Help me convert this Piper Tomahawk to Electric

[7JB]

OK.

Something isn't right. I got everything put together and here is my equipment list:

RadioLink T120
R120F Receiver
HAWK'S WORK Brushless ESC, 20A
OVONIC 3s Lipo Battery 35C 2200mAh 11.1V Lipo Battery with XT60 Connector
QWinOut A2208 2208 Brushless Motor 1400KV



I connected it and everything seemed fine. I sat in my garage and ran the plane static full power and after about 5 min, the engine stopped and the servos worked for about another 20 seconds and then suddenly all went to full extremes. full right , full up, etc and non responsive.

A couple of times when testing the plane, I would be checking the controls and without warning, all the servos would go full deflection and stick and the only way to unstick them is to unplug the battery and plug it back in. Something is amiss.

 

[7JB]

Well. I thought the battery died. I gave it 10 min and re plugged everything in and suddenly everything is back.
I am thinking of going back to old school and running glo fuel. This is unnecessarily complicated.

 

[tudordewolf]

Well. I thought the battery died. I gave it 10 min and re plugged everything in and suddenly everything is back.
I am thinking of going back to old school and running glo fuel. This is unnecessarily complicated.

Sorry to hear about the troubles... I love glow myself, but I wouldn't give up yet.

The servos going to full deflection sounds like the receiver going into failsafe and using default positions as if it lost connection to the transmitter. If you change failsafe settings in the transmitter, does it change where the controls "jam" to? Probably a good idea to have that set so the plane "goes neutral" if it loses connection.

Did you have an opportunity to feel the motor or ESC after the ground run? Were either hot? They should sustain constant output, but it's worth checking.

 

[7JB]

Sorry to hear about the troubles... I love glow myself, but I wouldn't give up yet.

The servos going to full deflection sounds like the receiver going into failsafe and using default positions as if it lost connection to the transmitter. If you change failsafe settings in the transmitter, does it change where the controls "jam" to? Probably a good idea to have that set so the plane "goes neutral" if it loses connection.

Did you have an opportunity to feel the motor or ESC after the ground run? Were either hot? They should sustain constant output, but it's worth checking.

The esc was scorching hot

 

[tudordewolf]

The esc was scorching hot

Probably shutting off the keep itself from frying permanently.

Is it getting airflow where it's positioned? Most electric planes make accomodation for airflow from the propeller to cool the ESC & battery space, or incorporate a subtle duct/scoop to catch air in flight, but a nitro kit might not offer enough as originally designed.

My Avistar kit has instructions to cut vents both in the front and rear for air to pass through the fuselage if converting to electric.

 

[7JB]

also I was running a 6X4.5 prop
My 7X5 just arrived

Is that delta enough to cause an issue?

 

[7JB]

Ok, I am learning so much going through this process.
I put on the 7X5 prop and ran an entire battery cycle on full throttle and it ran perfectly, and everything is cool. I clearly don't understand the relationship between battery, Esc, motor, and prop but I am reading up on it and all the suggestions say start with the prop and work your way back and it seams running too small a prop can cause all sorts of issues.


Last question (I hope)
When I connect the battery to the receiver, all the servos pivot like 180 degrees.
Then I power on the transmitter, they return to neutral.

The issue is when I power on the receiver, the servos rotate beyond the limits of the control surfaces. It ripped off 2 control horns.
What am I missing here?

Thanks again for all the information.

 

[CertifiedMike]

You power the transmitter on first. Powering on your rc (cars) in my case prior to transmitter can cause run away or servo damage etc.

 

[Doom!]

Always turn on transmitter first, then plug in battery, otherwise the receiver doesn't know what to do because it's not getting any instructions. Also when finished you reverse the order and unplug the battery befor shutting off the transmitter.

I accidentally forgot to do this once, and my plane shot out of the back of my truck at full throttle.

