Simon Hall 2 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I am totally gutted. I have only had it 2 months. I just updated the firmware and voice files at home today and was carrying it upstairs from the kitchen when I lost my grip and it fell face down onto the kitchen floor. It was no higher than 2 feet and the kitchen floor is the soft spongy lino type. The right gimble has snapped off inside and the long thin 'D' 3 position switch was bent. I stupidly tried to straighten the D switch, but it just snapped off. I got loads of other good stuff done today and this has just ruined it all. I am so annoyed with myself as I was carrying other things too and should have been more careful. I was really surprised at the damage though. The DX6 does switch on and seems to be working fine. I bet the spares and repair out weighs the cost of the DX6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Nah, you can get spare switches via Tandy and I am sure eBay will coe up trumps for both items at very little cost. Having said that; you never know. If you say exactly what you say here and ask Horizon Hobby they may well repair it for free! It's gotta be worth an email to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bastow Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I managed to break the screen on my futaba T7C, it worked fine but of course I could not see what model I had selected. I was gutted and cross with myself. the cost of a screen repair was £10 short of a new transmitter! Then I had a brain wave. I bought a second hand 35meg one from ebay for 20 quid and then used the screen from it to repair mine as the case was exactly the same! plus now I have spare switches and gimbals if I ever need them. Not sure if you could do this as I don't know if you can get a 35meg version of your transmitter? Might be worth a look though? Edited By Cliff Bastow on 16/03/2015 16:44:53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hall 2 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by John F on 16/03/2015 16:29:53: Nah, you can get spare switches via Tandy and I am sure eBay will coe up trumps for both items at very little cost. Having said that; you never know. If you say exactly what you say here and ask Horizon Hobby they may well repair it for free! It's gotta be worth an email to them. My first port of call were ServoShop where I bought it. They have really good customer service. They will be contacting me with spares prices. If it's really expensive, then I will try the Horizon Hobby route as I have heard their customer service is good. I have spent LOTS on their products anyway and can prove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Don't mess about trying to sort it yourself, just pack it well and send it off to Horizon Hobby UK. They will fix it up and, if they run true to form, it won't cost the earth. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hopkin Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 16/03/2015 16:48:30: Don't mess about trying to sort it yourself, just pack it well and send it off to Horizon Hobby UK. They will fix it up and, if they run true to form, it won't cost the earth. Pete Wot he said, while Servo Shop (Steve Webb, will try to sort you out, its not their issue) best to go direct to Horizon - send an email/phone them first and make sure they are expecting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Feel for you.....but at least you didn't do what i did after a great days solo flying about 4 years ago.......put it on the roof of my car....lasted up there until a roundabout then it "flew" under the wheels of another car....bit beyond repair.... Bought another one the next day lol Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hall 2 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by Dave Hopkin on 16/03/2015 16:53:19: Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 16/03/2015 16:48:30: Don't mess about trying to sort it yourself, just pack it well and send it off to Horizon Hobby UK. They will fix it up and, if they run true to form, it won't cost the earth. Pete Wot he said, while Servo Shop (Steve Webb, will try to sort you out, its not their issue) best to go direct to Horizon - send an email/phone them first and make sure they are expecting it Thanks, I just thought Steve Webb might have more leverage with Horizon Hobby than me going alone direct. I will see what they say and if it's not good, I will go tail between legs to Horizon. Pretty much all my kit is Horizon, 2 Radians, 3 Tx's and lots of Radian spares plus full telemetry all purchased within the last 12 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Simon when I've dealt with Horizon I've had great service by phone, but I don't think I've ever had a reply to an email. So I'd suggest phoning. I agree with others that Horizon would be the best way to go with this. They have always been excellent with this sort of thing, and you'd have the piece of mind that they had repaired it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I wouldn't use a tx that's been dropped and broken on the floor. Might be some other damage internally which could be unseen. Not worth it. I recommend you buy a new tranny - losing a model because of that is false economy and dangerous. You can always send it to Horizon for repair, but it is still an unknown. Luckily they are cheap -£100 gets you a new set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 We're not all in a position to just buy another Tx on the off-chance, unfortunately. I'm sure HH wouldn't send out a repaired Tx unless they were satisfied that it was in perfect working order. Given their track record, if it's beyond economic repair, there's a good chance they'll replace it anyway. