Hey guys, thanks for looking. I have been working on this plane all day and I am getting super aggrivated with it. I have it all done and she is a beauty! The motor DA50 Starts and runs like a top! I cant wait to fly it, but I cant get a good range check. I get maybe 70ft with the antenna down and motor running. The servos (all) have an intermittent jump with the motor on or off and doenst matter what range, even next to it. I changed recievers, jump still there, changed radios, jumps still there, changed the servos 1 by 1 and the jump is still there. Motor on, or off, even standing next to it they jump to almost half throw and then return to center about every 15seconds. I have gotton rid od ALL metal to metal connections and it still jumps. I have never used uncoated wires on the pull pull, could this be acting as an antenna? Something is conduction some major interferrance in this sucker. I just dont know what else to eliminate. I am using all hitec 5645s and a JR 8611 on the rudder. I just cant figure it out. Thanks guys, I know yall have some great suggestions, I just need to get outside the box. I am way to aggrivated.

Do this. Disconnect all servos at the receiver. Reconnect them one at a time and do a range check on each one alone.

I bet you will find that one of them causes the interference. It may not be the servo, it could be an extension. Ofthe this happens with a bad connection in an extension.

Best way to troubleshoot things like this is to remove as much as possible and see if the problem exists.

TF

#1: Are you using any extensions anywhere that have been used before?

#2: New switch or old?

#3: Is the antenna taped down anywhere?

#4: How close is the antenna to the rudder cables and/or servo extensions? Separate by as much as possible.

#5 How is the battery connection? New battery or o;d?

#6: Have you tried an electrical cleaner on the electrical contacts for all components?

#7: Are you using an old rx crystal in a new receiver?

#8: Has the transmitter ever been dropped? Check with a new crystal.

It's clearly not an engine/ignition issue since it also occurs with the engine not running.

i have never used coated cables and still don't have a range problem.what i have had is the aileron extensions were the problem in two aircraft,went to twisted ext and never had it again,they fan out behind the engine and act as a solar shield if you will and collect all the bad stuff

It could also be a bad battery conection, switch, is the spark plug boot seated firmly on the plug. also try tapeing the recever antenna out on the wing. is the antenna runing near the pull pull or battery leads....All I can think of..

are you using a PCM receiver??? or just an FM if it is FM/PPM that could be also you problem

Every Part on the plane is new. Every extension, battery, servo, even the 9Cap radio. I am using FM however and not PCM. With every servo unplugged from the reciever and plugging 1 reg servo into each channel, every channel is jumping. Its like I am transmitting it, however its doing it on every channel with 2 differant Txs and 2 diff Rxs, even on 2 differant channels!! I cant figure it out guys, do i need to be on PCM?

I dont have the antenna even by anything right now, I have it hanging out the hatch opening, cause I thought that was the problem first. Also, if I hook up the 9cap and RX into my funtana 90, it doesnt exibit any of these anomalies. It range checks fine and has no jittering. Its like the plane is sitting in a RF field of clutter!!!

NEVER USE PCM TO MASK A PROBLEM! I use ppm receiver for setting up and range checking a new bird. If there is any problems I want to find them before flight. Then I put the PCM receiver in and range check again.

What receiver are you using? Pull the crystal and try another one from a receiver that works.

Are you using regulators on your batteries? if so they must be at least 4" away from the receiver and nowhere near the antenna

Absolutely you do not need PCM, that will just hide the problem. If it doesn't work with FM go no farther.

I one time had a problem like this when I used a hitec crystal in a Futaba receiver, or vice versa, I don;t remember. Check for stuff like this. There must be some common component. Unplug the switch and plug in another battery without a switch, see if that helps.

It will be solved through the process of elimination.

TF

I tried a working reciever and crystal outa another plane on another channel EVEN! and still, it jumps. I am using 6V NimH with no regulators. It sounds like the problem that cant possibly exist, but I cant find it... I just dont know. I knows its not the ailerons, the wings arent even on the plane. The choke and throttle can be ruled out, standard servos, working out of another plane. I think its the 8611. If you hold it in a bind it jumps almost every 5 seconds, if you tkae it outa bind, it only does it every 10 or so. If you unplug it completely, only maybe every 15-30. I think its the pull pulls having a problem being 2 inchs from the servo extinsions, and the antenna. I think I will put it in the tail, that might be it???

