# 2.4 ghz receiver won't link--why?



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm at a loss to explain this. I have a HobbyKing 2.4 gig 4 channel radio and receiver, and I'd like to use it to power the servos in my Ruby. I can't get the receiver to bind with the radio

Here's what happens, every time 


Step 1. Plug the binding plug into the Battery pins of the receiver
Step. 2 Plug the battery plug into any of the other pin rows--I've tried them all, let's say "#3"


At this point I get a solid red LED on both the main receiver and the secondary receiver. It should be blinking, indicting that it is looking for a bind. But it's solid red. 


Step 3. depress binding switch on TX, switch TX on, wait. No change

Step 4. Disconnect binding plug, and battery plug, connect battery plug to battery pins 


No leds lit on receiver at all, no red light, no blinking light, nothing.


Restart procedure from Step 1--now the red led will not come on at all, the unit appears dead. 


Walk away, wait ten minutes--now, when I start from step 1, the red led comes on solid again, and exactly the same thing happens again.


So what am I doing wrong? Fresh batteries in both the RX and the TX. I'm at a loss to figure it out.


Thanks!


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## Shay Gear Head (Jan 3, 2008)

If all else fails - read the..........................!

Then try to figure out what they really meant.

Hopefully someone out there will have the unit you do and can help specifically.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

This is what the manual says to do--you are supposed to get a blinking LED, then turn on the TX, and when the blinking stops, you are linked. I've never gotten the blinking LED


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## HMeinhold (Jan 2, 2008)

Check the binding plug. It should short the 2 pins with the wire jumper. If the crimping is not done properly, it might be open. Just a thought....


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't know if this will be of any help or not, but I just copied it off the HobbyKing web site. 


For those who are tired of bad english and poorly translated instructions. Here is how to bind the MODE 1 radio system.

Connect 8 AA batteries inside your transmitter and leave it turned OFF.
Connect your Motor to your ESC.
Connect your ESC to your Receiver on Channel 3.
Connect your Bind-Plug to the BAT channel.
If you want to test a Servo, connect a Servo to Channel 1,2, or 4.
Connect any good charged Battery to your ESC. You should here a beep from your ESC (some ESC's do not beep) and your Receiver's LED Light should start blinking. The LED is hidden under the sticker.
While Holding down the Bind-Range-Test Button, turn on your Transmitter. After about 3 or 10 seconds the LED will stop blinking and you should be able to control your motor and any extra servos you connected.
If not try it all again.

I found that turning off my Transmitter and turning it on helped reset any errors.
Give me points if this helped.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By SteveC on 18 Feb 2010 01:53 PM 
Don't know if this will be of any help or not, but I just copied it off the HobbyKing web site. 


For those who are tired of bad english and poorly translated instructions. Here is how to bind the MODE 1 radio system.

Connect 8 AA batteries inside your transmitter and leave it turned OFF.
Connect your Motor to your ESC.
Connect your ESC to your Receiver on Channel 3.
Connect your Bind-Plug to the BAT channel.
If you want to test a Servo, connect a Servo to Channel 1,2, or 4.
Connect any good charged Battery to your ESC. You should here a beep from your ESC (some ESC's do not beep) and your Receiver's LED Light should start blinking. The LED is hidden under the sticker.
While Holding down the Bind-Range-Test Button, turn on your Transmitter. After about 3 or 10 seconds the LED will stop blinking and you should be able to control your motor and any extra servos you connected.
If not try it all again.

I found that turning off my Transmitter and turning it on helped reset any errors.
Give me points if this helped. 
 
Thanks, but been there, done that. I copied exactly that same thing. Although I don't have an ESC, just two servos. I also found a video on their website stepping you through the process. 

The odd thing is that this is my second inexpensive 2.4 gig radio. I bought another one about 6 months ago and had exactly the same problem. I still have the receiver for that radio--it does exactly the same thing as the Hobby King receiver--light sup solid red, never blinks. I have two binding plugs and have tried both of them with no luck



I wonder if by using lithium AA cells I sent too much power to the receiver, and blew something up? 


Thanks for the suggestions


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Did you happen to run across the following topic on their forum?

HobbyKing 4 channel HK-T4A Tx - 2.4 GHz: USER MANUAL[/b]


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Steve--I will read through that thread and see if anyone else has had this problem

I'm inclined to suspect that the four lithium cells I used output more voltage--I put a meter on them and got 6.5 volts. 6 is supposed to be the max. I wonder if half a volt would be enough to blow the thing?


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

OOOOOPS, comment withdrawn.


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Carl. 
Those are the instructions for the Spektrum system, not the Hobby King. 

The 4 channel Hobby King does not have a trainer switch. Instead there is a "binding" pushbutton on the front of the TX and the method of binding is slightly different. At least it is for the 6 x Channel rig.