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hall 2 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 16/03/2015 20:08:18: We're not all in a position to just buy another Tx on the off-chance, unfortunately. I'm sure HH wouldn't send out a repaired Tx unless they were satisfied that it was in perfect working order. Given their track record, if it's beyond economic repair, there's a good chance they'll replace it anyway. Pete I was thinking this too. I certainly don't have the funds to just buy another Tx outright, I wish I could. This hobby is a luxury item for me, so I have to be careful. Easier said than done though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Up to you. The cost to repair it would not be far off a price of a new tx, anyway. But losing a model and having to buy a new transmitter afterwards you found it was damaged and having a broken model as well. Is it worth it? Woulld cost you more - a model as well... Bit of a no brainer, really. You can take a chance, but are you willing to risk it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I don't believe we know the cost to repair yet, do we Paul? If Horizon's past performance is anything to go by, the cost to repair may well be minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 We'll see. I don't know what they charge, but if it's £20 per hour, probably at least an hour, maybe 2, cost of replacement parts, retest and post and packaging both ways. £100 gets a new tx and a clean slate. The repairs will eat into the £100 and still have something that's been repaired. For peace of mind, even if money is tight, wait for a while to save money up, or put it on a interest free credit card and pay it off before accruing interest. That's what I would do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Do you do much work for the Samaratins Paul John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Well I'm not so sure Paul. From the sound of it its a new gimbal and new switch. Both are fairly easy swap out jobs - if yo know what you're doing - which Horizon do. My advice would be send it off to Horizon - with a suitable sad story about how its your pride and joy and only 2 months old etc. And ask them to let you know how much a repair would cost. I think its very likely you'll be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps not as happy as if you hadn't dropped it - but the next best thing! I agree with comments above don't mess about trying to fix it - just send it to the people who know. BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Who are the Samaratins? The Samaritans you mean... I mean, would you fly a £10000 jet after dropping your tx on the ground and having it back, hopefully fully reliable? If no-one agrees with me - where's the "bang-head Smiley"...? Good grief, is everyone that callous... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by john stones 1 on 16/03/2015 22:20:30: Do you do much work for the Samaratins PaulJohn There isn't a button so just have a written 'like' for that, John..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Simon had a minor mishap that's all, they'll sort it, it's their job my apologies for my spelling John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area 51 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 There isn't a button so just have a written 'like' for that, John..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Posted by Paul Marsh on 16/03/2015 22:25:43: Who are the Samaratins? The Samaritans you mean... I mean, would you fly a £10000 jet after dropping your tx on the ground and having it back, hopefully fully reliable? If no-one agrees with me - where's the "bang-head Smiley"...? Good grief, is everyone that callous... Good grief, Paul! Somehow, I suspect that Simon isn't contemplating flying a £10000 jet and not everyone can afford the luxury of scrapping what may be a perfectly good piece of equipment for the sake of sending it to the UK agent for a possible repair and check. In terms of reliability, there's probably as much chance of component malfunction on a new transmitter as an undiscovered fault in a properly checked repaired one as most failures occur in early life! BTW, what's your definition of the word callous? P.S. Where can you find one for £100 - they seem to be in the £120 - £130 range on Ebay and at discount dealers... Edited By Martin Harris on 16/03/2015 23:34:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Bastow Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Simon, I Agree with Most posts on here, we cant all afford just to go out and buy new just like that. If it has been repaired and tested by a reputable dealer then it is no more risky than a new one. as an engineer with years of experience of electrical and computer systems I can say that most failures occour in the first few months so can you be any more sure of a new one? We had a student at our club recently who had a transmitter that was bought new and the elevator pot failed on his transmitter after 3 flights! luckliy while he was doing control checks on the ground. I do not feel I messed about with my transmitter, I think I am well experienced enough to replace a broken screen or switch as they are all just plug in items. Incidentally if I was flying a £10000 jet I doubt I would fly it on a £100 budget transmitter anyway. Edited By Cliff Bastow on 17/03/2015 07:23:44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Return it to Horizon and they'll do a good job at fixing it up. However, although they'll get it going, there's no way that they can be 100% certain that there isn't a subtle fault caused by the trauma of dropping it, lurking somewhere that might only show up later. At the very least, test the unit thoroughly when you get it back - maybe just fly some simple foamies for a few weeks until you get some confidence in the unit. It's a difficult one, but I'd not be happy to trust it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Barlow Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Another option is accidental damage insurance. I don't know what other peoples excess would be but mine is ?50. Get HH to write it off as BER and claim for a new reliable one?After all it was genuine accidental damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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