Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

I can't seem to get a clear answer. Will this remote work with FMS and XP?

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

If you use a SERIAL or USB interface, it should work. Forget about the Parallel working with XP.

As per the FMS website:
http://www.tti-us.com/sim/faq.html#S1

KB

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

I personally could not get it to work, but Truflight is fine.

Steve

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Mine works with XP, serial port. Try removing the crystal, next turn on the transmitter, then start the program. Sometimes I would also have to press the little red button located at top left of transmitter.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Sorry, meant to say Parallel port.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi,
I’ve also been trying to get a Zhen Hua PCM-4CH Tx to work with both FMS and Pre-flight. Like many others I bought a Jabo helicopter from China via an ebay seller based in Hong Kong.

The manual doesn’t say how the buddy port is meant to work but a buddy port cable was included in the box. I didn’t get any Sim. Software (it wasn’t mentioned in the advert so I got what I expected)

There are a few references in various forums to a “little red button” which needs to be in before the Serial Port will connect. There are also references to setting switch #5 in the battery compartment for the models of the PCM-4CH Tx that doesn’t have the “little red switch”.

Mine has neither but it does have a cutout in the battery compartment and solder pads where a DIP switch could go! (There's a couple of images appended to this post to show what I mean about the cutout)

I plan to solder a switch between the pads corresponding to where DIP switch #5 would be. Problem is, I only have the one transmitter so this is a last resort.

Has anybody out there who may have come across this before and maybe got one of the sims to work using the same Tx? Craig, who appended “another zhen hua radio? “ to the “Hilicopter Beginners Forum as stirlingnut on 10/5/2003 at 8:10:01 AM, never got it working. Maybe someone (if you have your Tx in bits for some reason) could post a picture of the circuit board just so that we can see how similar the PCB track layout seems to be. My guess is that Zhen Hua have simply not fitted a DIP switch.

Any help would be really appreciated.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi,

I've the same problem dave_B has.
My Zhen hua PCM-4CH Tx doesn't work
with FMS and Pre-flight as well.

dave_B, I've taken a look at the zhen hua
radiocontrol and Ihaven't found any red button
or any set of switches, but there is a cutoff in the battery
compartment where the switches could go.

I've tried to monitor the serial line by an electronic
scopemeter but no signals seems to flow out from
the radio-control.

There is a chipset, (inside the zhen hua RC) that
manages all the signal for the serial line but its
code has been deleted. Can you see that code
on your RC? If we could have a tehcnical manual
of the zhen hua rc or the address of the main
manufacturer/retailer we could solve this odd
problem

Bye

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

The ID has also been erased (never put on?) on my chipset. The logic card has the ID ZH2003FA etched on it and the attached picture shows the card.

The etch ID could (I guess) just mean Z(hen) H(ua), year (2003) and the FA the batch/type of card.

There are tracks between the chipset and the position where the DIP switch would go. There is also a circular hole, which you can feel, concealed beneath the silver trim on the top left hand side of the Transmitter.

Does anyone who has got this to work, perhaps, got a note of the etch on the logic card. If the etch ID is the same then I might take a risk and put a DIP switch in (It's my son's Christmas Present so I need to be careful about this one!)

It could also be that the "red switch" which has been referred to, is simply a switch which provides a short across when DIP switch position #5 would be. Anyone confirm?

I have searched but can not find any technical reference for this particular transmitter. The basic "setup" manual only refers to Simulator Software but makes no mention of how to use the buddy socket.

If anyone out there has any ideas zuliani71 and me are going to be really grateful!

Cheers, Dave

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Ok my Rc is the same as yours (the same logic ID card as well)
I've followed up, with an electronic scope meter,
the electric signals coming out from the serial port and I've found
out that only one of the four cahnnels is plugged
for sending out signals: only the left-right channel control is used
for that (right stick on the Zhen Hua front pannel). Very bad surprise.
That means if we could activate, in some manner, the RC control, we could
use only one of the 4 channels.
I hope that shorting accross the dip switch position #5 will help us, but I'm
not so confident about that

Bye

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

I have the same setup on my tx, no red button or dip switches. I didn't have any problems hooking it up on my 98SE pc. Just installed the program, hooked up the cable and opened the sim. Don't know if it works on an XP machine as my laptop doesn't have the IO connector needed. I saw another post saying you have to use the compatability wizard to get it to work with XP.

