Align BL855H Tail Servo Fail

[michael_fly_more]

Hi All
i don't post much but I'd really like to find out if this is just a 1 off
was test hovering around my new align 600L dominator electric and just set in the hover
for around a mi it and then sudden the heli went into a fast pirouette so landed quick
just doing in main blades and tail and skids

tested the tail servo and nothing

one min it was working the next nothing

so bit worried this will happen again

any one else had this happen with this tail servo

bear in mind this servo has done around 1 min flight

and it wasn't binding on the end points or nothing big like that

your thoughts and finding on this please

thanks

M

[bigpops]

Does it have a batch number on the bottom (under "Made in Taiwan")?

There have been some dodgy 815s and 855s about, OMG H4s too, which these seem to be a variant of. Take a look on Helifreak.

Not many have been reported on here. I think your's is only the second or third report I've seen here.

Send it back to where you got it, and insist its replacement has a batch number etched on the case. The ones with batch numbers are known to be unaffected.

[Rich23]

Hi

I had this on my 700L Dominator, luckily it was on the bench running through the setup. All of a sudden a burning smell and the tail servo stopped working. Touched it and it was very hot. Mine did not have the serial number on either.

Put a call in to the retailer you bought it from and it will be replaced under warranty. Also mention the damage.

Rich

[bigpops]

I'd ask for the cyclics to be swapped too if they don't have the batch numbers on. Better safe than sorry. They might be perfectly fine, but there's no way to tell other than to fly them.

My 700L came with the non-numbered cyclic servos (I didn't buy it with the tail servo), but Raj swapped them out for the numbered ones for me when I enquired.

[michael_fly_more]

Thanks for your input

i don't know about batch number of made in Taiwan as I've sent it off
but can check the cyclic servos

thats a bit worrying as I've also got a Align 700L dominator top combo also with the 815 855 servos so will have to check

if these servo didn't come part of the kit I would never buy them as there very close to the price of Futaba but going buy the price
i would of thought they would be a good servo?

M

[bigpops]

They're a great servo. They're strong, super fast, and efficient, so low current draw.

It's just that there's been a bad batch of servos that got out at some point. And, because they weren't marked, they've been difficult to track down.

When you think of how many sets of these servos are out there in 550L, 600L and 700L combos, the percentage affected must be tiny. I've been reading about problems since I bought a set in the Christmas sales, but in that 8 months or so, I've read of less than 20 people having any trouble.

Here's a pic of a servo with batch number on it, so you know what you're looking for. In this case, B1511, though the number isn't important as long as there is one.

[woodsta888]

Check the tail pitch control slider bushingthat screws into the tail slider. Sometimes made of brass. Had the loctite fail on one once and unscrewed itself and suddenly pirouetted in flight only to catch again a second later. Worth a check.

[davec_7]

Hi guys,
I bought a 550L Dominator super combo from Fastlads at Weston park. This weekend I took it out for the first time and after only a couple of gentle flights my tail servo also stopped working. There are no serial numbers on any of the servos. If you push the servo arm it jumps into life but then freezes again, there's no smell of anything burnt out either.

I spoke to Fastlads on Saturday and they have told me to send it back which I will do tomorrow.

After ready these threads I now have no confidence in any of the servos and am quite worried that the cyclic servos may also fail.
Cheers

Dave

[michael_fly_more]

The g pro should come in its box
as for the seal there always broken and revealed as robbe check the kit then put a sign bit of paper in the box then re tape up

not sure about my servo set number as didn't check befor I sent it off

M

[bigpops]

Ask Fast Lad to swap all your servos for ones with batch numbers. They'll just get Robbe to exchange them, so it should be no skin off their nose so to speak.

If they don't have any, then you might have to wait.

I'm surprised kits are still out their with non-numbered servos. They've been out a few months now.

[michael_fly_more]

BIGPOPS

mine have the same markings as yours ie made in Taiwan EC FC AND PHOTO WITH BIN CROSSED THROUGH

BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE BATCH NUMBERS (re you say the ones with no batch numbers are ones played up?
or don't they have any markings at all?

ive got 2 Align with the 815 855 set up so

6x 815 with markings no batch number
1x 855 with Marlins no batch

not sure about other 855 as said its been sent off but looking at the others with no batch the one I sent prob have no batch number on

thanks for your help

M

[bigpops]

The ones with batch numbers are known good servos. They were manufactured after the problem was discovered, and fixed, and marked so any future bad batches can be traced and recalled. By rights, Align Taiwan should have just recalled the whole lot, but I guess that would have been expensive considering the number they must have sold by the time this surfaced.

The ones without the number could be good, could be flawed. There's no way to tell.

How many flights do you have on your servos? They tend to fail early in their life (within 20 flights, usually less than 5) and usually at power up, not in flight.

I have two sets of 815s myself. A new set with batch numbers (as I requested them) and an old set from the end of 2014, which have been fine, fortunately.

[michael_fly_more]

The one that failed was the maiden flight the other heli align 700L has two flights

ive had the 700L since October last year but only now flying due to our crap summer and being busy

the 600L that's just failed was new in March

both was brought from the UK

thanks for for the info

not sure what to do on the other servo now

will speak to the shop tomorrow as they should have my servo as I sent it on Friday

M

[bigpops]

October last year was way before this started to happen, so you should be all right with those servos.

The earliest reports I know of were around the time I bought my first set (typical) and I only read about it after I got them. That was the end of December 2014.

[michael_fly_more]

So if you put it like that the 700L is safe

the 600L is not and we know that as tail servo has stop working?

m