Binding problem with Freewing 80mm A-10 Warthog

[billd3]

I recently replaced my fans and motors on my A-10 and now I'm having 2 problems: the main one is BINDING...The ESC's do not have an integrated BEC in them. instead there is a separate UBEC (the one with the iron ferrite ring with the wire wrapped around it several times) which has a lead soldered into one of the EC-5 power plugs. There is also an additional lead coming out of each ESC making a total of 3 Rx leads. I have read instructions that the 2 regular leads (each coming out of the ESC) are plugged into the power board ( I guess each are plugged into the pins labeled "throttle" in the fuselage). The 3rd lead with the iron ferrite ring is plugged into the Rx throttle port. ..OK, now for the problem...I have tried 2 transmitters, a Spektrum ix-20 and a JR 11x and I can NOT get either to work. I get power to the servos but the motors don't work. They just lay there and go beep beep beep.

After several attempts I finally got one motor to work but the other just beeps. In the frustrating process of trying to sort this thing out, I accidentally got myself into the programming features in one (or both?) of the ESC's ( I may have screwed up the timing???) The motor that works is the one plugged into the battery that has the iron ferrite ring lead on it (which is plugged into the Rx-throttle. If I switch motors and batteries the motor that works is on the batt. with the iron ferrite ring.

Anyone have any ideas??? BTW the throttle reversing does no good.

Thanks in advance,
Bill

[xviper]

There seems to be some things that you are not understanding about what's going and what does what. Next, why do you think there is thrust reverse? Unless you have changed something or added something, there is no thrust reverse on this plane.
Let's go back and get some things clarified. What are the fans changed to? Except for the EDFs, is everything else stock? If not, you need to tell us what else is changed. Those two leads coming out of the ESCs - those are the throttle leads that get "Y'd" and goes into the RX throttle port. The one with the UBEC goes into any unused port on the RX. If there is no empty port, then you put that onto any port with a Y. The UBEC needs to go into a RX port so it gets power. Those ESC leads have to go into the throttle port or the ESCs won't initialize and work the motors.
Now, about that throttle reverse ....................... what's that about? Did you install different ESCs with reverse capability? The stock ones do NOT have reverse. If so, tell us the details on those.

[billd3]

There seems to be some things that you are not understanding about what's going and what does what. Next, why do you think there is thrust reverse? Unless you have changed something or added something, there is no thrust reverse on this plane.
Let's go back and get some things clarified. What are the fans changed to? Except for the EDFs, is everything else stock? If not, you need to tell us what else is changed. Those two leads coming out of the ESCs - those are the throttle leads that get "Y'd" and goes into the RX throttle port. The one with the UBEC goes into any unused port on the RX. If there is no empty port, then you put that onto any port with a Y. The UBEC needs to go into a RX port so it gets power. Those ESC leads have to go into the throttle port or the ESCs won't initialize and work the motors.
Now, about that throttle reverse ....................... what's that about? Did you install different ESCs with reverse capability? The stock ones do NOT have reverse. If so, tell us the details on those.

My Bad...The "throttle reverse" term was probably my poor choice of words. there is no thrust reversed. I had a similar problem a year or so ago with a different plane and several folks posted that I may need to reverse the throttle channel on my Tx. I guess some brands of tx's recognize low throttle as a reverse of what the tx default reads and that the Tx may be reading my low throttle setting as HIGH, therefore not arming the ESC's . I have read that this phenomenon is not present in JR or Spektrum transmitters and my systems are JR and Spektrum...Sorry for the confusion. The only change I made was to install 2 new in-runner motors and fans. Both ESC's as well as everything else electronically in the plane are stock.

Your clarification is exactly my understanding as well and is the way I have things set up.the 2 ESC leads plug into the power board in the fuselage labeled "throttle". and the UBEC lead that is soldered to the one battery cable (with ferrite ring) is plugged into the Rx...That's why I'm confused that the motors are not arming .

I'm wondering.... Since there are 2 batteries; 1 for each ESC, is there a different process required in order for the binding to activate the motors?

