Mark Bullard
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2004
- Messages
- 1,777
I was at the race outside of Cincinnati last weekend. After the second round I needed to reset my course needle on my mixture control. So in doing that I forgot and left the radio on in the boat. Setting there for about an hour I notice a smell that I often smell of electrical burning. Thought I saw a little puff of smoke from the boat also. Felt the radio box lid and it had a warm feeling. In stripping the tape off a little smoke left the box. Pulled the battery out fast and disconnected it. Oh well I would just fix it the next morning before I ran the third round, but with the rain and lighting the third round never came so I loaded it up and brought it home. Yesterday I got into it. Switch, receiver, and a servo. One of my small servos had got hot enought to short the wires where they come in across the board inside the servo. This in turn went to the receiver then the switch and battery. We have had this happen one time before with the same kind of results.
Digital servos are great for power and position. But they do draw about as much current setting idle as the do moving. Therefore this is why the heat built up over time cause the wires to short. The old analog servos when the position is found the current drop to almost nothing unless something trys to move it out of its position. These servos are very small and do not have much room inside. So it is each to have this kind of problem maybe one out of a hunfred on these small servos.
I removed all servos and cleanup the inside of the box. Check all of the servos. found the rudder servo was ok the plug was melt a little but ok. The mixture servo was ok but the plug was melted so badly that I had to cut the wires a little from the receiver. The receive was good but the case was toast and the antenna was melted off at the case. So just going to replace the switch, both small servos, receiver, and of course the battery.
Being in the electric motor repair bussiness we always say when we open a burn up motor "It smells like money". So in opening up the radio box on that boat, that statemant stands true.
Digital servos are great for power and position. But they do draw about as much current setting idle as the do moving. Therefore this is why the heat built up over time cause the wires to short. The old analog servos when the position is found the current drop to almost nothing unless something trys to move it out of its position. These servos are very small and do not have much room inside. So it is each to have this kind of problem maybe one out of a hunfred on these small servos.
I removed all servos and cleanup the inside of the box. Check all of the servos. found the rudder servo was ok the plug was melt a little but ok. The mixture servo was ok but the plug was melted so badly that I had to cut the wires a little from the receiver. The receive was good but the case was toast and the antenna was melted off at the case. So just going to replace the switch, both small servos, receiver, and of course the battery.
Being in the electric motor repair bussiness we always say when we open a burn up motor "It smells like money". So in opening up the radio box on that boat, that statemant stands true.
