The 3GX is dangerously crap

[krauley]

Originally Posted by blade450

Brr... Figured I'd take a look here, see where 3gx is at.
Seems like not much has changed.
Seriously guys. Any FBL system that has to be recalibrated after a hard landing, will go straight into the trash for me. I have never used 3gx, and never had this kind of problems. I have crashed to the point of rekitting and still never had to recalibrate....
I'm out of here, I know enough......

That being said. I applaud all the people that try to help people here. Keep it up, I guess if it is your cup of tea you can enjoy the 3gx. I always apreciate people helping each other out.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

so basically you can in here to troll? stay the "F" out then...seriously

[Bonkievan]

Originally Posted by krauley

so basically you can in here to troll? stay the "F" out then...seriously

Yeah, it certainly came across like that.

[blade450]

Wasn't meant like that....but fine, I'll stay out.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[MaceH]

Folks should realize that products that work as expected get little fanfare, stuff that misbehaves gets told about many many times.

I know that when I plunk $240 down for a .5oz gizmo, it better be perfect, and perform exactly as advertised.

3g and 3gx have been that for me; putting together another 3g old 700e fb->fbl conversion now. Will get a Chinese esc though...

Four 700es in my stable now, will be five- the four flying are just wailing.

All the 3g/xs are set up exactly as the manuals say to do fwiw.

[jcwing123]

Originally Posted by blade450

Brr... Figured I'd take a look here, see where 3gx is at.
Seems like not much has changed.
Seriously guys. Any FBL system that has to be recalibrated after a hard landing, will go straight into the trash for me. I have never used 3gx, and never had this kind of problems. I have crashed to the point of rekitting and still never had to recalibrate....
I'm out of here, I know enough......

That being said. I applaud all the people that try to help people here. Keep it up, I guess if it is your cup of tea you can enjoy the 3gx. I always apreciate people helping each other out.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Not sure what you are referring to when you say "recalibrate" after a crash. I've never had to do that. on my 3GX...

[smeggy]

Who says lightning doesn't strike twice

POC!

My fault. I ordered and received the Brain, but I didn't find the time to swap it for the 3GX.

So ... another gyro issue, this time no rate compensation - from power up.

Following the earlier "gyro lockout" glitch, I have always taken the trouble to ensure the gyro hadn't locked out, by moving the rudder stick and confirming the servo responds. This latest incident was a different problem. I had checked the rudder as normal. However, wiggling the helicopter did not result with the rudder servo compensating (the cyclic did compensate), it was as if the Gyro gain was 0.0%. Changing the gyro channel on the controller (full head hold to full rate compensation) did nothing. A simple power cycle of the chopper (only) cured the problem - the compensation returned.
This is not a vibration issue (this was from power up); this is not a hardware issue (everything is hard soldered, all bearings are perfect, etc); the 3GX was running V3.1.

At least I was at a club and had a witness who saw everything and agreed with my setup and eventual prognosis. He agreed it must have been a software problem. As someone who does software, I think having such a basic problem at power up is not excusable.

This time it cost me main blades, shaft, gears, a bearing and a few worried-looking faces. Like I said: dangerously crap!

[MaceH]

Originally Posted by smeggy

Who says lightning doesn't strike twice

POC!

My fault. I ordered and received the Brain, but I didn't find the time to swap it for the 3GX.

So ... another gyro issue, this time no rate compensation - from power up.

Following the earlier "gyro lockout" glitch, I have always taken the trouble to ensure the gyro hadn't locked out, by moving the rudder stick and confirming the servo responds. This latest incident was a different problem. I had checked the rudder as normal. However, wiggling the helicopter did not result with the rudder servo compensating (the cyclic did compensate), it was as if the Gyro gain was 0.0%. Changing the gyro channel on the controller (full head hold to full rate compensation) did nothing. A simple power cycle of the chopper (only) cured the problem - the compensation returned.
This is not a vibration issue (this was from power up); this is not a hardware issue (everything is hard soldered, all bearings are perfect, etc); the 3GX was running V3.1.

At least I was at a club and had a witness who saw everything and agreed with my setup and eventual prognosis. He agreed it must have been a software problem. As someone who does software, I think having such a basic problem at power up is not excusable.

This time it cost me main blades, shaft, gears, a bearing and a few worried-looking faces. Like I said: dangerously crap!

REAL dumb question but did you try a different 3gx unit? There be for sure lemons in every bunch of anything.

[smeggy]

Originally Posted by MaceH

REAL dumb question but did you try a different 3gx unit? There be for sure lemons in every bunch of anything.

Dumb answer but why would I want to waste money on something I perceive to be a risk? The poster dwdwd910 has said he has had all of the exact symptoms that I had described. I have already said my friend's 3GX drifts and has a short from an internal node to the case.

I will try another controller, just not a 3GX.

