Futaba T8FG Transmitter Review

[Mercuriell]

Thanks for the kind words Jim - the gyro menus are a bit confusing if you're not used to them - the key is making sure that the gyro gain channel on your receiver is matched to the same channel as the SBUS gyro gain channel and then setting different rates in one of the five different pages of settings possible - I will get a vid done ASAP but I'm packing tonight for a week in Thailand doing as much heli flying as possible

[Mercuriell]

OK - quick and dirty video on setting the gyro gain and switching on the CGY750 using the 8FG transmitter

Video - Gyro gain setting on CGY750 using T8FG - wmv 188MB

[kittiwat1]

Hi John,
There is a heli flying competiion in Bangkok this weekend on April 23-24. I can get more info. for you if interested.
Kittiwat

[Mercuriell]

Originally Posted by kittiwat1

Hi John,
There is a heli flying competiion in Bangkok this weekend on April 23-24. I can get more info. for you if interested.
Kittiwat

Yes, RC Thai 3D ranking !!! I should be there on Sunday with Khun Kasama
, come and say Sawadee, I'll be wearing my Helifreak T shirt

[kittiwat1]

That's the one. Is K. Kasama the founder/owner of Srimok heli brand ? Unfortunately, I could only attend on Saturday and that's still a may be, so hopefully will see you in the next competition sometime. Have fun during your time in Thailand.
Kittiwat

[OverTemp]

I just read through the manual of my new 8FG on a plane trip... Wow. I don't even really need the 12Z with this thing!

I almost wish I had a flybarred Heli so I could try out all the AWESOME looking swash compensation features... Head and shoulders better than the 9503 I just sold!

[HugoCraft]

I'm a futaba noob, but which RX's are 2048 if you run all digital servos? Trying to figure out which one is the cheapiest

[Col789]

Thanks John, with these videos I learnt the Futaba menu 'logic' and I setup my 450 in no time.

[AcidDrink]

Thanks for the videos, I just got mine a couple of days ago and it's a fantastic radio.

[salasgr]

Has anyone setup this transmitter with Multigov pro? I would like to ask if I have to assign a switch for gov from function menu on ch7?

[jpooch00]

My radio is a brand new 8FGHS Super.

When I have selected the heli H-1 swash and go to the link menu then the servo page, I notice that channel 3 (throttle) & 6 (pitch) can not be made to read 0 at the same time at any stick position. When I center the stick to try to reach zero on both channels, if 3 is zeroed, then 6 shows +3 and vice-versa. Shouldn't they both show 0 with the throttle/pitch stick centered? I think that they could both be zeroed at the same time when I first got the radio, but I may be mistaken.

I did the stick calibration thing, but it didn't help.

All sub trims and mixing are zero. Is this a problem??

Thanks in advance.

[Mercuriell]

What are your channels 3 & 6 set to? Do you have any mixes ?

[jpooch00]

Originally Posted by Mercuriell

What are your channels 3 & 6 set to? Do you have any mixes ?

3 = throttle, 6 = pitch. Swash set to H-1 No mixes

I also re-worded my OP for clarification. Also sent the same question to Futaba tech support, but no reply yet.

Thanks for the help

[lucien]

Originally Posted by jpooch00

3 = throttle, 6 = pitch. Swash set to H-1 No mixes

I also re-worded my OP for clarification. Also sent the same question to Futaba tech support, but no reply yet.

Thanks for the help

Interesting. My 8FG (super) is off by 8 points with swash set to H-1. When 3 is at zero, channel 6 is +8... The end points line up at +/- 100, but the two aren't completely coordinated inside that range..

Strange..

LS

[lucien]

By the way, it could just be an ever so slight non-linearity in the stock pitch curve right around center stick. Doesn't look like a big deal to me....

LS

[jpooch00]

Originally Posted by lucien

Interesting. My 8FG (super) is off by 8 points with swash set to H-1. When 3 is at zero, channel 6 is +8... The end points line up at +/- 100, but the two aren't completely coordinated inside that range..

Strange..

LS

Originally Posted by lucien

By the way, it could just be an ever so slight non-linearity in the stock pitch curve right around center stick. Doesn't look like a big deal to me....

LS

I also just noticed that when I change the idle up condition, the pitch also changes by a few points. I switched the swash to HR3 and the pitch, ail & ele servos all change by different amounts when I change the idle up condition (right now the pitch curves are the same in all conditions) and none are ever zeroed when the throttle/pitch stick is centered. Plus, each individual servo changes by a different amount, not the same amount for all of them, so with the HR3 swash selected it would become un-leveled by different amounts depending on which idle up condition was selected. Really weird.

