Viper 10 chatters Lipo Guard blow servo, LPB motor

[satlite440]

and i wasn't haveing an issue with the lipogard other than when the twitching happens the led's for the lipogard and the lpb go on and off and the moters do also

[H2Ohaze]

Thank you satlite I understand your issue better. One big diff with me is the chatter doesn't increase with throttle, both LPB and blow servo chatter the same with any throttle speed except reverse doesn't trip the blow servo to chatter. And my rudder/sternplane/bow plane servos are rock steady whatever the throttle. I agree your symptoms would point to RF noise...or possibly a messed esc?

Do your motors only intermittent on forward throttle or reverse as well?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

It's occured to me that the issue may be that we're over-taxing the ESC's BEC. Andy Lawrance, a long time ago, cautioned that the 1.5-ampere capable ESC BEC's were not enough for the device heavy SD's.

I recommend you guys get the 5-volt, 5-ampere BEC and plug it in. I had similar issures with one of my 3.5 SD's and installation of the heavy-duty BEC fixed all the twitching and motor stuttering ... why did I not think of this when the thread started!???

Here's the recommended BEC: http://www.sub-driver.com/electronic...r-circuit.html

[H2Ohaze]

Then would you say that the ADF2 is suffering a "brownout" and stuttering the blow servo...where if it is taken out of line the servo behaves itself?

Still, the LPB gets its power direct from battery, although I admit if the Rx is browning out it might stutter it's signal.

If I recall, I have to sever the red wire on the esc to Rx connection to stop BEC. The least non destructive way to do this is to get a short extension lead and chop it there.

What are the dimensions of this battery eliminator? Not a lot of room in the VIIC, although I now have more room up front running just the one 2000 mah battery, just have to cut and re-splice the Rx cable on it.

Can I simulate the eliminator for testing purposes by putting a cut-red- wire-extension in channel 3 and plugging a 4.8 volt AA battery pack into a spare Rx channel?

[H2Ohaze]

Okay I put a jumper inline to channel 3 with severed red wire to stop BEC from esc. Then I plugged in either a 600 mah or an 900 mah NiCad 4 cell AA receiver pack into channel 8. I still got motor stutter forward only, occasional LPB stutter when throttle at anything other than zero.

When the Lipo Guard only was inline with blow servo/channel 4 Rx: no stutter from servo.
When ADF only was inline with blow servo/channel 4: stutter when throttle in any non-zero position.

Either of the two packs did the same. I didn't wire them in parallel.

I don't think battery packs were at full "fresh" charge, but most likely enough of a charge.

I realized that your battery eliminator is 5 amps and the Vipers BEC is 1.2 amps. Since the biggest NiCad Rx pack I was running for my test was 0.9 amps, my test doesn't say much I guess.

Do you have a response to my post #13? In view of the possible battery eliminator fix, should I get one of the two servo testers...or another one...or none at all right now? Or just buy another ADF2? Or just buy the eliminator only and sit tight for USPS?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Okay I put a jumper inline to channel 3 with severed red wire to stop BEC from esc. Then I plugged in either a 600 mah or an 900 mah NiCad 4 cell AA receiver pack into channel 8. I still got motor stutter forward only, occasional LPB stutter when throttle at anything other than zero.

When the Lipo Guard only was inline with blow servo/channel 4 Rx: no stutter from servo.
When ADF only was inline with blow servo/channel 4: stutter when throttle in any non-zero position.

Either of the two packs did the same. I didn't wire them in parallel.

I don't think battery packs were at full "fresh" charge, but most likely enough of a charge.

I realized that your battery eliminator is 5 amps and the Vipers BEC is 1.2 amps. Since the biggest NiCad Rx pack I was running for my test was 0.9 amps, my test doesn't say much I guess.

Do you have a response to my post #13? In view of the possible battery eliminator fix, should I get one of the two servo testers...or another one...or none at all right now? Or just buy another ADF2? Or just buy the eliminator only and sit tight for USPS?

Good sleuthing here. And don't worry, though the Ni-Cad pack is only an ampere of capactiy, it will discharge much more than that short-term should the system demand it -- so your plugging it onto the receiver bus was a valid test. So, after that, we can assume the devices are operating at the correct voltage and are pushing all the current they require. That shoots down my thought about the devices being current starved in this situation.

So, it's down to the receiver or the ADF2. Get the servo-setter and get the ADF2 ... you only need one servo-setter-tester-thingymabobb. And play it safe, get the big BEC too.

David

[H2Ohaze]

To some extent, it also isolated the NiCad running the Rx, servos, ADF2- from the Lipo on the esc, LPB, and Lipo Guard.

