airdale
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 42
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Post by airdale on Jun 22, 2009 3:45:31 GMT 1
Well then, part of my new procedure will be Do Not turn on TX until battery is in and plane is ready for it's take off roll! Thanks, my Doctor and appendages really appreciate that !!
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Post by ginginho on Jun 22, 2009 9:24:16 GMT 1
Well then, part of my new procedure will be Do Not turn on TX until battery is in and plane is ready for it's take off roll! Thanks, my Doctor and appendages really appreciate that !! I've encountered this a couple of times before, and now tend to leave the radio off until I'm ready for pre-flight checks. The BMFA recommend that the radio is on first (and will fail anyone doing a certificate test if they don't do this). I think this rule pre-dates electrics with binding or fail-safe off functions. Perhaps they'll get round to changing the rule, as an electric on Spektrum (and probably the other 2.4 systems) it is definitely safer to turn on the radio last. |
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Post by mrmugen on Jun 22, 2009 14:00:36 GMT 1
What? How is it safer to turn on radio last? Your better off turning on the radio WOT so the esc never arms. If you turn on the plane first there is a good chance of it going WOT into you.
Always turn your radio on and check the sticks to make sure they are in the place you want them. Then turn your plane on and always keep your hands and the rest of your body away from the prop.
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Post by badlands on Jun 22, 2009 15:38:53 GMT 1
I agree, i run 72mhz, the 1st thing i do is switch the TX on & i leave it on till i go home.
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airdale
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 42
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Post by airdale on Jun 22, 2009 16:55:12 GMT 1
I went out this morning and flew 5 packs and had NO Problem with the TX off until I was ready for pre-flight. Maybe I just got lucky this time and didn't get bit! But, I'm flying on a 2.4 system.
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Post by flydiver on Jun 22, 2009 17:59:19 GMT 1
The rule for 72 doesn't seem to hold for 2.4. No guarantees though.
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Post by mrmugen on Jun 22, 2009 19:27:34 GMT 1
In any case why would you want your plane ON and ready to go without having the TX on? Nothing is fool proof other than the fool themselves.
Kevin
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airdale
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 42
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Post by airdale on Jun 22, 2009 21:04:12 GMT 1
In any case why would you want your plane ON and ready to go without having the TX on? Nothing is fool proof other than the fool themselves. Kevin Just plugging in the battery is the easy part! I've usually got it upside down on my knee while I fiddle with the wires packing the battery into the box so the door will latch. Then, I turn on the camera so I don't have 30 seconds of me cussing and yelling at the small battery box and my BIG A@# fingers. That whole procedure is best done with a throttle that can't be accidentally bumped by this FOOL! I'm a FIRM believer in Murphy's Law. |
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Post by ginginho on Jun 23, 2009 14:53:55 GMT 1
In any case why would you want your plane ON and ready to go without having the TX on? Nothing is fool proof other than the fool themselves. Kevin I understand what you are saying, however Spektrum have this on their Rx's : "SmartSafe fail-safe prevents motor start up if Tx is off and gives low throttle if the signal is lost " So we are trusting in this function of their kit. |
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Post by flydiver on Jun 23, 2009 16:50:49 GMT 1
I have seen the low throttle happen a number of times with Spectrum at the end of flight. For some reason the prop continues to run slowly. That wouldn't hurt (much). I didn't take it for fail-safe as the bind was still active and the throttle still responed - it just wouldn't shut off completely.
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Post by mrmugen on Jun 24, 2009 2:47:49 GMT 1
In any case why would you want your plane ON and ready to go without having the TX on? Nothing is fool proof other than the fool themselves. Kevin I understand what you are saying, however Spektrum have this on their Rx's : "SmartSafe fail-safe prevents motor start up if Tx is off and gives low throttle if the signal is lost " So we are trusting in this function of their kit. You are more brave than I. How long has that company been around? Kevin |
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Post by l8again on Jun 24, 2009 6:44:42 GMT 1
For what it's worth...just my opinion. Starts the minute you get your first plane, car, motorcycle, or any type of potentially dangerous gear. Teach yourself good habits, and you should stay safe. Checking throttle position should be a matter habit, not an afterthought.Same as preflight checks, checking, and constanly watching for people or other obstacles, etc. When you no longer HAVE to think about these things, then the chances of something unexpected happening greatly deminishes.
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airdale
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 42
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Post by airdale on Jun 24, 2009 11:31:00 GMT 1
Teach yourself good habits, and you should stay safe
I couldn't agree more!! That is why I'm trying to get the habits ingrained into my brain NOW! I'm very much a creature of habit (you shudda seen me trying to quit smoking) and once it becomes 2nd nature it's hard to break! I freaking HATED wearing a seat belt when they first made it a law-now I feel naked without one on and usually don't even remember buckling up!
You are more brave than I. How long has that company been around?
I think the "Fail Safe" is common to all of the 2.4 systems NOT just Spektrum. Maybe JR or Futaba has it dialed in better, but it's still a 2.4 feature
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Post by ginginho on Jun 24, 2009 11:46:23 GMT 1
I have seen the low throttle happen a number of times with Spectrum at the end of flight. For some reason the prop continues to run slowly. That wouldn't hurt (much). I didn't take it for fail-safe as the bind was still active and the throttle still responed - it just wouldn't shut off completely. Do you think it was the low throttle due to signal loss as described by Spektrum or the soft cut-off that some ESC's have built in when hitting LVC ? When I put the B/L in my SC I had to adjust the throttle throws quite a bit to allow for no throttle and WOT at the end of the stick movement rather than after moving the stick a tiny amount. IIRC, with the stick at the bottom on default settings, the motor would spin slowly. I wonder whether what you have seen is similar to what I had. |
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Post by ginginho on Jun 24, 2009 12:15:23 GMT 1
I understand what you are saying, however Spektrum have this on their Rx's : "SmartSafe fail-safe prevents motor start up if Tx is off and gives low throttle if the signal is lost " So we are trusting in this function of their kit. You are more brave than I. How long has that company been around? Kevin Don't get me wrong Kevin, I am very safety concsious regarding flying and actively encourage my flying mates to be likewise (getting them to fly sensibly, call landings etc). I wouldd prefer to power on the Tx first as per the BMFA guidelines as at some point I'd like to take a certificate. When I connect the battery on the aircraft first, I don't leave it like that for any period of time, just to get organised (a bit like Airdale outlined above). The feature also covers for such occasions as having the Tx set on the wrong model, which I know I 've done myself when flying multiple planes during a session. One of the times that I had a problem, I had the radio on (sticks checked in the correct positions) and then connected the battery. While standing up the throttle stick was knocked causing the plane to rev up. I suppose I really should have someone else holding the radio while connecting the battery but there's not always someone else around to help. If the throttle was on when the Rx was powered up, then the ESC just goes into programming mode. Perhaps using this function is an alternative method for turning on Tx first without the risk of accidentally knocking the throttle while getting sorted out. I'd just have to remember the stick-wiggling sequence to exit prog mode once ready to start pre-flight checks. Of the two possibilities, I've had a couple of moments when the Tx is turned on first, none when I connect the Rx (battery first) on the Spekky 2.4 system. |
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