Power expander for 30cc?

[Flyingjon]

Good morning guys. I've got a 30cc Freestyle 260 running 1 Relion unregulated to HV servos. I'm running it through a JR receiver. My issue is that when move the aileron stick real fast one or the other of the ailerons will stick for just a fraction of a second. I've talked to one of the helpful guys in Hitec support and he thinks it's a voltage problem. I'm just running JR plugs on the battery and my wolverine switch. Would going to heavier gauge wire and deans plugs to the reliever help me? I know I rarely if ever have seen a power expander on a 30cc bird before but I'm wondering if that would cure my issues. Smart-Fly makes a nifty little model that weighs very little. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree. Do any of you guys have other suggestions of what the issue might be?

 

[nebwake]

I run 18 gauge or better extentions on everything. I like a little overhead for current capability. I would troubleshoot other things before a power expander. I dont run expanders on anything including 35 and 40% planes. First i would check all of your wiring then swap your receiver. and see if that fixes the issue. Next swap the servo that is acting strange. Then i would maybe even try another transmitter. Troubleshoot one piece of the puzzle at a time to find the problem. I really dont think a powerexpander is the answer. Good luck!

 

[Bartman]

higher voltages typically allow you to run at lower amps so wire sizes can actually go down, saving weight (for a big installation). i'd be really surprised if a 30cc plane, even with full throws, is pushing the limits of your electrical system. i'm guessing you're seeing this when the plane is sitting still so there's no airflow and no resistance against the servo making the test even more confusing. the servo that is moving might actually be the bad one, causing excessive drain on the system if it's really a brown-out in the system that is hampering the other one.

if you have a spare servo i'd swap it out with the one that is working to see if the other one still acts the same way. also check your servo wires, give everything a little tug to see if you've got a faulty servo wire causing excessive resistance preventing electricity from going everywhere it has to.

 

[Terryscustom]

if you have a spare servo i'd swap it out with the one that is working to see if the other one still acts the same way. also check your servo wires, give everything a little tug to see if you've got a faulty servo wire causing excessive resistance preventing electricity from going everywhere it has to.

Agree with this, seen servo wires cause things like this more than once. Only confusing thing is you say "one or the other" aileron so I assume it is intermittent between the two? That's interesting unless you are using a Y harness. If that is the case, I would ditch the Y harness and test it that way, I've seen more than one of those go bad.

 

[Flyingjon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. @Terryscustom it was only the one servo that I noticed when I flew a few weeks ago. Now Saturday I noticed the other one was sticking once in a while. I have checked servo wires and extensions and I'm not running a Y harness. I don't have a spare servo but I may have to get one or two. It'd probably be cheap insurance if one gives out and ends a day of flying.

 

[3D-Joy]

Li-Ions really arent very powerful. I assume you're using the 2S pack and not the 2S2P right?
Just plug in a 2S Li-Po and see if it cures your problem. Takes a minute to do.

 

[Flyingjon]

I actually just got a pulse lipo but haven't tried it yet. Hafta give it a whirl.

 

[bigblueswope]

Can't wait to hear the results.

 

[Bartman]

Li-Ions really arent very powerful. I assume you're using the 2S pack and not the 2S2P right?
Just plug in a 2S Li-Po and see if it cures your problem. Takes a minute to do.

that's a great idea too

 

[Xpress]

It definitely sounds like you might not be supplying enough power for the servos. Some of these servos can draw 3-4 amps peak for a split second depending on the loads on them.

Try the lipo to see if it will help. If it doesn't do anything then try a different receiver. Lastly, if that doesn't help, then swap out the servos. If THAT doesn't help then it's possible it could be your transmitter acting funky, maybe an issue with the servos. But let's do one step at a time for now, try the lipo