Just got my foil assist project on the water on Friday.
Used it 3 times, washing the Flipsky VX3 Pro controller under the beach shower after each use. Thought that it might be a good idea to rinse more thoroughly last night in a bucket of fresh water for a couple of minutes dried it off and left it on my kitchen bench.
This afternoon I thought I would see if it needed to be charged for my session in the morning and it now won’t turn on.
When I put it on the charger the screen lights up and displays 93 which may be correct but it doesn’t look like it’s charging it.
When I take it off the charger the screen goes off and I can’t get it to power up. Very frustrating. The build quality and potting inside the controller look very good and appears to comprehensively cover everything.
Has anybody else experienced this sort of failure so early in their use of this product? It just blows me away that this has failed so quickly.
I have contacted Flipsky so it will be interesting to see what they say (if anything)
I loved the controller when it worked. Seemed to be very user friendly and readable, and was about to recommend it to some friends who are interested in building their own setups but now not loving it so much.
Mine also failed after <10 days of use.
I do not think those failures are related to water at all.
The number of failures reported here is staggering for my taste.
Mine turned off similar to yours, but worked again after a few days, but is now not charging anymore.
From the failures reported here, I assume there is something wrong with the electronic design around the battery/power supply. Mine also got really hot during charging.
As for Flipsky, I did not really check before, but they label these products (Motors, ESCs, remote),
“Consumable Eelectric Products” and limit warranty to 8 weeks.
So I guess even they themselves do not expect their products to last longer than a few weeks.
I think lots of people were/are using the original VX3 for full Efoil use (occasional brief shallow immersion)
Flipsky launched Pro ver around the same time that foil assist and toe boogie builds started happening (frequent long immersion and likely getting banged around more than full Efoil use)
Both the original and pro are IP67 rated so although “waterproof” rated perhaps aren’t up to the rigors of water use that foil assist and toe create.
I’m not trying to defend Flipsky but this might be part of the reason they came out with VX5 - IP68 rated remote
I think that Flipsky sells a lot of product to the dry land community (e-skate). I don’t do that sort of thing but if you are correct that it’s not water intrusion logically that community would be having trouble as well.
I don’t know that it is less as I don’t participate in that activity so don’t follow any user groups. I’m not looking to debate this just replied to your theory.
I opened up the case and it looks like it has been potted well but I also believe I found the failure area. If I figure out how to put a photo on this topic I’ll include it. But they have potted the wires in a corner and I don’t think the potting mix has gone around the wires properly and there is rust coming out of this area. I don’t know what is in that side of the controller handle but assume it might be the battery.
So unfortunately looks like a failure due to poor manufacturing. But god knows how to get Flipsky to respond or take responsibility.
Also it would be helpful to silicone seal those wires after the potting has dried to add to the waterproofing as it looks like water can get down beside the wires due to either potting shrink or wire shrink leaving a gap.
If Flipsky do the right thing and replace the controller then I would check this before putting it
I have been pleasantly surprised by Flipsky. They responded through AliExpress where I had asked them about the issue. They seemed to considered the issue as I had explained it to them. They did ask if the screen was flooded (which mine was not) so hopefully that is not goi ng to be an issue in the future.
I sent them pictures of the issue and a short video of what was and what wasn’t happening and they agreed to send me a new remote.
Which I appreciated. I hope they took onboard my suggestions as to what might have caused the issue and will see if it’s something they can improve on in the future.
My friend and myself bought at least 10 of the VX3 over the last 2 years. We made efoil systems for friends.Even the pro versions are unreliable. Most of them failed with display issues and one lately had a similar problem that you described, charged but didnt turn on. We started filling the displays after drying out with clear epoxy, which helped some of them, but not all. They are consumables with limited lifespan in our opinion, which is a shame, they are otherwise really good.
Hi,
Ive been looking into doing a DIY Efoil upgrade to my foil board.
Looking at the remotes the Flipsky ones dont seem to be that reliable.
Would the Maytech ones be any better?
No, same design flaw, poted electronics and water are just a matter of time until failure. Worse in salt water. The new flipsky VX5 mitght be better as it is designed to be waterproof. Time will tell how waterproof it is, it is only on the market for two months:
I agree with Sat-be. However my maytechs have lasted a lot longer than the Flipsky. It is a hostile environment for any electronics so you have to bear that in mind. But I liked the visibility of the Flipsky screen and the fact that I could see Vesc temp easily. Old eyes. I would love to be able to configure what you see on the screens for yourself so hopefully Maytech or Flipsky will allow that soon. Doesn’t seem like too much to ask seems most things are app or computer configurable these days.
I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking but the VX3 and VX5 are not cross compatible ie distinct receiver for each. The Flipsky remotes are sold separately and come with the receiver.
