rubezahl

I got my second electric plane finished this week and was at the field yesterday for the shake down flights. I noticed some bizarre behavior from my electrical system. With the TX on and the battery plugged in, the motor would spin intermittently. It would start and stop. I assumed the battery was low, so i connected a freshly charged one and upon giving full throttle for flight, the motor cutout and would "chirp" or run intermittently. I checked my airplane and found that the RX crystal had dislodged itself so I taped it in, no change. I just installed a brand new Castle Creations Phoenix 25 Speed control and did not change any of the factory settings. I static tested the entire setup the night before and everything ran flawlessly. I'm frustrated to say the least and am thinking about burning my electrical gear and turning my plane into a glider. Any insight into this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Motor: Mega Motor ACn 16/15/5
Battery: 1100 mAh 2/3 A Nickel Metal Hydride 8 Cells 9.6V
Receiver: Hi-Tec 555
Servos: (2) Hi-Tec HS-55's
Prop: Graupner scale 6 x 4.5
ESC: Castle Creations Phoenix 25

sierra gold

No, as you describe it, this is not normal.

You have the throttle in the "off" position on the transmitter and the motor is running intermittently?

Are your servos/ control surfaces acting normal?

Your ESC is plugged into channel 3 on the 555?

What transmitter are you using?

Sierra Gold

rubezahl

I have the TX (Hi-Tec Laser 4) turned on and the throttle in the full off position. The servos are acting normally. The ESC is plugged into channel 3 on the 555. Also, when I was looking at it yesterday, I plugged a battery in and gave the plane 1/2 throttle, the motor doesn't spin. It just turns a little then stops, turns a little and stops. Then the LED on my ESC starts flashing. What gives?

sierra gold

When everything is plugged in, including the battery, the servos act normal and moving the TX stick the rudder and elevator move?

With the TX throttle stick in the off position the motor doesn't spin? (With the battery still connected to the ESC.)

Upon moving the throttle stick the motor starts to spin and then stops and an LED starts blinking on the ESC? First, I would read my instruction sheet on the ESC and see what that LED is telling you. I suspect you have a bad battery pack - either not charged for some reason or physically bad. The drain of the motor is activating the LVC of the ESC and shutting down the motor. This normally happens to me when my pack is close to full discharge at the end of a flight. I just haven't observed the LED. It first occurs at full throttle and then at lesser throttle settings.

Sierra Gold

quyetflyer

Could this have been an rx interference problem????

MHawker

My Feedback: (16)

Just another option..... I was installing my first e-set up a while back. While I was testing the motor, etc, I would rev the motor and all seemed fine. Then the next time I revved it, the prop spun up and then started to wind down slower and slower.

Turned out, the motor was actually spinning fine, but the pinion came loose so the motor was spinning inside the pinion.

lwatson

My Feedback: (2)

Definitly read the ESC manual. The one I just got has a special programming mode that you can put it into with the right combinations of half throttle and full throttle. I suspect the ESC is trying to tell you something.

robd347

My Feedback: (1)

Check the three wires coming from your motor, I found one open on mine. It had the same symptoms as you are describing. If so the sensors in your motor is not working.

finchero

My Feedback: (-1)

when you attach the battery to the esc the throttle should be half to full throttle, you'll hear a beep, now take the throttle to o throttle , you hear another beep. the esc is now initialized. if this doesn't work then you have to reprogram per manufacturer instr. it's pretty simple.