CSpaced
08-31-2009, 08:43 PM
It happens to all of us, and if it hasn't happened to you yet - it will. Crashing. That ugly "C" word we don't like to talk about. Whether its due to dumb thumbs, or some unexplained technical error, we all at some point find ourselves carting a wadded up ball of aluminum, carbon fiber, with a little sod in there, back to the pits.
Then the "fun" begins, trying to figure out what caused the crash. Some causes are more obvious than others, such as dumb thumbs or some visible part falling off, but other more innocuous causes can be the bane of every heli pilot's existence. In particular are those caused by an electrical component. Crashes come in all shapes and sizes, and it's up to us as the responsible pilot to determine whether or not an electrical component has received damage. But how do we know if something is damaged or not? Obviously if you had to dig the remains of your heli out of the ground, and the receiver is smashed, there's a good chance you'll want to send it in to get it checked out. If you power up the part and it fails to work, also a no-brainer. The one thing that drives us all a little nuts sometimes are the intermittent faults. One part will be working fine one minute, but a fault may manifest itself during a flight, only to disappear when it's back on the ground.
So what can we do to help alleviate these possible faults? There are a few things we can do. It's all about using our own good judgement and common sense. For instance, if you are practicing hovering, and your heli tips over and busts up the blades, assuming the blades didn't go through the canopy, your electronics will most likely be unhurt. After a little bench testing you can be on your merry and back in the air. Now let's say this is the third or fourth time your heli has taken a little tumble along the ground, it's probably time to send things like the receiver and gyro back to the manufacturer to be tested and certified as good. Other things you can do is throughly examine all wiring for nicks and cuts, power up the electronics and gently move the wiring to make sure nothing has come loose (such as where the wire goes into the servo or switch). Keep track of how many crashes a component has been through, if you put any electronic component through enough trauma it will likely start to develop faults. Above all use common sense, a gyro that has been in a crash five times is more likely to fail before a gyro that hasn't been crashed - or any electronic component for that matter.
I'm curious to hear about what other people do after a crash regarding their electronics, how/when do you deem it time to send something in for a check up? What was your worst troubleshooting incident? Post it up crackrollers, we all learn from each other's experience!
Then the "fun" begins, trying to figure out what caused the crash. Some causes are more obvious than others, such as dumb thumbs or some visible part falling off, but other more innocuous causes can be the bane of every heli pilot's existence. In particular are those caused by an electrical component. Crashes come in all shapes and sizes, and it's up to us as the responsible pilot to determine whether or not an electrical component has received damage. But how do we know if something is damaged or not? Obviously if you had to dig the remains of your heli out of the ground, and the receiver is smashed, there's a good chance you'll want to send it in to get it checked out. If you power up the part and it fails to work, also a no-brainer. The one thing that drives us all a little nuts sometimes are the intermittent faults. One part will be working fine one minute, but a fault may manifest itself during a flight, only to disappear when it's back on the ground.
So what can we do to help alleviate these possible faults? There are a few things we can do. It's all about using our own good judgement and common sense. For instance, if you are practicing hovering, and your heli tips over and busts up the blades, assuming the blades didn't go through the canopy, your electronics will most likely be unhurt. After a little bench testing you can be on your merry and back in the air. Now let's say this is the third or fourth time your heli has taken a little tumble along the ground, it's probably time to send things like the receiver and gyro back to the manufacturer to be tested and certified as good. Other things you can do is throughly examine all wiring for nicks and cuts, power up the electronics and gently move the wiring to make sure nothing has come loose (such as where the wire goes into the servo or switch). Keep track of how many crashes a component has been through, if you put any electronic component through enough trauma it will likely start to develop faults. Above all use common sense, a gyro that has been in a crash five times is more likely to fail before a gyro that hasn't been crashed - or any electronic component for that matter.
I'm curious to hear about what other people do after a crash regarding their electronics, how/when do you deem it time to send something in for a check up? What was your worst troubleshooting incident? Post it up crackrollers, we all learn from each other's experience!