pattratt

My Feedback: (1)

Hi All

I posted the followinf on the Futaba Direct Forum. Will let you know if I get an answer or a "Deleted" post!!

Bax

How many more weeks do we have to wait for an official statement on the heat issue? I have three of these very exspensive receivers in very exspensive aircraft. Two Jets and a 33% Extra 260. That's over $3000 in Radio & receivers and $18,000 in very sophisticated aircraft that I cannot fly without fear of loosing them due to a receiver heat problem. In Houston it's summer and 94 degrees today! This is a very BAD situtation!! We need an answer NOW!!!

summerwind

you built 2 jets and the 33% and equipped them with 6014's?
how long have they been flight ready?

here is a test i did this last week,

well i'm still going through with my purchase of the 10C, and i also had a good oportunity to at least test the current Rx's i have installed in 2 planes. the temp here was 102, and i put both planes inside my Black Silverado directly in the sun for an hour.............everything was good and hot when i pulled them out and turned the radios on, and they worked just fine, but i now know what ARF's and wrinkled moneykote are all about as that's the only ill effect i had with this test.
i know that the temp of the fuselages were way hotter than they would be just sitting in the sun which never happens at my field as our pits are covered and all the models sit in the shade.
so even though i feel it was a brutal test, it did prove to me that normal installations like i've done since i began RC some 40 years ago are still solid.......................maybe the remedy for the guys having problems is to build a tiny ice chest and install their Rx's inside that

rmh

there is a new device for this problem, called the Kelvinator.
very kool.

summerwind

i always thought it was calle the "koolurator".....

d_wheel

Also did some testing Sunday. It was 90 degrees in the shade here so it seemed like a good time to get some readings. Took the canopy off of one of my 25%'rs and placed a wireless outdoor thermometer sensor inside. In the shade it read 90 degrees (of course). Placed it in the direct sun and watched it start climbing. 1 and 1/2 hours later it topped out at 125 degrees. Simply laying a white paper towel on top of the canopy caused it to immediately start dropping. 30 minutes later it was down to 105. After placing it in the shade, the temp came back down to ambient.

With this result, I am going to continue flying my FASST equipment without fear of heat problems. It will remain in the shade when on the ground, and since the aircraft is vented I am not worried about it getting to hot in the air (I fly electric and the venting helps keep the battery temps within reason). Just to play it safe, I will be carrying a recording thermometer on board to satisfy myself that temps aren't getting out of hand in flight. Will let everyone know the readings when available.

Personally, if I had an airplane that had temps rising to 160 degrees on the ground (as I understand this is the temperature that causes the receiver to quit working) I would do something to bring that down even if I were not having problems. That is WAY beyond a reasonable temperature and needs to be avoided.

Later;

D.W.

woodie

Very expensive radio equipment $3000
VERY expensive sophisciated aircraft $18000
White towel for canopies $3 each Priceless !!!

Or go all out, spend $200 and get an EZ-Up canopy for you and the planes...

Woodie

XJet

It's worth noting that at least one major servo manufacturer only rates their servos to 60 deg C (140 deg F).

It doesn't matter if your receiver is still working, if you're exceeding 60 deg C inside a model then you should *not* be flying.

canavanbob

My Feedback: (20)

Xjet;
Please tell us how you monitor your internal temp. Pictures please.

ira d

I wonder if its possible that only some of the receivers are failing a little before the
temps get up to the rated level.

XJet

I would think that that a thermometer would be the best way ;-)

superdave01

Negtaive post about Futaba in the Futaba Direct Support get deleted or locked.

If the heat problem is common on these recievers then its a design flaw, anyone know of a 72 Mhz reciever not working after being in the sun?

Our invoriment is only hash on electronics cause of vibrations, heat has never been an issue.

Futaba needs to stop lying and covering up issues and start replacing aircraft!

XJet

Yes, there were quite a few folks who lost models to a batch of Hitec Electron 6 receivers that failed in temperatures over 105 deg F.

Hitec didn't recall stock from the shelves but would fix faulty receivers if they were sent in (at the customer's expense for postage to Hitec).

d_wheel

None reported that I have seen.

