Futaba 4PLS and Tactic TSX65 Servos

[Vengeance]

I have pieced together my MMP ESC, front and rear steer Tactic TSX65 servos, and Futaba 4PLS radio system so I could bind the radio and get all of the radio and servo settings done prior to final install while waiting on some last minute parts from the Crawl Space.

I set the radio receiver up for TSFH per the manual. The Tactic servos are digital.

The ESC works great but the servos do not. Sometimes they take input from the radio and other times they do not. At times they just glitch back and forth and take no input.

When the servos are still they still sound like they are under strain because I can still hear them.

Does anyone else have this setup or issue?

I have not yet installed the BEC's and have disconnected the rear steering servo to troubleshoot the issue with no improvement.

The MMP ESC is set to 6.0v. Plenty of power for one of the servos when the Tekin ROC412 is not rotating.

I have e-mailed Futaba, i.e Hobby Services who also covers Tactic servos for help.

Any input on what I may be missing would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jason

[Vengeance]

Well no word back from Hobby Services as of tonight, apparently they do not reply within 24 hours.

I am at a loss as to what the issue is. I have double checked all of the radio settings. In my mind it is either a radio issues due to me setting a value incorrectly or the servos do not like that radio suite.

I do not have any other servos to test with either unfortunately.

The issue replicates regardless of one or both servos being connected. I do not believe it to be RFI although that was my original thought the way it acts, but the glitching back and forth movement of the servos only, not the ESC, has me thinking it is something else.

Again, if anyone on here with a 4PLS has ever had this issue please speak up.

Thank you,
Jason

[Harley]

Have you tried changing the servo type from digital to analog?

[Charlie-III]

Just some info:

Based on this.... TowerHobbies.com | Tactic TSX65 Standard Digital Ultra-Torque HV MG Servo you are WAY over the "~200inoz servo requires an external BEC" rule of thumb. That's for one servo, you've tried to run 2 off the ESC.

When you are using one servo, does the RX die (LED's go off) or do you hear the ESC restart? Either indicates the need for an external BEC. Most of us use the Castle 10A BEC.

A "hum" or "buzz" with no steering input is normal for digital servos. You can usually make the noise go away by lifting the end with the steering servo or twitching the steering a little so it settles.

[Vengeance]

Evening Harley, I have tried running it in TFHSS High and Normal, is there another setting on the radio I am missing? This is the first computer radio I have used since the old PK's years ago. I do not see any other options for selecting digital or analog.

I was reading page 29 in the manual where it talks about the type of servos. Am I on the right track or should i go back to control line cars? LMAO

Good evening Charlie III, I have the BEC of the MMP at 6.0v. I thought that may be enough for a simple bind and check out everything on the workbench... I do have Castle BEC's ready to go however and was planning to install them prior to running it.

Yes, these are my first digital servos... so they always make noise?

I have not seen the ESC restart or the RX LED turn off... Would too low of a supply voltage cause the servo to waggle back and forth like I am seeing?

Thank you BOTH very much for coming to my aid... I am just little out of my realm here. Last time I had a computer radio, it took crystals.

Jason

[Vengeance]

So two emails and one phone call later I have heard nothing from Hobby Services. So today I left them one of my work famous polite raging hulk messages. lol

To top it off my Lipo charger decided to die on me after 4 years of use... sigh. I cannot afford a Hitec x4 so I am going with an Duratrax Onyx 245. At first I thought I had a bad lipo pack, but then I saw none of my lipo packs were charging.

Well, onward and downward...

Jason

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Vengeance

So two emails and one phone call later I have heard nothing from Hobby Services. So today I left them one of my work famous polite raging hulk messages. lol

To top it off my Lipo charger decided to die on me after 4 years of use... sigh. I cannot afford a Hitec x4 so I am going with an Duratrax Onyx 245. At first I thought I had a bad lipo pack, but then I saw none of my lipo packs were charging.

Well, onward and downward...

Jason

Sorry I missed your earlier message. It did sound like you were on the right track, it's very odd to have this issue. I haven't gone back and reread your first message but have you tried another servo by chance? Might be a bad servo.

I just sold my Onyx 245 for my Hitec 4x. I really wish I had the Onyx back. This Hitec doesn't charge and balance packs for shit! Seriously disappointed!

[Vengeance]

Evening Harley, well that is good to hear for me on the charger issue. Sorry you are not happy with the Hitec, I know it isn't cheap.

Unfortunately I have no other servos to test with so I am at Hobby Service's whim I suppose.

What I am now thinking however is that I assumed my lipos were fully charged. I have no idea how long my charger has been on the fritz... would a low lipo, or one not balanced or charged well maybe cause the effects I am seeing? Unfortunately I will not be able to check that either until my new charger arrives hopefully by the end of the week.

Thank you again for all of your help, I do appreciate it.
jason

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Vengeance

Evening Harley, well that is good to hear for me on the charger issue. Sorry you are not happy with the Hitec, I know it isn't cheap.

Unfortunately I have no other servos to test with so I am at Hobby Service's whim I suppose.

What I am now thinking however is that I assumed my lipos were fully charged. I have no idea how long my charger has been on the fritz... would a low lipo, or one not balanced or charged well maybe cause the effects I am seeing? Unfortunately I will not be able to check that either until my new charger arrives hopefully by the end of the week.

Thank you again for all of your help, I do appreciate it.
jason

A battery that was very low could cause weird issues, it's tough to say if it would cause what you are seeing though.

You'll like the 245, I plan on going back to that myself.

[Vengeance]

To follow-up and put an end to this story...
So I found out not long after I posted the first post that my charger was not working and none of my batteries had a charge. Potentially, possibly, it may or may not have been the issue.

As of tonight, I received my new Onyx 245 charger and charged my batteries up and mocked up the MMP with a CC BEC Pro to power both front and rear servos.

I powered up the system and low and BEHOLD... the servos worked flawlessly!!!

I will now finish up the initial wiring and get my painting done... Looks like I will complete this project before Xmas. lol

Thank you to all that replied and helped.

Jason