My connection sequence is as follows:1.) plug a battery into the ESC that has the UBEC connected to the power lead 2.) plug the 2nd battery into the other ESC 3.) press BIND...The result is the RX and its satellite indicate bind successful and All control surfaces work properly--EXCEPT the motors and they both start a rapid beeping that never stops. The one time I tried to plug in JUST 1 battery, the ESC with the UBEC connected and did NOT plug in the 2nd battery, when the successful bind light went solid, all control surfaces worked but this time 1 motor armed and ran fine. I then plugged in the 2nd battery and it would NOT arm and resumed the rapid beeping ???

Could I have upset something when I accidentally got into the programming mode on the ESC's?

Thanks for your reply, Xviper.
Bill

[RRHandy]

Did you run the trim down all the way on the throttle? electric esc's some times see that 0 as throttle on.

[xviper]

Also, MY BAD. I should not have thought you meant thrust reverse. I've been messing with thrust reverse quite a bit lately, so I have that on the brain. On Spectrum, usually the throttle servo is "normal", not reversed.
I plug mine in the same was as you although I've done it the other way and it also works. I go battery first into the one with the UBEC and then immediately to the other one. However, do what RR said about lowering the throttle trim. Also try the throttle calibration one at a time. Pull one throttle lead at a time and calibrate.
Also, you might try plugging the two throttle leads directly into the RX using a Y. The UBEC lead can be Y'd to any other channel or into an empty channel.
You say you push the button to bind. Did you mean the one on the RX? If your RX has a bind port, use it for simplicity. Make sure you are about 10 feet away from the RX when you put the TX into bind. Once bound, remove the bind plug.
The constant beeping may be an indication that one or both throttle leads is not sending a signal to the ESC or that the motor wires (3 each) are not solidly connected.

[Gilatrout]

what rx are you using? I have found that plugging a ubec into some of the spektrums bind port will put the rx in bind mode and so will not arm. If this is the case, plug the ubec via a y or otherwise into a different rx port.

[ridgerunner]

My main transmitter is in the shop, ...

You have posted this question in at least three different threads. Pretty sure cross posting is frowned upon?

That said, I'm also curious about 5G's affect on our 2.4GHz band.

[billd3]

Did you run the trim down all the way on the throttle? electric esc's some times see that 0 as throttle on.

Trying to answer a couple of different questions...1.) RX brand is Lemon. They are the folks that make the Admiral Rx's for Motion RC, I believe. I've been using them on 50cc gas and electrics for about 10 years and never had any type of failure with them. They are full range receivers. 2.) I have been using 2 transmitters to try to get this issue resolved. I started with my iX-20. the throttle trim IS set on -0-...not tried to go to a negative setting yet. The 2nd TX is a JR 11X. I did discover that the throttle trim was about 1/4" positive so I moved it to -0- and...GUESS WHAT. ..This time , when I bound it; IT WORKED. I did notice, however, that when increasing the throttle, each motor reacted differently (one started immediately and the other did not activate until about 1/4" of throttle advance), and I could hear that it was lagging behind all the way through the throttle stick advancement.

Soooooo, I think I may have accidentally screwed up the ESC programming early on. Does anyone know what the ESC default settings are?
Bill

[xviper]

Trying to answer a couple of different questions...1.) RX brand is Lemon. They are the folks that make the Admiral Rx's for Motion RC, I believe. I've been using them on 50cc gas and electrics for about 10 years and never had any type of failure with them. They are full range receivers. 2.) I have been using 2 transmitters to try to get this issue resolved. I started with my iX-20. the throttle trim IS set on -0-...not tried to go to a negative setting yet. The 2nd TX is a JR 11X. I did discover that the throttle trim was about 1/4" positive so I moved it to -0- and...GUESS WHAT. ..This time , when I bound it; IT WORKED. I did notice, however, that when increasing the throttle, each motor reacted differently (one started immediately and the other did not activate until about 1/4" of throttle advance), and I could hear that it was lagging behind all the way through the throttle stick advancement.

