Avios/Hobby King 1600mm C-130 Hercules

[xviper]

I keep having to rely on pictures to remember how everything was connected and I've already mapped out the wing root connectors during an early round of troubleshooting so I figured it would come in handy if I keep having to rebuild this thing.

I've started to do that myself. It's so easy to yank out the cellphone and take a picture of stuff for future reference. The hard part is remembering to yank out the cellphone.

[alex4orly]

Hello good people,

I got my AVIOS Hercules c-130 in February 2020. Until now, I didn't manage to maiden it. When I got the box from HK, I was busy with two other projects so it set there in the box for over a month. After puting it all together, took it out to the road in front of the house to try and taxi it to see how she goes. It dosn't matter what I did - it was shifting viloently to the left, even with full right rudder. I made contact with HK and they decided to send me 2 new motors. IN the meantime, COVID-19 got into the story and today, 13th of June 2020 I still didn't get the motors, who they said were sent on the 4th of April.

I got sick of waiting, I swapped to motors to see what will it do, the problem remains.... IT seems the problem is in the electronic devices inside, but the mess in there makes it impossible to figure out what is what. Is there something I can do to synchronize the ESC's - what? Where are any insturctions about it?

Thank for any help

[xviper]

Hello good people,

I got my AVIOS Hercules c-130 in February 2020. Until now, I didn't manage to maiden it. When I got the box from HK, I was busy with two other projects so it set there in the box for over a month. After puting it all together, took it out to the road in front of the house to try and taxi it to see how she goes. It dosn't matter what I did - it was shifting viloently to the left, even with full right rudder. I made contact with HK and they decided to send me 2 new motors. IN the meantime, COVID-19 got into the story and today, 13th of June 2020 I still didn't get the motors, who they said were sent on the 4th of April.

I got sick of waiting, I swapped to motors to see what will it do, the problem remains.... IT seems the problem is in the electronic devices inside, but the mess in there makes it impossible to figure out what is what. Is there something I can do to synchronize the ESC's - what? Where are any insturctions about it?

Thank for any help

The only instructions that I know of is on the C-130 webpage at HobbyKing. You can download a copy, however, I'm not sure it will give you any instructions on how to sync the motors. This is fairly common knowledge so they generally won't include any info on it. You basically sync them as follows:
Ensure the RX is bound to your TX. Next, you should put the throttle trim on your TX to the bottom. With the TX turned ON, put the throttle stick to max and plug in the flight battery. By now, you should know what the initial tones sound like just before you get the tones that tell you that you have a 4 cell battery. As soon as you hear the initial tones (and no more than those), move the throttle stick to the bottom. At that time, you should then get the tones for 4 cells and the plane should be initialized and ready to go.
Next, are you sure the motors are turning in the correct direction? Both right motors turn in one direction while both left motors turn in the opposite direction. Off hand, I can't remember exactly but the props should turn "inward" - ie, the top of each prop should turn toward the fuse. Next, are you sure the props are on the correct side of the plane? There are left props and right props.
It sounds to me that either one or more motors is turning backwards to what they should be doing OR, some or all of the props are on the wrong side. Put your hand behind each prop when they are spinning at low throttle. Which way is the wind going? They should all be blowing back. If one or more is blowing forward, you have your answer.
Finally, I'm sure this isn't the case even though I've seen it happen before .......................... You didn't mount the props on backwards, did you? That is to say, there's a front face and a back face to a prop. It shouldn't be that easy to do on this plane since the painted tips face the front. The back side has no paint. I've seen people try to fly a plane with the prop on backwards. It'll still push air to the rear but it has a fraction of the thrust needed to actually fly the plane. On a multi-engined plane, that would provide some dramatic differential thrust.

[alex4orly]

HI xviper,

Thanks for your feedback.

