Never transport your RC vehicle plugged in or store it plugged in. If you are not actively driving your vehicle, it should always be unplugged. Equally, the switch is rarely cutting power completely it simply puts the electronics to sleep. The on/off switch in RC electronics is a crucial part of the system and should be used if originally installed. It is not healthy for the system to see the sudden jolt of incoming power with the switch on. If the switch is bad, you can simply connect the switch leads for an always on situation. You can remove the case from the switch and make electrical contact between the terminals without cutting the wires. Bypassing the switch by connecting the two wires will rule that out. They feel fine on the outside, but internally there is no switch action happening. NEW RECEIVERS: HERE DON’T NEGLECT YOUR ON/OFF SWITCH
In a pinch, simply plugging your throttle and steering into another vehicle’s RX and doing basic bench testing will get the job done. Test with a second receiver or better yet, another radio system. One channel of a receiver can die on its own, causing either the steering or the throttle to work when the other refuses to operate. Damage results in everything not working.įIND A NEW RADIO: HERE CHECKING YOUR RECEIVER
These wires are where your RX and servo get their power. Look closely at the wires that run from the ESC, or RX battery, into the RX itself. Most start with the radio system in those cases and the first place you should focus is the wiring. Either the lights are on and nobody is home or the vehicle is completely non responsive. Most have spare gear just for these reasons! RADIO SYSTEM UNRESPONSIVE? CHECK YOUR WIRES FIRST Your RC buddies can be very helpful as well. It’s amazing how helpful local hobby shops can be and really, who doesn’t need an excuse to go to the hobby shop, right? If you have a local shop, ask if this is an option. Many have basic testing gear, spare motors, ESCs, servos and the like so customers can do basic troubleshooting and purchase the correct replacement. These are the times when good old fashioned brick and mortar hobby shops can be true heroes of the RC world. The same testing can be done with a second ESC as well.įIND MOTORS: HERE WHERE TO FIND TESTING GEAR The testing should be over a brief period of time and under some basic loads to ensure it is actually fixing the problem. The simplest test is usually installing a second motor and doing some basic bench testing. When the motor system quits, it isalways a challenge to know if it was the motor or the ESC. MOTOR SYSTEM: IS IT THE MOTOR OR THE ESC? This is usually tied directly to a lack of voltage in the ESC’s internal BEC. Many gremlin haunted users have installed a brand new servo only to have the mystery servo stoppage return on the very next run. Often, high power servos can overload a BEC or receiver battery and cause the servo to stop working when the servo itself is perfectly fine. Make sure it keeps working after that in case there is something malfunctioning in the power system to the receiver, whether it’s the ESC, BEC or the receiver battery in a nitro vehicle. The simplest way is to plug in a second servo to make sure the ESC or receiver battery pack is still giving the receiver enough juice to power the servo. However, other factors can also make the servo quit so it never hurts to cover your basics. Servo stoppage is typically related to the servo being damaged directly it could be gear damage or a burned up servo motor. Those are usually simple to troubleshoot, but experienced troubleshooters cover these basics before getting too crazy with buying replacements. For instance, your throttle operation stops or your steering stops. It’s time for Troubleshooting Secrets for Your RC Car! And there’s that other all-time favorite, “It was working the last time I put it away.” Tracking down what is really causing the problem can be a nightmare in itself. What is broken? You’re just driving along and suddenly your RC car or truck stops.