Warning from Align BL815H servos (Trex 700L Dominator Top), dont trust them

[Mohab]

I sent all 4 servos back to Tim (Assurance RC) and he replaced all 4 with serialized servos and shipped them the same day they arrived to them. Will install them soon and start testing.

[spider88]

hi, i shop trex 600 l dominator super combo.
servants cyclic bl815h is burn.
I on electronic with 2s and servants is burn.
I shop 160$ for one servants.
I shop regolator voltage, i try using regulator voltage linear witch potentiometer adjustable from 5v to maximum 7.4v.
I want to try using a 6V servants, in the hope that these servants their burn with over 7,4v.
Some of you has tried to put a voltage regulator or a bec ?
It is burn with the bec or regulator voltage?
these servants are defective
i'm italian, please respond with words easy to translate.
if you found a solution so as not to burn the servants you say to me

[CZorzella]

Originally Posted by spider88

hi, i shop trex 600 l dominator super combo.
servants cyclic bl815h is burn.
I on electronic with 2s and servants is burn.
I shop 160$ for one servants.
I shop regolator voltage, i try using regulator voltage linear witch potentiometer adjustable from 5v to maximum 7.4v.
I want to try using a 6V servants, in the hope that these servants their burn with over 7,4v.
Some of you has tried to put a voltage regulator or a bec ?
It is burn with the bec or regulator voltage?
these servants are defective
i'm italian, please respond with words easy to translate.
if you found a solution so as not to burn the servants you say to me

Spider,

È possibile utilizzare il seguente link per aiutarti con la traduzione:
https://translate.google.com/#it/en/

I assume that the servos that came with your kit are BL815H and BL855H, both are High Voltage (DC 6-8.4V) and that the ESC is a Castle EDGE HV 80.

Considering the fact that the Castle EDGE HV 80 do not includes a battery eliminator circuit, you must use an external battery or BEC to power your receiver and servos.

Amongst many options, you could use a Castle Creations BEC Pro which I guess is the cheapest solution. There are other threads dedicated for discussion about different BEC options.

If you're confident that you've connected the failed servos correctly, then you may send them in to the vendor for replacement under warranty.

Carlos

[andyc]

***WARNING bad servos are still being shipped in current kits***
On November 27, 2015 I ordered a Trex 600l Dominator super combo from HeliDirect and have had some issues with the electronics. The servos have stopped working properly and there might be an issue with the Gpro because sometimes it decides to reboot continuously.
I contacted HeliDirect about my issues and they informed me that they didn't deal with warranty items and that I should go through the US distributer of Align products AssuranceRC.
After many unsuccessful attempts to contact AssuranceRC via email over the course of nearly two weeks, first by the email address provided earlier in this post, and then via the generic email address listed on their website. I decided it was time to call them. I didn't get an answer that Monday. At this point I was starting to get concerned so I decided I would try to call them one more time on Tuesday and this time they answered the phone.
I described the issues I was having, explaining to the representative on the other end of the line what was going on with my heli. He asked me for the serial number on the box. I gave him the number and he put me on hold for a short while and when he came back he told me that they had no record of that serial number. When I asked him what that meant he hinted that it might have been a kit that originated through a company called GrandRC and that I should contact HeliDirect again and see where they got the kit from. So I called HeliDirect back and they confirmed that they did indeed get the kit from GrandRC and not AssuranceRC. The representative from HeliDirect them proceeded to tell me that I probably wasn't going to get any warranty replacements from GrandRC based on previous experience. He told me he was going to send me an RMA number for the servos and see what he could do for me. He then verified my email address and said he would send the information on to me(I never did receive any email from HeliDirect).
I decided to contact GrandRC by email and got an almost instantaneous response. To make a long story short, after 10 or 12 emails back-and-forth they implied that it was my fault, and that they would sell me replacement servos at a deep discount. I informed them that the servos were ruined by no fault of my own and that I wasn't familiar with this business procedure. I was polite and cordial every step of the way and this is what it got me. Now in the back of my mind, I am guessing that GrandRC probably does have a ton of returned servos without serial numbers that they would gladly sell at a deep discount. I bet you all are thinking the same thing. However, I am not interested. I have opted to return the entire heli for a full refund.

