RC Model Reviews

A few days agoI purchased a FMS (Airfield)1400mm P51 Mustang from a local man. It is a v2 airframe with a spare fuselage, 4 blade prop and spare E-retracts. Well...the assembly went fine. I attached the prop and...it won't spin! I remove it and the motor turns! I hold the prop shaft and hit the gas...nothing. It won't spin under any kind of load. I call my mentor, Rob. He comes to my house at 9pm to investigate. We end up swapping the motor with an identical one he had. Same issue. He goes home and returns with his original ESC, install it and we notice it takes a loooong time to chime up. Same issue. We swap recievers, same issues. Now the ESC doesn't initialize but we have control surface movement but no throttle. So we move the sticks around a bit and it initializes. So we get surfaces and throttle. But, it won't go full out even though the stick is pegged at full throttle. Then it won't shut off when you drop the stick to off. The clock strikes midnight and my Golden Carriage is looking more and more like a pumpkin. I have had all the fun I can handle for one day.
We are now considering the radio might be the culprit. I am using the DX5e that came with my apprentice which I purchased in May.
I have seen in the forums where there have issues with the DX5e radios but mine isn't in the product ID range listed in the bulletin...I am less than enthused about my purchase but I am hoping it is the radio so my wife will stop giving me "the look" for having bought a used plane from someone through the internet.
I hate when I get "the look".
Today I will try to bind to a different radio (Rob's old DX5e, what would I do without Rob?) and see if it chases the gremlins away. Keep your fingers crossed, it's going to be one of those days...
Any other ideas you fellas have would be appreciated.

have you tried toying around with the timing setting on the esc?
also you should attach a servo to the esc channel to see if its transmitting correctly

No, I haven't. I'm afraid that is outside of my limitations. But I do have something I will try this evening. I will also solicit someone with the technical savvy to pull off the ESC timing thing. I will keep you posted.

You don't seem to mention trying it with a second battery pack

after that I would suspect the connectors

Sorry Ergocentric, for not ansering sooner. We did try 3 battery packs but no luck. I bought a new ESC and that seems to have done the trick...for now anyway. We got her in the air today and the test pilot said she flew very well. Heres a pic of her in the air and another of her on the ground.