Upgrading your Futaba 9C to 2.4gig

As recorded elsewhere I bought a 2.4gig plug-in module from Hobby King for my Futaba 9CP and was surprised when it didn't work with my Futaba or Orange RX's!
Since my philosophy is that a piece of equipment that doesn't work must be fixed or binned I decided to buy the correct Assan RX's. There are a number on offer, I chose 2 X8R6M and 1 X8R, the former weighs in at 4.4gm and the latter at 31gm. The X8R6M has a range of 300 to 800metres and the X8R 1km to 6km, I'm guessing that the X8R6M would be classified as a Park flyer type.
I installed the X8R6M with the Bind plug and switched on, nothing! Then I read the instructions, still nothing.
The instructions tell you to switch on the TX in PPM mode and move the control stick for channel 2 twice, the red led on the TX module will blinking quickly! Nope! After a search on the Internet I found one reference to moving the stick continuously, still nothing!
Finally, more by accident than design I pulled the stick to full up, switched on, and moved the stick continuously, bingo the red led was blinking quickly! Switched on the RX and success, Bind!

I'm guessing that the receiver was seeing the throttle reversed, so 'idle' was full chat, and v/v, so for safety reasons, it didn't 'start' until you reversed the stick position.
Futaba's all seem to need a reverse throttle with a 'foreign' receiver, for some reason!

This would be Ok if the throttle was Channel 2, it isn't, it's 1 or 3 depending on which flavour you are! Also, I had already done the full setup on 35meg to try and circumvent any problems. Once it was bound (binded) everything worked as it should!
Which of course gives rise to another problem, the bind plug bridges channel 1 and 3 which means you end up plugging your ESC into any other channel, if it binds and you've plugged into channel 4 you've immediately got half throttle! And the so called manual does not tell you to remove the prop! For safety reasons I never mount the prop until the final CoG adjustments!
My advice to anyone is use an old 4 or 5 cell RX battery for setting up, or, of course, get yourself a small Ubec for testing.

:Use FrSky in mine, very reasonable initial cost and rc's reasonable price too. Guy who flies with the DP use's them and put me on to them. Been using them couple years now, bullet proof so far.

Here's a pic of some different RX's



The Orange and Futaba are roughly equal at 8.75 and 9.2gm respectively.

Have you forgotten something?

Do you know Owen, you COULD be right


Garry

Here's a pic of some different RX's



The Orange and Futaba are roughly equal at 8.75 and 9.2gm respectively.

Klipkopwildlife wrote: I chose 2 X8R6M and 1 X8R, the former weighs in at 4.4gm and the latter at 31gm. The X8R6M has a range of 300 to 800metres and the X8R 1km to 6km, I'm guessing that the X8R6M would be classified as a Park flyer type.

I have never really understood this logic. Assuming that the 'Park Flier' Rx passes a low power range check, then as the inverse square law applies (the laws of physics don't change because of the label), its range should be the same as any other 'Standard' Rx which passes the same range check - assuming that you are walking out to the same limits of the Tx low power range check mode. I normally walk out about 75-100m and don't usually experience problems.

I have a couple of Futaba/RipMax 'Park flyer' S-FHSS Receivers and flown them out in an electric glider to several hundred metres - maybe over 1km away with no apparent loss of signal.

Now - Park Flier Transmitters I do understand.

Martyn - it is more selectivity and noise rejection, than true range. There is no such thing as a powerful receiver!
The power comes from the transmitter, as you are well aware.
In a perfectly silent rf environment, the crudest receiver would work well, but in modern society, there is no such thing as a silent rf environment!
There are more clicks, pops, howls, whines, buzzes, etc than you are lead to believe - until you listen!

I think the reason for the extra weight in the X8R will be the filters and extra amplifier stages in order to get the selectivity required at that long distance.