Guys I have a Futaba R168DF that that the first channel is broke. and the price futaba wants to fix it I can buy a new one. So my question is: Is there anyway I can use one of the other channels for my ailerons. I hate to think I have a receiver that I cant use. What do you guys think?

Yes, but you have to be able to program it into the TX. The TX is ALWAYS the controlling agent. You didn't say what TX you had.

Me? I'd probably just get a new RX. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXLSX4&P=ML For $60 is it really worth it?

I would agree with Bruce in asking if it's really worth the risk. If one channel on the reciever is not working then it tells me that the receiver isn't working properly and I definitely wouldn't risk flying an airplane with a receiver that wasn't 100% functional. If one channel is already not functioning then it's quite possible the other channels could die while the plane is in the air.

Ken

If only the aileron channel is not working, it is probably a broken connection from the decoder chip to the connector where you plug in the aileron. It might be worth taking the case off and looking at the PC board and see if there is a crack in the copper strip connecting them. If you have a scope (or know someone who does) look at the outputs at the decoder chip and see if the pulse is there. If it is the fix should be simple and easy to do. I'd not risk a high dollar plane to this receiver but it could do well for your every day beater plane.

For whatever reason the Rx you have is indeed one you cannot use and it would be foolhardy to attempt to use it anyway. It may well be something you could fix 'IF' you have the skills and equipment to do so but if that were the case I don,t think you would be asking this question in this forum. Fix it or pitch it and get on with your life.

John

I'm sorry there is just no way I would use a receiver that had a channel out....You gotta ask yourself how much is your airplane worth?.....Would you sell me your airplane for the price of a receiver?..Of course not...but your betting the rest of the channels won't fail so you're betting your plane for the price of a receiver....
How'd the channel go out? in a crash? too much battery?

Have the factory fix it or toss it. Anything else sounds like a recipe for disaster.

the pins for that slot got pushed down. and the copper wire got broke from the main board. as far as I can see its just the one channel, all the others still work fine right now, I plan on takeing the crystal out of it and trash it. I was just wondering If there was any use for it.

hmmm that should be an easy enough fix right there, but like in everone elses opinion I would have to agree that deciding wether to spend $60 or possibly crashing my plane, I will spend the $60 without a second thought.

You could always tinker around with the RX and see if you can fix it. Put it back in a plane and test it on the ground and see what happens.

for many of us, experimenting is half the fun. You will learn a lot by trying different things. It looks like you have found the problem and might as well learn from it by trying to fix it. Put it in a beater plane (one you won't miss if it crashes) and have fun. Why is everyone so dead set against fixing things? As long as you use due care (not risking anyone else in a crash or something) experiment. That is how you learn. How do you suspect the people who fix things for a living got to where they are today? Not by pitching everything that gets broken. Who knows, you could become tomorrows expert.

One of the Pins broke on the receiver. This is irrelevant to any of the other channels and would not effect any of the other channels. It would be a different story if one channel just failed internally (programming issue, fried electronic part, etc). But in his case, if he can get one of the extra channels to work as ailerons, I don't see a problem with it.

all of the servos hook up next to each other..if there was enough pressure to break channel 1 how much stress was applied to channel 2...In every pattern you make one turn toward the pits and one turn away from the pits..(base leg) I'd hate to have a failure on the base leg

Whoaa, no way, don't use it. Buy another for 35.00 or so. You could buy a Hitec same shift as Futaba (negative). Don't risk a plane, it's not worth it. Plus, it could not only hurt the plane, but you as well, or someone that is just standing by watching.

Be safe out there,,

Personally, I'd take the case off and solder a female "J" connector with short (2") wires in place of the bent/missing pins with a knot in the wire so it hangs up in the plug hole won't yank the board. Then I'd subject that puppy to multiple range and function tests before I put a model up with it.

But then I'm parsimonious.

An aileron failure is a hard thing to recover from; depending on the model. I'd surely relegate that receiver thereafter to a "rough and tumble" model without great personal attachment. I don't think even I would bother trying to program around a missing channel 1. Conceivably you could "fool" the receiver int thinking it was a dual servo mix but with a "Y" to the second servo channel. Or slave some other channel to the missing Ch 1.

You can order the GWS RD8SL Dual Conversion 8-channel receiver from Hobby City for $24.99:

This excellent receiver is shift selectable and will work with JR/Airtronics transmitters as well as Futaba/Hitec/Tower Hobbies transmitters. It comes set to negative shift (Futaba) by default and uses the exact same type of crystal as Dual Conversion Futaba receivers. You can put your Futaba dual conversion crystal in this receiver and it will work perfectly. Hobby City sells the GWS dual conversion crystals for $3.99 if you'd prefer a new one, however

I own two of these and I am flying one in my King Kobra and my Ace Seamaster. My friend Fred is flying one in his Thunder Tiger Imagine 50 pattern plane. We fly high up, far out, and very fast with these GWS receivers and I've never seen a radio glitch with any of them. I have as much confidence in this absolute gem of a receiver as I do in my Hitec Supreme II receivers and my Futaba R127DF receivers.

Nobody would blame you for not wanting to pay Futaba's price. There are plenty of great alternatives for less.