Wayne Miller

Hi,

I have just built a programming chart for the Aurora 9. Basically it a graphic representation linking the different screen menus of the Aurora 9.

This, together with the index I posted earlier, will give a printed visual representation that will allow you to navigate through the Aurora 9 menus and programming functions on paper before you actually turn on the transmitter.

Here is the link to the printable programming chart:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10...m.htm#10481073

As always, any suggestions for improvement are welcome. Hopefully you will find it useful.

Fly4Fun,

Wayne

propstryker

My Feedback: (2)

Wayne,

You the man!

Thanks for all the help on this.

Michel

Hi

Yep,.......................... good job Wayne , ............... I,ve been reading

Michel

Lynn1953

Just started with the A9 and was working thru the dual rates on plane. In my old forgetful ways i assigned the elev and aileron to the same switch. i didn't realize you could do that but it worked ok. also i have a TME tricke carger that i use so i plugged the hitec charger to it and then plugged in the tx. The TME pulses every second on my other futaba oem chargers(lights blink) but not on the hitec. Just curious about why.

Any thoughts or opinions welcome.

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

As has been mentioned in previous threads, the AC to DC part of the A9 charger is built in to the Tx. The cord just supplies AC power. You should not plug any other charger into the A9 Charging Jack. You have to pull out the Tx battery if you want to use any other type of charger such as a Cycling charger or any charger with two way communications.

Lynn1953

thanks. The TME- I thought- just turns the power on and off to the oem charger like a switch and is not a charger.

A.T.

Do not plug any peak detect type chargers into an A9, refer:.
Aurora 9 - Diode in TX Charge Circuit Never Jump TX Charge Circuit Diode - Hitec FAQ.
Aurora 9 - Lipo & Field Charging. includes Fast Charge Aurora, Eclipse 7, Flash 4&5, Laser, Optic 6, Prism 7 etc.
Aurora 9 - 110/230 Vac charger Charge Plug/adaptor sizes. [Red LED does not change to Green simply dims out but charge continues same rate].
"Chargers are designated as either CG-S42 / CG-S42k / CG-S45
- depends upon type of spades (prongs?) to fit area power supply as requested by distributor for each area.
Input 100-240 VAC 50/60Hz 0.1A
Output: TX 7.2VDC / 80 mA
RX 4.8VDc / 80 mA"

more under Hitec USA Support Forum Sticky:
Aurora 9, Spectra Modules & Optima Transceivers - FAQ & Undocumented Features
- Mixes, Setups,Tips. {Individual Links often updated}

Alan T.
Alan's Hobby, Model & RC FAQ Web Links

Lynn1953

The TME is a power switch basically not a charger. it switches power on and off every second. I have used it for years with my other oem chargers to keep my tx and 4.8 rx batteries ready. i just don't understand why when the power is off for that 1 second the light on the hitec doesn't blink - it stays on.
it's not a trickle charger or a peak charger just a momentary power switch.

Yank II

What part of don't plug a charger in, don't you understand?

A.T.

If you are referring to an auto timed on/offswitching unit which is placedbetween the old style transformers and 110/240 power supply to provide momentary (pulsed) bursts of currentas a trickle charge, then doubt it would work with any of the modern chargers. Current chargers supplied with most known TX and ARTF kits no longerhave aheavyiron basedtransformer inside, most like the CG-S42 are now electronically regulated and may not take kindly to a continuously pulsed power input. The capacitors in the circuit would keep the LED glowing for a period longer than your unit pulses.
Unlike NiCD, NiMHbatteries should notbe trickle charged:
Aurora 9 - Battery is not charged. Charge before first use so as not to damage battery. Battery is 1300 mAh_charge rate is 80 mAh (to minimise damage if left on to long at any time) = 19-20 hours for first full charge - please read the further details.

Unfortunately, as we age and get superseded by a younger generation, so does our equipment...

Alan T.

Lynn1953

thanks that is what i have. i didn't realize the oem chargers had changed.

Gungadin

I have my A9 charger hooked up to my TME and it works as advertised, just have to look at it harder cause it's not as bright as my JR & Futaba wall warts, but it is blinking.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

First off - I did not read this entire thread. Today is the first day that I have begun to seriously consider a Hitec 2.4 system. Before I spend 2hrs reading this entire thread, I kindly request your patience with a very simple question.

I don't want to start a poop storm, but.........

Does the darn thing WORK?

