People with feather flippers....

[calumco]

Just wondering if anyone else has this problem where their robot runs off the same batteries for the flipper valve and drive. where the flipper is fired and the drive cuts out sometimes and can only be sorted out by taking the link out and putting it back in again.

im using a pair of 3700 mah 7.2 volt nimhs and they are in perfect condition yet still it'll cut out sometimes even if the robots not driving anywhere and ill fire the valve. It's only doing it every now and again, but even so im going to have to get a seperate battery pack for the flipper now, but i just wanted to no if other people have this problem normally?

or what if i changed battery type and went for nicads? ideas welcome

thanks

[joey_picus]

I have had this problem, not with flipper valves but with servos connected to the reciever - sometimes the BEC in the controller can't handle the extra current and shuts down, and power cycling the speed controller (i.e. turning it off and on again) fixes the problem. Having a separate battery pack for the reciever may fix it, by bypassing the BEC in the controller, although what I did was move to a servo with a lower current draw (as in my case the robot was an ant and a reciever battery pack was impractical).

[woody]

Have you got a snubber diode across the coil or relay contacts?

http://www.bcae1.com/relays.htm

scroll down for quenching diode.

The kick from the Back EMF can upset your electronics.

[calumco]

yeah ill have a look at that now, and no woody i havn't would getting one of those fix the problem?

found this, http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-C ... /kw/1N4001

[woody]

It might .... it's a cheap and easy thing to try.

[cliveb]

That was just one of the countless teething problems with stagefright

[calumco]

lol, did u fix the problem?

just bought one only cost 4p but all together with delivery and everything it comes to just under £6 lol rapid electronics for you

[woody]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RECTIFIER-DIODE-1 ... 07fff5c0cb

[cliveb]

lol, did u fix the problem?

yep no idea what fixed it in the end, was running in victors but seemed to be ok on a sidewinder, what esc are you using?

Clive

[calumco]

lol woody, yeah i shudda looked on ebay first i guess :P

it came, yesterday so i put it in the robot and its deffinatly helping, i can now drive the robot around my room and fire the valve and it'll be fine, but for some off reason it'll still cut out if the robots sat still every now and again- its only done it twice and never whilst driving thou anymore.

so im just gonna take it to whitwick and try have a 1 on 1 with somebody before or inbetween shows or something and see what it does and see if or when it might cut out - still rather not risk it breaking down in a fight just yet with 20 or so robots and battle axe in the arena.