8FG turned it self off.

[el guapo]

was flying and landed and was about the turn the 8fg off..and it shut it self off and rebooted. WTF! I think the sun/heat got to the on off switch.

lipo was 8V. I turned it on and off about 20 more times. worked fine.

I left it on for about ten min. picked it up to turn it off and then it did it again.

anyway... try a new lipo? or time for the trash can?

[Phaedrus]

Send it in for a look see would be my advice.

[cbane]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Send it in for a look see would be my advice.

And in case you don't know where to send it for repairs: Hobby Services. They're the Futaba authorized service center here in the US. You'll need to describe the problem on the service form, then print it out and mail the radio and form to the address listed. I've never had to send in a radio, but they've been really quick at checking out and fixing the servos and gyros I've sent in.

[el guapo]

I would like to know if there is any known issue with them over heating.

it was pretty lucky this happened after I landed. I've had the radio for 10 months, and its been perfect. but this failure is not acceptable.

I'll do what I can do to test the lipo, but if I can't find anything wring with the lipo, I'm going to buy a new radio.

[krysta]

We've never had one come to us with any type of problem due to "overheating". Our Futaba Team members and many customers use the 8FG in the west and southwest in some extremely high heat situations with no problems.

I would suggest you send this in along with the battery that you were using in the transmitter so that our technicians can check these out for you.

For information on returning this to us, please check our website at:

http://www.futaba-rc.com/techsupport...ce-center.html


Sincerely,
Krysta
Product Development & Support Specialist
Futaba Service Center USA
service@futaba-rc.com

[NoBrakes]

Hey El Goopo, not sure if I mentioned it to you at the field but the same thing happened to me a few months back with the older of my two 8FGs. I was buddy boxing using my two 8FGs and the Futaba wireless buddy box system. I was the student on the slave box when I noticed my inputs weren't being reflected by my heli. My instructor took control and I looked down to see that my 8FG had rebooted and was back on the startup screen asking me to select a model. In between flights it happened three more times. I couldn't reliably reproduce it. I shook it, checked the connections. Thought maybe it was the battery but it happened after I replaced the LiPo with a fresh one. I'm using the same Thunder Power LiPos in both of my 8FGs. The newer 8FG has not had any issues.
Since it's my spare and I couldn't reliably reproduce it I never sent it in to Futaba. I think I'll send it in anyhow.

[el guapo]

i called hobby services, I talked to John. he said I should never use the 8FG with a lipo. that they get a lot of burnt out power supply boards on the 8FG because people use lipos. he said page 11 of the manual say it.

I was shocked. I'm going to have to go thru the manual, but I thought for sure there were instructions for setting the 8FG up to use lipos.

[cbane]

I'm not seeing anything relevant on page 11 of the manual on Futaba's website. I also searched the manuals for the 8FG and 8FGS, and didn't find anything relevant for "battery", and nothing at all for "lithium", "lipo", or "li-po".

However, in the update PDF for the v4.0 firmware, it gives suggested low-voltage warning values for NiCd/NiMH, LiFe, and LiPo batteries (on page 3). I've also heard that the versions of the radio sold in Europe come with lithium-ion batteries.

[el guapo]

Originally Posted by cbane

I'm not seeing anything relevant on page 11 of the manual on Futaba's website. I also searched the manuals for the 8FG and 8FGS, and didn't find anything relevant for "battery", and nothing at all for "lithium", "lipo", or "li-po".

However, in the update PDF for the v4.0 firmware, it gives suggested low-voltage warning values for NiCd/NiMH, LiFe, and LiPo batteries (on page 3). I've also heard that the versions of the radio sold in Europe come with lithium-ion batteries.

thank you. I knew I read it some place. and that was it.

[el guapo]

Originally Posted by NoBrakes

Hey El Goopo, not sure if I mentioned it to you at the field but the same thing happened to me a few months back with the older of my two 8FGs. I was buddy boxing using my two 8FGs and the Futaba wireless buddy box system. I was the student on the slave box when I noticed my inputs weren't being reflected by my heli. My instructor took control and I looked down to see that my 8FG had rebooted and was back on the startup screen asking me to select a model. In between flights it happened three more times. I couldn't reliably reproduce it. I shook it, checked the connections. Thought maybe it was the battery but it happened after I replaced the LiPo with a fresh one. I'm using the same Thunder Power LiPos in both of my 8FGs. The newer 8FG has not had any issues.
Since it's my spare and I couldn't reliably reproduce it I never sent it in to Futaba. I think I'll send it in anyhow.

thanks Manny. I'd forgotten about that, except for the buddy box stuff, it seems identical to my issue.. I've got a bad feeling about this at least neither of us lost a heli. too bad I'm grounded. my fly-barred 450s are still on my DX7se.

[Phaedrus]

Still interesting that the common denominator for both of you is the use of a lipo in the TX. As suggested above (by myself and Krysta), I would send the radio and battery in to get looked at.

[el guapo]

i still kinda super miffed after the call to tech support this morning.

the v4 notes say how to set the 8FG up for lipo and life. so, I used the radio correctly. and telling me i would have to pay for warranty work was un called for.

[pinguin]

Try using the stock NiCd battery or use LiFe battery.

[el guapo]

I bought a new 8FG radio. I'm not going to risk my heli's with a radio that failed. it takes a long time to get these things flying the way I want them.

per futaba the lipo damages the radio. thus its too late.

in regards to my lipo:I pulled pushed and squeezed it while power the radio, and couldn't get a glitch. then i used it in one of my foam planes and its got plenty of power. the lipo is fine.

[Phaedrus]

I still suggest sending the other radio in to be looked over. There may be something physically wrong with the radio like an intermittent switch or such. It is worth knowing what was going on.

[pinguin]

Before I use LiFe battery, I use LiPo. But I used to charge it using storage function on my charger, so the voltage would be around 11.55v. Roughly the same voltage of 9.6v NiCd battery at full charge.
I also add a diode on the positive wire, to drop 0.7v. So if I charge my pack normally, I would get 12.6 - 0.7 = 11.9v
With LiFe battery, at full charge would be around 9.9 - 10v.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...4_TX_Pack.html

[el guapo]

Originally Posted by pinguin

Before I use LiFe battery, I use LiPo. But I used to charge it using storage function on my charger, so the voltage would be around 11.55v.

you used 3 cell lipo ( 3 cells in series, normally called 3S). I would never ever run 3S in the 8FG.

I use a 2 cell series lipo (2S). voltage range for 2S lipo is 7.4V to 8.4V. which is within the voltage range of the the 6S NiMH.

[drdispatch]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

I still suggest sending the other radio in to be looked over. There may be something physically wrong with the radio like an intermittent switch or such. It is worth knowing what was going on.

+1

[pinguin]

Originally Posted by el guapo

you used 3 cell lipo ( 3 cells in series, normally called 3S). I would never ever run 3S in the 8FG.

I use a 2 cell series lipo (2S). voltage range for 2S lipo is 7.4V to 8.4V. which is within the voltage range of the the 6S NiMH.

Sorry, my bad. I do not aware that 8FG only 8.4v. I thought it's the same as 7C, uses 9.6v NiCd.

[kingmeow]

Yes, 8FG is 7.2V nicad pack (supplied). I recently sold my 7C and it was 3S lipo powered for all the time I've owned it (I bought it used). No problem what so ever and I charge the lipo to max each time I run it down.

Right now, my new 8FG is working just fine on 2S lipo. I bought it about a month ago.