Loosing Radio Link With my Ramp

[noyb98098]

Hey Guys,


I've had this problem on and off since I got the ramp, I know it has nothing to do with the ramp and more so the remote. I first thought my first Radio was faultly which was Spektrum DX3 and I ended up replacing it with a Nomadio React and am still having the same problem, I find I have to be careful how far I drive away from me or it will just keep going. I have Futuba 3pk on my baja and I can drive that thing a huge distance wihtout having to worry and I never had to change any settings on it, everything is default. What am I missing??


Thanks,

 

[kryptonite]

moo has a nomadia.. cant help but i feel your pain. it sucks watching it just keep goin g out into the distance

 

[Piranha2]

I have a Futaba but you can check the obvious stuff first....make sure you have a good receiver pack (charged fully), fresh batteries in your transmitter (DX3 uses 4-AA's?...so 6V), your wiring isn't all coiled up in the radio box (interference), you have a killswitch installed, you're not running near a power station or lines (inteference), ALL connectors are fully seated in the receiver, antenna wire as long as you can have it (attenuation / range)....otherwise I'm not sure.

 

[noyb98098]

Hey Moo-


This is the battery that I'm running http://innovativehobby.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1848 . I'm going to try and straighten up the wires in the box, I also have the reciever wraped in plastic to protect it from getting wet but I'm assuming that shouldnt affect anything since the antenna still goes out to full extension.

I have huge range with my react, haven't found the end yet...2 things...did you trim anything off the reciever antenna? that's a big bad and how's your voltage on the reciever pack? oh and make sure you're servos are set to digital.
But reading your post again if you're experiencing the same symtoms with with 2 decent radios I'd say your rx pack isn't supplying enough voltage, are you using the stock pack? i had a dx3 before the react, i could get out of range with the dx3 but as i said yet to find it with the nomadio. i run a 4200 venom cells in the MT and 3600 in the yet to run TT (but ran this pack in my fgbaja with no probs with both radios)

 

[Clubin]

I had the same sort of problem, check the batteries for your reciever< I had a bad solder joint on one, and it would do some real odd stuff.

 

[hamster huey]

These radios are supposed to have built in failsafe. Why does it keep going? If you have programmed your failsafe when it gets out of range the built in failsafe should kick on. If you have not programmed your failsafe it should be at factory programmed failsafe settings. I don't believe you can turn off the failsafe on those radios. So is it going out of range with or without the failsafe kicking on? Or is it in range but receiving instructions to keep going which is overriding your input? I would recommend setting your failsafe to full brake to see if its kicking on. If it kcicks on you know your out of range. If it takes of on its own you know interference of some kind. You can check you failsafe with and without the vehicle running. If you know your radio is operating correctly you can look elsewhere.

 

[noyb98098]

I'll check this as well, right now if it goes out of range it just keeps going.

These radios are supposed to have built in failsafe. Why does it keep going? If you have programmed your failsafe when it gets out of range the built in failsafe should kick on. If you have not programmed your failsafe it should be at factory programmed failsafe settings. I don't believe you can turn off the failsafe on those radios. So is it going out of range with or without the failsafe kicking on? Or is it in range but receiving instructions to keep going which is overriding your input? I would recommend setting your failsafe to full brake to see if its kicking on. If it kcicks on you know your out of range. If it takes of on its own you know interference of some kind. You can check you failsafe with and without the vehicle running. If you know your radio is operating correctly you can look elsewhere.

 

[hamster huey]

I believe if its out of range the built in failsafe (whether programmed by you or the factory) has to kick in because the receiver doesn't see a radio signal (same as if you turned off the transmitter or batteries fell out of transmitter during use, etc.). Thats why it should not be able to drive itself out of range it should lock out all inputs to the receiver and go into preprogrammed failsafe. Those 2.4gigs only take transmitter input from 1 transmitter and lockout all others even in failsafe hence the term "failsafe lockout". The vehicle is susseptible to glitching if fail safe has not kicked in thats why I say the first step is to find out if failsafe is working. You might think your out of range but I believe if you were and had failsafe set to full breaks your car would go into full brakes and receiver failsafe lockout. It is doing things you don't want it to but it might be in range with glitching. If you can not get your failsafe to work (even by turning off your transmitter while electrical power to the car is on) you might have a defective radio.

 

[hamster huey]

I am betting your going into failsafe by going out of range but your failsafe is programmed to open the throttle. Otherwise it would just appear as glitching not a runaway. I went to the Nomadio site to view the manual. You cannot turn off the failsafe it is always on. Failsafe instructions are on page 68. To test your failsafe to see what its at turn your car on but don't start the engine. Turn your transmitter on. Make sure the Tx operates the Rx. Turn off the TX. What postion do the servos go to? Thats your out of range failsafe positions. That also could have been the same problem with the DX3 as it has built in failsafe also. Those 2.4ghz go into the prepgorammed failsafe positions when they lose radio signal so always check to see what those positions are. Man I could have just did this one post! If this doesn't work I would check other things besides radio.

