MattyB

Good for you. You have absolutely the right approach here - take a scientific approach, take out the RC gear that potentially has some question marks against it, and conduct some controlled tests on it to see if it is at fault or not. Just stripping it out and replacing with another TX and RX might fix it, or it may not; it certainly won't help you identify the true root cause or enable you to sign-off the RX and TX in question for future use. More science, less guesswork!

Delta 8 from FrSky is the only non-OEM RX that does Hitec I am aware of, but there may be some others on AliExpress/Banggood etc. https://www.frsky-rc.co.uk/multi-protocol-compatible-delta-8

Sections in bold are not quite correct. The Energy bill has done all it's readings in the Lords and Parliament, this is the final consideration of amendments before it achieves Royal Assent and becomes law: For full details click here...

Snap! Also spent a number of years in L6S teams doing process optimisation in support services (Finance, Procurement, IT etc.), though that is in my distant past now, as I've transitioned fully to IT Security. Part of my brain is always looking for those 8 wastes, though! 😉

I know what he asked for, but I’m sticking to my guns; there is little point in making purchasing decisions based on individual data points because of the way the lipo market works. Rather than posting on it again here’s an old post I made from 2016 regarding inconsistency between packs of the same brand over time. This is something the RCG thread I linked to shows is still a relatively frequent occurrence today…

Anecdotal single points of data from individuals are pointless, sorry. The RCG thread where a relatively small number of very knowledgeable testers have evaluated lipos over many cycles under scientifically controlled conditions is far more instructive… https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1767093-Battery-Load-Test-Comparisons

No because, there isn't one - it would be too dangerous, as a stray ball could end up with it falling on the players, ref or crowd. It's actually a spider cam controlled via 4 wires strung to the corners of the stadium with motors on the end, all computer controlled to move it to target locations over the pitch. They are very common in high end sports coverage now, though sometimes cause the odd issue... Here's an entertaining video of the Sky Cricket commentators playing with one earlier this summer...

Two quick points... I would add in power supply failure to this list, as that is by are the most common route cause of issues branded as "radio failure". On-board power switch failure is actually a subset of this. Have you done an on-load test of the RX pack and switch for that model after it crashed to check it has not got a dud cell, or the whole thing has gone high resistance? If not you should definitely do so before flying it again. Radio failure is very difficult to explicitly prove, but easier to disprove with telemetry. Example - with the RX you have, from the logs you should be able to clearly see whether the power supply failed, and how many frame losses and holds it experienced, and whether it went to failsafe. If it did experience holds then yes, it is difficult to ascertain why that is (noisy RF environment, faulty RX etc), but at least then you know it was an RF issue. If there are no holds and the battery voltage telemetry showed the pack continued to perform, then you know you can focus elsewhere on causes such as pilot error or structural failure. PS - Have you confirmed your failsafe is setup correctly? If it were not that might explain the sudden change in orientation in the crash on Saturday (e.g. model loses signal form some reason, RX goes to failsafe, controls and engine go hard over because they weren't set correctly). Unlikely, but still possible. Again, the telemetry should be instrumental in understanding what actually happened.

It all depends on where the friction is - the pot surface or in the gimbal themselves. If it's pots I'd be expecting erratic servo outputs as well as "sticky" gimbals, and in that case I'd go for contact cleaner as per the above, though I'd be surprised if pot wear/dirt was enough to affect the physical centring of the gimbal. If it's gimbal bearing/mating surfaces causing the problems (more likely IMO), you'll want to apply some kind of silicon grease or lubricant to the relevant areas, after you've dissembled them sufficiently to clean away any dirt and old grease of course. Lots of videos about this online, though none I could find specifically for a 3810 (they are a very old TX now, though): https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lubricate+transmitter+gimbals

Very sensible question @Nigel R. An additional one from me... @Tosh McCaber, when you say "...when the flaps are activated, it generates simultaneously a very small amount of right aileron", do you mean the flaps are on a switch and the ailerons move to their new position in one go then sit at a new datum until the flaps are retracted (indicative of a flight phase trim difference), essentially giving a small amount of right trim? Or does that aileron get driven right as flap is deployed, left as it is retracted (more indicative of a master/slave mix)?

Learning how to use the functionality of your TX is now a key part of the hobby, and dual aileron servos is pretty basic stuff, not to mention extremely useful - without it tuning differential on the fly or setting up flaperons is impossible to do. Yes, I know this doesn't remove the requirement for correct linkage geometry, but setting everything you need up mechanically off a y-lead is far less flexible, and often won't allow you to achieve your goals (e.g. flapperons, spoilerons, crow, quatro flap, snapflap etc.), especially when you come to models with 4-servo wings. The OP has a solidly capable TX in his hands, but if he never learns to use it's key functions, that is completely wasted. Spending some time now to troubleshoot the issue is well worth it, as that can be re-applied to more complex models in the future.

Yep, looks like this is well covered on the 'tube...

Not a Spek expert, but do you have Flight modes set up? FMs have their own separate trim values, so if flaps are deployed via a change of flight mode, then that might explain the aileron offset that is being introduced. If FMs are being used, go and check the trims on aileron, and set them to the same values in all FMs.

