RCCrawler Forums

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 10:13 AM

I have searched, and I have tried everything that I have found. I haven't seen someone with my problem through searching on multiple websites. First, I will say that my background is in 1:1 rock crawling. I had RC's as a kid, and I built a UAV with the help of EE's while in college. I am very new to the electronics though, as I am a mechanical engineer. So I have a capacity to understand this stuff, but I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Also, the set-up is a stock Wraith with a 4000mAh 25C lipo battery. Here's what's going on...

Bought a Wraith on Monday. Ran it for 20-30 minutes (pretty hard), until a lower kingpin bolt/screw fell out. After stealing one from a steering arm (until I can get a replacement), I tried to give her a test drive. It wouldn't go as fast, and slowly died. I figured this was normal, because I didn't wait for my battery to be fully charged before I ran it. So I charged the battery for a few HOURS; the battery is a lipo 4000mAh, and the charger was on the 5A setting. The charger never indicated that the battery was fully charged, and the battery and charger did not get hot. I unplugged it, because I had to go to bed.

The next morning, I plug up the battery and try it out. It pulls forward, and then backwards; I unplug the battery and go to work. Around lunch time I try again and it will not go forward or reverse; but it will turn. So I tried to calibrate the ESC, and I don't ever get the long tone. I also binded the Rx/Tx and it did not beep like it does on the Axial tutorial video on YouTube.

Blah blah balh... now the battery is dying extremely fast. Once I bind and calibrate, I try turning and throttle. I turn it on, and it acts fine until I start turning or trying the throttle. Then the lights start to flicker, and it dies (FAST). See, I think I am having 2 problems, but I'm not sure if they are related or not. For the most part, the battery charger never indicates that the battery is fully charged; but there is one exception: once, I put the battery on the charger and it almost immediately said that it was fully charged. But it had just died not 30 seconds earlier. Very confusing to me.

So I started checking everything I knew to check. Turned out the wires going to the motor were not very tight, so I got them squared away. Nothing is loose inside the receiver. But I don't think I'm getting all of the audible tones that I am supposed to get when I turn the Wraith on.

My grandmother died yesterday morning, and a bunch of other crap is going down; so I think maybe I'm just having a hard time thinking through it. What's the next step, or your thoughts on the issue(s)? How do I test to see if the ESC is bad? I would plug the motor right up to the battery to see if the motor is bad, but I'm not sure how much I'd trust the results with how the battery is acting.

If I can think of any other info that may help, I will post it up. Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to provide this uber noob.

KillerBlackbird · 11-14-2012, 11:01 AM

Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Have you tried another battery pack just to eliminate that as a potential problem?

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 11:08 AM

Not yet. My neighbor has a battery I tried to use, but I don't have the right adapter for it. I haven't had time to run by the hobby shop for another battery yet. I am planning on trying it, but I think I have multiple problems. Figure I may as well try all possible culprits.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

JeremyH · 11-14-2012, 11:52 AM

What battery and charger are you using? It should not take a few hours to charge a 4000mAh pack at 1+C....

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 01:10 PM

The Battery

The Charger

JeremyH · 11-14-2012, 01:20 PM

Ok, are you balancing the packs when you charge them? It is possible that one of the cells dropped too low and is causing these problems with your truck.

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 01:26 PM

How do I go about balancing the pack?

JeremyH · 11-14-2012, 01:33 PM

The instructions tell you:
http://manuals.hobbico.com/dtx/dtxp4195-manual.pdf

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 01:58 PM

Well dang. I knew there were instructions that came with the charger! I thought I saw a booklet when I first got it, and my buddy was fiddling with everything while I was unboxing the Wraith. I guess my buddy lost the instructions, because I looked all over the place last night and could not find them for the life of me.

Do you think the battery may work if I charge it correctly, or do you suspect that the battery is toast?

...only one way to find out I suppose...

Edit: Thanks for the heads up, by the way.

JeremyH · 11-14-2012, 02:12 PM

I would just try to charge it and see how everything goes after that.

Matt Wright · 11-14-2012, 02:25 PM

Sweet. I'm optimistic

Matt Wright · 11-15-2012, 07:10 AM

Well, the battery wouldn't take a charge. But I got out of work with enough extra time to run by the hobby store and buy another battery. Everything is working great now.