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

Hopefully you bought it at a local shop? If yes, take it, your Rx, etc there for hands on support. If not, maybe someone local also uses a 2.4 system who could help. My experience, this kind of thing needs eyes&hands on help. Might try an RC forum as a way to find a local contact. Maybe go to a local steamup or other RC get-together. Simplistic ideas maybe but simple works sometimes.


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## Garry Paine (Jan 2, 2008)

Are you testing on the bench or in a loco? Garrett


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

On the bench. It's a 2.4 ghz system, so interference should not be the issue

The only thing that makes sense is that the lithium ion batteries put out more than 6 volts and blew something


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By lownote on 19 Feb 2010 01:51 PM 
On the bench. It's a 2.4 ghz system, so interference should not be the issue

The only thing that makes sense is that the lithium ion batteries put out more than 6 volts and blew something 



Li-Ion batteries are nominally 3.7 volts each. 
You said earlier in the thread you used 4 x which would equal14.8 volts. Way too high.

4 x regular AA size Lithium batteries in series will give more than 6 volts when fresh.

Try using 4 x NiMh rechargeables and see if it works then.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

So I finally got a new receiver, and tried again--exactly the same problem. 

step 1--plug the bnidng plug into the battery channel
step two--plug the battery plug into any other channel.


At this point, once again, I get a solid red led, instea dof the blining LED. I tried it with 4 alkaline AAA batteries,a dn I tried it with two Alkaline AA batteries--same thing.


I simply cannot figure out what's wrong. I'm ready to throw the whole damn thing in the trash


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

I don't use the Hobby King radios, nor do I have any experience with them, but they do work (as reported by many R/C airplane users and Tony of RCS). It sounds like you are doing everything right.

Inserting the binding plug into the "BAT" port should be shorting the inside pin to the outside pin. This tells the Rx to go into bind mode when it powers up.

Inserting your "battery plug" should be connecting 5-6V across the middle pin (+) and the outside pin (-). At this point the LED should flash.

Since your getting an LED to light, the power must be good.

The transmitter isn't even part of the equation, because it is still turned off.

So the only thing that makes sense to me is the binding plug(s) or the battery port connector (unlikely).


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

All I can add is that my Spectrum takes _*forever*_ to bind. Literally minutes, not seconds. I turn them on and go do something else. 

Another thought comes to me - these are 2.4Ghz radios, the same frequency as WiFi and the latest cordless phones. In my home the WiFi didn't work as our neighbors all have cordless phones and the next door guy worked for a router company so he had an industrial strength signal ! That';s one reason I think my linking takes a while. 

I wonder if you have a noisy wireless environment ? Maybe a cordless phone is binding before your tx? Can you take the pair (rx/tx and power) out in your car to an open space and see if it happens in a different place?


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Pete Thornton on 25 Mar 2010 02:28 PM 
All I can add is that my Spectrum takes _*forever*_ to bind. Literally minutes, not seconds. I turn them on and go do something else. 

Another thought comes to me - these are 2.4Ghz radios, the same frequency as WiFi and the latest cordless phones. In my home the WiFi didn't work as our neighbors all have cordless phones and the next door guy worked for a router company so he had an industrial strength signal ! That';s one reason I think my linking takes a while. 

I wonder if you have a noisy wireless environment ? Maybe a cordless phone is binding before your tx? Can you take the pair (rx/tx and power) out in your car to an open space and see if it happens in a different place? 



Pete - I'm guessing you really meant "Linking" takes forever? My Spektrum radios sometimes take awhile to "Link", i.e. establish communications between the Rx and the Tx, having been previously "Bound" to each other using the binding plug procedure. Sometimes linking is hindered if the transmitter is too close to the receiver. Spektrum recommends being at least 3 feet away.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm guessing you really meant "Linking" takes forever 
Del, 
Yes, but I recall binding took forever too! (I put them at opposite sides of the room when I'm testing at home.)


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I got the cheap e-Sky that Del has a link to on his website. It has worked fine. THe Rx itself has a little button on the end, you have to stick a small screwdriver in to activate the link Del was quite helpful when I had a problem(my misreading!).


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I think I will try it with the home wireless disabled, and if that does not work I'm out of ideas


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Dear Lownote, 
Please don't take offense by this suggestion! 
Perhaps ask someone to be by your side as you follow the directions, just in case they see something that you are doing that you don't even realise is incorrect. 
I know sometimes when I get too close to something, I miss the obvious. 
Good luck. 
I am watching with interest because I was going to order one of these! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Lownote, 
Just wondering if you ever sorted out the linking problem? 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## coyote97 (Apr 5, 2009)

i had a problem with a 2,4 GHz receiver, too.

No chance to get the binding right.



I did it while building it in, so it was a benchwork in the house.
And for sure, i had the sender on the same table as the receiver.

After hours of work, i found out, that there should be 8 or 10 ft distance between sender and receiver: then it worked!


Greetings

Frank


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