Roy Jackson Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi There, During this summer my 16 year old son decided to by himself his first RC Plane and bought (much against my better judgement !) a Grummann F9-F by Starmax from an online outlet based in Manchester. It has been nothing but trouble from Day One, and has yet to take its maiden flight. When it was delivered he fixed the wings and tail on, and connected the rods to the servos, and proceeded to test it to make sure all was well. As soon as he put the AA batteries in the 24Ghz TX, it started smoking, so it had to be sent back for a replacement Topfire unit to be sent out. After all functions were working OK for a week or so (still no maiden flight), while he was testing it out, there was no BEEP from the RC plane when the battery was connected, which is what is normally supposed to happen. After testing the 3 cell, 20C LiPo battery, I found cell 2 to be at 0v whilst cells 1 & 3 were between 3.5 and 4v. After contacting the Tech Support at the outlet where it was bought, they asked us to send in the battery, balance charger, and ESC for testing. 10 days later, these items were sent back with no explanation as to their findings. 3 days later whilst my son was checking all the functions were working OK, the RC plane suddenly did not respond to Tx commands, but this time the battery was OK. We tried a different Rx but still there was no response to Tx commands, even after binding. The LED on the Rx was blinking instead of being steady. So, after another call to Tech Support they asked for the Tx and Rx to be returned for testing. 2 weeks later they contacted me to say the Tx and Rx had tested OK and responded to commands, and could they have payment of £2.64 to ship the items back to us ! So now I am thinking that maybe the ESC could be faulty so I need some advice on what would be a good quality ESC to get without breaking the bank. The existing one is a 25A model, with BEC. My knowledge of these things is very limited. I have read in magazines and online about things like programmable ESC's , and UBECs but I think we just need a 'basic' ESC with BEC, nothing too complicated !! Roy Jackson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Roy, sorry to hear of your troubles - and to just sidestep the obvious comments relating to the whole scenario heres a link to a perfectly useable ESC that will do as you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Roy what an unfortunate tale of woe! However I'm surprised no one else has chipped in yet with this:- If this is your son's first RC plane, does he have any experienced help to fly it for him? Has he had any training etc etc.If he is expecting to maiden this one himself without any prior experience it will pretty much certainly end badly, and straight away.It doesn't sound like a beginners model to me, and even if it were, quite a bit of pilot training would be required. There is loads of help out there, just shout if you need some and I'm sure someone on here will be able to point you in the right direction. I'm not trying to be a purveyor of doom, but trying to avoid the inevitable disappointment.If I'm barking up the wrong tree then tell him - have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy watson Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Return it to the retailer. It is their responsibility to supply something fit for purpose, and returning it to tech support (twice)does not fit with this (I wouldn't have sent it to the once). If a refund is less than forthcoming then get trading standards involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Why not write a review Here on this platform. BBEdited By Basildon Biggles on 17/10/2011 17:44:30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Roy, welcome to the forum - sorry we meet in such dissapointing and troublesome circumstances. I would reiterate what Chris has said the Grumann is not a model for new fliers. Any maiden in this flown by someone without experience will almost certainly end in short order and tears But reading your post I pick up "between the lines" that you are not totally new to this - you seem to me know too much of the specialist language we use! ESC's, Lipo's, servo, 3 cell 20C, TX etc. these are terms someone used to using R/C equipment would use. Do you do some other form of R/C - cars perhaps? BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Jackson Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Guys and thanks for your advice and information on this rather difficult situation...... answering your queries in order : Tim : Thanks for the link re a suitable ESC , I will certainly bear it in mind if we decide to replace it.... Chris : It is my son's first RC Plane, and no, he doesnt have anyone of experience to help him. He has had no training. He looks at stuff on the web and thinks he can do it himself. I guess he's a typical teenager in this respect. He has had some experience flying for real as he is with the Air cadets, and has used Microsoft Flight simulator a good few times, not that this is ample qualification for flying an RC plane, in my opinion. He bought the RC plane aginst my better judgement and despite his Mum saying she didnt think it was a good idea. I would have much preferred him to seek advice first or join the local RC Flying Club. I wouldnt have bought anything online, and wouldve preferred him to have got to a local model shop where he could have got loads of advice. Then if anything went wrong with it, he could have face to face dialogue with the vendor to resolve whatever the issue was. We have always had doubts about this purchase, and the place from where it was purchased. Andy : I have told the seller it is not fit for purpose and we want a refund. Rather than do this, they have asked for components to be sent back for testing. Battery, charger, ESC, and now Rx & Tx. All have been returned as working OK when tested. It is still an option I am keen to pursue. Basildon Biggles / Biggles Elder Brother : Not sure I can do a review of the plane, only the service received from the seller who I havent named yet !! Yes, believe it or not I am totally new to this. It isnt my hoy, my son has an interest. The only reason I know a little about ESC's, LIPO's and other terms, is Ive read magazines, looked on the net etc. My background is in Railway signalling so I know a little bit about electrics, but really very little about the RC world....... If the seller would take the whole thing back and give us the refund we desire, we will be happy. But I suspect they will ask for yet more components to be returned. The ESC has been sent back once but my opinion is it is the only thing that can be causing these ongoing issues. I wouldve preferred my son to have bought a basic trainer and to have joined the local club. His mother would prefer he didnt buy an RC plane at all at the moment !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Jackson Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Biggles Elder Brother : What I meant was "...........it isnt my hobby......my son has an interest....." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Cantwell Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 i too feel this is a bit of been a flyer, got a son interested, son would not listen, and bought the shiny jet from a dont care outlet, but, once you get it all up and working, bring it to our field in Bury, near simister, where a LOT of electric lovers live, and have it looked at, and maybe test flown, then get your lad a decent trainer!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Jackson Posted October 17, 2011 Author Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Alan : I never got my son interested in RC planes.....he nurtured the interest himself after being in the cadets and having an avid interest in aviation, but true, he didnt really listen to me or his mum .... I wouldve preferred him to get a trainer from day one AND join the local RC flying club. We live in South Warwickshire so a trip to your neck of the woods is not likely really... I do agree 100% about getting him a trainer though !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Hi Roy, well you are to be congratulated - you obviously pick up stuff fast! Take a look here, its the club finder page of the BMFA (the national body responsible for model flying) If you select your county you'll get a list of clubs near you. I'd suggest you take young master Jackson along to one - with a bit of luck he'll be impressed and see the sense of doing this the easy way! Instead of the very hard, and ultimately expensive, way! Good luck with it - I have two teenagers so I know what you're up against BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Jackson Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 Hi BEB, I have looked at some of the posts on this forum and have looked at items on various websites and in magazines so some of the terminology has come from there. Also I am quite technically minded and worked for 36 yrs on the railway as a signalling tech so I have dealt with things like power supplies, standby batteries, UPS's, as well as more specialised stuff such as CCTV, Infra red Hot axle box detectors, axle counters, remote control systems, TDM, FDM, Solid State control circuitry and a few others....I havent a lot of experience of RC kit be it planes or cars but I have the mind to find out things I dont know or understand....... I have already found out that there's a RC Flying Club not far from home at a local disused airfield so I will make contact with them at some point in the not too distant future and take my son along to see them.... He is slowly coming round to that way of thinking !! If we can either get this plane fixed to the extent that it works and everything does what its supposed to, then it can be put to one side for a period, while he goes down the proper route and maybe gets a training aircraft with 3 channels so he can properly learn the ropes as it were, with some experienced help..... I shall of course keep an eye on this forum and the magazine broaden my knowledge base....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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