1) My Rx is bound OK, all controls are working
2) I have all motors turning the right way - two clockwise, the other two counter
3) All props are installed correctly
4) All my repeat ESC sync attempts didn't change anything - the outer right motor is spinning harder that the other three, causing the plane to swing to the left as soon as I start opening the throttle
5) Also, the sound of that motor, sounds much louder than the others.... even after swapping two of the motors....

Looks like I need to pull out all the wiring, and rewire it all by myself with Y leads....

Unless, there is another way?

Thanks

[xviper]

So, when you swap motors, does the same position spin harder or does it follow that motor. If the outer right motor still spins harder, then its got something to do with the ESC in that position. Re-wiring isn't likely to change anything unless there's a short or bare wire. Removing the wing shouldn't be that difficult. It's just the reverse of how you put it on in the first place.

[alex4orly]

Hello again,

Swapping the motors didn't change anything, the problem DID NOT follow the motor, it stays on the outmost right motor.
I connect and remove the wings all the time to store the machine on the shelves in my garage...

The problem is in my mind no doubt, that something is wrong, either the ESC for that motor, or the wiring...

My current problem is that the plugs of the wing to the fuselage have pins and I have no wiring diagrame to tell me what goes where. IT will be a lot of trial and error to figure it out and even then, it is not sure that I will resolve it. What if the problem is in the wing wiring, the wires are burried in there....

There is a post here of a guy that did take out the wires and re-wired it, maybe he can give me a hint - if he reads this as to what pin does what?

Do you know who that is?

Cheers

[xviper]

Try different terms in this thread’s search. I found the following by putting in “wing wiring”.

tab28682 I've been meticulously inspecting all the wiring. It's pretty easy with the plane in 3 pieces. I'm definitely going to hard wire all the servo connections that come out of the wing to a bypass the distribution board that came installed on it. I just don't like the rats nest of wires and each connection is a point of failure. I'm also going take a closer look at the XT-60 connector on the BEC. It doesn't have any visible problems but it's the first point of failure (besides the battery) in the power distribution circuit. Oh, I forgot to mention this, after my first crash I was inspecting the 4 power wires that come off the BEC and run through the wings. They have bullet connectors on them about a few inches passed the BEC and one of them was barely connected. I don't know if this happened during the crash but it would explain the first issue I had with the entire plane loosing power and resetting when it taxied. After that repair I had a new problem that seemed more like a low voltage condition.

I'll keep working and let everyone know if I find a smoking gun. Also, I'm working on a wiring schematic for the plane. I keep having to rely on pictures to remember how everything was connected and I've already mapped out the wing root connectors during an early round of troubleshooting so I figured it would come in handy if I keep having to rebuild this thing.

[alex4orly]

Well, in the meantime - I pilled off the wire ducts covering and have th efollowing findings:

1) whil attempting yet again to Sync the ESC's, I noticed that 3 motors move with the beeps, but the problematic one does NOT.
2) This means that it doesn't Sync with the others.
3) I pulled out the wires to see that the ESC is actually inside the Nacelle - glued inside to the foam
4) An unusual wiring - 4 wires go into it, a black+white (those are the negative and signal of the usual 3 wire plug
5) The power goes in as RED and BLACK, I assume - the RED splits inside the ESC to power the ESC itself

Usually, an ESC has two plugs, one the 3 pins, the other - the actual power to the motor. But I can't think of how to replace the current strange thing with a normal 20A ESC...

I will try the other thread

Thanks again

[alex4orly]

HI xviper, I can't find that wing wiring post, tried several other things....

[alex4orly]

Hello pilots,

I got my c-130 in February, was not able to maiden it until now.

