Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead

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04 Jun 2013 07:34 #10546 by cofl1001
Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead was created by cofl1001
Hello Friends,
I know this is not the right place to post this, but I really hope that here, there might be some one to help me...
I bought a Walkera Devo 10 tx bundled with a Master CP heli back in December. I used it with a Li-Fe 9.9V from HK, with no issues...Suddenly this last Saturday, after landing my 450 FBL, I switched it off, and on again to change the battery on my heli...the tx is dead...how could this happen? I checked on google for dead devo tx and I found 0 results...I checked with a multimeter if I have power ion the board, and it's fine, I checked the switch also working..What could I do?
I guess rc711 will not take it back because I removed the seal when making it compatible with the LI-Fe battery...
Thank you for any ideas you might have...
Florn

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04 Jun 2013 09:43 #10551 by tony1157cn
Replied by tony1157cn on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Bad news,my Tx was damaged too.

Is the screen light up when you switch on the TX?
Try disconnect the battery for a while and reconnect it again.
If those method all not work,try to open the tx and check is there any connector unclasped.

Hope it will be helpful :)

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04 Jun 2013 11:34 #10555 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Hi and tx for replying...
No light no nothing...It did this ine tine befire but I ignored it. just off and on again and it started...now there"s nothing happening:light beeps or anything else...
Unclasped meaning?
Thanks

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05 Jun 2013 02:33 #10575 by tony1157cn
Replied by tony1157cn on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Forgive my poor english.
I mean to open the Tx and check whether the wire is loosened or not.
Or is there any scorch mark on the mainbord?

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05 Jun 2013 02:35 #10576 by tony1157cn
Replied by tony1157cn on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
By the way, you need a 2mm hexagon wrench to open the TX

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05 Jun 2013 03:07 #10579 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
It is possible that your power switch failed. I've seen this a few times. The switch used by Walkera is junk.
It can usually be repaired by removing it and then squeezing the tabs gently with a pair of pliers to push the backing board against the contacts. Or just replace it with another slide switch.

It is also possible that the power circuit failed. I've seen this too (though never on a Devo10). If so, it is harder to fix, as you'll need to identify which Tx is blown and replace it.

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05 Jun 2013 03:58 #10583 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Hello friends, and thanks for your replies...
I borrowed a multimeter and I got the 10.1 V from my li-fe battery on the power marked connector on the board...I also checked the switch and it opens/closes normally-measured the connector pins where it's wires go...
Just a note: some time ago it happened maybe two times that I switched it off/on and nothing happened...I didn't care much back then, I switch off/on again and it worked...this happened I guess two times, and didn't bother me much...
Any ideas what could be busted? Any measuring tips, because week-end is coming soon and I will have time to check more(if more ideas, ofc :)
Thanks again
Florin

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05 Jun 2013 05:38 #10588 by tony1157cn
Replied by tony1157cn on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
try to use a jumper to connect the switch pin on the board instead of switch. i mean disconnect the wire from the swich and just connect the pin use a jumper(first u should check which pins connect means ON)
if the Tx works, we can sure that the switch is breakdown.

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06 Jun 2013 14:44 #10643 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Hello again,
The switch is working, unfortunately...
Any other ideas ?

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06 Jun 2013 17:11 #10644 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Unplug the transmitter module from the board and see if anything changes.
Most likely you've blown one of the switching transistors in the power circuit. figuring out which one would require some electronics expertise as you need to know what you are looking for. Fixing it would require some SMT soldiering skills.

I've documented the circuit for the Devo8, but the Devo10 one is somewhat different and I never spent any time on it, so I can't really tell you where to begin.

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06 Jun 2013 22:22 #10657 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Just wondering how could I trust another devo and spending again the 130$ when this one died after 6 months of very light use, due to time constrains...?
Guess it only happened to my since I couldn"t find any other dead devo apart from my other post on hf forum.
Need to check if Rc711 really cares about their customers...I"ll let you guys know...
Again tx for taking your time and replying.
Have a nice wek-end, and happy flying:)

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12 Jun 2013 04:48 #10824 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
any other ideas? My beloved RC 711 offered to give me another one at some discounted price !!! They also told me to send it to WALKERA directly !!!