Yeah, telemetry is often dismissed by people who've never had it and can't be bothered to understand it. Many will never change that view, but some can be convinced by effective troubleshooting of an issue like this which would be impossible without telemetry. I am certain telemetry has saved me from at least three crashes over the last 10-12 years, twice on a new install that I've not got quite right initially in terms of aerial orientation, once with a faulty RX. In all three occasions I was informed of signal issues well before I lost control, so could curtail the flight avoiding loss of the model. I estimate that has saved me ~£1700 (two of these were big, expensive composite gliders), so any additional cost of telemetry becomes pretty much insignificant at that point. PS - I know very little about IC, but I am confident that a glow model that consistently dead-sticks will not fix itself! For that reason you need to follow the advice in this thread and get an engine-whisperer on the case before you fly that model again. It doesn't sound like that is your mentor given he has consistently gone ahead and flown it with the issue unresolved, so I would politely seek out the most experienced IC operator at your club and see if he can diagnose and help you fix the cause before committing it to the air.

Agreed, sensible stuff. Whilst I am no big Spektrum fan, until the last flight on Sunday I’m not aware of you experiencing any RC issues (other than the fact you struggled to get wired buddying working, now solved via wireless), is that correct toto? If that is the case it would appear unlikely there is suddenly a problem with this TX and RX, but even so, you will need to do some more scientific checks to see what was going on in that flight. Luckily that RX has telemetry that can help - from the Prk website: Dig through the RX and TX instructions and see what you can find for the flight logs over the weekend - I suspect there will be some good info there that can help us diagnose the issue.

If the CG had moved noticeably aft due to the new rank, I’d have expected a) you to have to retrim on takeoff, and b) it to be noticeably more pitch sensitive during the flight. Did you notice either or both of those? If not we are looking for a different root cause…

Ah, ok. Yes, if you are on a FIT tariff I can see you will need to do some careful calculations to decide if it is worth adding more solar or not vs. the VAT you would save on your battery. A while ago I’m sure keeping your FIT tariff would have been an absolute no brainier, but there is a lot of innovation going on in smart tariffs. Octopus are certainly getting way better for export - Flux is probably the leader here for people with solar and batteries, and may be the first to start to get meaningfully closer together old FIT rates: They also have a new “Intelligent” Flux tariff where the import and export rates are the same, and Octopus integrate with your battery to charge and discharge it at the most economic and green set times for you. That won’t work for us though, as with the EV we need a low rate n the night to charge more than that higher export rate at night. https://octopus.energy/intelligent-octopus-flux/

France vs. New Zealand tonight, and then gain in the final I suspect... If that happens I am predicting France to win today, but bottle it and get edged out in the final. As an Englishman this is about the only way I can think about this WC with a positive spin...! 🙂

HD smart TVs are getting cheaper all the time - maybe time to add an additional screen to your house to help maintain marital harmony?!! 🙂

That is probably a sensible strategy, and the route we would probably go today if starting again (unfortunately myenergi were a one product company at the time we gave the go ahead on our install). We have a GivEnergy hybrid inverter and battery, and it all works fine, but you have to do some careful configuration of the different devices in the system to ensure they sequence correctly. Example - we want the PV to powers the house loads first, then charge the home battery, then the car (if attached), then the solar diverter to the immersion heater, and only then then export to the grid. In addition there is some extra complexity when setting up overnight charging, as with any hybrid inverter it's easy to inadvertently dumping the charge from the home battery into the car when you don't want to. Whilst that's not a direct result of incompatibility between the Give and myenergi kit, it does require some tweaking of settings in both apps for us. By contrast if everything is from myenergi controlling the overall system and sequencing those priorities is a lot easier, and that will only get better over time. PS - Unless you are a low usage one or two person family, get two libbis to start with (e.g. 10kwH). Rationale - I calculated we would be ok with a 5.2KWh battery, but in the end they weren';t available so I ended up with an 8. This gives lots of additional options, and also remember you get the VAT off if you are installing the battery with PV at the same time, whereas if you add an extra unit later then VAT at 20% is still due.

Sorry, but I give up... Have you considered editing your posts into something more coherent before pressing submit? 🥴 That way we might actually stand a chance of understanding what you are trying to say...

I'm guessing slightly, but based on our install the exact direction the panels face and any shading they experience can make a massive difference to efficiency. We are lucky as our roof apex is aligned E-W meaning our panels can face almost due south, but if the building has a pitched roof and that isn't the case it's going to cost a lot more per kW to get a system that performs well. Planning regs may also prevent them installing the necessary stand-offs etc that guarantee optimal angles to the sun (most areas prevent the panels from projecting above the apex of the building).

A more in-depth view of Co Charger courtesy of the Fully Charged Show....

Back on topic, this week I have listed our home EV charger for community use on the Co Charger website: https://co-charger.com This app based service allows those in your local area to utilise your charger when it's not in use, giving them an affordable charging option nearby without the cost of a charger install. Locals in our village can book one-off or recurring slots to charge, and I get notified and can choose whether to accept or reject. If I accept they just turn up and plug in; everything else is done by the app. Hopefully this facility will makes the transition to an EV or PHEV more viable, especially if a neighbour doesn't have a parking space where they could charge. It also allows the owner of the chargers to recoup some of the install costs over time, though income over £1k a year is taxable (that is the limit of the allowance given by the government aimed at encouraging schemes like this based from homes). Whether anyone takes it up we shall see, but there's nothing lost if not - Co Charger's model is that they take 12% of the fees from each charge, but there is no ongoing charge to hosts or chargees.

If RID were to be required at club sites I suspect there will be rather a lot of fixed income retirees in their 60s and 70s for whom it could be the final straw. Many of those had second thoughts when registration came in, and that was a lower cost. Obviously if a FRIA style solution is implemented then a large scale reduction in participation becomes a lot less likely, though I do worry about cubs and associations that operate from public land today 1 they will be at the mercy of the CAA to grant the FRIA approval, and as we have seen in the US it’s highly unlikely all established sites today will be approved.