[andyc]

Here is a description of the problems I have been experiencing with my heli:
After binding the Gpro to my DX18 transmitter, I was able to map the servos and set proper reversing on the ones that needed it for proper operation. After viewing the training videos a few times over the course of the next few days, I was successful connecting it to the app. and did a step or two of setup on each successive night.
One strange occurrence that I noticed along the way was, at one point after using the software to trim the servos so that the arms were at 90 deg at center stick, I shut everything down for the night. The next day when I attempted to continue the setup, my cyclic servo horns didn't return to 90 degrees. It almost acted as if I didn't save the settings before exiting the program, but the various software trim settings had not returned to zero. This was very odd, and just a little bit unnerving. I readjusted them and reinitialized everything a few times to see how it would respond. Everything looked good, so I decided to move on. I just figured it must have been a fluke.
Then, a few weeks ago, everything started acting up again. I attempted to enter the programming mode. The servos all snapped into place each time it rebooted. The light on the Gpro would go green for a second, the app would connect, and then the Gpro would shut down. The app would loose connection each time this happened. The cycle would keep repeating itself, and eventually the app would stop trying to connect.
I tried unplugging the battery and USB cable, and rebooting the app a few times, but wasn't successful at getting the Gpro linked to the app. Unfortunately this process would end up destroying two of the servos.
I have since linked the app to the Gpro with the two faulty servos disconnected and run a few tests at HeliDirect's request. Now, one of the cyclic servos remains locked in its idle position when powered up, and the other servo doesn't resist any movement at all. It acts as if there weren't any power at all. The third cyclic servo is still working for now.
I ran a search online, and found a few related posts describing similar instances of these exact same servos failing while on the bench. One of the people that posted his experience stated that there might have been a early batch of servos that had an unusually high failure rate, and as such, didn't have a serial number stamped on the bottom of them. He provided some pictures of his faulty ones without the serial number on them. I checked mine, and even though I purchased it less than one month ago, it included the older servos without a serial number stamped on them.
Could someone please explain to me how I received a kit that included a faulty batch of servos with no serial number on them nearly one and one half years after Align stopped producing servos without a serial number? This heli has been listed as out of stock by nearly every online hobby store for quite some time now. I know this to be true because it was hard for me to find someone who showed them in stock back in late November of 2015 when I bought mine.

[CZorzella]

This is the first time I heard that Helidirect didn't stand for what they sell. Well, that's no good!

IMO, you did the right thing to do by returning the entire heli for a full refund.

[RC/DC_5000]

Thank goodness you got a full refund. That was total BS.

For everyone to know and (no I'm not affiliated with them)... AlignTrexStore.com is located almost next door to AssuranceRC Align USA distributor in Southern California. They are always up to date and in the know. They deal directly with the original source.

When I had my BL815 non serialized servo DISASTER... they were mailing me out replacement servos like crazy and so helpful. I mean AlignTrexStore gives you their direct phone number to text message them. It's on their contact page. That's crazy.

I order from HeliDirect too... but now that I know they don't deal with Assurance, I'll never order another Align part from them again. Not that I ever did, I deal with AlignTrexStore.

If you buy the Align kits with the BeastX FBL, you should be clear of the servo problem. And the BX can be upgraded firmware to have the electric governor. I suggest you buy the kit with the BeastX controller Andyc. They kits really are incredibly awesome. It was just a big servo problem that they have now resolved. I didn't give up, and I've been flying my 600L for about a year now, no problems.

It was probably for the better- the Gpro was good... but its dead. The program is over. The BeastX will continue to develop and advance. The Gpro is done.

[andyc]

So far HeliDirect is refusing to refund my money. They claim it is imposible to refund an already assembled helicopter, even though it is faulty? I am guessing that they are wrong. They have since volunteered to contact the manufacturer to see what they can do for me. I will wait and see how this goes.
I will take the PayPal dispute route if need be. Thank God for PayPal, and thank God for user groups like Heli Freak!

[RC/DC_5000]

AlignTrexStore totally refunded my fully assembled Trex600L kit. They said they don't usually, but because I'd had so many problems with those servos, they would do it. This servo problem is no secret. They acknowledged that they had a ton of those servos coming back for failures.

It was actually going right back to AssuranceRC. Because they refunded the money and because I heard they fixed the servos- I ended up buying another brand new 600L kit with the serialized servos.

That's the helicopter I've been flying for about a year now. It's been perfect.

[CZorzella]

Is it possible to ask vendors when buying a new kit, to verify whether the servos are serialized or not?

[raptor50luvver]

We have had two fliers with serial No servos have crashes due to them failing.