Futaba had problems with some of their FASST radios doing something weird if you turned them on and off again rapidly. I don't know the specifics, but it did something like "zero" all base parameters and if used after that, it would wreck any other FASST system in use at that field. This was a few years ago and I'm sure it's been fixed by now.

Spektrum comes un-bound all the time. I've personally seen people at our field standing in a pilot box, ready to taxi out and take off - and the plane will simply FREAK OUT and go full throttle into a fence or one of the storage buildings....... or simply stop responding all together.

DOES THE HITEC WORK? DOES IT WORK WELL?

(I'm not trying to stir the pot or start a brand war. I'm simply stating a couple reasons why I'm afraid of Spectrum and FASST. I'm in desperate need of a RELIABLE 2.4 system and the Hitec looks pretty good on paper.)

Thank you

BuschBarber

My Feedback: (2)

They are all equally reliable as is the Airtronics offerings. The Futaba GUID problem was addressed and affected a limited number of radios. Our club of 110 members have mainly JR and Spektrum radios with some low end Futaba and one Hitec A9. No one in our club has ever seen the things you say you saw at your field. We have many DX7 radios and now a number of 11X, 12X, and now several DX8's. They have all been consistent and reliable.

I would not be afraid to use any product from Hitec, Futaba, JR, Spektrum, or Airtronics. I have two JR XP9303 radios with the Spektrum 2.4 RF Module and JR Synthesized 72Mhz RF Module. I plan to upgrade to a new 2.4 radio and JR or Spektrum would be my first choice since I have already invested in a number of JR/Spektrum receivers.

At present, the Spektrum DX8, JR 11X, Futaba 8FG, and Hitec A9 would be high on my list. The Hitec A9 is modular and could take a Spektrum RF Module. The 8FG's S-Bus technology is intriguing.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

BuschBarber you got a private message.

Don't want to hijack this thread and turn it into brand bashing. It does nothing constructive. I've seen multiple issues with other offerings with my own 2 eyeballs, so I'm looking pretty seriously at the Hitec. I just want to know if it REALLY works the way it was intended.

20/20 Hindsight

My Feedback: (1)

Hello fellow Arvadan,

I started my RC journey with a new Spektrum DX-7 in mid 2008. Being new to everything, I figured I must be doing something wrong when planes would mysteriously fly into the ground, or buildings, etc. I finally got enough confidence in my setup & abilities to start questioning the radio. Followed all Spektrum recommendations for install & usage, still had the occasional loss of contact or input different than I had requested. I was ready to give it all up, and read about the A9 in late 2009. Put in my request for one with Brad at Action RC in Feb 10, got mine about this time last year, and haven't had anything resembling a radio problem since. I've actually been able to start to learn how to fly better and set up planes now. Beyond the basics of "IT WORKS", it is a joy to program, will adjust about any way you can imagine, and is ultra-reliable.

Good luck in your quest, the A9 system is an amazing piece of work which a growing number of pilots are devoted to.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Send me a PM with your name please. Who are you?

I fly at the Arvada field. My name is Chris and I've been a volunteer instructor for about 10yrs on Thursday nights..... if that helps ya put a face to me. [:-]

Minnreefer

Chris, I fly with it and I have not had any problems. I have read the entire thread and other threads, I have read about 1 or 2 cases of radio problems, but I think that was a quality control problem (I am sure that a small precent of every brand has a quality control problem, meaning if a company sells 10000 units there will always be 1 or 2 that has a bad wiring connection) but I don't think there is any major problem with the system. I personally like the afforability of the system and the telemetery.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Jon

Lynn1953

Gungadin. thanks ithought it should work i'll give it another try.

rctom

I've used every 2.4 system on the market (with the exception of the cheap chinese systems). I started when the DX6 came out and have progressed through DX7, x9303, JR 12x, Futaba 12FG, Airtronics SD-10G and now the Hitec A9.

First, let me say that in that time I have never had an incident of losing control of an airplane. That's a big improvement over 72mhz where I had the occasional "hit" and had two planes shot down by careless people turning on on my frequency.

I didn't like the Spektrum/JR radios. I don't like their style of programming and I don't think satellite receivers should be necessary. I too occasionally experienced apparent "loss of bind" but never on an operating plane. Instead once in a while I'd turn everything on and they would not link up, going through the bind process would correct this. The 12X was over priced and under-powered IMHO.

