Blad CX battery woes

[Steve]

I have a Blade CX and 3 batteries for it. I noticed that my battery
life went to almost nothing (30 seconds or so) and figured the
batteries were just getting worn out (although I was supicious that it
was all three at the same time.) I also suspected that maybe the
little lipo charger wasn't working all that well.

I got a friend to run my batteries in his CX and they last fine (10-15
minutes) using either his charger or mine. However, when I charge them
and stick them in mine, they still only last 30 seconds or so. When I
put them on the charger they show charged in just a few minutes.

Is it possible the low voltage cutoff point got screwed up in my
helicopter? It seems to me that I have eliminted the batteries and the
chargers as the source of the problem which leaves me wondering what's
wrong with my helicopter?

I also considered that something may be binding one of the motors and
drawhing a lot more current so I spun the blades by hand and they move
very freely. I'm kind of at a loss at this point. Any suggestions?

[Doug McLaren]

In article <1157141105.477538.206750@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.c om>,
Steve <scasko@aol.com> wrote:

| I have a Blade CX and 3 batteries for it. I noticed that my battery
| life went to almost nothing (30 seconds or so) and figured the
| batteries were just getting worn out (although I was supicious that it
| was all three at the same time.)

Yes, that is very suspicious.

| I also suspected that maybe the little lipo charger wasn't working
| all that well.

Could be. If you have a more featured charger, you could try using
it, perhaps try cycling the batteries to see if they're good. But it
sounds like it's the helicopter itself ...

| I got a friend to run my batteries in his CX and they last fine (10-15
| minutes) using either his charger or mine. However, when I charge them
| and stick them in mine, they still only last 30 seconds or so. When I
| put them on the charger they show charged in just a few minutes.
|
| Is it possible the low voltage cutoff point got screwed up in my
| helicopter?

Certainly sounds like it. You might try swapping out your 3-in-1 (or
is it 4-in-1?) unit with your friend's.

| I also considered that something may be binding one of the motors and
| drawhing a lot more current so I spun the blades by hand and they move
| very freely. I'm kind of at a loss at this point. Any suggestions?

Do they move more or less freely than those on your friend's
helicopter?

If you had a Whattmeter or something similar, you could measure the
current drawn by both helicopters while you're holding them and going
to full throttle. If yours is extra high, then you know something is
binding, and it doesn't take much.

--
Doug McLaren, dougmc@frenzied.us
The way some people find fault, you'd think there was some kind of reward.

[Steve]

> Could be. If you have a more featured charger, you could try using
> it, perhaps try cycling the batteries to see if they're good. But it
> sounds like it's the helicopter itself ...

That is my next step, hopefully this week...

> Certainly sounds like it. You might try swapping out your 3-in-1 (or
> is it 4-in-1?) unit with your friend's.

Well, an interesting development there. He was flying his
(fortunately with his battery) and put it over a fence in to a yard.
It briefly caught on fire. The 3-in-1 now has a big hole burned in it,
as does a piece of the canopy. Not sure what happened, but it looks
exactly like it got hit by a missle. I suspect he didn't get the power
off in time and the rotors locked up against the ground and the current
spiked up.


> Do they move more or less freely than those on your friend's
> helicopter?

Mine move very freely, which is the baffling part. I would've
expected some drag and then I would know where the excessive current
draw was coming from.

>
> If you had a Whattmeter or something similar, you could measure the
> current drawn by both helicopters while you're holding them and going
> to full throttle. If yours is extra high, then you know something is
> binding, and it doesn't take much.

That is also on the list of things to do this week or next, it's just
going to take a few connectors and 30 minutes of soldering to get
something that'll work with my meter...

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep pecking at it...

Steve

[Richard]

"Steve" <scasko@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1157141105.477538.206750@i3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...
> I have a Blade CX and 3 batteries for it. I noticed that my battery
> life went to almost nothing (30 seconds or so) and figured the
> batteries were just getting worn out (although I was supicious that it
> was all three at the same time.) I also suspected that maybe the
> little lipo charger wasn't working all that well.
>
> I got a friend to run my batteries in his CX and they last fine (10-15
> minutes) using either his charger or mine. However, when I charge them
> and stick them in mine, they still only last 30 seconds or so. When I
> put them on the charger they show charged in just a few minutes.
>
> Is it possible the low voltage cutoff point got screwed up in my
> helicopter? It seems to me that I have eliminted the batteries and the
> chargers as the source of the problem which leaves me wondering what's
> wrong with my helicopter?
>
> I also considered that something may be binding one of the motors and
> drawhing a lot more current so I spun the blades by hand and they move
> very freely. I'm kind of at a loss at this point. Any suggestions?
>

Have a look at your female JST connector on your CX and make sure the pins
are not bent or tarnished. Maybe spray some electrical contact cleaner on
both CX and battery connectors. You might even consider changing the
connectors, more so if your CX has had a lot of use.

You can also check the input voltage of the battery charger by putting a
volt meter on the red male jst connector while the battery is charging. I'm
not sure what the voltage should be while charging as I am using 11.1v packs
but the battery should be around 8 volts when finished charging. I don't no
what your using for a power source for your battery charger unit but if its
the wall power pack then you can try using a car battery instead.

Another thing you can also check is the output voltage to the motors with a
volt meter by removing both the motor plugs on the 4 in 1 unit and then
connect a battery, arm the 4 in 1, apply full throttle and check it on each
of the left and right motor pins. I don't no what the voltage output should
be with a twin motor set up but if it drops quickly like you said (in 30
seconds or so) then this test will prove its not the motors that are at
fault. If it takes 5, 10 or even 15 minutes for your voltage to drop then I
would most definitely say its your motors at fault.

The CX doesn't have a low voltage cut-off according to the manual as it says
"If at any time the helicopter begins to require more throttle than typical
to maintain hover or flight, or has lost the ability to maintain hover or
flight due to significant loss of power, you must land the helicopter and
power the motors down IMMEDIATELY to prevent over-discharge of the Li-Po
battery pack. "


Cheers