Help! Help, Super Cub DSM Range issue

[BluffFlyer]

First time poster.

My 9 year old son bought a used (like new) Hobby Zone Super Cub DSM this last July with his birthday cash. It has been great for him as well as a smaller Wltoys Cessna that he wore out.

Recently the Super Cub seems to have a range issue. While flying all controls will cut out. Sometimes they return before it's too late but usually it ends with an uncontrolled landing. When we taxi it will go about 70 steps away before it looses all controls/signal. We've tried new batteries, looked for poor connections, ect. All I can think of is either the transmitter, a DX4E, has some issue, or the receiver. Any way how to tell which? We live rural and have no other flying friends to try their transmitters. The ACT was removed when we got it.

I've also wondered about using the DX4E transmitter for a scratch build, FT Simple Cub. I really want to build one and hope to do it as inexpensive as possible but perhaps I'd need to buy a receiver that works or sort out what's wrong with our current set up.?

Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[DamoRC]

That is a bit of a pickle.

Some quick research confirms that the DX4E is a full range transmitter and it looks like the antenna direction is not adjustable so there is not a big chance that the antenna wire inside has been cut or nicked due to wear and tear - and I assume the transmitter has not been dropped.

Does the plane still have its original receiver / ESC (they are a single unit in this model I believe)?
Can you see if the antenna wire coming out of the receiver is still solidly attached to the board?
Have you tried to re-bind the Transmitter to the Receiver?

Have you noticed any drop in power at the motor or, if you look closely, has anything (dirt, grass, dental floss) become entangled with the motor or gears. If the motor is working harder it will draw more current from the ESC which can heat up and cause shutdowns.

If your intent is to build another plane anyway but use the DX4E to fly it, you can always get another receiver to test. However, you will also need to buy a motor and ESC for the Simple Cub and you will most likely buy a brushless motor (so the receiver and esc will not work in the Super Cub which has a brushed motor). That being said, at least you will be able to test if the DX4E works with your new receiver in the Simple Cub.

DamoRC

 

[Hai-Lee]

I also purchased a supercub, (3 channel) in very good condition almost 3 years ago now. From the beginning I found that I could not fly more than 100 metres away before I lost control and crashed. In desperation I asked one of the other persons I used to fly with if they could bind their transmitter to my cub and do a range check. They did and it failed the range test by a big margin!

As the replacement was too expensive I purchased a brushless ESC and a new transmitter and Rx. I flew it, (and crashed it) for at least a year before I gifted it to another beginner. The plane is still in flying condition and I even know in which tree is is parked!

Get someone else to do a range check fr your planes Rx as it is the cheapest way to proceed!

Just my experience!

Have fun!

 

[BluffFlyer]

Thanks for the replies!

I believe the receiver is original.

I just removed the receiver from the plane just a bit to get a better look at the antenna wire. It looks intact. There is a silver metal plate that is held on with one screw and it moves. It appears it used to be glued to the plastic. Otherwise this all seems normal.

We tried a rebind. It seemed to work other than the manual says the LED light on the Rx should flash then go solid. Ours flashed then blinked slower, never went solid. Then we did a range test. Not good results like we used to get. Only 30 feet or so and controls got sketchy. Not on range test mode brought sketchy at about 100 feet.

No drop in power in the motor, no debris. The Tx was maybe dropped once.

Seems like Rx. To replace looks like $45. Not likely worth it. Perhaps time to build a simple cub, get the power pack and a receiver and use the DX4E we already have.

Thanks a ton!