Hitec Aurora 9 Radio Videos

[maarset]

The boda antenna is very sensitive to static discharge. Just a FYI.

[iAdam]

Really, good to know. Spectrum gear is notorious for it. Gotta ground those booms! A nice touch on my Protos, MSH upgraded the boom block to automatically ground the boom.

I think any belt driven heli 5OO and over needs to take the time to do this. For anyone reading, scratch off some paint under your tail servo holder and shove a wire underneath and the other end to a screw on the boom block. Sux though bro.

[maarset]

Yah it was a logo 400 second hover with no anti static mods. Boda was zip tied to the CF boom support. I found one other post of this happening to a century radikal owner who also had the rx near the boom. Logo 400 and radikal have very similar tail drive units. I grounded the boom and moved the boda to the front and no issues so far.

[PeteS]

It's not clear to me how to setup the voltage alarm. At what point do you solder the cable to the SPC port?

Thanks!

[maarset]

The SPC cable is just a servo lead. You can solder it to the positive and negative leads of the ESC and then plug it into the SPC port.

[maarset]

Originally Posted by dfrazier

Mike Mayberry told me the way to do it with a 12s setup is to use the power from one of the 6s packs. Just remember the total voltage will only show half on the screen.

This doesn't work

[Finless]

Originally Posted by maarset

This doesn't work

Huh? Why wouldn't that work? The RX doesn't know you have 2 packs and connecting to one packs output should absolutely work.

Bob

[maarset]

Yah you would think Bob. But I’ve burned up a Optima 7 and a Optima 6 trying to power the SPC port from just one pack in my 2 – 4S packs that are wired in series. I would plug the SPC port into the balance tab in the 4S pack. Then I would power up the ESC to the 8S combined pack. With my 8S logo 400 it worked fine for a couple of hover tests. Then on the bench I powered up the SPC port off one of the 4S packs and as soon as I plugged the ESC in the RX fried.
The RX’s have been sent to Hitec and hopefully I will find something out. I’ve been in contact with a couple of other RCGroup users that have come across the same thing.

So far in my 4S pro and the SPC port wired to the POS NEG in the ESC it has worked great. I don’t dare try it on my 8S logo. And before this I was flying my Knight 600E 8S with the SPC port wired to the ESC, so the RX processor was getting 33.6 volts. It worked great for a month. But I had the RX die in flight. Total loss. That RX was also sent back to Hitec and never heard from Mike as to what happened to it.

I’m hoping they come up with another way to monitor voltage or MAH usage. I think the system works great on small electronic birds, but not very well on larger electronics. Guys are having good luck with 6S setups powering the SPC from the esc. I might up the pinion size and run the logo 400 on 6S so I can monitor the voltage.

[Finless]

The SPC port should take 8S direct. Doesnt make sense it would fry on a 4S pack?

Bob

[maarset]

Maybe you could do a video on it Bob. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

[jbradley3]

The problem may be the result of there being a voltage difference between the SPC Neg pin and the Throttle Neg pin. Make sure that you use the balance connector pin of the correct pack that is the same voltage as the Neg battery lead going to the ESC.

[Finless]

Hey good point! Maarset, do you have a wiring diagram of what you were doing and we can validate if that was the issue? Might help you in the future.

Bob

[maarset]

OK....
Connection #1 on the diagram gets plugged in first after TX is powered up. It goes from the balance tab on a single 4S pack which is 16.8V to the SPC port. This gives me the 4 fast beeps and the RX Processor is now connected to the TX.
Then I plug the 2 4S packs into the ESC using the pictured serial connector. This is "Connection #2". This will power up the servo bus on the RX because I am using the built in BEC on the CC 75 ICE. I believe this action is the one that burns up the RX. It's almost like maybe "Connection #1" and "Connection #2" need a common ground maybe?
Like I said before I have been using a 4S pack on my Align Trex 450 Pro and using the SPC port with zero issues. SPC port is powered from the POS NEG on the ESC. This way both power buses get powered up at the same time on the RX. Maybe if there is a way I can power up both power buses on the RX but using the diagram above it might work.
Do you have some extra RX's Bob so you can try this?
Sorry no photo shop at work. Did my best.

