Not so. I always go through the correct connect/disconnect procedure so that is not an issue. Just yesterday I was testing some servos and connected as per normal only to see the Orange rx blinking. This has happened on three occasions that I have identified. I guess this is the vagrancies of electronics. For some unknown reason when powering up the Orange Rx starts blinking. Disconnect and repower up and all is fine. One point to note that even when it is blinking everything still works but I would suspect would have limited range (no I forgot to do a range check) or would fail at some point. The key is to check for a solid light every time you connect.

No, the blinking light does not indicate any loss of range.

Here's how the brown-out LED works:

The DSM2 transmitter when you turn it on selects two random (and free) frequencies from the 2.4GHz frequency band and it sticks with these two frequencies until powered down. Every time you turn it on it chooses another two random frequencies so will very rarely use the same pair.

When you turn the receiver on it tunes itself to the same two frequencies that the Tx is omitting.

The receiver has an inbuilt memory so that it 'remembers' what two frequencies it worked on the previous time it was powered up. If when you power the Rx up again, if it detects that the Tx is still transmitting the same two frequencies then it 'assumes' the Rx has had a momentary loss of power (a.k.a. a 'Brown-out') and it flashes it's LED to indicate.

The receiver can very easily be 'fooled' into thinking it's had a brown-out. All you have to do is to turn the Rx off and on again without also powering off and on the Tx. So for instance if you land, power off the model, change a battery and power up the model (without also cycling the Tx power) then you will get a false brown-out indication.

If you are getting the 'brown-out' flashing LED as soon as you power up the receiver then there are a few options in order of likelyhood:

1. You didnt turn off the Tx
2. By off-chance the Tx picked the same two frequencies as last time (more likely if lots of other DSM2 systems are in use)
3. A receiver fault.
4. A transmitter fault meaning it's stuck on the same two frequencies.

While #2, 3 and 4 are theoretical possibilities almost all cases on this false brown-out indication are due to #1 on the list.

One thing is pretty much certain is that if you get a 'Brown-out' flashing LED the instant you power up then it's a false brown-out, not a real one.

OK, Maybe I've got the wrong terminology and maybe it isnt a brown out but let me assure you- This is not a dumb thumb issue. The planes just lost control.The Orange Rx's arent passing a range check. None of them do with my Tx and none of the other guys Rx's at the field do either. Most everyone in my group uses Orange Rx's and don't have problems, just me. All the planes Ive used were stock: A parkzone P47 and a durafly P51.

Also, TX was on Euro setting as one other post asked. I've since switched to US

There is a long history of problems with the Orange receivers. It seems to be most prominent when the receivers are used with a Dx6i transmitter. Don't know the technical reason; don't really care. I've personally witnessed three very experienced flyers loose all control functions on their planes (five planes). The only common denominator is that all five cases had an Orange receiver paired to a Dx6i transmitter, and all of the losses occurred in the exact same area of our park. On the other hand, several other flyers have been using the same combination in the same area with no problems. Is it worth taking a chance that your plane will be destroyed because you wanted to save a few bucks on the cost of a receiver? To me the answer is NO. All of my planes have genuine Spectrum receivers. I've been using Spectrum for nearly 8 years and I've never had a brown-out / signal loss / whatever you want to call it.

By the way, I always leave my transmitter ON when swapping batteries in a plane. I always turn it OFF when I go from one plane to another.

The overwhelming majority of orange receiver users, including myself have had no problems with the orange receivers and trust them as much as any Spektrum product. There is no "long history of problems with the Orange receivers" at all. This is not to say that there has never been an Orange receiver with a defect. Mine has been flawless for two years. It's flying my 55" Grim Reaper right now. I trust it because it's earned my trust.

If there were a real "long history of problems with the Orange receivers" it would be evidenced on RC groups long ago. It isn't. I'll continue to buy Orange receivers and so will just about everybody with great results.