 

[Chubaka]

Always turn on transmitter first, then plug in battery, otherwise the receiver doesn't know what to do because it's not getting any instructions. Also when finished you reverse the order and unplug the battery befor shutting off the transmitter.

I accidentally forgot to do this once, and my plane shot out of the back of my truck at full throttle.

My stampede used to shave the bear so to speak.

 

[tudordewolf]

Ok, I am learning so much going through this process.
I put on the 7X5 prop and ran an entire battery cycle on full throttle and it ran perfectly, and everything is cool. I clearly don't understand the relationship between battery, Esc, motor, and prop but I am reading up on it and all the suggestions say start with the prop and work your way back and it seams running too small a prop can cause all sorts of issues.


Last question (I hope)
When I connect the battery to the receiver, all the servos pivot like 180 degrees.
Then I power on the transmitter, they return to neutral.

The issue is when I power on the receiver, the servos rotate beyond the limits of the control surfaces. It ripped off 2 control horns.
What am I missing here?

Thanks again for all the information.

In your radio's controls you should be able to set "F/S", failsafe, which determines the servo's "default" position if there is no signal.

I use Radiolink (AT9 & R6-, R9-, and R12-DS) for all my planes, they don't do anything even if I turn them on first, though I make sure I have the right model selected so gear doesn't suddenly try to deploy at max servo speed.

 

[7JB]

In your radio's controls you should be able to set "F/S", failsafe, which determines the servo's "default" position if there is no signal.

I use Radiolink (AT9 & R6-, R9-, and R12-DS) for all my planes, they don't do anything even if I turn them on first, though I make sure I have the right model selected so gear doesn't suddenly try to deploy at max servo speed.

Do you recommend any of those receivers over another.
I have the R12F and I think it may be glitchy.
Playing it safe, I decided to go do what I did as a kid and get a foamy toss glider from Hobby Lobby, throw some servos and a motor on it and make sure my skills were not too rusty.

I flew it through 2 full battery packs yesterday.
Today I flew through one and everything was working great and then all of the sudden complete loss of signal. The motor was full speed so I know the battery didn't die. Plane went into the ground like a lawn dart. Foam parts went everywhere. I t was kind of awesome.

But I am not ready to trust that equipment on more expensive planes yet.

 

[tudordewolf]

Do you recommend any of those receivers over another.
I have the R12F and I think it may be glitchy.
Playing it safe, I decided to go do what I did as a kid and get a foamy toss glider from Hobby Lobby, throw some servos and a motor on it and make sure my skills were not too rusty.

I flew it through 2 full battery packs yesterday.
Today I flew through one and everything was working great and then all of the sudden complete loss of signal. The motor was full speed so I know the battery didn't die. Plane went into the ground like a lawn dart. Foam parts went everywhere. I t was kind of awesome.

But I am not ready to trust that equipment on more expensive planes yet.

They've all proven equally reliable to me, the R12 has a double antenna so you can arrange them perpendicular to each other for better coverage, the R6 is good for space and weight savings applications, I default to the R9 because the plastic case makes it easy to mount and it can take Radiolink's telemetry modules which I use for battery voltage.

Though I have had luck with both their surface radios and air radios so far, I have heard of teething issues affecting some of their products and I don't have experience with the specific ones you're using. If it loses signal you want the throttle to cut, have you had any luck setting the failsafes? It looks like it can be plugged into a computer to access settings too.

I *have* had glitch issues in one specific scenario, with the external telemetry modules, when one of the wires was loose, it glitched out the receiver and would have delayed, jerky response to input. They're prone to this issue because the crimps of the data cable can get pushed out of the plug, leaving only a partial connection, but you just need to make sure they're all fully seated to remedy the issues. I know this isn't the problem in your case, but I thought I'd mention it.

 

[7JB]

They've all proven equally reliable to me, the R12 has a double antenna so you can arrange them perpendicular to each other for better coverage, the R6 is good for space and weight savings applications, I default to the R9 because the plastic case makes it easy to mount and it can take Radiolink's telemetry modules which I use for battery voltage.