Walt

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi Walt,

I have W98SE so should also have worked for me. Could you let us have any other relevant info (BAUD rate settings, whether or not you removed the Xtal, maybe the version of FMS you're using?)

I'm still resisting my temptation to reach for a soldering iron and trying a short where the "red switch" on other models may have been connected.

Cheers, Dave

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi,
There are joystick emulator softwares for windowsXP. I dont know if it works with Zhen Hua PCM Tx or not since my heli doesnt come with buddy port cable.
For Parallel use PPJoy, for Serial use PicJoy.
Link: http://www.tti-us.com/sim/picjoy.html
BTW, I have the same Zhen-Hua TX without red button/dip switch.
Does any one know where I can purchase buddy port cable for this Tx? I have looked at ebay but none matched.
Hope this help.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Dave,

I'm using the TrueFlight V.2 that came with the Dragonfly. Not sure about Baud Rates, didn't remove anything(not sure what an Xtal is).
I just swapped my tx over to mode 2 today. Went pretty easy, no soldering if your careful. Here's the process:
1. Open back of tx (six screws).
2. Unscrew antenna wire or you'll break it off and have to resolder it (I found out the hard way).
3. Carefully lift out pc board.
4. Swap the center 2 of the 4 connectors.
5. Reinsert pc board and reconnect antenna.
6. Swap centering spring and throttle friction plate.
I had to disassemble the right gimbal to hookup the spring.
I also sanded the teeth off of the throttle friction to get rid of the choppiness in the throttle.

While I had the tx open I noticed that the recharging connector is connected to the pc board. Do you know if this will work to recharge the tx batteries, if I got a charger and NiCads for it?

Walt

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Rick,

I checked out my cable and if you can't find one, I think it would be easy enough to make one. The connectors are just a male S-Video and a female 9 pin. Pin connections are as follows:
SVGA pin 1 to pin 4
SVGA pin 2 to pin 2
SVGA pin 3 to pin 7
SVGA pin 4 to pin 5

Walt

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Wacachu2,
Thanks for the info.
I will to make cable s-video/9-pin and probably will try with WinXP using emulator software stated in previous post.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi Walt

Thanks for the recommend, and detailed instructions, on how to change to Mode 2. Until recently I didn't know about the three stick configuration modes - nor that Mode 2 was the most popular! (I'm a total novice at RC flying!)

The big problem I have is that I didn't get any sim. with the JABO heli. I bought (not part of the package) and the manual I got with it says simply "Setup the 3D Flight Simulator Software (our company does not provide this software)".

I've also been trying to get some recommendations on setup of the buddy socket and/or sim. software recommendations from the manufacturer but I have had no response from the [email protected] address that is given in the manual.

I don't really want to buy TrueFlight without knowing its going to work with the Transmitter and both FMS and PreFlight both seem like great (FREE) SIM packages.

Oh well, I live and learn from not reading the forums before buying - and, as a novice, perhaps I should have bought from a store where there is some support (ebay is great for prices though!)

I also saw the socket on the rear of the Tx. I'm using NiMH batteries in any case - but I use external mains chargers.

I guessed that the socket might be provided so as to be able to use an external supply (12V dc?) when using the buddy socket. I thought that NI-Cd and NI-MH chargers had a little more logic in terms of battery conditioning so I didn't consider a DC supply to try to charge the batteries at the same time as using the buddy socket. I guess it's possible to design a NI-MH charger which would provide the correct battery conditioning, charging current and time of charge - at the same time as enabling the transmitter to be used with a simulator. I don't imagine that this is commercially available but it wouldn't surprise me if there are a dozen posts to correct me!!


(ps: Sorry about my shorthand of Xtal for the plug in Crystal (?) marked ZH 72.550TX FM 38 on my Transmitter)

Thanks again for the tips / pointers.
Dave

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Dave,

I've been fooling around with RC fixed wing stuff on and off for about 25 years now, so the throttle on the right stick really messed me up, LOL. I don't think I'd ever get off the ground in mode 1, even though I tried hard on the sim.

I haven't checked out the other sims yet. Where can you get the FREE sims? TrueFlight is okay, but it isn't that great, so if you like one of the others, I'd stick with it instead of buying TrueFlight.

