Everest Gen7 Pro Receiver Issue

[rosswald]

Hey All, New to the forum. Picked up a Redcat Everest Gen7 Pro a few months ago and have been enjoying it greatly. Not new to the RC hobby but having an issue with the Gen7 I'm seeding some input on. Have done a few things to the truck but not much. Modified the steering as per some You Tube videos I've seen. Added an aluminum servo horn. Installed LED lights in the front and rear bumpers and added a LED light bar on the roof. Other then that it's stock. Took it out over the weekend at a local park with my son and we were driving it in creek bed over some small rocks. Also took it through some shallow water, only covered up to about the top of the tires. Didn't think it even hit the electronics. Either way I know the electronics are supposedly waterproof. Right after that the steering began failing and the LED lights began blinking when I turned the steering wheel on the transmitter. The LED's are plugged into the ch3 on the receiver. Servo seemed to be working very hard actuating and would hesitate turning in either direction. Sometimes wouldn't turn at all and when I let up in the wheel would not return to center. I unplugged the LED lights but did not change the issues with the steering. Thinking the receiver might be bad. Any thoughts. Thanks in advance.

 

[Hydrocarbon92]

If the servo was struggling and led's flickering, that would likely be not getting enough power. Either the ESC/BEC is having a problem or the connectors feeding the RX power aren't contacting well.

The RX is conformal coated, but the connections can still go bad if you don't coat them in some sort of water-displacing grease/oil. When I first started boating I eventually wised up to that, as one day it started acting up. White/green powdery corrosion on the pins & connectors was the issue.

 

[rosswald]

Thanks for the fast reply. I will check the wiring. One thing I didn't mention and not sure if it matters but the throttle is working fine in both forward and reverse.

 

[Jim85IROC]

throttle doesn't get power from the receiver, but steering and lights do. It sounds to me like there's crap in the connection that powers the receiver from the ESC, as mentioned above.

 

[Rekreant]

Yeah just for the record while many manufacturers clearly say waterproof, they mean splashproof. My redcat had an * which then states to not submerse it. I had mine fall into the stream and had some issues, let it dry out over a day or so and it worked fine. Try taking the rx off the unit and have it sit somewhere upside down. Marine grease in the connector area has helped me avoid this problem happening again.

 

[rosswald]

Thanks all for the reply's. I actually contacted RedCat support and they are mailing me a new receiver and servo at no charge. I have to give them a kudos for their customer support. I will be picking up some marine grease to put int he plugs on the receiver. I like how Traxxas uses a waterproof box for their receivers. Much safer to run in water.

 

[Rekreant]

Thanks all for the reply's. I actually contacted RedCat support and they are mailing me a new receiver and servo at no charge. I have to give them a kudos for their customer support. I will be picking up some marine grease to put int he plugs on the receiver. I like how Traxxas uses a waterproof box for their receivers. Much safer to run in water.

Id still recommend being careful. I have a traxxas with the WP box too, and took it apart the other day and lo and behold, water was in the receiver, INSIDE the WP box. Water will always find a way given enough of a chance.

 

[Hydrocarbon92]

Waterproof boxes are worthless unless they are military grade AND assembled by a pro. For R/C they're are simply splash shields that should be aired out after wet use.

The Redcat receiver I pulled apart had a very thick layer of silicone conformal coat on it, I was actually surprised. The pins obviously aren't protected, so if you connect a normal tin-plated servo/esc lead to it powdery corrosion will appear quickly (24hr) if not dried out after use. Since RX's use low voltage signals, any bit of corrosion will create problems quickly. WD40 at the very least is required, ideally Corrosion-X or other water-displacing contact cleaner/lube.

Here's a great contact cleaner/lube/protectant I use. Everything from servo leads to motor internals.
2-26® Multi-Purpose Precision Lubricant, 11 Wt Oz - 02005