GY401 - Fakes

[rcollector]

Are you guys sure about this security screw thing. I got a used GY401 on ebay and it had plain screws. It was very old and dirty looking so I figured it was probably not a fake. I saw the thing about the screws, mine had plain screws so I got worried and opened it up. Every aspect of the boards inside and connections are identical in every way to a known genuine one I have including a big chip that is mostly covered by the way it is inslalled. I can clearly read the first three letters Fut on this chip that is inside it. On the fakes they have a big steel nut where this chip is and the boards look nothing like the genuine futaba. It seems to work good and I do know the differance .

[SYMAWD]

Originally Posted by rcollector

Are you guys sure about this security screw thing. I got a used GY401 on ebay and it had plain screws. It was very old and dirty looking so I figured it was probably not a fake. I saw the thing about the screws, mine had plain screws so I got worried and opened it up. Every aspect of the boards inside and connections are identical in every way to a known genuine one I have including a big chip that is mostly covered by the way it is inslalled. I can clearly read the first three letters Fut on this chip that is inside it. On the fakes they have a big steel nut where this chip is and the boards look nothing like the genuine futaba. It seems to work good and I do know the differance .

It's possible that the original owner replaced the screws, but they should come from Futaba with the 3 blade screws. I know mine has the 3 blade screws.

[rcollector]

Could the real early ones have come with Phillips screws? Seems there is no question the new futaba 401 uses security screws but futaba doesn't mention anything on it's web page on identifying fakes about the screws.

[cctvflyer]

I have to agree with rcollector, I don't have a single 401 with that type of screw. All of mine are phillips. I do have one of the fake 401s, it came on a heli I bought, it has the silver connectors. Doesn't work very well, tail won't lock down, either too much gain or not enough. It's almost like the old piezo gyros where it starts drifting when things warm up a bit.

[SYMAWD]

Originally Posted by rcollector

Could the real early ones have come with Phillips screws? Seems there is no question the new futaba 401 uses security screws but futaba doesn't mention anything on it's web page on identifying fakes about the screws.

I'll email Futaba and see what they say.

[SYMAWD]

Futaba says if it has phillips, it's counterfeit.

[1DavidH]

Originally Posted by rcollector

Are you guys sure about this security screw thing. I got a used GY401 on ebay and it had plain screws. It was very old and dirty looking so I figured it was probably not a fake. I saw the thing about the screws, mine had plain screws so I got worried and opened it up. Every aspect of the boards inside and connections are identical in every way to a known genuine one I have including a big chip that is mostly covered by the way it is inslalled. I can clearly read the first three letters Fut on this chip that is inside it. On the fakes they have a big steel nut where this chip is and the boards look nothing like the genuine futaba. It seems to work good and I do know the differance .

All the GY 401's I had ( three) had phillips screws holding the top and bottom case together.These 401's were purchased from Hobbico when the GY 401's first came on the market. At the time I was a Futaba team pilot. The GY 601's I had also had phillips screws holding the case together. Maybe Futaba changed what type screws they used, but they have used phillips screws also. Futaba connectors will always be gold color.
Gold-plated terminals improve conductivity and prevent oxidation for
longer lifespan.

[rcollector]

Originally Posted by SYMAWD

Futaba says if it has phillips, it's counterfeit.

Hmm, mine is a pretty darn good counterfeit if it is a counterfeit. It is identical in every way internally and works as good as the original.....

[SYMAWD]

Originally Posted by rcollector

Hmm, mine is a pretty darn good counterfeit if it is a counterfeit. It is identical in every way internally and works as good as the original.....

Then Futaba lied to me.

[rcollector]

That's what it sounds like to me. If I was the only one I would say the screws have been replaced but what about 1DavidH, pretty convincing. Maybe they just want to sell even more gyros? Who knows. Here is a long thread at rc groups also on this subject http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1296848 SYMAWD ,I see you are involved in the discussion. I am in no way trying to stirr up trouble. I just can't figure out why mine works so good, looks identical inside and has phillips screws. My other helis have a JR g7703d and GY520 and this 401 holds the tail as well...I used to fly with xmhobbie G401b's so I am also familiar with the performance of cheap gyro's. As I said before though maybe mine is a real good clone. Can someone here confirm that there are clones that look identical inside, even have futaba lettering on the large black chip inside? What the heck, maybe mine was crashed and they replaced the case with one from a fake?