 

[noyb98098]

You think radio or reciever?

I believe if its out of range the built in failsafe (whether programmed by you or the factory) has to kick in because the receiver doesn't see a radio signal (same as if you turned off the transmitter or batteries fell out of transmitter during use, etc.). Thats why it should not be able to drive itself out of range it should lock out all inputs to the receiver and go into preprogrammed failsafe. Those 2.4gigs only take transmitter input from 1 transmitter and lockout all others even in failsafe hence the term "failsafe lockout". The vehicle is susseptible to glitching if fail safe has not kicked in thats why I say the first step is to find out if failsafe is working. You might think your out of range but I believe if you were and had failsafe set to full breaks your car would go into full brakes and receiver failsafe lockout. It is doing things you don't want it to but it might be in range with glitching. If you can not get your failsafe to work (even by turning off your transmitter while electrical power to the car is on) you might have a defective radio.

 

[hamster huey]

Read the post before your last one we posted at the same time so you prob didnt read it.

 

[hamster huey]

Its possible both the nomadio and dx3 went out of range with improperly set failsafes. According to the manuals of both the dx3 and nomadio, the failsafes do not hold the last positions input (that would be dangerous if the last postions were full throttle, and also would not be a failsafe and would also make programming the failsafe useless). According to both manuals the only positions failsafe can have is user defined or factory defined for both radios (any other way programming the failsafe would be useless). And once the failsafe is programmed the postions stay in memory until the user reprograms them into memory. They do not change as you are driving which is what they would have to do to remember your last input. To find out what positions they failsafe is going to go to turn RX and Tx on but don't start your engine. Turn off your TX. Your now infailsafe where do the servos go? All radios have a range limit so I recommend setting failsafe to full brake and steering either full left or straight and if you have a 3rd channel PB set it to cut the engine then you will know for sure if that fixes it. Thats where I would start.

 

[noyb98098]

Hey Moo-


No stock servo's for me! Both are the metal gear Hitech's. I tested the range again today. I just let the truck idle and I walked away maybe 30-40ft lost signal and I started walking back then the signal came on. The Remote shows the servo batt's are fully charged but- Failsafes are all set as well. I just won some new equip (alum upper and lower arms for front and back) so when that stuff comes in I'll re-work the wires it the reciever box. It has to be coming from there since I sold the Spektrum DX3 to my friend and he's using it on his Revo and is getting huge distance with no problems.

 

[hamster huey]

Moo according to the manual youre right Im wrong, sorry. There are 2 failsafe modes-hold last postion (which can cause a runaway) and preporgrammed positions. I misunderstood but would still make sure I was using preprogrammed mode, not hold mode. Im positive the Spektrums have failsafe built in the RX. Any way he is losing range at a very short distance. It sounds like falsafe is set correctly otherwaise it would take off when failsafe kicked in. That is a very short range. Is there glitching too or are you just completly locked out when your out of range?

 

[noyb98098]

Nope- No glitching either. Cant wait to get to the bottom of this.

Moo according to the manual youre right Im wrong, sorry. There are 2 failsafe modes-hold last postion (which can cause a runaway) and preporgrammed positions. I misunderstood but would still make sure I was using preprogrammed mode, not hold mode. Im positive the Spektrums have failsafe built in the RX. Any way he is losing range at a very short distance. It sounds like falsafe is set correctly otherwaise it would take off when failsafe kicked in. That is a very short range. Is there glitching too or are you just completly locked out when your out of range?

 

[magnum57]

Throw the junk out. Use the Futaba 3PK that you run your baja with hopefuly it has the 2.4 fasst module and receiver. Also sounds like a battery / receiver problem. Good luck.

 

[pup1970]

Hmm, dx3 works fine in the revo, but crap in yours. the new one is crap also, I wonder if you are getting interferance from the coil? Did you check range with motor running or off? If you checked it running, try it off and see if there is a difference.

 

[hamster huey]

I had to ditch the spektrum for 1/5, it would not work. The 3 I know people on here use are Futaba Fasst, Nomadio, and I have Airtronics FHSS2. Someone told me the coil could be the prob with my Spektrum and it makes sense. Do you have one of the 3 I mentioned you could borrow from someone to try?

 

[pup1970]

My son uses a dx3.0, I use a M11 with spektrum module and reciever in our bajas. My ramp has a losi spektrum like in the mini sprint and does descent. It did lose signal after about 200' and hit a fence, but I think it was the radio, not the reciever. Plus, the dx3 dx2 dx3.0 dx2.0 use 8 AA batteries for 12v and shut down close to 9v.

 

[noyb98098]

Well, I think I've figured out what it is. Looks like it's the battery in the remote. I've always had issues with it holding a charge, found that the distance I had with it today was shorter than previous estimates and it degraded. Seems to only hold 5.45v and my futaba has around 11.-12.0 on a fresh set of batteries. So if anyone knows where to get some aftermarket Nomadio batt's I'd sure appreciate it, if not I'll just see if my LHS has some they can whip up.


Thanks!