|
|
|
The Big Twitch
The first thing you should know about troubleshooting the Big Twitch is that I will help you if you don't find the problem. And, as all of us recognize, it is impossible to fix something if you don't know what is wrong. Problems often show up as symptoms in a part that is not the problem. So don't jump to conclusions. The shakes ~ glitching, searching, whatever you want to call it, is not serious, and easy to fix. The symptom - A servo that shakes back and forth, or twitches without explanation. The problem - the conversion from electrical energy to physical energy takes place in a part of the system called a potentiometer (pot for short). The symptom is usually the result of dirt in the pot. In this case, dirt can be a microscopic spec of dust or miniscule drop of moisture.
Four Pots - There are four pots in your two channel electrical system ~ one in each servo, and two in the transmitter (one for each channel). Which Pot? - There is a simple test to find out which pot is causing the twitching in your system. Remember, just because the servo twitches, that doesn't mean that the fault is in the servo. Here we go. 1) Remove the receiver from the boat so that you have it above decks where you can see it well. The receiver is contained and sealed inside a small white box located on the floor of the electronics compartment - right forward. Note how the box is sealed so you can reseal when finished with this procedure. 2) Looking at the receiver you will find three plugs in one end. On the other end is the frequency crystal (no wire coming out). Of the three plugs, one has only two wires, that is "power in". Don't fool with this one. The other two plugs have three wires, one set of wires running to each of the two servos. Before unplugging make sure to note the color coding on the wires be sure to align the black wire on each servo plug with the black wire on the "power in" plug. 3) With the power switch turned "Off", switch the two servo plugs in the receiver, so that they are plugged into the opposite channel. Now turn the power switch "On" The transmitter also needs to be on and 15 feet away from the boat. IF the twitching stays with the servo, then you know the pot that is dirty is in that servo. If the twitching moves to the other servo, then you know that the culprit is the pot in the transmitter that controls that channel. Confused?? Think about what you are doing. You are simple switching the channel that you are plugging the two servos into. If the twitching persists in the same servo, no matter what channel it is plugged into, the problem is with the servo. Otherwise, if the twitch now occurs with the other servo, then the "twitch factor" is coming from the transmitter pot on that channel. The Fix
Once you know which pot is the problem, the fix is not difficult. You will need to open the device that contains the dirty pot. Note: Dirt in the pot is not considered a warranty issue because it is not a fault in manufacture or material. Transmitter - If the transmitter is the culprit, do this. The transmitter has 4 screws on the back, two are accessed by opening the battery compartment. Also at the base of the antenna, there is a black ring that holds the two halves of the radio together tight around the silver antenna - just snap it up and off the rest of the antenna base. Remove the screws and open the case. Unfortunately, you cannot lay the two halves of the radio down side by side. The two wires coming from the battery compartment are the culprits. Go to the control that is the problem, and find a small round housing (gold). On the side of this gold housing you should find a small crimp hole. Spray a non-residue contact cleaner in the hole (find at a stereo store or Radio Shack). After spraying, exercise the stick back and forth, with the power on. The problem should clear itself. Servo - If the servo is the culprit, do this. The servo has 4 screws on the bottom. When you remove these screws, be very careful to remove the bottom, leaving the top section (gear housing) in tact. Remove the circuit board from the bottom and find the small round housing as above and treat it the same. And Then? These symptoms can return. Sometimes it is dust remaining in the case from manufacturer, or you sail in a humid atmosphere (like on the water). Once you fix the problem, you will no longer fear the unknown. Sometimes, continued exercise of the affected channel will clear the "dirt". Other times, you will need to "operate". I hope this helps. But if you have problem following these instructions or can't find the problem, give me a call. Steve |