Syma X5C-1 ESC symptoms

[Thomas in Niagara]

I went out today and picked up a multimeter. $14... I thought 'mmm that's not so bad' then she says "But you need a battery. That's $10." So I get home and check my three batteries. 1@3.7v 500mah [4.26] 1@3.7v 600mAh [4.25] and 1@3.7v 600mAh [3.75]. Somehow I don't think they're the readings I should be getting out of the first two. None are bloated. The quad still loses power using these batteries. Is the over charge a factor in the poor throttle performance. Full throttle will not lift it higher than 3 ft before rising and falling. I just ordered a 5X charger with 5 batteries and now I'm thinking it must be something else.

 

[GJH105775]

I went out today and picked up a multimeter. $14... I thought 'mmm that's not so bad' then she says "But you need a battery. That's $10." So I get home and check my three batteries. 1@3.7v 500mah [4.26] 1@3.7v 600mAh [4.25] and 1@3.7v 600mAh [3.75]. Somehow I don't think they're the readings I should be getting out of the first two. None are bloated. The quad still loses power using these batteries. Is the over charge a factor in the poor throttle performance. Full throttle will not lift it higher than 3 ft before rising and falling. I just ordered a 5X charger with 5 batteries and now I'm thinking it must be something else.

The first two are fine, but the last one is not fully charged.

 

[Mike H.]

The fets are actually replaceable if you are good with breadboard soldering...You can use higher amp rated Fets as well...Im not much rehearsed in the way of the electronics soldering department on something so small but it can be done...The good thing is depending on what model you have a replacement board is super cheap..Sometimes just buying a bind and fly version of one model ends up being cheaper.

Im becoming very partial to the JJRC 1000A flight board..It works in many different models...you have a few choices of transmitters to use with it and best of all a bind and fly version is only $12.50 from china..Around $15-$16 if shipped from the states...The flight board alone is around $9.60...So you can see how getting a spare body and 4 motors and props is worth the extra few dollars if you already have a jjrc 1000.

You can install this board into your X5C but will need a different transmitter to use it...I think a replacement x5c board is less than $10.00 as well....I choose a cheap tarantula x6 radio which was only $12.49 at the time i bought one..I think they are $12.99 now.

Either route you take thats what i like about these toy models..super cheap to keep flying for along time to come.

 

[Mike H.]

I went out today and picked up a multimeter. $14... I thought 'mmm that's not so bad' then she says "But you need a battery. That's $10." So I get home and check my three batteries. 1@3.7v 500mah [4.26] 1@3.7v 600mAh [4.25] and 1@3.7v 600mAh [3.75]. Somehow I don't think they're the readings I should be getting out of the first two. None are bloated. The quad still loses power using these batteries. Is the over charge a factor in the poor throttle performance. Full throttle will not lift it higher than 3 ft before rising and falling. I just ordered a 5X charger with 5 batteries and now I'm thinking it must be something else.

The first 2 are over charged...i would bet money thats why they are going bad on you..No more than 4.23v is considered acceptable and ,it is damaging your cells....a good charger will stop them at exactly 4.20 volts to 4.23v.

 

[B3Master]

Being at 4.26volts means they were charged to about 4.3-4.35 volts. My charger charges to 4.2 volts but once disconnected and test battery voltage they are usually resting at 4.12-4.16 the higher the resting voltage im guessing means less internal resistance.

 

[Thomas in Niagara]

Am I wrong in assuming that even at these voltages the quad should, at full throttle rise above shoulder height? If so then something else is pooched. Don't wanna sound like a rich guy, but maybe it's time to leave this one behind and move on. Even the Canadian Government knows that a helicopter that spends more time on the workbench than in the air is a lost cause. Umm on second thought [Sea King] no they don't.

 

[B3Master]

The thing about bad batteries is you cant determine it with charging, discharging or multimeter. Once the internal resistance gets too high, caused from high discharge rates, high charge rates, over charging, and charging while hot, then the internal resistance eats up the energy. The pack shows 4.2, doesnt take much to fully charge it, and once you apply any load to it, it drops below low voltage cutoff. See that 4.2volt charge needs to get through the high intetnal resiatance first before the pcb loads the energy to the motors. The higher IR the lower the pcb reads, hence its already in LVC mode. But when you test it, it still shows over 4.1 volts meaning charged. Try and borrow a battery from somone to make sure its your battery packs or faulty pcb (improper voltage reading, causing constant lvc mode)

 

[Thomas in Niagara]

Thanks B. Scary but I understood that. I've ordered new batteries and charger which I'll get this Friday. Hate sitting here watching the listless leaves dangling while waiting, I guess I could throw this thing around and have the grandsons run and fetch it. Thanks for the respone.

 

[GJH105775]

The higher resistance is caused by Li2O forming in between the cathode and anode, over charging, over discharging, and exceeding your discharge rate, and just time are common ways that this happens, but it takes time do it by slightly overcharging. Did it go bad suddenly, or over time?
4.2 is fully charged as you are suggesting, but even if the charger is not overcharging them (I've had a few that did) they can have a runaway reaction if you charge them in a colder area (like a garage) and them move them to a significantly warmer area. On a note now that it is winter: You can cause a battery to explode doing this.

 

[Thomas in Niagara]

Good morning G. These batteries have seen a lot of use. I've kept careful track of their charging/discharging and even flight time per battery. I most often charged them right away after use but not while warm. They have all been well used. This happened pretty much all at once with all 3 batteries showing the same symptoms during flight. A cold battery will get it off the ground and fly around a bit [2 minutes or so] and then it shuts down with poor performance. If I continue to push it, the lights blink like low voltage warning and it shuts down. I'm making brain surgery out of a toy here I think.

 

[HDtallrider]

I believe I have just learned something new. I have always treated these toys with little respect. I charged those tiny 1s batteries, flew and then charged over and over without checking charge rates, battery condition etc. I just bought new batteries without thinking about what caused them to go bad and the harm that might be done to the rest of the quad. Dc motors don't like low voltages. I wonder how long these batteries would last if we treated them like we do our 3s, 4s and 6s packs? How much longer would the motors last if we stopped exposing them to low voltage batteries? I am waiting for my HiTec 1s charger to arrive and then I'm going to start monitoring my battery condition more closely. I'm also going to see if I can find better quality 1s batteries. I really like my X5C 1 and I'm going to stop treating it like a throwaway.

 

[Thomas in Niagara]

Then all this has not been for nought HD! I'm learning as I go too. I've always researched the heck out of hobbies I start. Metal Detecting, guitar, photography etc. I hate sounding like I haven't a clue about electronics but I haven't a clue about electronics. I haven't advanced much from http://quadcopterforum.com/threads/my-first-build-1965.6410/ and very much appreciate the time you folks have spent on this. cheers!

 

[Mike H.]

Being at 4.26volts means they were charged to about 4.3-4.35 volts. My charger charges to 4.2 volts but once disconnected and test battery voltage they are usually resting at 4.12-4.16 the higher the resting voltage im guessing means less internal resistance.

Resting voltage and when the charger stops charging are two separate things...All batteries will lose voltage as it sits but its the overcharging that damages the cells..Heat is the number one enemy of batteries...internally the cells are way hotter than they should be when overcharged and overcharging has been known to cause fire hazards....you may or may not feel that heat on the outside but its there internally.....I usually let mine sit for 1 hour after charging to determine the health of the battery in general...As they start to wear out, that voltage after sitting will start to get lower and lower..Once its down below 4.00v after resting or cooling they have pretty much dropped a considerable amount in performance and can benefit from being replaced.