The simple fact that something has been done a certain way for years and nothing bad has happened does not indicate that it has been being done the best way. The best example of this is the Shuttle launch procedures. They simply "got away" with using the previous method for years even though it was flawed.

I repeat, 160 degrees is beyond a reasonable temperature for electronic equipment. If yours is getting that hot, do something about it even if you are not having trouble.

As for Futaba lying and covering things up, you will have to give me an example.

Later;

D.W.

Silent-AV8R

Well the actual case is that threads in the vendor only forum that become discussion threads get locked. Posts that are merely comments and that do not ask a question get deleted.

It would not have to be a "design flaw" if it turns out that the 2.4 RX has a lower heat tolerance. It could just be a matter that the components used in 2.4 equipment has a lower tolerance. No flaw, just the way it is. But it is so much easier to simply say it is a flaw rather than try to understand the complexity of the situation.

Oh, and can you provide any factual basis to support your contention that Futaba is lying.

superdave01

Futaba claims the lower signal voltage is to make the servos faster, BS.

superdave01

On temp, If a device is normally used in Sun exposed areas and it gets to hot in that inviroment then its a design flaw, If a car is designed to do 200mph and it only does 199 its flawed.

160 F is pretty extreme but i doubt any reciever gets that hot from the inviroment alone.

AGAIN Futaba deleted some of my post cause they dont shed positive light on there products!

Silent-AV8R

No, they deleted your posts because they did not ask a question about the product or they otherwise violated the posting policy for the forum section. What is so hard to understand about that?

Silent-AV8R

What evidence do you have to support this opinion?

summerwind

what happened to the OP?

pattratt

My Feedback: (1)

Two aircraft are recent 2.4 conversions, the thrid is new.

Dick T.

My Feedback: (243)

A belligerent and all knowing tone doesn’t help either. By your own definition of “flawed”, everything in your world, including you, is flawed.

Abide by the support forum rules and you will receive concise and polite answers.

superdave01

Makes me wonder if Futaba own this entire forum....... anything negative about Futaba gets deleted.

pattratt

My Feedback: (1)

Update on my original post to Futaba Factory direct forum.

Looks like Futaba USA is unwilling to "BUG" Japan on this or they are unwilling to tell me the "WHAT or WHEN we might expect something regarding the heat issue. It doesn't take a month to at least determine if ther IS or IS NOT a problem and if there is at what temperature does it occur. I recoginize the solution could take some time but the recognition of a problem [if it exist] should take less than a day.

Futaba USA does not want to discuss the issue other than to tell me to be patient and "LOCK" the thread!!

I own my own business as a distributor of Manufactured Goods. If I treated my customers this way, I soon would not have any problems or CUSTOMERS!!!

sirrom

My Feedback: (4)

This is a test that anyone can do to check to see if your receiver should still work in extreme temps. Go find some place that will get the ambient temperature up to 150-160 degrees, like a paint booth. Then step inside the booth yourself and see how long you last in that environment. My guess is that you would not last that long and would want to exit as soon as possible. So with that being said, do you think it is reasonable to subject your airplanes and sensitive electronics to that same kind of extreme?

I said it once and I will say it again if you yourself could not put up with the temperature then why on earth would you have a 200+ dollar receiver in that extreme. I live in Florida and on a hot summer day it can get up to 100+ degrees. You can bet your sweet ***** that I and my airplanes are under some kind of shaded shelter trying our best to stay cool. I pay alot for my RC gear and don't abuse it. Lets use some common sense here. Futaba is not to blame for someone being an idiot and leaving their airplane sitting and baking in the sun on a 100+ degree day.


Just my .02

patrick

rmh

High temps and electronics are nothing new go under the hood of a modern auto - on a summer day
you will find 160 I was repairing a Ford Explorer-with a damaged front left fender - what do you thinkl I found under the fender skirting -outside the engine compartment?
yep - a module - for the brakes.
I can't beleive Futaba did a setup which won't withstand the heat in fuselages .
Did they?
this kind of thing should never make it past basic design.if indeed it did