Though I have had luck with both their surface radios and air radios so far, I have heard of teething issues affecting some of their products and I don't have experience with the specific ones you're using. If it loses signal you want the throttle to cut, have you had any luck setting the failsafes? It looks like it can be plugged into a computer to access settings too.

I *have* had glitch issues in one specific scenario, with the external telemetry modules, when one of the wires was loose, it glitched out the receiver and would have delayed, jerky response to input. They're prone to this issue because the crimps of the data cable can get pushed out of the plug, leaving only a partial connection, but you just need to make sure they're all fully seated to remedy the issues. I know this isn't the problem in your case, but I thought I'd mention it.

I can't figure out the fail safe thing. I tried a bunch of different settings but the behavior is the same.
I have 4 servos and when I apply power to the receiver, the V-Tail Servos (2 on the tail) do not budge.
The Aileron servos swing out and back full deflection every time regardless of failsafe %

I can make a video if it would help in case my explanation isn't clear.

Current setup is 2 servos for the elevator (Just because it is split) For grins I set it up as a v-tail even though it really isn't.
2 servos for aileron using a y connector on channel 1. Those 2 are the ones swing when power is applied.

 

[tudordewolf]

I can't figure out the fail safe thing. I tried a bunch of different settings but the behavior is the same.
I have 4 servos and when I apply power to the receiver, the V-Tail Servos (2 on the tail) do not budge.
The Aileron servos swing out and back full deflection every time regardless of failsafe %

I can make a video if it would help in case my explanation isn't clear.

Current setup is 2 servos for the elevator (Just because it is split) For grins I set it up as a v-tail even though it really isn't.
2 servos for aileron using a y connector on channel 1. Those 2 are the ones swing when power is applied.

That sounds like the receiver, I don't know if its yours specifically or just a flaw in the R12F in general, sorry to have to suggest more purchases but that's the first thing I'd swap to troubleshoot.

It probably isn't the servos if they both do it, since there's 2 on a y cable that suggests they're getting the same erroneous signal on start up.

 

[7JB]

That sounds like the receiver, I don't know if its yours specifically or just a flaw in the R12F in general, sorry to have to suggest more purchases but that's the first thing I'd swap to troubleshoot.

It probably isn't the servos if they both do it, since there's 2 on a y cable that suggests they're getting the same erroneous signal on start up.

No worries. purchases are fine. I would rather spend the money now than later.

Just ordered the R9DS

 

[7JB]

ugh.

Which receivers are compatible with my RadioLink T12D transmitter.
I got the R9DS today and couldn't get it to bind. Appears that they are not compatible.

 

[tudordewolf]

ugh.

Which receivers are compatible with my RadioLink T12D transmitter.
I got the R9DS today and couldn't get it to bind. Appears that they are not compatible.

That's odd, the T12D documentationclaims it's compatible.

Sometimes binding takes me a few attempts randomly rebooting the receiver and transmitter until they bind. Hold receiver light until it's blinking fast red, then turn on transmitter. If receiver light turns purple, press again, that's SBUS mode.

 

[7JB]

Which

That's odd, the T12D documentationclaims it's compatible.

Sometimes binding takes me a few attempts randomly rebooting the receiver and transmitter until they bind. Hold receiver light until it's blinking fast red, then turn on transmitter. If receiver light turns purple, press again, that's SBUS mode.

ok the receiver didn't come with instructions.
I saw both red blinking and purple but don't know what they mean.

Trying again.

 

[7JB]

Looks like it isn't compatible. I should have looked here first.

Do you recommend any of these over another.
Or would it be better to return the existing TX / RX and get one that is compatible with the R9DS like the Radio Link A series?

Maybe I am being too cheap trying to use this equipment. I see higher end radios that claim to be universal.