One flier,was sent a brand new set of 3 under warranty and one has failed again on the bench during setup and one is twitching all the time ,especially at full travel either way.

This has been cross checked by trying the servos on another FBL unit and trying different servos on the heli where the problems are again happening and those work fine the new replacement serial No servos still exhibit the problem on a different FBL unit.So he yet again has to send them back to the UK supplier for replacement.

[CZorzella]

Perhaps we should start to buy Align kits without servos and then buy higher quality ones?

[seujuaum]

I'm using non serialized servos for about 1 year on my 700L without a single issue. Should I ask for a replacement or I'm just got lucky?

[Tim@Align]

I would remove my email address from this thread as I no longer work for Assurance Rc since August. I've been trying to get back my original user name but I am still stuck with this one lol.

I would email sales@alignrcusa.com or rma@alignrcusa.com. Either one of those email address will go to Willy at Assurance Rc.

Grand Rc is horrible when it comes to service. They never provide service to there dealers when selling as a distributor. Always push service issues to Assurance R/c.

[andyc]

Tim-I tried emailing you and then the generic sales@assurancerc.com and never received a reply. You moving on would explain this. I guess I must have subsatuted AssuranceRC for alignusa when trying to get ahold of you. I will give HeliDirect the opportunity to fix my issue before taking the next step.
CEorzella-I would definitely request that the dealer confirm that the servos included were stamped with a batch number before ordering one. You have a definite advantage over me. I had no knowledge of this issue when I ordered mine. If they come without a batch number, then return the kit before assembling anything. The main reason I ordered this kit with servos included was based on the price. I would have to figure out a price comparison of a kit with electronics included to a bare bones kit where I would pay separately for my choice of electronics. Then I could decide weather it is cost effective or not. I am much more familiar with the micro beast gyro.
seujuaum-It sounds like there may be a limited number of first gen servos that have stood the test of time. Mine didn't take long to fail. They didn't even last long enough for me to complete the initial setup. It sounds as though you are one of the fortunate ones. Don't quote me on this though.
RC/DC_5000-Your suggestions are what I have been following from the get go. Thank you for providing so much information regarding your issues. This gives me hope that maybe I too could get my 600l Dominator up in the air by the time flying season rolls around. However, I won't hold my breath because the underlying issue has not been resolved as of yet.
I see you have moved on to a new flybarless controller. What were your final settings when you were still using the Gpro(motor timing, governor head speed and the likes)? Is it worth flying with a Gpro? How do you keep the tail gears from stripping?

[andyc]

I forgot to ask, what are you guys using to power your flybarless controller and servos? Is it safe to use a 2 cell lipo, or does the voltage need to be stepped down a bit? The electronics specs suggest that a 2 cell lipo should be ok.

[Heli.Maniac]

2S Lipo straight works just fine. It is the simplest and imo the most reliable method for powering the electronics.

[Aerotec88]

The main problem I'm having is that they're not acting up yet, so assurance won't take them back because they're not defective. It's like they want the servos to crash the heli before they do anything about it.

[Rare Bear]

Originally Posted by andyc

So far HeliDirect is refusing to refund my money. They claim it is imposible to refund an already assembled helicopter, even though it is faulty? I am guessing that they are wrong. They have since volunteered to contact the manufacturer to see what they can do for me. I will wait and see how this goes.
I will take the PayPal dispute route if need be. Thank God for PayPal, and thank God for user groups like Heli Freak!

Andy C - thank you for your message, and my apologies for the issues / frustrations you are facing with your kit. We absolutely stand behind every sale we make at HeliDirect, and we are working with the manufacturer right now to resolve this matter. We have no intention of letting this issue go, and we are working to get you as full exchange of all servos.

As always, I am here to help (larry@helidirect.com), so please reach out to me direct for any questions. In the meantime, I am working with our purchasing team as of now, and will do my very best to resolve this matter ASAP.

Thank you!

Larry Haley - HeliDirect Customer Supervisor

[Rare Bear]

Originally Posted by CZorzella

This is the first time I heard that Helidirect didn't stand for what they sell. Well, that's no good!

IMO, you did the right thing to do by returning the entire heli for a full refund.

CZorzella - I can assure you that HeliDirect stands behind all products sold, and we have been in the midst of warranty options for this kit. Unfortunately this has not been a "cut and dry" situation since the aircraft has already been assembled, but we always work with our customers, which is exactly what we are doing here.