Dave Milburn

Where's Dave when you need him............

Just returned from my two week hols in Largs on the Ayrshire coast...........Lovely model boat club there on the prom and superbly friendly and helpful members.

Got up there with one of my models to sail on their lake on the sundays and Wednesday afternoons.

Picked up one of my transmitters which had worked perfectly last year and has been on charge over winter  along with the other two transmitters which do  work but were left behind at home.............set the boat up the Saturday of arrival for a sunday sail and ....................ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! . no life in the TX what so ever..............no lights, no nothing.

so, into Glasgow on Sunday morning to Maplins and they tested the TX.....read nothing with new batteries and holder fitted......the batteries I had brought also read nothing................Mr Milburn.....why hadn't I packed you in a spare suitcase....

Luckily the weather was so crap in Scotland for the two weeks I wouldn't have been able to sail anyway...........

in fact the weather was so bad on the middle Saturday for the Largs lifeboat day that you couldn't see the lifeboat at the bottom of the winch wire to the helicopter above because of the rain that when a call came through, the helo was off up to the highlands on a shout, lol

Bummer there's an oops if ever there was one

(It's Milbourn, actually - but you've got closer than most)
Fear not, Mr Heavenly-Pilchard - I am here.
If you've tried it with two different sets of fully-charged batteries then it's clearly not a flat battery issue. If there's not a flicker it sounds like the power from the battery isn't getting to the PCB. There could be a loose/broken connection somewhere; a faulty on/off switch, or the dreaded 'black-wire rot'. All you can do is trace back from the battery pack with a digital voltmeter until you find a place where the volts ought to be - and ain't. You can in theory leave the negative probe fixed anywhere on the negative rail, but ideally you should connect it right back at the battery pack in case that length of black wire has rot. If a wire is found to have turned black under the insulation then the whole length needs stripping out and replacing.
To reduce the risk of this insidious corrosion you should disconnect and remove the Tx batteries if you're not using it for a while, and keep all your transmitters in the house over winter and not a cold, damp workshop.
I'm afraid this is no consolation for a no-sail, but I hope you find and sort the problem. If everything goes Pete Tong then I know a guy who is a diamond at fixing radio gear (but it helps if it hasn't also been thrown at a wall beforehand...............)
Dave M

inertia wrote:

(It's Milbourn, actually - but you've got closer than most)
Fear not, Mr Heavenly-Pilchard - I am here. 

Dave M

lol........best retort ever dave............sorry mate......I will now read your help message.

I blame it on my arthriticly bent fingers or dyslexia  .....gets me out of so many scrapes, lol

cheers Dave for the info..............but as I haven't even got a multi meter, I wouldn't have a clue where to start.

the sets are always kept in my spare bedroom which is heated in winter but will take your advice and disconnect the batteries.

would you have the address of this nice man who would look at it for me please, as I would feel much more confident with him looking at it, than me even attempting to take the back off, lol...........I would do all sorts of damage just doing that lol.

neil.

Neil
Here's a link to his website. http://modelradioworkshop.co.uk/servicing/
Here's another link to an article which ought to be mandatory reading for anyone who makes RC model boats http://www.modelboats.co.uk/news/article/but-i-don-t-understand-electronics/18054
I didn't write it for me.  
Dave M

cheers matey..........will get in touch with him........see whether it is viable to repair or just buy another on ebay.

will read the article too.............might be able to understand some of it, being as I am with wires and plugs and things, lol

cheers. neil.

Hi Neil,
Err looking at some of your wiring and connecting attempts at close quarters, I would say I have only seen worse.......MINE!
Glad you called upon the skills of Mr Milbourn (note correct spelling Dave!) Usually I would say your usual course of action! Would be to rip it all out and throw it on the floor,and stamp on it,oh sorry if you can find it once you have dropped it on the floor of course! And hope you find one of your chuck keys while you are down there!
Your pal
Mick

battleshipbuff wrote:

Hi Neil,
Err looking at some of your wiring and connecting attempts at close quarters, I would say I have only seen worse.......MINE!
Glad you called upon the skills of Mr Milbourn (note correct spelling Dave!) Usually I would say your usual course of action! Would be to rip it all out and throw it on the floor,and stamp on it,oh sorry if you can find it once you have dropped it on the floor of course! And hope you find one of your chuck keys while you are down there!
Your pal
Mick

cheeky bugger.........the wiring is the stuff that works..........it's only the TX that's US., lol