Yet another power problem on my HH AeroScout

[long-love-rc]

Hi:

Seems 2020 is really special, I run into another weird thing on my HH AeroScout.

Usually, this AeroScout trainer behaves well, it can easily take off and landing. However, today something I have never run into happened. When I push up throttle, to the 100%, it just rolled on the ground, in a much slower fashion than what I usually expected. I tried with all three batteries, and bind it to two different Txes, same thing. It just cannot take off due to the slow speed.

Today the wind was strong, so I let it roll into the wind. Usually with strong wind like this, it can take off really quick!

Is that the ESC on this AeroScout is doing something weird? Where should i look at? Thank you for any advice.

[xviper]

Any further details? Have you changed anything on the plane since it was working “normally”? Have you done anything with the wires going to the motor? Have you removed the prop and put it back on again or have you replaced the prop with a new one? Something like this happened to a friend’s plane. It turned out that he put the prop on backwards - there is a front side and a back side.

[long-love-rc]

Any further details? Have you changed anything on the plane since it was working “normally”? Have you done anything with the wires going to the motor? Have you removed the prop and put it back on again or have you replaced the prop with a new one? Something like this happened to a friend’s plane. It turned out that he put the prop on backwards - there is a front side and a back side.

Not really any work performed on this AeroScout.

I just bought a Taranis x9dp radio, so I was trying to make it work with an external RF module to control Spektrum receiver equipped models. This AeroScout was from HH, so having a Spektrum receiver. I played with the new radio, trying to bind it with the AeroScout. That was it, nothing else.

Also today I bound it to another Spectrum entry-level radio like Dxe, same problem.

[xviper]

Seems like there have been enough variables in your set up that something got messed up. You are best to get "hands on" help to figure this out. There are just too many things that can't be diagnosed over the internet. Try to get some help at your local hobby shop who deals with this brand of plane or go to a flying field and seek expert help.

[long-love-rc]

Seems like there have been enough variables in your set up that something got messed up. You are best to get "hands on" help to figure this out. There are just too many things that can't be diagnosed over the internet. Try to get some help at your local hobby shop who deals with this brand of plane or go to a flying field and seek expert help.

Sure, it would be great if I can find someone to look at it...

[long-love-rc]

Seems like there have been enough variables in your set up that something got messed up. You are best to get "hands on" help to figure this out. There are just too many things that can't be diagnosed over the internet. Try to get some help at your local hobby shop who deals with this brand of plane or go to a flying field and seek expert help.

Seems it is my doing. I must have messed up the throttle setup by performing this procedure during my playing with the new radio: Turn on radio, move throttle to 100% high, plug battery into aircraft, waiting for a while. Then move throttle to the mid range.

I learn the above procedure some there to adjust the position of throttle when esc to kick in. Actually some E-flite esc can be programmed this way too, although the progammability varies for different e-flite ESCs. While my original goal was to adjust the timing of esc on Twin Otter... However, it turns out that I end up messing up the esc setting on the AeroScout.

So today I repeated the above procedure again: this time when I move throttle down, I move it all the way to the lowest point. After that, the AeroScount seems recovering. Its propeller now spinning much stronger than yesterday!

Just report here to be complete.

Thank xviper for trying to help.

[long-love-rc]

Sigh... the above procedure is the throttle calibration... I just don't know the name.😉

[xviper]

Yes, "throttle calibration". It was the really old Eflite ESCs that did the mid-point on the stick. That method caused the ESC to enter programming mode immediately - a very bad thing.
Almost ALL ESCs now you must go all the way to the bottom with the stick to do calibration, BUT only if you do it immediately after the first initial beeps. If you wait too long, it goes into programming mode and you really mess up the ESC. If you think you may have done this, then you need to get the programming guide for that ESC and reset to factory default or you may have changed some other setting that will cause the plane to act badly.
These things don't usually happen on their own unless something got damaged or something broke. It's generally something the owner does and didn't know it.

[long-love-rc]

Agree, the mid point thing is so easy to get lost... I tried a couple times and didn't really go as I expect. It must have been that time my esc setting was altered.

[Farmer Tony]

....Have you removed the prop and put it back on again or have you replaced the prop with a new one? Something like this happened to a friend’s plane. It turned out that he put the prop on backwards - there is a front side and a back side.

I had just about given up and bought another prop set thinking they sent the wrong ones. Searched the world for anyone with the same problem for weeks and now THIS!!! My "barely gets off the ground and better have some serious altitude before turning" Aeroscout is back to it's fun self!! Thank you so much for that info.

[xviper]

I had just about given up and bought another prop set thinking they sent the wrong ones. Searched the world for anyone with the same problem for weeks and now THIS!!! My "barely gets off the ground and better have some serious altitude before turning" Aeroscout is back to it's fun self!! Thank you so much for that info.

Nice to know that sometimes, stuff I post gets read by people not normally posting here. Rule of thumb about prop placement. The printed stuff on the prop is always facing forward no matter if the prop is on the front of the plane or on the rear of the plane (pusher prop).

[Farmer Tony]

The printed stuff on the prop is always facing forward no matter if the prop is on the front of the plane or on the rear of the plane (pusher prop).

First pusher. I was stuck on numbers facing "outward" rather that "forward". Any day you don't learn something is a wasted day :)

[xviper]

First pusher. I was stuck on numbers facing "outward" rather that "forward". Any day you don't learn something is a wasted day :)

That, in itself, makes you smarter than most people.
I just realized that the Scout is a "pusher" prop. Doesn't matter. The printing still faces to the front of the plane. Usually, a pusher prop has its pitch reversed so the prop can turn the opposite way from a front mounted prop ("tractor" vs "pusher"). This allows the motor to continue to turn in its "normal" direction, although in those cases, the thread on the prop adapter is also reversed (like in the early models of Chrysler car lugs on the right side of the car). I doubt the Scout is that "advanced" thinking.