[maarset]

Originally Posted by jbradley3

The problem may be the result of there being a voltage difference between the SPC Neg pin and the Throttle Neg pin. Make sure that you use the balance connector pin of the correct pack that is the same voltage as the Neg battery lead going to the ESC.

Not sure I follow. Do you mean to power the SPC from the pack that is the negative side of the series? So your saying always use the pack in the diagram that is on the left side. Never use the pack that is on the right side? maybe that is why it worked for a couple of times and then on the bench I used the wrong pack?

[Finless]

Ah yes..... If he uses the right side pack by accident and not the left pack which has the common ground it would reverse polarity and cause a ground short. I have seen guys mix this up charging 2 packs in series and put the right pack in the first balancer port and POP goes the balancer!

So maarset, are you 100% sure you have never hooked up the right pack and only the left pack. What I mean by that is the pack that has the negative power lead going to the ESC/BEC MUST be the pack you plug the balancer connector into the SPC port. If you plug in the positive side pack you get a ground bypass short!

Very common accident I have seen people do to balancers!

Bob

[maarset]

I never specified which pack I plug the SPC wire into. I really didn't think it mattered. I think I might have gotten lucky with the logo when I hovered it and it worked. Then on the bench I might have plugged it into the other side maybe, I don't know.

Does that make sense Bob? And yes I know what you mean about charging 2 packs in Serial. I’m always very careful to make sure I get the balancing connectors in the right spot.

Been PM’n dxflyer on RCGroups who has been trying to get it to work on a 10S Logo. I hope he doesn’t mind if I share what he sent me.

Originally Posted by maarset

Ah thanks for the response. I just got my free Optima 7 in the mail from the coupon when I got the Radio. So now that I have a spare RX I was going to try again. Got some interesting feed back today from Bob White on his Aurora thread on helifreak.

Originally Posted by maarset

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=223607

I do believe the reason why it worked a couple of times for me and then I burned up the RX is because you need to power the SPC from the pack that is on the negative side of the serial connection, maybe. Check out the thread.

Originally Posted by dxflyer

Be careful; I burnt both of mine. I tried the positive and the negative of the serial connection. I think there is a feedback from the bec. That is why a diode is needed. Its weird that when I connected on the positive side and connected the 1 of the battery on the positive side; my servos started working; that is why I know there is feedback from the bec.

So for what it is worth, it almost seems like it doesn’t really matter which lipo you use for the SPC. It’s a big mystery. Haven’t heard a peep about this from Hitec.

[Finless]

I am 100% positive that if you plug in the wrong pack what you are doing is SHORTING ground on one pack to positive! Bbasically trying to short the entire first pack.. The RX's SPC port is making that connection and is possibly going through a Cap or something. Since that is the week link and NOT the wire, that is what smokes.

Seriously it DOES matter which you hook up! Look at the wiring and think about it. Your taking ground from the positive side pack which is ALSO connected to the positive lead on the negative side pack and through the SPC port basically shorting the first packs positive and negative leads!!!!!!! Remember the balance port wires connect to the same places as the packs output wires!

It's the exact SAME thing as if you hooked the balance leads to a balancer backwards. SMOKE!

I can do a drawing to show you this fact if you need. Your making a ground loop short and that is what is smoking the RX.

Bob

[maarset]

Bob look I'm sorry. I really didn't think it mattered. No one around here has this radio and I have been pioneering on this stuff. No disrespect. The LHS is starting to look at me funny cause I keep going in and buying 50$ Optima 6's. So I really don't want to attempt this again till I have it nailed. A diagram would be a wonderful thing.

[Finless]

No problem and I do not feel your giving any disrespect
New stuff like this always needs some understanding and now that I look at this Hitec needs to point out to people using packs in series and then using a balance tap to go to the SPC they must do it properly!

I am going to give Mike Mayberry a call and let him know they need to do a wiring diagram for this in the manual.

Bob

[Finless]

FYI maarset, I am going to say with 99.9% certanty that if you always plug in the ESC ground side packs balance port to the SPC port it will not short out.

Bob