AXN Floater Jet not performing as well as it should be

[tclemmo]

Hey guys,

Recently I've been flying my AXN Floater from Hobbyking and I've noticed it's flying much slower than how I remember it and what I've seen on YouTube. I'm using the stock motor and a 5x5 prop, I have also tried a 6x4 prop but the performance was not significantly improved. The only thing I have upgraded is the ESC, now using the HobbyKing 30a with a 3A UBEC to power all of the HXT 9g's I have put in to replace the noisy, jittery stock ones. Overall no major weight increase or anything through the upgrade.

I have had the plane lying around for 1-2 years as I took a break from the hobby, so my first thought was that something has deteriorated over time. The ESC and servo upgrade was done only a few weeks ago, so that is recent. However, from memory the first few flights after returning to the hobby the plane was performing quite well. I'm also using a 3s 2200mah lipo in the front, which I have used all along.

The issue I'm having is that, firstly, the plane really seems to struggle on takeoff. It gains altitude much slower than I would like. I've tried launching it at all different throttle speeds, from 1/3 to 1/2 to near full. Nothing seems to make a difference. Once it gets up in the air, it flies very well - but it's much more of a 'floater' than the 'jet' it used to be. Secondly, I can't imagine getting it to do some of the loops, rolls and snaps that others using the stock setup can manage.

Is it the new ESC? Surely the servos don't make too much of a difference. I have checked the motor for missing magnets as I am aware that is a common problem, but they are all there. The motor is firm on its mount and the prop sits nice and firmly on the prop saver. I can't check if the KV of the motor is correct as I don't have a tachometer, but it seems OK.

Oh, and one last thing - it's noisy. Much noisier than it used to be, with the same props and everything. I've flown it very high to the point where I could hardly see it, but I could definitely hear it. People around me were looking up like it was a full-scale or something. Is it the prop?? I'm also pretty sure I've got the CG right. The plane still flies very well once it's up, and it glides beautifully. I still enjoy flying it, but I'm a little bit disappointed that it's not performing as it should.

Keep in mind I'm still relatively new to the hobby, so I may have made some stupid mistakes in setup.

Thanks for the help,

Tyler

 

[Spastickitten]

Is the prop facing text forward? A reversed prop will give less performance and more noise. If you put the prop on showing the text near the hub on the blade forward, it might be your problem.

 

[tclemmo]

Hi Spastickitten,
Thanks for the reply! The prop is mounted with the text facing the motor/front of the plane. I read on RCGroups that the lettering on the prop should always face the direction that the plane is travelling, so I thought I had it right, but maybe I misunderstood that.
I will try flying it with the prop flipped around next time I get a chance.
Tyler

 

[Spastickitten]

Ok, just to be sure text DOES go to the way the plane goes

 

[AkimboGlueGuns]

Have you tired calibrating your ESC? Turn on your radio with the throttle all the way up, then move the throttle back to idle after you hear the esc beep.

 

[tclemmo]

Ok, just to be sure text DOES go to the way the plane goes

Yep - I tried switching the prop around and it was even noisier and less powerful. Pretty sure I have it on the right way around.

Have you tired calibrating your ESC? Turn on your radio with the throttle all the way up, then move the throttle back to idle after you hear the esc beep.

Thanks for the reply, I tried that and it didn't seem to change the thrust at full throttle. Now I have no idea what's going on. There's nothing wrong with it being so floaty, but as I improve as a pilot I'd like to the plane to have a bit more potential I guess.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Tyler

 

[whiskeyjack]

Hi Tyler,
A couple of thoughts come to mind. Noise is usually associated with vibration. I would remove the prop saver and install an adapter instead. Check your motor bearings while you have the prop off. Check that the throttle trim on your radio is neutral, it may have changed at some point and finally your battery. Full charge is 12.6v and the cells should charge to the same level compared to each other. I rather suspect that if you did not store your battery properly over your vacation from the hobby that may be the issue. Good Luck WJ.

 

[Spastickitten]

are you doing anything different from before? The motor might have bad bearings

 

[tclemmo]

Hi Tyler,
A couple of thoughts come to mind. Noise is usually associated with vibration. I would remove the prop saver and install an adapter instead. Check your motor bearings while you have the prop off. Check that the throttle trim on your radio is neutral, it may have changed at some point and finally your battery. Full charge is 12.6v and the cells should charge to the same level compared to each other. I rather suspect that if you did not store your battery properly over your vacation from the hobby that may be the issue. Good Luck WJ.

Thanks WJ,
I have ordered an adapter to give that a go, it is quite possible that the prop is not sitting on the prop saver as well as I thought. I know that the throttle trim on my transmitter is neutral, however your point on batteries is a good one - both have been laying around for at least a year, and I didn't charge them to 3.8v per cell beforehand. I presume they were somewhere around there, as I usually only fly to 3.8v per cell. I know that I always charge and balance them to 4.2v per cell, but it's quite possible they're not holding that voltage.
I recently bought a new, smaller battery to try out, but I need to go and buy more connectors.

are you doing anything different from before? The motor might have bad bearings

No, I'm pretty sure everything is the same as it used to be. How do I check the motor's bearings? It seems to spin fine when I just spin it with my fingers, no ugly noises or anything.

Thanks for the suggestions,
Tyler

 

[whiskeyjack]

Hi Tyler,
Lipo's don't store at full charge, the chemistry of the battery doesn't like that. The proper storage level is 11.4v. See if your charger has a storage setting in the menu and use that setting if you are not going to use your batteries for a while. Even if the battery is fully charged the storage setting will pull down the battery to the storage level. WJ.

 

[SHolman]

This is an old thread, I know, but maybe it will help someone else. It could be that a magnet has been lost from the motor, causing a loss in power, vibration, and more noise...?

 

[ark]

or perhaps the motor is spinning in the wrong direction?

 

[leaded50]

or perhaps the motor is spinning in the wrong direction?

a brushless dont care with way it spins.

 

[ark]

a brushless dont care with way it spins.

But the propellor does. it could be pointing the right direction (numbers/writing towards the direction of travel) but if it's spinning counter clockwise and it's supposed to be clockwise or vice-versa then it'll sound bad and be less efficient.

 

[leaded50]

But the propellor does. it could be pointing the right direction (numbers/writing towards the direction of travel) but if it's spinning counter clockwise and it's supposed to be clockwise or vice-versa then it'll sound bad and be less efficient.

correct, the prop does, not motor!