R/C tech help
02-03-2013, 10:33 AM
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R/C tech help
Hey guys, I'm just getting into R/C Boats because a friend of mine gave me his old CESA 1882 R/C Boat. However this R/C boat has some age to it, and it is not working properly. I've tested the remote control and put new batteries in it. The voltage indicator is showing that the remote does in fact turn on. So I dont know if the crystal in the remote control is bad or not. When I try to power the prop on my boat with the remote control, the prop will not spin nor will the rutter turn. I do not know if one of the 2 servos are bad or both of them are bad. It could also be the 2 channel reciever or the crystal in the reciever. Or it could be as simple as the on/off switch being bad. I just bought a new battery pack so i do not think that the battery pack is the problem. If anyone could give me some guidence as to how to test the servos or the reciever or if anyone can share with me a similar situation and how they fixed their boat it would be much appriciated.
02-04-2013, 04:28 AM
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RE: R/C tech help
Testing servos - cheapest way is the find a friend with a known working model with a compatible radio that the servos can be plugged into.
Next cost up, a servo tester. Googling for an "rc servo tester circuit" will provide lots of DIY links. Ready made ones are available.
Simplest and most reliable is to just replace the existing electronics with new 2.4GHz gear, which is reliable and with a bit of shopping around, not too expensive. Quite often a good deal can be had including new, guaranteed, servos. It will also be legal to use and unlikely to either cause or be susceptible to interference with other users.
Other items in the possible problem list - TX looking powered up, but not transmitting. Lots of causes. RX not working, could just need a new aerial wire, could be something dead inside it. Dead crystal at either end, might be as simple as cleaning the legs/sockets. Black wire disease in the RX battery wire. I tend to check for this by connecting the battery and checking the current I can get out of the other end with an ammeter (maybe a bit naughty, but doing it quickly and disconnecting before things heat up really is the best check). When powering up, do the servos twitch? If not, either they are not getting power or they are dead,
If its a brushed motor, does it spin up connected direct to the drive battery?
What kind of motor/speed control? Mention of 2 servos makes me think that a resistance control or a servo operated switch is fitted. Replacing this with an ESC could be a good idea.
02-04-2013, 12:19 PM
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RE: R/C tech help
With boats the biggest problem is corrosion.The receiver especially is prone to corrosion if not in a balloon or radio box.Get a cheap voltmeter and see if you are getting juice to everything first.You can open the receiver carefully and see if it looks like there is corrosion on the circuit board.There is an amazing product called corrosion x and I have gotten dead receivers to come back to life using it.
02-04-2013, 05:15 PM
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RE: R/C tech help
Thanks mfr02 and sportygreg for your help, but the problem was actually relatively simple. The battery pack that powers the reciever was broken, which neither my father nor I saw. So when we manipulated the battery pack to have all of the contacts touching the batteries properly, the boatpowered up and ran fine. All of the servos, the reciever, the remotes, and even the crystals were all fine and working properly! There was a little corrosion on some of the wire connections, but a wired brush took most of it off. Hopefully I do not have anymore problems, and get to test it in the next few weeks. Thanks again for your quick responses.