The outer right motor ESC just doesn't Sync with the other 3, upon spooling up - the machine swings to the left...
Today - I pilled off the right wing wire ducts covering and have the following findings:

1) while attempting yet again to Sync the ESC's, I noticed that 3 motors move with the beeps, but the problematic one does NOT.
2) This means that it doesn't Sync with the others.
3) I pulled out the wires to see that the ESC is actually inside the Nacelle - glued inside to the foam. I pulled it out.
4) An unusual wiring - 4 wires go into it, a black+white (those are the negative and signal of the usual 3 wire plug from the Receiver)
5) The power goes in as RED and BLACK, I assume - the RED splits inside the ESC to power the ESC itself

Usually, an ESC has two plugs, one the 3 pins, the other - the actual power to the motor. But I can't think of how to replace the current strange thing with a normal 20A ESC...

Will appreciate any help

Thanks

[xviper]

Well, in the meantime - I pilled off the wire ducts covering and have th efollowing findings:

1) whil attempting yet again to Sync the ESC's, I noticed that 3 motors move with the beeps, but the problematic one does NOT.
2) This means that it doesn't Sync with the others.
3) I pulled out the wires to see that the ESC is actually inside the Nacelle - glued inside to the foam
4) An unusual wiring - 4 wires go into it, a black+white (those are the negative and signal of the usual 3 wire plug
5) The power goes in as RED and BLACK, I assume - the RED splits inside the ESC to power the ESC itself

Usually, an ESC has two plugs, one the 3 pins, the other - the actual power to the motor. But I can't think of how to replace the current strange thing with a normal 20A ESC...

I will try the other thread

Thanks again

The "other" thread??? As far as I know, this is the only thread about the Avios C-130 here in HobbySquawk. You just posted your questions again in this thread. Are you perhaps thinking of the one at RC Groups?

Regarding the wires. There are usually only 3 wires going from an ESC to a motor. From each ESC to the battery is usually 2 wires. Additionally, from each ESC to the receiver (or perhaps in this case, to the control board, then to the RX), should be a 3 conductor wire. Since the offending motor (position) is not twitching and making any beeps, there's definitely something amiss and in your case, appears to be the wiring since you've already put a different motor there. If you can pull out that ESC and check the connection (3 pins), that might reveal the problem. I've had planes arrive where one or more of those 3 pins have been disconnected or not fully pushed in.
Any chance you can post a picture?

PS. OK, I see you started another thread about changing the ESC, so disregard my question about the "other" thread.

[PropRocket]

Hello pilots,

I got my c-130 in February, was not able to maiden it until now.

The outer right motor ESC just doesn't Sync with the other 3, upon spooling up - the machine swings to the left...
Today - I pilled off the right wing wire ducts covering and have the following findings:

1) while attempting yet again to Sync the ESC's, I noticed that 3 motors move with the beeps, but the problematic one does NOT.
2) This means that it doesn't Sync with the others.
3) I pulled out the wires to see that the ESC is actually inside the Nacelle - glued inside to the foam. I pulled it out.
4) An unusual wiring - 4 wires go into it, a black+white (those are the negative and signal of the usual 3 wire plug from the Receiver)
5) The power goes in as RED and BLACK, I assume - the RED splits inside the ESC to power the ESC itself

Usually, an ESC has two plugs, one the 3 pins, the other - the actual power to the motor. But I can't think of how to replace the current strange thing with a normal 20A ESC...

Will appreciate any help

Thanks

These ESC's do not have an on-board BEC. Therefore, they only have a 2-wire servo connection (signal and ground). If you only have an ESC with it's own BEC, you can use it but you have to first disconnect, and cap, the power (red) wire from the servo connecter.
The larger power wires would normally have a battery connecter on them. I assume they used bullet connectors to safe space. When you replace the ESC just remove the bullet connectors from the old ESC and solder them on to the new one.

[xviper]

These ESC's do not have an on-board BEC. Therefore, they only have a 2-wire servo connection (signal and ground). If you only have an ESC with it's own BEC, you can use it but you have to first disconnect, and cap, the power (red) wire from the servo connecter.
The larger power wires would normally have a battery connecter on them. I assume they used bullet connectors to safe space. When you replace the ESC just remove the bullet connectors from the old ESC and solder them on to the new one.