[airwolf581]

I must admit I do find this a little worrying, I modified my Trex 500 at the weekend to a DFC head and a 3GX. All was going really well for the first 4 or 5 flights, absolute rock solid but come to the 6th whilst my son who’s been flying helis for over 10 years was just hovering it, it made a seriously aggressive roll to the right. Luckily he managed to catch it in time as it wasn’t very high and he landed it.

We checked everything over twice but all looked ok so I asked him to try it again, which he really didn’t fancy doing! On the second flight, 2 or 3 minutes in and the exact same thing happened again!! If I had been flying, it would have crashed, without doubt . He give me the radio and said he wouldn’t want a 3rd attempt until the problem is sorted out.

I searched the forums all day Sunday reading every single post I could possibly find and then I proceeded to do all the suggested recommendations, separate BEC, re-load software (V3.1) with the pots set at 12 (not sure they were the 1st time I did it), re-did the DIR, throttle and tail. Turned the pots back down to 10. I also fitted a second satellite as only one was originally fitted, thought it may have been a glitch. I re-rooted the cables to make sure they weren’t too tight on the unit causing vibes. Everything I could find, (please let me know if I need to include more?) and got it flying again.

I have now had 6 flights on it and it is flying perfectly, I am really pleased with it but I must admit, every time I fly it I wonder if it may happen again!
I suppose (hope) that feeling will go away as time passes and more flights are successful, lets hope so.

[dwdw910]

Originally Posted by airwolf581

I must admit I do find this a little worrying, I modified my Trex 500 at the weekend to a DFC head and a 3GX. All was going really well for the first 4 or 5 flights, absolute rock solid but come to the 6th whilst my son who’s been flying helis for over 10 years was just hovering it, it made a seriously aggressive roll to the right. Luckily he managed to catch it in time as it wasn’t very high and he landed it.

We checked everything over twice but all looked ok so I asked him to try it again, which he really didn’t fancy doing! On the second flight, 2 or 3 minutes in and the exact same thing happened again!! If I had been flying, it would have crashed, without doubt . He give me the radio and said he wouldn’t want a 3rd attempt until the problem is sorted out.

I searched the forums all day Sunday reading every single post I could possibly find and then I proceeded to do all the suggested recommendations, separate BEC, re-load software (V3.1) with the pots set at 12 (not sure they were the 1st time I did it), re-did the DIR, throttle and tail. Turned the pots back down to 10. I also fitted a second satellite as only one was originally fitted, thought it may have been a glitch. I re-rooted the cables to make sure they weren’t too tight on the unit causing vibes. Everything I could find, (please let me know if I need to include more?) and got it flying again.

I have now had 6 flights on it and it is flying perfectly, I am really pleased with it but I must admit, every time I fly it I wonder if it may happen again!
I suppose (hope) that feeling will go away as time passes and more flights are successful, lets hope so.

This is an excellent post... I was glad to read it and see that you did follow the advice of others on the forum... In great detail. Resetting the pots to 12, reflashing, mechanical and DIR setup again... basically starting over again.

The only other thing you could inspect is to search for any vibrations. Put the canopy on so it echoes as a chamber... and spin the blades by hand and listen for any grinding or notching.

Good luck in your future flights.

[airwolf581]

Well just to let everyone know, I've had another 8 flights and everything is still working perfectly, the fear is gradually fading away.

Thanks for that DWDW910, I personally do not have enough experience with FBL, I have to try all the recommendations before coming to a conclusion, thanks for the tip about listening for vibrations, I did this and all seems fine.

Maybe you could advise / help on this one for me, the 500 came out of a Align Hughes 500 fuselage, hence why I wanted to go to a DFC head to make it look cleaner. Question is; Will the 3gx be OK with this fitted back on the hell, or will there be too much vibration for it? I did read that the VBar is not recommended for helis with fuselages fitted and then wondered if it's the same for the 3gx! I have seen a few YouTube videos with them on and they seem fine but would like to know before putting it back on. Thank you.

[ferebeed]

Well I have three & I have 150 flights on my 250 & 162 on my 500. My 450 had over 200 & I sold it to my friend & he has already put over 30 & loves the crap out of it. I don't see how it's dangerous. Any thing can be dangerous. I have used a ZYX-s which still have. I bought a AR7200BX & when 3.0 came out for the 3GX. When I was doing piro's with my 450 it felt like my 500 but better. So I traded the BX for a 3GX. Then I got one for my 250 DFC pro. Sorry that other people had issues but my 3 are great If you don't like get something else & move on. Lets make a topic for all the stuff that goes wrong & blame the part.

[dwdw910]

Originally Posted by airwolf581

Well just to let everyone know, I've had another 8 flights and everything is still working perfectly, the fear is gradually fading away.