Switch might be bad sending intermittent voltage

I agree with easy does it.! Plug the battery into the receiver directly.

What brand are the other servos? At times Futaba servos running at 6v. on a NiMH battery will do this. Try using just a standard receiver pack (4 cell) and I would bet that the problem will go away. The single JR servo shouldn't be the problem.

I agree with Tom.

Check things one at a time after unplugging everything. Plug something in, if it works, great. Do this one at a time for each and every servo and extension. Switches and batteries, too. After you have ruled out each item one at a time, start over. Insert one item, then another until the problem re-occurs. Avoid any kind of Scotch or Mylar based tape on an antenna. Twice, possibly three times, I've solved a range issue by eliminating such a tape.

You eliminated the probability of the glitch being the JR servo when you unplugged it and a problem still remained. The engine was eliminated since the problem continues when it's not running,... unless you are running the ignition off of your receiver battery, or the ignition wire runs through the rx somehow. I certainly hope not. Just trying to cover all the possible bases.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE A PCM RECEIVER TO MASK AN INTERNAL RADIO PROBLEM. EVER!

Derek8819, your problem sounds to me like a bad switch or battery/switch combo like one of the other responders mentioned.

If you are close to Ryan Gonsoley (my Cajon spelling is off tonight) or Philip Obree (spelling) up in New Iberia, give them a call. They are pretty good at this and could possibly come down and help.

Best of luck,

Bobby

One thing i notice is that when im checking out equipment at home having anything pluged into a charger is a problem. Like charging a flight box battery on the bench. Having any wire neer any metal linkage is a problem. Having any metal linkages come from the engine is a problem.
After reading all this i want to ask you have you tried moving the plane to another location. I know In the past i have checked things out at home only to get to the field and have issues. Moving the wires inside the plane while puting the wings on and such things has changed things along with the proximity to a Radio station. Also other people could be using or in some cases abusing equipment neer you. I know the FCC has shown up at a plant i know of for running a Micro wave oven without a cover on it Granted the thing was huge made for drying products on a production line. But it clogged up communications at a local FAA center. The regularity of your glitch sugests to me an outside source of interferance. Just my $0.02

Try this, unplug your 6v NiMh and plug in a regular 4.8v battery and see if that solves it. If it does then put a regulator on your 6v battery. I use Futaba Tx and Recievers too and the Futaba seems to be a little more fickle about anything much over 6 volts than the others. It's worth a shot and will only take a few seconds. Let us know when you find the problem.

Shawn

UPDATE!!

I took every connection apart. I started connecting the standard servos first (throttle and choke) and no problems. I hooked up ailerons and elevators (5625s) no problems. I hooked up the rudder. PROBLEMS! Heres where it gets weird. If I hook a standard servo into ch4, problem goes away. If I hook up a 5625 problem goes away. BUT! If I hook up the 8611, or put a bind on the 5625, problems.... I think the problem I think is I am running out of power. I have 6.4volts and If I hook up the battery directly it jumps once every 10-15 secs. If I hook it to the switch, extension, and battery, it jumps constantly.

See? That one at a time thing works. You may be on to something with the power, try this.

Assuming you have two battery packs, plug one into the receiver directly, then put a Y cable on the rudder and plug the second battery pack into the Y along with the 8611. This way the 8611 has a sort of private power source.

TF

Hey tom, Thanks for the reply. I went out and hooked it up like you reccomended. hooking up the y with a battery on the other end completely stopped the problem. I was like NO WAY! So, I unhooked the battery and the problem still was gone and ranged checked over 100ft. I then took the y outa the equasion and the problem returned. just adding the Y without any other thing stops the problem. Why is this? This is super weird.

Some times changing the length of a wire will stop a signal propagation problem. Did putting the Y back in stop it again? If you have a good magnifying glass look at the pins and connectors on the servo. do they look straight and clean?

Probably something about the way the servo is making contact with the rx pins, the Y has a more solid contact or something.

Never underestimate the value of doing stuff.

TF