In his "other" thread, he posted pictures and I don't believe this plane uses those bullet connectors near the motors. I haven't had the need to take mine apart, but it seems they've soldered all the connections (no connectors). I've explained about the "opto" ESC and how his replacement ESC will need to have the red wire disconnected. Being an electrician, I think (or hope) he understood all that.

[PropRocket]

In his "other" thread, he posted pictures and I don't believe this plane uses those bullet connectors near the motors. I haven't had the need to take mine apart, but it seems they've soldered all the connections (no connectors). I've explained about the "opto" ESC and how his replacement ESC will need to have the red wire disconnected. Being an electrician, I think (or hope) he understood all that.

I’m sorry. I just checked the other thread. I was referring to the larger red and black power wires for the ESC’s having bullet connectors but I forgot about the splice point at the inboard motor for both pairs of wires.
alex4orly In this case, you need to solder the wires from the new ESC at these splice points. Or you can use crimp splices but you won’t have a lot of room to work with.

[alex4orly]

Hi ProRocket,

I resolved it anyway, the new ESC is working fine.

Cheers

[Fllyboy2]

would anyone have a nacelle and motor they would be willing to sell from a damaged one. I see HK has the parts listed but out of stock. thanks

[Brinka]

Just purchased the C130 for Black Friday sale on HK, any tips on the build and what to really look for before flying. 4 motors means 4x the issues. Certainly up for the task.

[xviper]

Just purchased the C130 for Black Friday sale on HK, any tips on the build and what to really look for before flying. 4 motors means 4x the issues. Certainly up for the task.

Not necessarily (about 4X issues) but at least you know that going in. I've not had any issues just because there's 4 motors. Just make sure you do the throttle calibration so they're all sync'd up. That whole main gear dolly can come loose after a few bouncy landings. Take out the screws and apply some FoamTac to the threads and put them back in. Don't over tighten. On the nose gear door - the one that is actuated with a bar - that bar can break if you drag it through grass because those doors are so close to the ground. If can see what I'm talking about, maybe see if you can carve out a thin piece of wood or CF to laminate it.
If the cargo door comes down too far, they will come out of their guides. Until you understand how it flies and stalls in banked turns, keep up the speed/throttle and test up high.

[Brinka]

Not necessarily (about 4X issues) but at least you know that going in. I've not had any issues just because there's 4 motors. Just make sure you do the throttle calibration so they're all sync'd up. That whole main gear dolly can come loose after a few bouncy landings. Take out the screws and apply some FoamTac to the threads and put them back in. Don't over tighten. On the nose gear door - the one that is actuated with a bar - that bar can break if you drag it through grass because those doors are so close to the ground. If can see what I'm talking about, maybe see if you can carve out a thin piece of wood or CF to laminate it.
If the cargo door comes down too far, they will come out of their guides. Until you understand how it flies and stalls in banked turns, keep up the speed/throttle and test up high.

Excellent advice, thank you for all the details, I will indeed follow these valuable tips. I’m fortunate to be able to fly off of a 900 ft runway so my landings should be smooth. I’m more of a scale jet flier so this is certainly a different style of flying. I’m just hoping everything out the box works out. Super excited for the challenge.

[Arron yeate]

Hi Guys new to RC planes amd from the Uk, loving the 2 years worth of comments on the c130. Ive just bought the c130 myself in grey appears to be the version 2 as the tailgail door has stops on it rather than the artificial hydrolic arms pulling apart? ,im awaiting Callie graphics to send out full decals to complete it as an RAF model. I do things backwards. I buy bigger than i should enjoy it but ill be buying a small cessna type rc plane to learn with. As i did with my scale cobra ah1-w heli.

Im yet to build the c130 however i have had it out the box for a look. Ive got a servo tester ready just waiting for a battery as the one in the transmitter wasnt powerful enough i assume to open gear etc.

Thanks
Arron