Thanks for that DWDW910, I personally do not have enough experience with FBL, I have to try all the recommendations before coming to a conclusion, thanks for the tip about listening for vibrations, I did this and all seems fine.

Maybe you could advise / help on this one for me, the 500 came out of a Align Hughes 500 fuselage, hence why I wanted to go to a DFC head to make it look cleaner. Question is; Will the 3gx be OK with this fitted back on the hell, or will there be too much vibration for it? I did read that the VBar is not recommended for helis with fuselages fitted and then wondered if it's the same for the 3gx! I have seen a few YouTube videos with them on and they seem fine but would like to know before putting it back on. Thank you.

Yea I've seen a lot of fuselage 3GX helicopters. You should be able to get it working pretty awesome.

If was going to build a fuselage 450... I would use a 3GX :-)

[ozflyer]

Originally Posted by dwdw910

Yea I've seen a lot of fuselage 3GX helicopters. You should be able to get it working pretty awesome.

If was going to build a fuselage 450... I would use a 3GX :-)

I read lots of BS regarding the 3GX one of them being its no good for scale and wont work with multi blade heads. If you ask the question in the scale section that's what you will be told. I think otherwise.


500 size Super Cobra 3GX

AH-1W Super Cobra (3 min 58 sec)

600 size Tiger 4 blade head 3 blade tail 3GX

ARH TIGER (3 min 15 sec)

[airwolf581]

Thanks guys, I'm fitting it back in now - Great videos by the way, thanks for posting.

[bad007]

Problems from day one? Join Date: 03-02-2013 and first 450 3GX = inexperience.
Helis require precise setup. Many neebes with what seems to be failures blame the 3GX.
Feed the helli with 6.0 volts via cc bec10. if crashed and you say the motor shows being out of balance with a marker, make no mistake a crash will bend the motor shaft ad make the bearings notchy. It takes experience to find all the damaged parts to prevent vibes.
Uncommanded roll? Tie in a DVOM to the bat out port with a servo lead and slap stick hard and monitor the voltage, the 3GX will glitch at 5.2 volts. I just rebuild A 450 for a friend that lost a aileron servo and crashed twice. He had installed the horn before being in dirsetup at mid stick and the servo was running out travel, stalling it and pulling the bec volts down. The heli became unresponsive and crashed. I setup the same heli with a new servo and the problem that occurred twice went away when it never even had two flights without crashing before.

[Flyer65]

I have one in my TRex 500 DFC (newie) and another in the Trex 600 DFC (2years old), both electric, so far no problems, thank goodness. What's reflashing the software and how do you accomplish this, anybody ? I'm a chartered accountant so please confine your answers to non-technical words of one imbecile. Thanks.

[Bonkievan]

Hi Flyer65,

Im no computer engineer but as I understand it, a re flash is simply re-installing the firmware ( 3gx v3.1, for example) onto your 3gx unit. As opposed to 'flashing' an upgraded version eg v3.0 to v3.1.

In either case, it is always best practice, imo, to erase all current 3gx files from your computer, reload either the same 3gx program or an upgraded ver. I always go through the setup again as some versions have different Rev. settings, more steps to complete etc.
So not just a case of 'upgrade and fly'. Very important.

Then you can power up your Heli, launch the 3gx wizard on your computer, connect the USB and follow the on screen instructions to write/rewrite firmware. The go through setup again as mentioned above.

Also, you will need to hook the USB dongle up to the 3gx to find out what version 3gx you're running, if you don't know already.

Hope this helps

[mknj]

I have been using 3gx for a year now on my 550e v2 and on my 700e dfc. Every time I had some thing strange happen like shaking, wagging, rolling etc I had some vib somewhere or a bad initialization. 3gx does not like vibration. I also found that even on fb heli's a bad initialization on the gyro can make it act up, and not just with align gyros. Any crash can cause intermittent connections inside any fbl unit or gyro. If you think you heli is at risk using any unit, if it were me, I would spend the money for a different brand or just a new one. You don't want to risk a expensive helicopter if your that sure your unit is bad.

[smeggy]

I don't wish to be an advert but ...

Well, since my last post, I have learned my lesson and swapped out for the Brain. I didn't change any other hardware (no modifications, just a straight swapout).

Guess what? NO GLITCHES OR ERRORS SINCE INSTALLATION (another 5 flights today).

Thanks to the Brain's 'Bailout' feature (which I've had to use 4/5 times), I have not crashed since I've changed to it - so it has more than paid for itself anyway even without accounting for the 3GX's glitches.
Also, the heli flies so much better with the Brain than the 3GX (but there is a lot more to setup)

I have since bought a 700E, I didn't bother with the 3GX and went straight for the Brain.

I have also managed to convince another flier to bin his 3GX and go for the Brain.

People have been freaking killed by these helis, the 3GX presents far too much risk!