temperature and spektrum

[Ade_Law]

hi guys,

something to check out.

i was talking to a friend the other day, he turned up to the field fairly early, air temp was around -3.

hes running a dx7 and the rx wouldnt see the transmitter.

when he got home he tried to investigate the problem. but all worked perfectly.

so wondering if temperature had something to do with it he put the rx in the freezer for a while and tried again..

the rx didnt work!

after some digging it seems atleast some of the ICs in the rx are only rated for 0c, sure some will work better than their specs but others wont.

this got me worried, trev whilst "working" did some digging and the futaba fasst stuff is rated to -7 <phew>

i would be very careful flying spektrum in sub zero temperatures! defo worth testing your reciever.

Ade

[Radbourne78]

Just a thought

If you started and it was working, would it generate enough heat internally to maintain it's operation in sub zero conditions?

[StuSmith]

Nothing wrong with mine and iv been out the field with it in freezing conditions..

[fatmantom]

i had same problem when i went the other week... binded on secound or third attemtp each time and then ddid stay bound..

didn't think much of it at the time but this must of been the reason! ..interesting

[jiberjaber]

Interesting as there is nothing in the manual about temperature ranges. Not tried mine and I dont think I would be flying with it as cold as that, but I recon you could get the aircraft that cold in the air without problem, so defo something to watch out for.

[phockzie]

So it may be worth leaving the rx powered for a min to warrm itself up if it doesn't init properly first time in the cold. Worth remembering, thanks.

[robgt]

No issues here as yet.
All my recent vids have been in very very cold conditions...

Interesting though!
Cheers,
Rob

[jiberjaber]

Just found the following link, RX chip is rated 0 to 70 deg C

http://www.anderswallin.net/2005/05/...he-dsm-system/

Whether that is the same as is in the AR7000 etc is not shown.

[moonmanflyer]

No issues with mine and i have been out the last few weekends in -2 or colder

[Ade_Law]

this is the point really... some will work fine as no 2 chips are the same. some will work fine out of their specs.

and im pretty sure the rx will not generate enough heat to keep it warm enough.

Ade

[cjcj1949]

Temperature

hi guys,

something to check out.

i was talking to a friend the other day, he turned up to the field fairly early, air temp was around -3.

hes running a dx7 and the rx wouldnt see the transmitter.

when he got home he tried to investigate the problem. but all worked perfectly.

so wondering if temperature had something to do with it he put the rx in the freezer for a while and tried again..

the rx didnt work!

after some digging it seems atleast some of the ICs in the rx are only rated for 0c, sure some will work better than their specs but others wont.

this got me worried, trev whilst "working" did some digging and the futaba fasst stuff is rated to -7 <phew>

i would be very careful flying spektrum in sub zero temperatures! defo worth testing your reciever.

Ade

Putting it in the freezer's a bit drastic. That's -20. There are ways round this and one way is to control the temperature of the rx by putting it in a box with a small heater. I've thought of doing this with cheap gyros as they are so temperature sensitive. Commercial grade ICs used to be 0 to 70C.

[chemicalbro]

very interesting.
perhaps some insulation is in order...
bubble wrap or maybe some glass wool from the loft in a little bag wrapped round it like a winter coat .

Once the heli is in the air i don't think it would be a problem.
the heat generated from the engine and exhaust fumes should be enough to keep the helis temperature above the surrounding air.
inside the canopy will be a little trap for the heat.

OR how about putting it in one of those heated gloves from maplins i've seen people nattering about on here

[AJM]

Hi Guys,

Reading this thread I think I witnessed the same issue in a clubmates Dx7, I can't be 100% sure but it does seem to match the symptoms. Last I heard the Rx was being sent back to be checked out as it was assumed to be faulty.

The temperature at the field was around -1 to -2 and the issue first appeared as a couple of glitches in the throttle (probably going to failsafe condition) while in flight with the Rx completely locking out as the heli was landed. The bind light was out and only came back to life around 5 to 10 minutes later while on one of the work benches at the field.

The Rx was mounted on its own with no other heat sources(e.g. regulator) close by so If this was due to temperature it would suggest the Rx does not have enough internal heat from operation to keep going at low temperature.

Cheers

Al

[matt27]

hi
i was just wondering about this because i see chemicalbro talked about it in a nitro and the engine and fumes keeping itwarm but in an electric how would it stay/get warm?

cheers

Matt

[David Drew]

Just why would an electronic bit fail at 0 deg???? It's not that cold & electricity still flows at that temp.

Would someone please explain?
Thanks

David