Already put in an order for BEC, but not another ADF2. Its some $$$.

LHS has the first link in post 13 servo tester in stock, but they tell me it only runs one servo at at a time. So I can't replicate situation since the throttle "on" causes the chattering in the servo/ADF2...I need to plug in both esc and blow servo/ADF2.

Please inform me of a servo setter that would work, and confirm that I should be buying another ADF2: if the new one causes chatter to go away, can I return the older one (that would then be proved as the problem)?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

To some extent, it also isolated the NiCad running the Rx, servos, ADF2- from the Lipo on the esc, LPB, and Lipo Guard.

Already put in an order for BEC, but not another ADF2. Its some $$$.

LHS has the first link in post 13 servo tester in stock, but they tell me it only runs one servo at at a time. So I can't replicate situation since the throttle "on" causes the chattering in the servo/ADF2...I need to plug in both esc and blow servo/ADF2.

Please inform me of a servo setter that would work, and confirm that I should be buying another ADF2: if the new one causes chatter to go away, can I return the older one (that would then be proved as the problem)?

I want you to output the servo setter to the Lipo-guard, Lipo-guard to the fail-safe side of the ADF, ADF to the servo. The receiver to the ESC. The test is to get a 'clean' square-wave signal to the ballast sub-system -- insuring there is no RF interferrance. At the same time you're driving the ESC through the receiver. We're looking to see if the clean square-wave signal to the ballast sub-system devices produces glitch-free operation or not.

Don't spring for the ADF yet. Let's see what happens above.

David

[H2Ohaze]

Servo tester driving servo through first Lipo Guard, then ADF2, finally to blow servo; esc driving motors through Tx/Rx:blow servo chatters. It is however operable through knob on servo tester. Tester driven by separate Nicad 4 cell pack. Throttle forward or backward.

Same as above but ADF2 removed from series chain: no chatter.

I have an old Mtroniks micro failsafe that I was able to replace ADF2 with (though it's flopping around, not really fitting in SD), Lipo Guard in circuit, worked by Rx: no chatter, blow servo triggers fine when Tx turned off. Problem is I don't want to give up that space, not much room left in there.

I drove the esc with the servo tester, Rx BEC unplugged: motors still hesitate going forward. This is not using the Nicad pack for the servo tester power, it's now running off BEC. This tester has a button that when pressed loads the BEC with 500 ma; pressing button did not seem to have an effect on frequency or amplitude of motor hesitation.

As a side note: center of Tx throttle stick where Viper was programend to be neutral is not neutral on tester. Looks like about 60% up from low throttle on my Futaba 9C is neutral 1.5 ms on servo tester. FWIW.

LPB light still flickers now and then when motors on forwards or backwards. Not very much.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Captain Obvious say's it's the ADF.

Good testing methodology. Me thinks you've been around the block a few times.

David

[H2Ohaze]

Captain Obvious say's it's the ADF.

Good testing methodology. Me thinks you've been around the block a few times.

David

Yeah, a mechanical engineer but more than 30 years ago. They had me do a lot of electrical connector testing and sheet metal bending mainly. Frankly I wasn't that good. :)

And I've passed through the vale of a Holland Mk II build, reworking stuff like adding a stop switch for ballast floating piston getting too full and over-pressurizing tank...etc. And I researched from about six sources what the Holland really looked like, since sources conflict with each other. Had to take guesses sometimes wrt periscope, paint scheme etc. I even visited the real Holland #1 in Britain.

I think I'm ready for heli's now. They just crash a lot.

So what happens next with the ADF2? Do you send me one, do I send you mine, and when and who pays for what?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You're well traveled.

Not me, I'm just the idiot manufacturer here. That's Kevin McLeod's product -- and rare indeed is a bum unit from him. You won the lottery. Kevin's very careful on what he shoves out the door.

Kevin?!.......... help.

[satlite440]

so onward and forward.. removed rx ch4 lipogard/adf2 vent/ blow servo and power leads to lipogard..no stuttering in servos for bow planes&rudder but moters start and stop in forward. reverse was ok no effect on lpb...

[satlite440]

so back in with adf2&lipogard&vent/blow and stern plane servos in at rx ch4 lipogard-adf2-vent blow servo and ch6 adf2-stern plane servo...remove lpb and power leads... twitching back in play on all servos and moters

[satlite440]

so now ch4 lipogard-adf2-vent/blow servo out..lpb ch5 out... ch6 adf2-stern planes out. reverse ok but moters stutter in forward.... thoughs dave ??? still thinking esc???? and now not sure my problem is the same as h20hazeor maby he can tell us if he has had time to see the vid's