Problem with Blad MCX, MCX2 and possibly MSR

[payne9999]

Our MCX has been for the most part a really fun heli and the MCX2 as well. However, we replaced the MCX with an MCX2 recently because it would often lose power and sink to the ground and sometimes seem to have a confused gyro (only one blade turning). There was no indication of a battery problem or inadequate charge.

The heli would fly fine for a short time and then lose power. After a short wait it would fly fine then shortly after lose power again.

Now, our MCX2 is doing the exact same thing. I called Horizon and they asked if we had more than one battery and were flying the batteries back-to-back. We were on occasion (not always) and he explained that this would cause an overheating problem and we needed a new 5-in-1 board.

I am assuming the speed controller has been weakened by multiple flights. He didn't say specifically if that was it. However, he said he would provide a "one time customer courtesy" and send us a new 5-in-1 PCB.

There is nothing in the manual about allowing the heli to rest for 15-20 minutes before another flight but that is what Horizon advised us to do.

So, for those of you who like to log a lot of hours, you only need 2 batteries if you have to wait between flights. Beware of cooking your ESC.

I searched for posts regarding this issue and could not find any.

Anyone else seen this issue?

[pjdog]

Sounds to me like you have a motor going out. When it warms up it slows down and may even quit.

Try replacing the motors.

jack

[Scott]

Welcome Payne9999.
It sounds more like an issue with the batteries to me, but it`s cool
that Your`e getting a replacement board, just in case. Without
going into detail too much here...... You should NOT run those
little batteries all the way down each time You fly. It will ruin
them quickly. In short.... fly only until You start to notice a slight
loss in power... let battery cool alittle... recharge. They last MUCH
longer that way, & charge quicker, too. Look around on here to
learn much more about li-pos, from people more knowledgeable
than Me.
Scott

[payne9999]

If it was one motor wouldn't the heli spin suddenly or would the gyro compensate and spool the better one down to match?

Also, I have tested the batteries and tried them in other aircraft and they are fine so far.

We do use a timer and try not to run them until the heli indicates battery loss.

DGP

[pjdog]

Good point payne. If it was a motor it would spin.

Something is getting hot and shutting down.

[payne9999]

Well, maybe.....If one motor became weaker suddenly I am thinking the gyro would lower the rpm of the strong motor to match and prevent spinning. I am just not sure if the gyro is that fast or would respond to a big difference in power between motor 1 and motor2.

I will post after i try the new board and possibly new motors.

New motors are only about 10 bucks each so I may try that before the 5-in-1 PCB arrives.

Thanks,

DGP

[chopper54]

hi payne9999
sometimes you can get human hair or fluff wound the shaft and it gets up between the inner and outer shaft. you could try slipping the main shaft out and giving it a bit of a clean. its more likely to happen if you take off and land on carpet. it wont take much to slow the rotors down and fool the small battery into thinking its flat.

[Trouble]

...that's really good Chopper! I actually did have a prob like that, on the tail though, my MSR, almost burnt the tail motor....it just started spinning around, it had hair all wound up just like you said, everything fine after removal.

[Scott]

He said the mcx & the mcx2 were doing the same thing. I`m
assuming on the same batteries. The Dudes batteries are Shot.
Payne9999, how many batteries are you cycling here?

[chopper54]

i think scott is probably right about the batteries because it is two machines. the hair thing is still worth a check though because its amazing
the way it tangles round the shafts.

[payne9999]

Checked the main shaft and there are no furballs.

Also, two of the batteries are only 1 week old. We have 3 batteries but never make more than 2 flights since the 3rd battery is still charging (only have two single chargers). Also, we only fly back to back once in a while and not all the time. One of the batteries is from the original MCX and worked fine in the new heli but when we flew the old heli with that battery it still lost power.

Today I have an MSR coming with 2 batteries so I will check the new batteries on the MCX2 and just verify whether that is a problem. I am still thinking about trying 2 new motors as well and if that is not the issue at least I have back up motors. My grandson and I fly a lot so it wouldn't hurt to have the replacement motors around.

For now though, I will follow Horizon's suggestion to let the heli rest for 15-20 minutes between flights just to make sure we don't create a problem.

I am looking forward to trying out the MSR today. In addition to saving up for a simulator, we want to keep moving forward with more advanced helis so someday it might be possible to fly a larger CP model.

Thanks,

DGP

[pjdog]

I always put some light oil on the pinion gear end of the motor. A little oil will prolong the life of the motor. On my MSR I have 5 battiers and fly them back to back. Never seemed to bother my MSR. I do keep spare tail motors and main motors. Tail motors I have replaced many times but never a main motor. My MSR has lots of hours on it also.

I have Sheltie dogs. They are Very Hairy. I do fight the hair thing
wrapped around shafts all the time. On everything. So do conceder that.

Jack

[chopper54]

hi payne9999
just like pjdog i would fly my msr with four batteries straight off and it just kept going. no rest between batts and its still working fine. maybe your charger is faulty. you will know soon enough the msr charger can charge 4 batts at a time so you will be able to fly all day.

[pjdog]

Howdy payne9999:

If memory service me right the MSR battery charger requires 4 D cell 1 1/2 volt batteries to work. They really don't last that long. I think the wall charger the plugs into the MSR charger is an option. I would get the wall adapter if I was you.

jack

[chopper54]

mine had the wall charger in the box as standard.
is the american version extra for the plug.