Additionally, while setting up the swash leveling there was some kind of non-linear mixing going on with the pitch + aileron servos that resulted in a decrease in overall collective pitch when the stick was moved right or left that I was never able to mix out. This was on a T-Rex 700N FBL 3G and when I went through the FBL unit setup it did all kinds of strange moves.

I called Futaba and talked to a tech and he said he'd never seen or heard of this happening and advised me not to use the radio.

Hopefully this isn't some new software bug and it's just an isolated issue in this one radio. I assume that's the case since nobody here has mentioned similar experiences.

I arranged for a complete replacement system from Hobby Hut. They really have an excellent customer satisfaction policy.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by jpooch00

I also just noticed that when I change the idle up condition, the pitch also changes by a few points. I switched the swash to HR3 and the pitch, ail & ele servos all change by different amounts when I change the idle up condition (right now the pitch curves are the same in all conditions) and none are ever zeroed when the throttle/pitch stick is centered. Plus, each individual servo changes by a different amount, not the same amount for all of them, so with the HR3 swash selected it would become un-leveled by different amounts depending on which idle up condition was selected. Really weird.

Additionally, while setting up the swash leveling there was some kind of non-linear mixing going on with the pitch + aileron servos that resulted in a decrease in overall collective pitch when the stick was moved right or left that I was never able to mix out. This was on a T-Rex 700N FBL 3G and when I went through the FBL unit setup it did all kinds of strange moves.

I called Futaba and talked to a tech and he said he'd never seen or heard of this happening and advised me not to use the radio.

Hopefully this isn't some new software bug and it's just an isolated issue in this one radio. I assume that's the case since nobody here has mentioned similar experiences.

I arranged for a complete replacement system from Hobby Hut. They really have an excellent customer satisfaction policy.

On mine it's just the throttle (3) that's off from everything else. In HR3, aileron, elevator and pitch are spot-on with each other when I raise and lower the throttle. And moving aileron, the aileron and pitch servos move the same amount.
At least that's what the numbers say; I don't have my heli yet.

So I dunno. As a SW developer I'd call the offness thing with the throttle channel a bug, but a pretty minor one. But non-linear movement of the ail/ele/pitch servos in HR3, yeah, that's bad....

LS

[lucien]

Never mind - I found the issue on mine. The two volume controls (LD and RD) trim the pitch and throttle curves (by default, as I just found out) around center stick in normal mode. You can put a hump or dip in the curves with them (this was how my old 8 channel FUT worked too, I'll be darned).

They turn off in the idleup's though and the curves are straight as an arrow there.

So, make sure the volume controls are centered in normal mode. Then everything is spot-on.....

How embarrassing... I never noticed this was enable from the get-go (and I actually like this)

LS

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by lucien

Never mind - I found the issue on mine. The two volume controls (LD and RD) trim the pitch and throttle curves (by default, as I just found out) around center stick in normal mode. You can put a hump or dip in the curves with them (this was how my old 8 channel FUT worked too, I'll be darned).

They turn off in the idleup's though and the curves are straight as an arrow there.

So, make sure the volume controls are centered in normal mode. Then everything is spot-on.....

How embarrassing... I never noticed this was enable from the get-go (and I actually like this)

LS

Actually, you don't have to make sure they are centered. Just remove LD and RD from the switch assignment for that function. Additionally, INH(ibit) the function so it is not active.

[jpooch00]

Originally Posted by lucien

Never mind - I found the issue on mine. The two volume controls (LD and RD) trim the pitch and throttle curves (by default, as I just found out) around center stick in normal mode. You can put a hump or dip in the curves with them (this was how my old 8 channel FUT worked too, I'll be darned).

They turn off in the idleup's though and the curves are straight as an arrow there.

So, make sure the volume controls are centered in normal mode. Then everything is spot-on.....

How embarrassing... I never noticed this was enable from the get-go (and I actually like this)

LS

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Actually, you don't have to make sure they are centered. Just remove LD and RD from the switch assignment for that function. Additionally, INH(ibit) the function so it is not active.

Yep, that was the problem on mine too. One of the good folks, Speaker, on a different thread that I posted on nailed it.

Many thanks and best wishes to all of you for offering your opinions, comments and help to a noob with a lot to learn!

This forum rocks!!