Sokhar

well after waiting a month for it to get here through US post then Canada Customs then Canada post it did finally arrive


I am really impressed with the sim the feel is alot better then G2 and I love being able to flat spin now LOL the software install was painless and the download planes work great I am sure this will help me improve my flying skills over the rest of the winter months

but (and we all knew this was comming)

the interface cable is a piece of CRAP it looks like something I would slap together from spare parts. I have had it 4 hrs and already found a problem where the wire enters the Futaba connector if you put any and I mean any pressure on it (like the TX sitting on your lap when flying ) it dead shorts and stops working all together nice to know my $200+ was well spent as I am sure I will be shipping this wire out for repair soon (unless I fix it my self but it will probably void my warranty if so they can fix it and pay for the shipping as its there inferior workmanship)

see pics

http://www.myimageshack.com/uploads/150/afpd1.jpg

http://www.myimageshack.com/uploads/150/afpd2.jpg

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

You can easily slide back that black plastic piece and make sure you have solid connection. There will be no warranty voids on any of these cables, even if you try to fix them yourself with solder. You get free replacement for any defective parts ongoing.

If you want to replace it just call 239-690-0003 and ask for Mike.

kregan

Just to clarify this....
Any modifications to the cable "AFTER" the dongle will not void the warrenty?

Why do I ask:
I want to cut off the stereo jack and replace it with a proper plug. Then I want
to take all 3 adapters and replace the stereo jack with a proper plug for each
adapter so I dont have junk hanging off the radio while flying.

STLPilot

My Feedback: (21)

Call Ikarus to confirm your request. That sounds ok ... but you better check with them. They are the ones that are in charge of the warranty issues.

Ask for Mike 239-690-0003

Don Presten

My new copy of AFPD is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. As a Naval certified electrician, I was kinda shocked to see the photos posted by Sokhar. It is no wonder users of AFPD are reporting issues with the cables. The photos clearly show that the wiring is not properly connected for stress relief.

In the case of the attachments to the DIN plugs, there should be a tight clamping and no “air space” where the wiring enters the plug. The photo show that all the stress on the wire/connector junction is on the solder joint itself – this will cause almost guaranteed failure after a short amount of use.

Looking at the other item in the photo, which I assume is a small circuit board covered in shrink tubing, it again appears that no stress relief design is implemented and the full stress between wiring and circuit board is at the solder junction (I can't be sure at this without a look, so I could be in error here).

I am kinda concerned about this. Are there plans to correct these obvious design flaws? Also, it would be nice if the owners could get official permission to attempt corrective measures (for those of us with the tools and skills to make the repairs) without voiding the warrantee.

peefiddyonefan

Don I can confirm that all the stress is on the solder joints on the plug ends (just pulled the black plastic cover on mine and the wire is NOT connected to anything). It looks like their is an area made of metal before the solder joint that could be used to crimp the wire thus taking the stress off of the solder joint. Maybe I should take a picture of this? The small circuit board covered in shrink tubing however looks to be OK, it looks to me like they applied hot-glue to either end so their are no stress issues with this piece. FWIW the cable itslef is super light and doesn't really have much effect on the ends, I am going to leave mine alone I think it will be fine as long as nobody trips over the cord!

kregan

I can see what looks like zip ties under the heat shrink tubing on
the dongle, it looks to be secure, but its hard to tell. I have more
issues with the plug hardware then with the heat shrink dongle.

GBR2

My Feedback: (1)

I purchased a trainer cable for my JR Tx and then cut the wire about 12" from one plug. Removed the plug from the dongle cable, cut the wire back a bit and then spliced in the trainer cord that I had cut. I had heat shrink on all joints and over the whole splice. Worked really well and it has a molded right angle connector that plugs into the JR trainer jack with no problems about connections.

I did buy the JR adaptor but in the end it looked to heavy plus I didn't like the plug coming straight out of the jack (personal preference).

GBR2

My Feedback: (1)

If you are worried about the plug, do what I did, cut off the end of a JR trainer cord, remove the plug from the end of the dongle cord and splice in the cut off cord. That way it matches the JR trainer jack plus gives you a molded 90° plug that is a bit easier if you have to put the TX down.

Vic3D

My Feedback: (19)

I dont have a problem with my connector because I use the G2 controller

sorry, couldnt resist