I have an estes dart microquad helicopter, a couple days old. I charged it, the red led on the usb charger went off as usual, but when i connect the battery to the chopper nothing happens, the blue indicator LEDs do not light, nada. Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi,

Check the batteries are new or in good condition. Also charging time is approx. 30 mins check in the manual how long charge time is. We also have replacement USB mini chargers available.

Kind regards, Julian.

rccontrolfreak.co.uk

Try bringing it to your local electronics store. It might be the connection, or in could be another electrical problem.

Hi,
You bought a defective mini copter, the internal micro relay is malfunctioning and I hope you could bring it back where you bought it. Replace it with a new one and let them try to test flight it before you go home.

Hope that helps you out.
Thanks for asking FixYa!

Do the lights on the heli come on?

Normal start-up would be:
Turn helicopter on. Flashing light in nose should come on, as well as another blinking light (sometimes towards the rear, sometimes in the "cockpit" area) the helicopter MUST then be placed on a level stable surface until the 'other' light stops blinking, usually a couple/few seconds. This is the gyroscopes synching up and determining the "level" head orientation they will be maintaining. Then power the controller on. Making sure you're not covering the front of the controller with your hands, (the IR signals come out the front like a TV remote) push the throttle control (left joystick) up until the blades move. This what the horribly translated instructions mean by setting the helicopter and controller together.
Don't charge with the controller. It kills your controller's batteries, (which will last nearly forever if you don't use them as your heli's charger) and seems to make the birds act weird. Use the USB charger and a fully powered USB port (back of your desktop, not the front) and go by the light on the charger not an arbitrary time. Plug in charger NOT connected to heli. Look at the light. That is what the light will look like when unit is fully charged. Make sure heli is off. Plug into charger. Charge until light is fully on. If you unplug heli and the light gets brighter, it's not charged fully. A weak USB port (on a laptop or the front side data port on most desktops) may take several hours to achieve full charge. Always cool 10 mins after charging AND 10 mins after flying. Never drain fully, it will kill the Li/Po battery. Land and power off as soon as you can't maintain altitude.
If it is really charged, and you turn it on and nothing happens... no lights nothing. Then it's defective/toast. Return for refund.
These SYMA helis are awesome, and HANDS DOWN the best on the market... but they can be picky/tricky on how they are treated.

Please let me know if this helps.
PvT

Mine has also done this. The charger units for these helicopters are mass produced and therefore have a failure rate. I pugged mine in to the mains supply today and it sounded different, as in it 'popped'. The LED failed to light. When I plugged it into my models battery, it went green, even though the battery was low in voltage.

I metered my charger output and it is dead. My S031 is only two weeks old but to get to the shop is a nightmare so I may just open it up and repair it myself (I'm fine with electronics). However, I am not sure if my new battery pack is okay or not, so I run the risk of visually voiding my charger warranty. I have had issues with all of my Syma models and may just get a refund and move on to swashplate 6ch+ machines.

If your charger/S031 is new, I would suggest you return it to the store you purchased it from. Electronics this day and age are a joke and the quality control used is appalling, especially in cheap Japanese models alas.

The charger is sealed and will need to be broken open to access the electronics. Dangerous voltages are inside so I'd suggest you just return it for an exchange.

If using usb charger use usb port on back of desktop, not data port in front, also most laptops do not have fully powered usb ports due to battery consumption. The wall charger, or a usb charger plugged into a usb/ac adapter (like included with ipods and kindles or sold seperately) is your best bet for reliable charge.
Charging unit should have a light on it.
When charger is plugged into power source and not helicopter, the light will show you {#1} what it looks like when battery is fully charged. Typically this is steady on, and usually red. (sometimes green) When you connect helicopter to charger, the light will change (usually goes dark) to signify it is charging {#2}. When light comes on fully (or completely returns to #1) then charging is done. (Note: charging using a laptop usb or a front side data port usb can take several hours.) Watch the light on charging unit when you unplug helicopter, if it gets brighter, helicopter is not charged, plug it back in. Make sure to let battery cool for 10 minutes after every charge and 10 minutes after every flight, and never run battery all the way down. As soon as you can't maintain altitude, land and power off. Fully draining a Li/Po battery weakens it's ability to hold a charge and can ruin it.
If all else fails, replacement batteries are available from Amazon and many others, they are cheap (around 5$) and very easy to install with no soldering and just a small screwdriver.
Hope this helps
r

Did you turn the actual helicopter OFF? make sure that is switched OFF. Did that help?

No separate charger is required. Use a USB cable to connect it to any computer (desktop or portable), or to any powered USB hub. It should charge in about 5-20 minutes. While charging, both the red and green LEDs are lit. When fully charged, the green LED turns off and only the red LED is on.

This device should also be possible to charge using a stand-alone USB power source, such as those used to charge Blackberries.

Same problem here red blinking light I believe it is a problem with a lot of them