Hi,

I recently bought an Avistar Elite from great planes. I bought it because of the engine included ( OS .46 AXII).

I knew it came with a TACTIC radio, receiver and servos. I have specktrum DX7S radio and a DX5 for budy boxing. I want to be able to buddy box, and keep all my planes on my DX7s, this is why I don't want to keep the tactic RX/TX.

I am thinking of either
1: keeping the servos there and shim the futaba-type connector and sand 1 edge for it to fit in my spektrum type receiver.
2: replacing the servos with my older ones and putting in my sketrum receiver

According to what I read, shimming and sanding an edge will make it fit into a spektrum type receiver. Do you advise against that and just use skeptrum-compatible servos? (and why?)

Which is more desirable?

Best wishes

There is absolutely nothing wrong with cutting the tab off of your Futaba servos and using them with the Spektrum radio. Countless flyers have done it for years. The servos will work just fine with the new receiver. <div>
</div><div>Hope this helps</div><div>
</div><div>Ken</div>

Ditto what Ken said, wont hurt a thing to cut the tab off the servo lead. Just be careful when you plug them back in to the reciever or y-harness that you do not to plug them in reversed. Plugging them in backwards does not reverse polarity, it switches the signal wire and the power leads, which at best just doesn't work, and at worst could damage a reciever and/or servo.

http://www.fatlion.com/sailplanes/servos.html hope this helps some

Nice page on servo wiring, I'm bookmarking it myself for future reference.

Here's a reference file that you can keep with you for future references.

Ken
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Thanks Ken!

That brings up a question:
I have a folder on my home computer that I keep reference documents and links in so I can find them quickly when someone needs help, but often, I am on my laptop or work PC and don't have access to my home PC.
How much trouble would it be to give us a tab or link in our inbox, or somewhere in our "my models" pages where we could store a limited amount of links and documents ?

Well thanks to all it confirms that the servos are compatible and the tab is Generally not an issue,

I will make sure they are snug or tapped to make sure they do not bet disconneted in flight.

Hugger 4641, if you want another solution to your documents issue, my suggestion is to get dropbox. It is an online repository of files you can access anywhere. You can install it on all your computers. As soon as you send a file to it, the other computers synchronize and they are up to date quickly ( dependent on how fast is your net connecton of course). Even if you are somewhere where you don't haveyour computer, you log on dropbox on any computer and download the desired files. I use this for stuff for rc and other purposes.
The free version (which I use) comes with around 2gb of space.

Thanks all for the help!

Right On!

There is only one rule needed. Black to Black and Red to Red. If one is old enough to be playing with old Airtronics, one can figure out how to whittle the connections.
Futaba just needs the whittleing.

I still can plug them in backwards. Standing there scratching my head wondering why it won't work. Dennis

Absolutely to all the above but would like to add a technique that had not been mentioned and I feel is faster and easier plus I don.t like using sand paper around the plugs.

First what I do is to use a #11 blade in a hobby knife with the plugs end on a table and the wire protruding upward and cutting the tab off in a downward stroke or two with the plug still facing downward now clean up the cut with the blade almost ninety degrees to the plastic and scraping downward this will some times be enough There are many different brands and many slight variations.

Now if the plug is still a little tight or will not go in just yet do not try to reduce the width any further instead still with the plug in that vertical position and using the ninety degree scraping action, scrape a champfer edge on the two backside corners.


John

Thanks sounds like plan. Iwill carefully check the plugs in the receiver and see if the champfer is necessary. I won't let those servos go to waste.

Well looks like I will have a tactic radio and receiver to sell!

Thanks again

One minor point here that I don't see above (if i overlooked it, I appologize for that).

Do not mix and match servos. What I I mean is, if you are using two servos on the ailerons, for instance, one on each side, make them the same identical make and model. Don't put a Futaba on one side and an Airtronics on the other. Or, don't put an Airtronics 94102Z on one side and a 94322Z on the other side. Make both sides the same. That goes for dual elevator servos or anything else that shares control surfaces.

The reason is that one may be slightly slower than the other, or it may have a different centering point, anything that makes them different will affect your flying.

You can, however, put a pair of Airtroncs on the ailerons (same on both side), and a pair of Futaba's on the dual elevator setup. That's fine because the "matched" pair are from the same manufacturer and have the same specifications.

Look at the servo specs to see what the voltage range. Most common servos will work with both 4.8 and 6 volt packs. If you use 6 volts, for instance, make sure all servos will work with 6 volts.

CGr.

I don't know how computer savy you are. If you are and this is elementary, then ignore it. If ont, then read on.

If you have a USB Stick (portable USB drive), highlight the entire contents inside the reply box by clicking the mouse at the top of the box holding the left mouse button (right hand people), then drag the cursor to the bottom of the box. Hold the CTRL key and press the C key. This will copy the data.

Open up "Notepad" or "WordPad" to a blank page, put the cursor at the top of the blank page and hold the CTRL key and tap the V key. This will paste the contents of the reply box into a wordpad or a notepad page. Save the notepad or wordpad page to My Documents with some sort of description you will remember.

This will save the contents, including the link.

Put this on a memory stick (USB Stick portable USB drive) by copying it - drag and drop method. When you get home, you can copy it to your home computer and then go to the link and double click on it. It should take you to the web page it references to.

CGr.

An even better idea for having your documents on any computer you use is to use the online service "Dropbox". Once you place your documents in the Dropbox folder on your computer they are then available onine on any device, including smart phones.


https://www.dropbox.com/

Now I suspect why nobody commented on my mention of Dropbox earlier in the thread, looks like no one saw it. Thanks Ken for mentioning it.
I use it for personal documents, manuals and even a RC subscription that I save as PDF.

Dropbox means documents on any computer that you want AND also any computer with internet access.

CG: Thanks for the note on not mixing servos, makes perfect sense.

I have a few Hitec 422 and 425 that are about 12 years old, light use. As far as I know these are good for 6v, is this correct? I suppose the tactic servos are good for 6v? I will verify.

Thanks all.

I would try to get the specs on those servos just to make sure. If you apply the wrong voltage, you might let out the smoke that's stored inside... []

http://www.servodatabase.com/servo/hitec/hs-422
http://www.servodatabase.com/servo/hitec/hs-425bb

The specs say 6v for those Hitec 422 and 425 servos CURRENTLY, but was I suppose it was the same 12 years ago? I will contact hitec to be sure.

There will be no smoke letting of the Hs 422 or the 425 if you use five cell packs (6V) They are my all time favorite in an ordinary standard and in my opinion even more bomb proof than the comparable Futaba servo.

I have installed them literally by the hundreds and have been using nothing but (6) volt packs for well, a lot longer than 12 years. I guess two exceptions to that would be in some gasoline engines where the ignition required 4.8 and on a few controlline airplanes where I only used one throttle servo

John

Gee! you are the experienced one... Hundreds ?!?!?!

I am putting a life hobbico pack that is nominal 6.6, max 7,2 V fully charged but that does not last. Slightly higher voltage level than fully charged 5 cell (6v) packs for NiCd or Nimh.
According to these forums, nobody has had an issue with 6.6 V life packs with 6v servos.

Regardless of power pack, how often have you seen a 422 or 425bb fail?