Soooooo, I think I may have accidentally screwed up the ESC programming early on. Does anyone know what the ESC default settings are?
Bill

I doubt you screwed up the ESC, but you'll never know. If in doubt, go in and set the ESCs back to "default". Find the ESC programming directions and it will tell you which step will do that. You do not need to know what the default settings are. It's all in there. You should do the throttle calibration before you have any further thoughts about whether or not you screwed up the ESCs.
PS, on almost all planes, the first thing I do is to lower the throttle trim (on the face of the TX) to as low as it will go. Then bind, then throttle calibration. Some planes like Eflite, don't need or like to have the throttle trim at the bottom. In these case, no harm is done and you simply will have more "play" in the throttle stick movement after the calibration. No big deal, just click the throttle trim up click by click until the motor(s) just start, then go back down a few clicks. Now set your throttle cut just below that.
From experience, the Lemon RXs do well with the trim lowered. Spektrum Safe select RXs do not.

[billd3]

I doubt you screwed up the ESC, but you'll never know. If in doubt, go in and set the ESCs back to "default". Find the ESC programming directions and it will tell you which step will do that. You do not need to know what the default settings are. It's all in there. You should do the throttle calibration before you have any further thoughts about whether or not you screwed up the ESCs.
PS, on almost all planes, the first thing I do is to lower the throttle trim (on the face of the TX) to as low as it will go. Then bind, then throttle calibration. Some planes like Eflite, don't need or like to have the throttle trim at the bottom. In these case, no harm is done and you simply will have more "play" in the throttle stick movement after the calibration. No big deal, just click the throttle trim up click by click until the motor(s) just start, then go back down a few clicks. Now set your throttle cut just below that.
From experience, the Lemon RXs do well with the trim lowered. Spektrum Safe select RXs do not.

OK...I tried 2 do the ESC calibration but I'm kornfuzed again...I guess I need 2 do each one separately? When I tried 2 do the calibration with both batteries connected it didn't seem to work. Each ESC was beeping differently and I couldn't tell if I was hearing the beeps properly. I guess I have brain-lock????

[xviper]

OK...I tried 2 do the ESC calibration but I'm kornfuzed again...I guess I need 2 do each one separately? When I tried 2 do the calibration with both batteries connected it didn't seem to work. Each ESC was beeping differently and I couldn't tell if I was hearing the beeps properly. I guess I have brain-lock????

It is possible to do both at once, IF you can connect both batteries at the exact same time. If there is any delay between the first and second battery being connected, the beep tones will be too far apart. (The first one that got connected could go into programming mode while you are waiting for the second one to catch up. If that happens don't touch anything. Just disconnect the batteries and the calibration will abort.) That being the case, yes, do each one separately. It is assumed that the RX has already been bound, so NO bind plug for what follows. To do this, start by disconnecting the throttle lead to the RX on one of the ESCs. Pick one. It doesn't matter which. You can still connect both batteries (as quickly as you can) and only the one that has the throttle lead hooked up will give the distinct start-up tones. Start with TX ON and throttle stick all the way up. Now, plug in the batteries. You MUST know what the normal initialization tones sound like. As soon as you hear the very first set of tones, lower the throttle stick to the bottom (it may only be a couple of beeps in the set). If you did it right, that ESC will go through the usual tones for initialization, ending with the 6 beeps indicating you have a 6s battery. Unplug the flight batteries. Power off the TX if you like. Now, disconnect the throttle lead to the Y on the RX and connect up the one that was disconnected before. Repeat what you did for the first ESC throttle calibration. IE, TX ON, then throttle max. Plug in flight batteries and when you hear the first set of tones, lower throttle stick, hear the 6 beeps for 6s battery. When done, unplug flight batteries, reconnect the disconnected throttle lead to the Y going the throttle port on RX. Power it all up the usual way and you should hear all the tones. Tones may be separated by the time it took you to plug in second battery. Plug in the battery to one with the BEC on it first, then the other. Once it's all finished bleeping, hold the plane, test the throttle. As you move the stick up (equivalent to 2 to 3 clicks), both motors should start up at the same time. This shouldn't be hard but you do need to follow the right steps.