Futaba was flawless except for 2 things. The 12FG was rather complex to program and the manual was vague, and at the time there was a big controversy about receivers failing from excessive heat. I never experienced this but always worried. And the cost of receivers was very high.

The Airtronics worked perfectly, receivers are reasonably priced and the transmitter's programming was very complete, however I didn't like all the button pushing and scrolling that was necessary.

The A9 also works perfectly, the receivers are priced aggressively and the touch screen programming is the best. I settled on the A9 and have not regretted my decision. To answer your question "Yes they work". The only thing I'd change is to add a few more channels and some mix options, which hopefully they will do before I die.

TF

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Thanks for a very concise overview. I really appreciate that.

I've seen a lot of Spektrum radios lose bind and .............. generally freak out at our field. Frankly, from what I've witnessed with my own eyes, I'd be an idiot to buy and use one of those systems. Maybe it's just our field? They don't seam to be very reliable and knowing that, how could I live with myself if I was using a Spektrum system and lost a plane. What if it flew into someones face? Don't laugh, anything is possible with an out of control airplane. Could that be considered willful negligence?

I use a Futaba 12z at work. I can't stand it. Every time I have to program something, I end up wanting to take a friggin' sledge hammer to it. I can't stand Futaba programming. Some guys like it or get used to it. I hate it.

I was looking at the Airtronics 8000 radio, but found out they are missing expo or dual rates on rudder.......... something like that. Can't remember exactly, but it was, in my mind, a basic programming option on any 8ch radio system and Airtronics decided to leave it out. I am flying larger planes now (30cc - 75cc) Having dual rates and expo on all flight control surfaces is mandatory for me.

I've taken the time to go back through this thread and read a lot of it. I think I last looked at page 51 or 52. [:-] So far everything about the Hitec looks really good. I'll have to re-train myself on programming. I'm used to programming JR radios. I've been flying JR for about 13yrs. I don't count the Futaba that I use at work because I still don't "get it" when it comes to their programming.

Howard

My Feedback: (55)

I have owned, most recently, Futaba 9C, 14MZ, 12Z, JR 9303, JR 12X, Airtronics SD-10G and the Aurora 9. Today I have only the A9 and the 12Z. The Airtronics SD-10G is a sleeping giant and the manual for it is far and away the best for any radio sold in the US. For those who have issues with programming the upper end Futaba I certainly empathize with you and blame it on their disgusting manual. It took me a year to get my arms around the 14MZ (same as the 12Z) but, once I did I realized how flexible and powerful it is. There is nothing sold in the US that can hold a candle to the Futaba programming at that level. Surprisingly the A9 and the Futaba have similar programming approaches and in many cases if you can do a function in one radio you darn near know how to do the same in the other. If you know either brand then the other should not be hard to learn. However, I don't want to leave the impression that the A9 is on the same level with the 12Z or 14MZ because it misses that mark by a very wide margin. You can make a case that a number of the features on the Futaba are rarely used and so they don't count and I would agree. The hysterysis setting for sliders and volumes is an example. The key to the Futaba programming is to know what takes place in the 'Linkage' menu and what takes place in the 'Model" menu and neither word, linkage or model have anything to do with what is different or what takes place. For example, both the A9 and the Futaba allows you to set a servo speed for a particular channel but, the Futaba will allow you to set the servo speed for "functions" and then link that speed to slave channels if you want to the A9 cannot do that. Is that important, well if you have a complicated scale plane or jet I can think of many ways it would be helpful.

My personal take is that I am lucky to be a participant at a time when so many fun and exceptional radios are available from an industry that has extraordinary customer service.

Howard

MikeMayberry

My Feedback: (1)

Howard- Thanks for your insight. FYI: The servo speeds are assignable per the flight conditions plus you have the ability to manipulate the speed of the slave with a p-mix with "ACC" so there may be a way to acheive what you are reffering to.

Mike.

Howard

My Feedback: (55)

Mike,

Yes, you can come close by using p-mix and acc and adding delays through the flight conditions and be very close to what you need. It would be much easier and quicker to be able to link functions and not just channel trims both of which can be done with the Futaba. I chose the A9 as the backup for my 12Z and I had my choice of any radio sold in the US. I also had an opportunity to use Hitec customer service and it was exceptional and immediate. Put my name on the list for the new A16 please.

Howard

SharpProp

Spectra pro, where are you? Come out come out wherever you are! Anyone know the status of the module. Waiting sucks.