...except those self-tapping kingpin "bolts" that keep popping out...

JeremyH · 11-15-2012, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Wright

...except those self-tapping kingpin "bolts" that keep popping out...

Use some 3mm bolts wherever you have those self tapping, they'll hold much better.

You must have had a dead cell in that battery. It is a good idea to balance the pack when you charge.

Matt Wright · 11-15-2012, 07:54 AM

Haha, yeah. Newbie mistake. I guess now I have to be nice to 1:1 crawler newbies this week LOL

baddley · 11-15-2012, 08:12 AM

Hi

As a general rule you should not charge your battery at more than its rated capactiy. For example your battery which a is a 4000 MAH should be charged at 4 Amps not 5 (3000 MAH/3.0 Amp charge rate)

This will quickly fry your battery or puff it up and make it useless.

Here is usefull link about LIPO's:
http://rcvehicles.about.com/gi/o.htm...mer-batteries/

As said in previous posts it is a good practice to balance charge your packs too. Personally I do balance every time i charge but about every other time i charge them.

Good luck with your crawler !

Scott

JeremyH · 11-15-2012, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baddley

As a general rule you should not charge your battery at more than its rated capactiy. For example your battery which a is a 4000 MAH should be charged at 4 Amps not 5 (3000 MAH/3.0 Amp charge rate)

This will quickly fry your battery or puff it up and make it useless.

While this is a good policy to follow in general, one of the specs listed for the battery in the link he provided earlier is:
"Up To 3C Charge Rates"

Which means that he can charge that pack at 12A if he was inclined to do so.

Matt Wright · 11-27-2012, 07:46 AM

Just for the sake of an update, I have had absolutely no issues since replacing the battery. I have since upgraded the knuckles and c-hubs, moved all the electronics around, lowered it, added some different tires/wheels, geared it lower, etc. It has been such a hit that my girlfriend wants to participate, so I'm either ordering her a Ridgecrest RTR or a Wraith Kit today.

tcm glx · 11-27-2012, 09:41 AM

Right on Matt, sounds like you figured it out. Now how about some pics with your mods.

Matt Wright · 11-28-2012, 03:56 PM

No pictures yet. Maybe I'll work it that tonight. Anyway, here's a link for updates: Project: Wronkus. A nubcake's journey.

11-14-2012, 10:13 AM	#1
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. I have searched, and I have tried everything that I have found. I haven't seen someone with my problem through searching on multiple websites. First, I will say that my background is in 1:1 rock crawling. I had RC's as a kid, and I built a UAV with the help of EE's while in college. I am very new to the electronics though, as I am a mechanical engineer. So I have a capacity to understand this stuff, but I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Also, the set-up is a stock Wraith with a 4000mAh 25C lipo battery. Here's what's going on... Bought a Wraith on Monday. Ran it for 20-30 minutes (pretty hard), until a lower kingpin bolt/screw fell out. After stealing one from a steering arm (until I can get a replacement), I tried to give her a test drive. It wouldn't go as fast, and slowly died. I figured this was normal, because I didn't wait for my battery to be fully charged before I ran it. So I charged the battery for a few HOURS; the battery is a lipo 4000mAh, and the charger was on the 5A setting. The charger never indicated that the battery was fully charged, and the battery and charger did not get hot. I unplugged it, because I had to go to bed. The next morning, I plug up the battery and try it out. It pulls forward, and then backwards; I unplug the battery and go to work. Around lunch time I try again and it will not go forward or reverse; but it will turn. So I tried to calibrate the ESC, and I don't ever get the long tone. I also binded the Rx/Tx and it did not beep like it does on the Axial tutorial video on YouTube. Blah blah balh... now the battery is dying extremely fast. Once I bind and calibrate, I try turning and throttle. I turn it on, and it acts fine until I start turning or trying the throttle. Then the lights start to flicker, and it dies (FAST). See, I think I am having 2 problems, but I'm not sure if they are related or not. For the most part, the battery charger never indicates that the battery is fully charged; but there is one exception: once, I put the battery on the charger and it almost immediately said that it was fully charged. But it had just died not 30 seconds earlier. Very confusing to me. So I started checking everything I knew to check. Turned out the wires going to the motor were not very tight, so I got them squared away. Nothing is loose inside the receiver. But I don't think I'm getting all of the audible tones that I am supposed to get when I turn the Wraith on. My grandmother died yesterday morning, and a bunch of other crap is going down; so I think maybe I'm just having a hard time thinking through it. What's the next step, or your thoughts on the issue(s)? How do I test to see if the ESC is bad? I would plug the motor right up to the battery to see if the motor is bad, but I'm not sure how much I'd trust the results with how the battery is acting. If I can think of any other info that may help, I will post it up. Thank you in advance for any help you might be able to provide this uber noob.

