Big problem with motor shaft
 

First off let me say what I have:
GP cap580 flatout
CC phenoix 25 speed control
E-flight park 400 brushless motor
stock gear box (came with flatout)
12x3.8 apc prop
Apogee 3cell 1050mah lipo

Here's my problem:
Flew it last night for the first time (my first electric plane also) Everything going fine (flies awsome) until about 2 minutes into it I loose all power. No throttle at all. Land plane and upon inspection I notice that the motor shaft has snapped off between pinion gear and motor case(no pinion gear = no power). also when looking at the gearbox gear there is no damage there at all.
At the time of this incident the plane was flying straight and level at about 1/4 throttle.
It seems odd to me that somthing had enough force to break the motor shaft but not strip the gearbox at all.

If anyone has heard of this or has any idea why this happened I would be more than happy to here what they have to say.

Thanks
Rob

RE: Big problem with motor shaft
 

It seems any kind of bind breaks these shafts. Send it into Horizon with a note of what happened, and a copy of your receipt. They replaced 7 of the 370 versions, in a 6 month period for me. All at no charge, and they have my 400 one now. ;)

RE: Big problem with motor shaft
 

The e-flite shafts break easily. The magnets will pop too. I've found that the five I've broken in the past year or so relate right back to the operator (me). Pinion gear pressing must be precisely done. If you're off just a little when you shove the pinion into place, you can put a slight bend in the shaft. You can't see it or feel it but the motor will break the shaft right behind the gear. The magnet breaks pretty easily, sometimes due to a light prop strike that doesn't even hurt the prop.

I've found the Himax shafts and magnets to be much tougher although slightly less efficient than the e-flite. These shafts will drop right in your 370 or 400 motor. My 2025 shaft in my 400 motor put up with all sorts of nonsence from me as I improved my game. It has outlasted several planes and is still going strong in my mini-funtana. I must finally be getting better; I've been flying the Funtana for a couple of months and haven't smacked it once!

Randy