Help! ESC configured throttle ranges incorrectly!

[zeuses23]

Hello everyone! This is my first ever build, so I apologise in advance if I made any obvious mistakes.

I have an EMax BLHeli 30A ESC, and a HobbyKing HK-T4A V2 TX+RX system.

I'm really not sure how this happened, but somehow my max and min throttle lie just beyond the physical range of the throttle stick. To even get from the "neither full throttle, nor idle" zone to idle, I have to really press on the stick even after setting my trim to the least possible. I'm not able to reach the "configured" full throttle position at all.

I can't factory reset the ESC in the conventional way either cause the ESC relies on you having to hit the "full throttle" position to enter programming mode, which I can't.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[Piotrsko]

Typically you set the rates on startup by full off (center trim) then advance to full on (center trim), back down to full off where you then get a comfirmation signal. Then the esc control system adjusts it's allowable input parameters. I do not profess to be an ESC expert.

 

[Merv]

...somehow my max and min throttle lie just beyond the physical range of the throttle stick....

You need to calibrate the ESC, here is how. The order is important.

Remove the prop but leave the motor hooked up, the beeps come from the motor.
Turn on the Tx & move the throttle to high.
Plug in the ESC, wait for a beep.
When you hear a beep, move the throttle to low, wait for the beep.
When you hear a beep, unplug the ESC.

Your ESC is now calibrated, you can test the range if you like.

 

[Bricks]

As Merv said but put your trims back to center first.

 

[daxian]

also ..did you calibrate the radio/stick movement on the radio ??

 

[zeuses23]

Sorry for the late reply @daxian @Bricks @Merv , work got in the way 😅.

@Merv I have tried to calibrate the ESC multiple times according to the instruction manual that came with it. Unfortunately, I'm only able to reach IDLE by setting the trim to the lowest possible and also pulling on the stick really hard. Reaching the high position is impossible.

I haven't been able to enter program mode at all due to this, and my motor won't even start since it always detects the stick as "not idle". @Bricks for now due to these reasons, setting the trims back to centre doesn't seem like much of an option for the moment.

@daxian this radio is super cheap, and after going through the manual, I couldn't find any way to calibrate the radio 😔.

I have ordered the FlySky i6x as it seems like a good beginner radio, with more configuration options. Any tips so I don't mess up with the new radio either?

 

[daxian]

you tube is a good resource for radio setup vids ,i found it invaluable with the fs i6 setup ....i passed it onto my son in law many years ago when i got a taranis qx7 and can no longer recall all the functions ..sorry !
it was a good first radio and performed very well, but only had room for 20 models ...which i quickly used up !

 

[PsyBorg]

Finally got somewhere on how to get the stick range on this radio into a more usable state. Post 119 Here shows one method and again in post 350.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/sho...4-channel-HK-T4A-Tx-2-4-GHz-USER-MANUAL/page8

Other then that there is no way to extend electronically the end points of the radio

 

[Musdang]

Sorry for the late reply @daxian @Bricks @Merv , work got in the way 😅.

@Merv I have tried to calibrate the ESC multiple times according to the instruction manual that came with it. Unfortunately, I'm only able to reach IDLE by setting the trim to the lowest possible and also pulling on the stick really hard. Reaching the high position is impossible.

I haven't been able to enter program mode at all due to this, and my motor won't even start since it always detects the stick as "not idle". @Bricks for now due to these reasons, setting the trims back to centre doesn't seem like much of an option for the moment.

@daxian this radio is super cheap, and after going through the manual, I couldn't find any way to calibrate the radio 😔.

I have ordered the FlySky i6x as it seems like a good beginner radio, with more configuration options. Any tips so I don't mess up with the new radio either?

I have the exact same radio. Just try and recalibrate it without touching the trim buttons or the stick mode. Other than that you should be fine. It’s an excellent cheap little radio. I use it with all my Scratch builds, as you don’t need to change many settings once it’s done.

 

[zeuses23]

Finally got somewhere on how to get the stick range on this radio into a more usable state. Post 119 Here shows one method and again in post 350.

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/sho...4-channel-HK-T4A-Tx-2-4-GHz-USER-MANUAL/page8

Other then that there is no way to extend electronically the end points of the radio

Oh my God you're a legend! I really really appreciate the time it must have taken for you to find this. Time to breakout the toolbox ig, will keep you posted

 

[zeuses23]

I have the exact same radio. Just try and recalibrate it without touching the trim buttons or the stick mode. Other than that you should be fine. It’s an excellent cheap little radio. I use it with all my Scratch builds, as you don’t need to change many settings once it’s done.

Thanks for the reply! I completely agree that this radio is amazing, it has been the perfect for the "set and forget" experience I needed. The problem came when I bought a new EMax Blheli ESC. Recalibration isn't really possible in my current situation.

That along with the fact that the throttle kept fluctuating with any esc I tried (even with the trims set correctly), the range being inconsistent, and the fact that there wasn't any way to monitor the voltage made me decide to go for the FlySky i6x that also gave me room to grow into.

I would probably continue to use this for the convenience though to test things while building.