Receiver quandary
 

Any experiences to share with the Spektrum AR6115e receivers? I need a compact end pin receiver for a 1/2A, and this seems my only choice from Spektrum.

Bad idea? Okay? This is for the Blink in the other thread. There is rather limited radio gear space.

Previously I used 72mHz on a Berg 4L Rx, with the antenna routed internally around the perimeter of the airframe. I would much prefer to go 2.4 this time around.

I flew one in a flat foamie for quite some time with no problems at all - until I "parked" the foamie in the top of an 80' tall tree.. it took a thunderstorm to knock the plane out of the tree. Even after a couple of days up in the tree, the ESC, servos, and RX are still working fine. I managed to see the plane just after it came out of the tree, so it didn't get too much rain on it.

Too bad you don't have room for the little AR400 - I loaned mine to a buddy for his "fun fighter" electric corsair and he's having great luck with it, too.

Have you seen the Orange receivers from HK. The are end pin, and quite cheap. I got a few that I will try soon, and they get smaller and lighter if the case is removed. $6.

Mike -

You might want to look into the Lemon RX. I've been using the Orange RX from Hobbyking, but the Lemon RX is a different offering and produced by another manufacturing unit. There is a 100 page thread in RCG about this receiver and it is one of the most complimentary threads I've read. Good performance, good customer support.

Pricing is 5 RXs for $26 USD (or 1 for $5.75) and the performance is on par or better than the Spectrum brand RX. These are available in several configurations - end pin, vertical pin, no pin.

Lemon thread

Lemon On-line Store

Cool - thanks all.

Update - very interesting thread! For the price I took the risk and ordered some, plus a 3-pack of 40A speed controllers.

If they work reliably with a 33k rpm glow engine buzzing the crap out of an 8oz Blink delta, then I'll give them my blessing FWIW.

I use lemonRX and orange rx from HK. I would never spend that kinda money on REAL spektrum stuff.

For a while I thought a $39.95 receiver was a bargain.

If you have room (and the Blink is pretty compact), wrap the RX in the small Bubblewrap -- the air suspension will give better vibration isolation than any foam you could find.

It can probably handle about 1/8" of padding at best. Very tight in there! We'll see once I get those receivers.

I have flown a few of the orange receivers in foamys but wouldn't fly one in anything I had more than an hour of my time in building or more than $50 invested in.. Not worth it..

Reports are pretty positive on these Lemon Rx. Unless it's a case of bargain fever.

But really, Is it so difficult choose brand names that actually appeal to Westerners? Or at least won't end up at the wrong end of a smart comment? :)

My guess is that they don't really care since N. American dollars are being shipped by freight train loads to Asian banks while the electronics industry on this continent has shrunk to next to nothing.

Why do you say that? have you have issues with them? I've had more issues with name-brand spektrum then I have with the others. Both times I had brownouts though was the same day at the same field.

Almost all receivers, motors and radios are made in Asia. The bigger names support them better. Mostly the same components are used. If you want support, go with a brand name, If you buy two extra and it still costs less than the big names, that is you choice. (mine usually) I would be wary of using the Oraange or Lemon receivers on anything over a .40, just because of the size, not the manufacturer. Maybe that is just me though.

I was wondering the same. One of the frequent flyers at our field has replaced his Spektrum receivers with the 6ch OrangeRX because he has had less trouble with the Orange brand. He is a digital design engineer by trade and has said essentially the same thing posted by aspeed - the primary chips are the same across brands. Because his company must source components out of China, they deal with only one or two firms and chip firmware doesn't change much.

That being said, the RCG thread on the Lemon brand seems to indicate that the Lemon is being fabricated to higher QC standards and that the company is very responsive to customer needs and requests --- something that Orange is not. Based on human nature, if the Lemon were sub-par, there would be a lot of folks griping about it.

The Lemon site has a short video on the manufacturing process involved --- for those interested, it's a good view.

This pricing more accurately reflects the relative cost of production without the cost of Western-oriented fancy retail packaging, import, warehousing, distributor/retailer margins, marketing, bla bla..

There is natural skepticism when products we are familiar with are sold for what we perceive as bargain basement prices, but there is no reason it could not be good quality despite the sticker price. If it works as people say, then that is about all there is to it. I'll find out soon enough I guess!

And development and product support bla bla

So far according to the thread linked above, they have scored well in the development and product support category, looks like they've turned around new configurations in short order based on direct input from consumers. I might not like the stuff once I get it.. but at the moment I am optimistic that I will be satisfied with the value.

Tossing out a defective $6 receiver costs me less money and aggravation than trying to get a replacement for a $40 receiver purchased locally. It is an hour drive to any LHS from here, and generally they say to send it to the manufacturer anyway. One of the perks of warranty coverage (and promotional deals) for the manufacturer is the relatively low percentage of redemption.

I have had more problems with receivers marketed by North American distributors/retailers than anything else anyhow - FMA M5, Berg 4L are particular examples, each one has cost me a model while other examples are fine. No trouble with any Spektrum stuff so far, knock on wood.

I use the AR6115e on both of my Align T-Rex 450 helis and my Stevens Aero Squirt and have had no issue at all with them. Granted I'm not getting 2000' away, but they still have perfect connection at 300' for the heli's (about the safe limit for a 450 class Heli before it's too small for orientation), and the squirt at well over 600'. While I have not used them with glow power (everything is electric powered), there is a lot of metal spinning around with the heads and tail rotors, and carbon frames to deal with with the heli's. I have had no issue with binding them, and never had any issue with connecting and keeping the link - no frame drops at all. I use a DX8 transmitter.

Hogflyer

And I regularly fly parkies with park flier receivers out to vision limits. I'm sure I am comfortable with the range even if the aircraft needs a little bigger park than most. I think what worries me is the harsh environment. I would think physical construction and component durability would be similar.

So what is it that makes this "designed for park flyers" only, is it strictly range or other characteristics? I'm not sure I really know, considering the cost associated to likes of the Lemon RX and other mail order imports. Are we saving a few grams in payment for range? I guess so.

I just got my paws on a AR400 4-ch full range receiver. It's physically smaller than the AR6115e, the pins are vertical, not end pins like the AR6115e. I know guys flying them in Quickie's and sport planes say they have been as reliable as the AR600. Price through Hobby Town where the one I have came from is $29.99.

Hogflyer

I'm backed in a corner on the Blink, the profile is so thin I really need the end pin style. I'm out of town right now (Biz trip - I'm staring at the mountains out my hotel room window in Vegas, daddy needs a couple of hour nap. Say no more,,) so I can't look to remind myself the model numbers, but I have maybe 3 or 4 of the small Spektrum receivers in various models and I don't even think about them because they have done their job without a hitch so far.

Have your receivers come in yet? I ordered a 5 pack some time after your's were ordered, but have not gotten them in.

Nothing yet..

Mine took 22 days. Got them in July from HK with an AP .15, a couple LiFe batteries and a step up voltage regulator. First purchase from them, I was worried with all the bad publicity it gets, but I thought 3 weeks was goodish.