Ah Flipsky. Why you gotta do me like this.
One of my vx4 remotes is acting up. When I hold the throttle position constant, the level quickly hops around.
Most of the time this is not a big deal since I think the ramping is covering up the instantaneous changes.
But every once in a while it will jump low enough for long enough to cause a scary very short duration braking input.
I made a couple videos that I will attach. I’m not sure how well they will come out since it’s kinda hard to ride and also focus my phone on my remote.
Luckily for me a have a second vx4 that doesn’t suffer from this problem - the throttle level is rock solid on that one.
I’m glad to have the working one otherwise I might have just assumed the instability was “normal” and wouldn’t have known if it was coming from the remote or the ESC.
Making this post as something to watch out for if you own a vx4. I’m not sure if the wacky remote arrived defective or became defective at some point. I think it’s the former. I have actually had a low-speed bail last year from what felt like a sudden brake on the board that was using this remote. I had thought I simply overbalanced because I was carrying a heavy second board on my back but I remember thinking at the time man that really felt like uncommanded braking and now I know why.
So yeah… watch out - watch that throttle semicircle carefully for if your vx4 is doing this.
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That’s weird I uploaded two videos and one of them plays and the other says “The video cannot be rendered because your browser does not support the codec”. Is everyone else getting that?
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Open the remote, and see if there is any dirt stuck inside. Maybe clean the pcb with isopropyl alcohol.
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This. I got the same behavior on my VX1s and ultimately retired them. Every single time it was a flaky potentiometer. Cleaning them by soaking in IPA was only a temporary fix, but worth a try.
#1 reason I decided to develop the unfancy remote, closely followed by it’s shitty RF performance (however my understanding is that the VX4 is way better in this regard)
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Had the same exact problem on one of my VX4’s, and haven’t opened it up to look at what the problem is. I’m starting a project to replace the thumbwheel with a Cybertech one, so that should be fun.
In any case, my best bet is it’s just the pot being flaky. Big problem because it’s flaky right at my normal cruising speed. I’m on my other VX4 now on that board though, and have been using that for like 500 miles without issues. The first one had issues starting at like 250 miles.
Yeah the connection on mine is great
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I look forward to the video.
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I’m thinking I might stream the design process, we’ll see tho
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The VX4 uses a thumb stick style for the throttle which you can’t really clean the inside of. You can clean off the contacts on it though if they have any corrosion on them.
If you do open the remote, there is a hidden screw under the label on the back. The plastic tabs are a bitch to get open but don’t use too much force or else you’ll break them.
Here is where that screw is:
The label can be heated up to help it come up but too much heat will shrink the label (which is why I had to cut off the part I lifted up on mine)
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