely. Consequently, you could be seeing significant momentary voltage drops. You may want to consider look into a power distribution system. If you are not using one, you may also want to consider doing more reading about power usage in giants. Try the smartfly or powerbox sites for some added info. Some folks get away without using these. But in Giant Planes the power consumption is very high, at times. Counting on that Rxer bus to handle that load as well as all the other devices we could hang off it is not wise.

Another question to ask is: How was the Gyro wired? If it is drawing its power off a receiver after 8 flights on the rxer battery, it too is subject to any momentary voltage drop caused by all the servos. Then again, ... The Gyro could have just failed. But, ... the voltage could also have gone low on you after the 8 flights to cause this failure. Anyway, ... any optional device you add increases the risk of failure. Being a single failure device, I avoid gyros in giants. I have two of them in my junk box that came off used planes I bought.