11-14-2012, 11:01 AM	#2
KillerBlackbird Rock Crawler Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vermont Posts: 501	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. Have you tried another battery pack just to eliminate that as a potential problem?

11-14-2012, 11:08 AM	#3
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Not yet. My neighbor has a battery I tried to use, but I don't have the right adapter for it. I haven't had time to run by the hobby shop for another battery yet. I am planning on trying it, but I think I have multiple problems. Figure I may as well try all possible culprits. Thanks for the suggestion though!

11-14-2012, 11:52 AM	#4
JeremyH I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 16,952	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. What battery and charger are you using? It should not take a few hours to charge a 4000mAh pack at 1+C....

11-14-2012, 01:10 PM	#5
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. The Battery The Charger

11-14-2012, 01:20 PM	#6
JeremyH I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 16,952	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Ok, are you balancing the packs when you charge them? It is possible that one of the cells dropped too low and is causing these problems with your truck.

11-14-2012, 01:26 PM	#7
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. How do I go about balancing the pack?

11-14-2012, 01:33 PM	#8
JeremyH I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 16,952	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. The instructions tell you: http://manuals.hobbico.com/dtx/dtxp4195-manual.pdf

11-14-2012, 01:58 PM	#9
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Well dang. I knew there were instructions that came with the charger! I thought I saw a booklet when I first got it, and my buddy was fiddling with everything while I was unboxing the Wraith. I guess my buddy lost the instructions, because I looked all over the place last night and could not find them for the life of me. Do you think the battery may work if I charge it correctly, or do you suspect that the battery is toast? ...only one way to find out I suppose... Edit: Thanks for the heads up, by the way.

11-14-2012, 02:12 PM	#10
JeremyH I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 16,952	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. I would just try to charge it and see how everything goes after that.

11-14-2012, 02:25 PM	#11
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Sweet. I'm optimistic

11-15-2012, 07:10 AM	#12
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Well, the battery wouldn't take a charge. But I got out of work with enough extra time to run by the hobby store and buy another battery. Everything is working great now. ...except those self-tapping kingpin "bolts" that keep popping out...

11-15-2012, 07:54 AM	#14
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Haha, yeah. Newbie mistake. I guess now I have to be nice to 1:1 crawler newbies this week LOL

11-15-2012, 08:12 AM	#15
baddley Newbie Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Salem, WV Posts: 49	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Hi As a general rule you should not charge your battery at more than its rated capactiy. For example your battery which a is a 4000 MAH should be charged at 4 Amps not 5 (3000 MAH/3.0 Amp charge rate) This will quickly fry your battery or puff it up and make it useless. Here is usefull link about LIPO's: http://rcvehicles.about.com/gi/o.htm...mer-batteries/ As said in previous posts it is a good practice to balance charge your packs too. Personally I do balance every time i charge but about every other time i charge them. Good luck with your crawler ! Scott Last edited by baddley; 11-15-2012 at 08:16 AM.

11-27-2012, 07:46 AM	#17
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Just for the sake of an update, I have had absolutely no issues since replacing the battery. I have since upgraded the knuckles and c-hubs, moved all the electronics around, lowered it, added some different tires/wheels, geared it lower, etc. It has been such a hit that my girlfriend wants to participate, so I'm either ordering her a Ridgecrest RTR or a Wraith Kit today.

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11-27-2012, 09:41 AM	#18
tcm glx Pebble Pounder Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Riverside Posts: 119	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. Right on Matt, sounds like you figured it out. Now how about some pics with your mods.

11-28-2012, 03:56 PM	#19
Matt Wright Newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 48	Re: Stock Wraith. Steering works. No throttle. No pictures yet. Maybe I'll work it that tonight. Anyway, here's a link for updates: Project: Wronkus. A nubcake's journey.

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