tail motors keep burning out after just one flight...HELP

Although I have yet to progress to the Hover, and spend my time idly watching my little Pic, skate round a piece of Cardboard. Longing for the day when I can move it into forward flight etc I keep on burning motors out.
Start flying everything OK, five minutes later, tail rotor stops, feels very hot to the touch and refuses to turn, even when I connect it to a seperate power supply.
I am running a 8 Cell pack from maplins (name begins with a V) But I'm running out of money fast, can't afford to buy a new tail motor each time I fly, and wondered without going DD what the best course of action would be.
PLEASE HELP... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[gary_j_sweet]

Have you checked the mesh on the tail gearing? It sounds like it may be too tight causing the motor to work far too hard.

Get a pro tail motor(high authority), it works really well with the standart setup, you might need to rebalance cos it weighs about 10g more than the standard stock!!! But i think with your 8-cell setup you should be ok. Give it a go, you might save some money!!

[JJ]

Just a few details please Zagiman? Are these stock Ikarus tail motors, with 8 tooth pinions?
The little brushes vaporise very rapidly if the blades get stalled on anything, or the motor is overloaded in any way. Be sure the tail gears are running with a little free play in them, there should be just enough to see a tiny movement between the gears.
That's all I can think of for now, I had two more 10min+ flights on 8x Vanson packs today and my tail motor is still with us. You are using 750AAA cells aren't you, not the heavy AA ones?

thanks for the reply, yes I'm using the 750 AAA. I try setting the tail motor up with a piece of paper between the pinion and the Cog, shall thus experiment and widen the distance before my wife divorces me for someone who doesn't fly Pics.... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[JJ]

Gear free play adjustment is one of those jobs you are glad is over when you eventually get it right. The little motor has no reserve capacity for any sort of overload, so anything you can do to ensure it runs freely and unobstructed is essential. You should be able to flick the tail rotor into motion with a finger (powered off) and it will spin through several turns before stopping.If you have a crash make sure the throttle gets shut off immediately and stays shut until the battery is disconnected.
Oo! just remembered another one. Check the grommet or tube holding in the tail rotor shaft isn't too tight against the bearings, it causes drag. The shaft should be able to move in and out slightly.

JJ Thanks very much for the info, I suppose its one of those things that once sorted doesn't need explaining a second time. I suppose I've fallen into the trap of making the cog to tight against the pinion. Will take notice of your expertise, and hope I don't have any more problems.
Once again thanks [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[keving]

people keep forgetting to burn in the tail motor, so on your next new tail motor, burn it in with a AA battery for a few hours. I burnt mine in over night. I started it around 6pm and when I got up the next day I put it on and did my thing.

For the stock FP tail motor this is not necessary as it does not use brushes - metal 'fingers' rest on the commutator instead. Running in a motor with fingers is just using up some of its life expectancy! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[pgoelz]

Unless you switch to the high authority tail motor I would suggest that you switch to a high frequency tail ESC. With a standard ESC on 8 cells you are simply abusing that little motor. Your motor life is definitely sub-par, but when I was running eight cells on the Piccoboard I was getting a maximum of maybe 10-15 flights per motor. After the switch to a high frequency tail ESC, they simply do not fail. I have to write the date on them so I can remember when I installed them, and they go at least a year.... maybe more. And I have not actually had one fail. I replace them once in a while as preventive maintenence because a failed tail motor usually means a crash.

In my experience, the gear lash is sufficient if there is some visible play through the entire 360 degree rotation of the tail rotor.

I fyou have the plastic pinion that is glued onto the motor shaft, it is possible that you got some CA into the front bearing. That can easily stiffen up tthe motor enough to overheat it. The tail rotor should coast for several rotations if you flip in the direction of rotation it like you were trying to start it.