If you need to return your MacGregor/JR radio equipment for investigation or
repair, please send it to:
MacGregor Industries Limited, Customer Service Department, Cordwallis Street,
Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7GF
We recommend that all parcels and packages are returned to us via Royal Mail
Special Delivery, if you wish to send the item(s) to us via normal post it is
AT YOUR OWN RISK. The original moulded foam packaging, or equivalent, provides
excellent protection and should be used wherever possible. Remember that
MacGregor Industries does not accept responsibility for damage for loss
occuring during transit to us.
Include a note giving brief details of the problems that you have experienced,
or the work that you wish us to carry out. Details of the events leading up to
the problem are useful as these provide invaluable clues. For example, on a
computer transmitter, if the display screen is blank and this ocurred
immediately after fast charging, we would suspect that the fuse had blown. If
the fault occurred after a long period of storage we would suspect the lithium
backup battery was flat. Please do not rely on a reference to a telephone
conversation to convey details of the fault. Our telephone engineers work under
great pressure and it is likely otherwise, that vital details will be missed.
Please print your NAME and ADDRESS in BLOCK CAPITALS so that we can correctly
identify you. Our records are accessed and filed by means of the customer names
and an indecipherable signature, with no further identification, will
inevitably cause delays in dealing with a progress or payment query.
What to return
If you can positively identify the item or items causing the problem, it is only
necesary to return those particular parts of the system. The best way to
identify faulty units is to substitute the suspect unit with a known working
item. This is easy in the case of servos as you usually have more than one, but
if you have no substitute parts available, modelling friends can sometimes be
coerced into lending their units for test purposes. Work methodically through
the system, substituting suspect items ONE at a time until the faulty item is
identified. It is also a good idea to remove items from the model and test on
the bench, in case the installation is the cause of the problem. Be careful not
to jump to conclusions. Once you have identified the faulty item, return all of
that item. For example, if you have identified the faulty item as the
transmitter, do not remove the battery before dispatch as that may be the very
part causing the trouble.
We reserve the right not to service or repair any JR product not originally
supplied by us when such items are accepted an additional service charge will
apply.
Cost effective?
Be realistic in your expectations of repair costs. Common sense suggests that
spending ten pounds on labour, plus return post and packaging, plus VAT on an
item that costs say twenty pounds new in model shop, is not money well spent.
Estimates
Upon receipt, all items sent for repair are examined and a full written report
is given detailing the test results, any necessary repairs and the associated
costs. Since any fault diagnosis usually involves effecting a repair, we do not
normally send an estimate before completing the work. If you specify that you
require and estimate only, we will endeavour to give one but the figure is
necessarily approximate. Please note that in the case of an examination where
no fault is found, the investigation cost must still be paid in full.
Please note that in the case of an examination where no fault is found, the
investigation cost must still be paid in full.
Payment
Payment may be made by Cheque, Postal Order, Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard or
American Express) or by Debit Card. Credit and Debit Card payments are accepted
by telephone. For Visa, Mastercard and American Express, the card number and
expiry date are needed. For Debit Cards, the card number, the issue and expiry
date are required and for a Switch card the card issue number is also required.
The name and address of the cardholder is required for all card transactions.
Once payment is received, the goods are returned to you by a secure postal
method. If you can provide a business address we can alternatively send the
parcel using the Securicor 24 hour service . If we advise that the repair is
uneconomic, our only charge is the return post and packaging.
Routine Servicing
Radio equipment does need servicing in the way that cars do. Eletrical component
failure, while very rare is usually instanteous and catastophic. This means
that a successful check for correct operation does not guarantee that the
correct operation will continue. Even a worn item such as a feedback pot on a
servo can pass testing with flying colours and yet still fail shortly
afterwards.
The only parts of a radio system that can benefit from routine checking are the
transmitter and receiver Ni-Cad batteries, to verify their overall capacity,
plus all electrical connections such as plugs and sockets or switches, to
confirm that they have a reasonably low contact resistance. If you follow the
advice from the “Looking after you Ni-Cads” and “Onboard Ni-Cad Monitors” articles on this website you will be doing this automatically at every
modelling session.
DIY Checks
1. The crystals are the most fragile parts of a radio control system. Suspect
the receiver crystal first if the system misbehaves.
2. Eliminate the switch harness by pluging the Ni-Cad battery directly into the
receiver.
3. If the transmitter is dead, check whether the fuse is blown. The fuse is
usually accessed by removing the transmitter back cover.
4. Ensure that the transmiiter and receiver modulation systems correspond. PPM, “S” PCM or “Z” PCM.
5. If a recently modified system fails to work, do check that the transmitter
and receiver crystals are for the same frequency.
6. On older systems, if one channel is locked at neutral, check the channel
reversing switch for that channel. It may be half way between forward and
reverse and moving it one way or the other will effect a cure.
