Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips > Radio Equipment

Indoor Interference

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GG:
When installing and testing the rudder servo in a new model some intermittent interference was observed in the garage cum workshop I use.  After checking the batteries and connections, all seemed well so the model was checked out on the garden pond where it performed perfectly.  Problem sorted, or so I thought.


Testing the model a few days later in the workshop and problem had returned but, again it performed flawlessly on the pond.  "Damn RC gear" I thought "it doesn't like working indoors!". Then it struck me that this might actually be true.


Some years ago a similar situation had occurred in the spare bedroom that I call my "office" but Mrs Guest has a less complimentary name for it.  When checking the RC gear before going on a sailing session, the rudder servo would give a periodic twitch, an exact few seconds apart. When sailing this model there was never any rudder twitching apparent. At the time I put this down to an internal interference effect, possibly the transmitter signal being reflected by something or even the wireless alarm system we had installed..?


Since then "wireless" devices have grown greatly in number, the laptop I'm currently typing on is one. No doubt all these things have been designed to avoid interference with our RC models, but as Alexander Pope once said;
"Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see,
     Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be"


Anyone else experience this effect...?


Glynn Guest

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C-3PO:
Hi Glynn,

The reciever will be pretty sensitive to RF - if you have the radio transmitter within a few meters of the receiver in the workshop you may well be overloading the receiver front end resulting in odd behaviour.

Regards
C-3PO

Netleyned:
Fluorescent lighting affects some sets indoors.
Ned

HMS Invisible:

--- Quote from: Netleyned on August 21, 2021, 01:09:38 pm ---Fluorescent lighting affects some sets indoors.
Ned

--- End quote ---
That is true. Electronically ballasted fluorescent lights and computers are known to be a problem.
I have tried both as a convenient source to induce glitches in product proof tests but replaced all compact fluorescent lamps a long time ago.

Model submariners who still use 40MHz (simple PPM is still common) would do well to test in excess of five metres away from a source before deciding to rip out brushed motors.

GG:
Good points, I now recall that the workshop had a fluorescent strip light when I encountered the servo interference.  But, this wouldn't explain the very regular rudder servo twitching in my "office".


Still, the damn things work OK when sailing so I'm not worried, just curious...


Glynn Guest 

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