Unbelievable service :(

So, i'm stuck with a dead TX and haven't been flying for about a month now, and my fingers are really iching :)

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12 Jun 2013 05:01 - 12 Jun 2013 05:37 #10825 by FDR
Replied by FDR on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Sending back the tx wouldn't be economical anyway, so buying a new one cheap is all you can do...
Last edit: 12 Jun 2013 05:37 by FDR. Reason: typo

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12 Jun 2013 05:18 #10828 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Where are you located?
I would give you better than 80% odds that I can fix it for you. But if you aren't in the US, I'm not sure it is worth it. If you are interested, PM me offline and we can discuss it further

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12 Jun 2013 05:37 #10831 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead

FDR wrote: Sending back the tx wouldn't be economical anyway, so bying a new one cheap is all you can do...


Hi FDR,
You're probably right, but I'm frustrated because I couldn't find other dead devos, unless they died during firmware update, which is not my case anyway...
So, assuming I get another one :huh: what if this one also dies in like 6 months? I planned for my 450 build a FS th9x which had aileron channel bleeding into throttle, so 70 bucks down the drain, then I decided the devo 10 is reliable and good value for money, but 6 months later and moderate using (lack of time) this one's also dead...Maybe it's a sign that I should quit the hobby :(

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12 Jun 2013 05:45 #10832 by Kdean
Replied by Kdean on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Put some money into a good tx.....

Why not get a devo 8s? It sounds like it is less prone to hardware failures than the 10 or 7 tx's

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12 Jun 2013 06:49 #10835 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead

Kdean wrote: Put some money into a good tx.....

Why not get a devo 8s? It sounds like it is less prone to hardware failures than the 10 or 7 tx's


actually from my "luck" I couldnt find any other devo 10 dead...you can only find my post on the helifreak forum, but that's all.
Devo 8s is nice and shiny, but I don't like using the pen on the field, the visibility in sunlight and also the ~190 USD price tag...

Somebody actually suggested to try ni-mh cellsX8 instead of my 1500mAh li-fe...?

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12 Jun 2013 07:05 #10838 by Kdean
Replied by Kdean on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
I have not heard of your situation either, but i see alot of broken power switches, short circuts, you know general walkera quaility control issues.

How much does two or three cheap tx's cost? If its less than $190 go for it.

I have no problem seeing and working with the devo 12s in the sun, and i live in the Bahamas.

I also dont like the stylus, so i rounded the tip of one of those pot turning, mini screw driver, type tools that comes with most gyros. It clips on to the tx rear handle thingy and is easy to get at and put back, unlike the pens.

If the devo 12s stands up to the test, and is a proven stable platforum for my bigger helis, i will be getting a 8s as a back up tx. Then i can retire the old, yet still solid, 2801pro.

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12 Jun 2013 12:56 #10843 by PhracturedBlue
Replied by PhracturedBlue on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Since it seems unlikely I can help you directly, this is about the best I can do:

Here is the schematic for the Devo8 power:
static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/3...08-18%2022.16.16.jpg
The Devo10 should be very similar.
The most likely issue is that you blew out the 8550 or 8050 transistors.

This happened to my Devo8. I dropped in whatever I had lying around the house and it has worked fine since. If the Vgs is different than the original, your voltage measurement on the Tx will be off slightly.

If it is helpful, here are front and back images of the devo10:
static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/2...8-devo10%20board.jpg
static.rcgroups.net/forums/attachments/2...5455724-132-burn.jpg
There are higher resolution images out there, but these are the ones I could find quickly.

As I've said repeatedly, I think Walkera's quality control is low. some of their circuit designs are marginal, and the components they used are pushed too close to the operating threshold. We've seen quite a few failures on every Tx model of different sorts.

I don't personally recommend running Li batteries in Walkera transmitters (except the Devo12) without a proper voltage regulator, since the power circuit seems to be marginal, and quite sensitive to over-voltage. Lots of folks ignore me without issue of course.

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13 Jun 2013 00:13 - 13 Jun 2013 06:08 #10882 by cofl1001
Replied by cofl1001 on topic Walkera devo 10 seems to be dead
Thanks a lot for sharing that info PhracturedBlue
A transistor has 3 pins, that's clear, but by looking at the schematics, I cannot identify which one would be the 8550/8050 you are reffering to?
On the first pic a resistor is highlited, and on the second one it's somc chinese markings which I don't understand. Of course that by working in Korea, I could get some of our chinese colleagues to translate, no prob...

Could you also send me a link where I could find and buy these transistors...
I'm willing to try fixing it then buying another"discounted price tx" from rc711 which could again die with no warning like this one...
Again, thanks a lot
Florin

update: sorry for my blindness :) I just noticed pnp and npn, anyway locating the two transistors you reffer to would helop a lot...
Last edit: 13 Jun 2013 06:08 by cofl1001. Reason: missed info

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