When using the transmitter with the buddycord for the sim, you don't have to turn it on, so you don't have to worry about running down the batteries. As a matter of fact if your using it as a buddy trainer, you shouldn't turn it on because it will interfere with the main transmitter! On transmitters with built in rechargeable batteries, they provide a charger that plugs into the socket so you can recharge at home after a day at the field. I have some for my planes that may work, so I might try it out. I also have a external charger, but it would be easier if I don't have to pull all those batteries out every time to recharge them.

Walt

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi Walt

Thanks for the tips.

Regarding the FREE sims, try http://fms.pathbot.com for FMS and http://www.preflightsim.com.

I've just checked that both links work OK.

My son prefers FMS (of course he can only use the keyboard but that's the whole subject of the thread ...) but there are people in this forum who have sung praises of both the free sims.

You'll have fun downloading and trying these out.

Cheers, Dave

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Perleeeessssseeeeeee,
I have used FMS I'm of the opinion that it may be useful for a novice but it's no good for learning to fly electric helis. The program is too simplistic and slow to mimic the real flight charactaristics of an electric heli.
But then you get what you pay for!
I'm going to try Reflex next then Real Flight, I'll let you know which I feel is best.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Dave,

have you tried the trick
with the #5 dip switch on
your zhen hua rc.

Bye
David

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Hi David

Nope. I did not try to join the pads since I found an append in the FMS forum which suggests that the Zhen Hua TX would not work.

I've copied my post (to the FMS forum) below
------------->>

I've got exactly the same problem getting the Zhen Hua controller to work with FMS.

I wonder if the post by "scribbles" in July last year (to the "Comments and Suggestions" forum) *might* be the clue.


---> PASTED FROM the "Comments and Suggestions" (on FMS forum)

I would like to add a serial interface mode compatible with the zhen hua helicopter controller. It doesn't seem to work with any of the existing controls. I reverse engineered it and it uses RS232C async serial bytes in 5 byte packets running at 19200 bps. The first byte in the packet is 0xEF, and the remaining bytes are the four controls (one byte per control). The controls are coded by reversing the bits in the byte (msb becomes lsb). Where 0 is the lowest value. How can I add this to the FMS codebase?


<<<<<<<<<

Unfortunately no replies were ever made to the posting.

<<<------------------------------

My next plan is to see if I can find the PPM signal on the transmitter and, if I can, see whether the "standard" FMS-PPM to Serial convertors would work. I've borrowed a 'scope and hope to get some time over the weekend to see if I can find the PPM signal (and there is a good description of what this looks like at http://users.belgacom.net/TX2TX/tx2t...to-oscillo.htm).

I think it's going to take a while to sort this out though. I'll post anything I find.

Dave.

RE: Feda Zhen Hua remote and FMS
 

Dave

I'll wait for good news from you.
I've used a scope to find out some
interesting signals coming out from our zhen hua.
I haven't find anything that can help us.
Inside the rc there is a chip that manages
the signals received from the sticks. This chip has
also 4 output channels wich (I suppose) are related
to the PPM signal. Only one of this 4 channels
is plugged to the serial socket. The signal coming
out from that is related to the roll stick control and
doesn't seem to be a ppm signal (it is a single
square pulse, its duration is proportional to the
roll stick movement, pay attention it isn't proportional
to the roll stick position).

bye

PPJoy support for the Zhen Hua
 

Hi folks,

I am the guy responsibly for PPJoy. Can dave_B or someone else confirm the serial protocol for the Zhen Hua TX? If someone can confirm the description above is correct and tell me what states the DTR and RTS pins should be I will update PPJoy to support this TX (via PPJoyCOM).

Guess a few of you would be willing to test it out? ;)

Regards,
Deon van der Westhuysen

RE: PPJoy support for the Zhen Hua
 

You can now download a test version of PPJoyCOM that supports the Zhen Hua protocol from http://www.geocities.com/deonvdw/PPJoyCOM.htm - please let me know how it works for you.

Thanks
Deon

RE: PPJoy support for the Zhen Hua
 

There is a bug in the original test version of PPJoyCOM that would prevent PPJoy from properly reading the axis positions (all axes would be stuck - most likely on centre).

I have fixed this bug and uploaded a new version of PPJoyCOM to http://www.geocities.com/deonvdw/PPJoyCOM.htm. The new version is "Version 2.1b test" (in the About... dialog)