The bottom of page three of the rc groups thread has some good photos of a bad fake....

[rcollector]

Here are some photos of the insides of a real one http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/attac...mentid=3141785

[cjshaker]

I am an example. I just purchased what turned out to be a fake Futaba GY401 on eBay from HOBBY HOBBY.STORES. I had installed it on my Blade 400, but had not yet test flown it. Seemed to work, so I gave the seller full marks in feedback.

Another guy who also purchased a gyro from the same seller contacted me and asked me if mine was a fake. After reading the Futaba web page on fakes, I assumed because it had gold connectors that it was real. WRONG.

http://www.futaba-rc.com/techsupport/counterfeit.html

Dug out a known good Futaba GY401 that I purchased a couple of years ago for my Trex 450SE. Differences are: Fake uses phillips screws. Real one has tri bladed security screws. Also, the product numbers on the bottom of the plastic case are different. On the FAKE, the numbers are "07101492-1", and "GY401-020". On the real Futaba gyro, the numbers on the bottom of the case are "01101472-1", and "GY401-001".

Chris Shaker

[cjshaker]

Just got my money back from the seller of the take GY401 Gyro... Thank you eBay!

Chris Shaker

[Volcano]

How does futaba still sell gy 401 at their prices anyways. A quark is much cheaper somehow?

[ozvena]

So this is FAKE?

1) http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...ht_1982wt_1795

The seller does not know if they are fake or authentic so I asked if they come from china or LBS. Her responded:

"I get them from a guy that works at the local Hobbytown. He will not say where he gets them from. I was able to get 5 of them from him 3 weeks ago and this is the last one I have until he lets me know he has more. "

How about this one?

2) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Futaba-GY401...#ht_948wt_1274

I guess the font on the side of the box can't be used to determine the fake in these two cases.

Originally Posted by davebz

In addition to the connector tangs being silver instead of gold, Futaba says the "401" font used on the paperboard package is different - it's a very minor difference, but their site shows pics of each for comparison:

http://www.futabarc.com/techsupport/counterfeit.html

Note that Futaba also says some servos are also fakes on that webpage
------------------

The imitations and their packaging are visibly different than the true Futaba items. Refer to the photographs below to learn how you can easily tell between them.
GY401 Gyro Comparison

1. Compare the GY401 packages.

The "GY401" type fonts are different.
2. Examine the plating on the gyro connector terminals.

The terminals on the genuine Futaba gyros are gold-plated to lower contact resistance. Those on the counterfeit versions are silver.
S9254 & S9257 Servo Comparison

Differences can be found in the plating on the servo connector terminals and in the shapes of the grommets.

1. Connector terminals on the genuine Futaba servo is gold-plated to lower contact resistance. Those on the counterfeit version are silver.
2. The grommet on the counterfeit servo is slightly shorter than that on the genuine Futaba product.

[Thalios]

Just get a spartan Quark for 10$ more?

Really, at 72$ for a possible fake gy401, get a spartan quark for 90$ when on sale?

[Old_tech]

Lucky me got my Futaba GY401 in the mail today.
Decided to open it up and take some pictures for you guys.
Tell you what, it could be taken as genuine except for the big nut in the middle, and the word "ues" instead of "use" on the card as read from the bottom of the clear plastic housing.
Mine weighs 25 grams, not 27 as stated in the manual that came with the gyro.
Philips head screws, and gold plated connectors.

[PcChip]

genuine question: why do people still pay $60 for a tail gyro when you can get a FBL gyro for the same price and only use the tail portion of the gyro, until you later upgrade your head to FBL then use the rest of it?

[Inverse]

Why are people still buying 401s when you can get a second hand Quark?