I can only add my personal experience and that of the guys i fly with is the orange Rx's are very good. In fact from my own experience I dont know of a single problem that could be attributed to an Orange Rx.

This is not to say others aren't having problems but it would be very misleading to talk of 'long history' of issues.

Originally Posted by ranterl

Also, TX was on Euro setting as one other post asked. I've since switched to US

I didn't know that was user selectable, but considering you just upped the signal strength of your tx, you may have solved your problem. Also, stupid question, but you're not pointing the tx antennae right at the plane, are you?

Originally Posted by xmech2k

I didn't know that was user selectable, but considering you just upped the signal strength of your tx, you may have solved your problem.

Bear in mind that many thousands of Rc flyers in Europe manage just fine on European setting. It still range tests fine and has out of sight range.

So that isn't your problem, though i agree that you might as well turn the signal strength as high as it goes. I wish we had the option here in Europe but on (mainstream) Tx's sold here you cant change it.

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

The overwhelming majority of orange receiver users, including myself have had no problems with the orange receivers and trust them as much as any Spektrum product. There is no "long history of problems with the Orange receivers" at all. This is not to say that there has never been an Orange receiver with a defect. Mine has been flawless for two years. It's flying my 55" Grim Reaper right now. I trust it because it's earned my trust.

If there were a real "long history of problems with the Orange receivers" it would be evidenced on RC groups long ago. It isn't. I'll continue to buy Orange receivers and so will just about everybody with great results.

It is a reasonably EXACT copy of the Spektrum unit in some cases, but the early Orange receivers were a little different - they weren't exact copies and I think they had more faults than the original. The ones you can get now are exact copies and they have all the problems that the original has. So, they probably have a long history of failures just like the original product - but that's due to them being used mostly by noobs and people who don't care so much, not a flaw in the product.

I have seen Assan receivers suffer from no range at all, but never seen a range problem with the Orange although I'm sure it happens. I have seen a Spek receiver fail the range check, I took that one back to the store - try to do that with Orange!

All of this is just details though - the OP definitely has a power system problem and he needs to stop swapping parts that have nothing to do with that.

I didn't know that was user selectable, but considering you just upped the signal strength of your tx, you may have solved your problem. Also, stupid question, but you're not pointing the tx antennae right at the plane, are you?

No, I point the antenna to the right at a 45 deg. angle

Originally Posted by jasmine2501

It is a reasonably EXACT copy of the Spektrum unit in some cases, but the early Orange receivers were a little different - they weren't exact copies and I think they had more faults than the original. The ones you can get now are exact copies and they have all the problems that the original has. So, they probably have a long history of failures just like the original product - but that's due to them being used mostly by noobs and people who don't care so much, not a flaw in the product.

I have seen Assan receivers suffer from no range at all, but never seen a range problem with the Orange although I'm sure it happens. I have seen a Spek receiver fail the range check, I took that one back to the store - try to do that with Orange!

All of this is just details though - the OP definitely has a power system problem and he needs to stop swapping parts that have nothing to do with that.

Like what parts?

Like em or not (orange Rx) mine seem to be fine with other peoples Tx's and passs range checks but Not with my Tx. Let me be clear- All my stock parkzone planes (and I'm flying 3, Spit, P47 and FW190) can go as far as I can see with the spektrum Rx's they came with except th eP47 has a Rx that came with my Tx which is a spektrum that has some kind of satellite jobby. Again, NO problems what so ever. My Tx hates orange Rx's for some reason. Could the DSM-2 only setting remedy this? I noticed there is an option for that

Originally Posted by ranterl

Like what parts?

If the BEC built into the ESC to power the RX and servos is marginal it can have trouble keeping up with the current demand and the voltage can sag.

Originally Posted by 600Bob

If the BEC built into the ESC to power the RX and servos is marginal it can have trouble keeping up with the current demand and the voltage can sag.

So Parkzone is putting out planes that have inadequate BEC/ESC? I'm running retracts on all of them but no flaps and my batteries are Turnigy 2200Mah 20C.