Well...my interlink controller just crapped-out. The rudder centering spring must be broken/disloged, as I can't return the throttle past half to zero. The stick was a bit off-center when I got it, the cable to plug-in my Futaba transmitter wouldn't fit into the jack on the back of the controller, and this failure has just confirmed my suspicions about how cheaply this controller is manufactured/assembled...junk.

The sad part is, I have to return this junk to have it repaired, or replaced, and cannot use G3 with any other controller, as it is a registered serial number contoller, until a repaired or new one is shipped.

I can't even use the crippled controller with my Super-7 transmitter, as the supplied cable won't fit into the off-centered jack in the controller.

At this point, I'm not too happy with the G3 hardware supplied with the software. Having to wait until another serial numbered controller arrives to replace this defective one only adds insult to injury.

RealFlight's decision to only supply Great Planes with "registered" controllers that only work with G3 (maybe at their request) is a pathetic attempt to monopolize their hardware/software interface, at the expense of inconvenience to their customers.

At this point, I'm going to have to back-off recommending G3 until they get their ducks-in-a-row regarding their hardware problems.

I understand teething problems always plague new software/hardware releases...but I can't believe that QC is so poor that they didn't even catch the crooked throttle/rudder control, let alone try to check the controller with the supplied extra cables to even see if they fit. Third-world country manufacturing aside, Great Planes/RealFlight need to get their ducks-in-a-row before releasing defective product to the consumer.

Charles

At this point, I cannot get a straight answer about who actually has the controller manufacturered and distributed with G3...I can only guess Great Planes, or RealFlight. If anyone has specific info, please email me. All I know is the controller is supposed to be manufactured by Futaba.

Charles

Charles,

Try contacting customer support at Tower Hobbies. My kids dropped my G2 controller a while back and broke one of the switches. I emailed Tower, and they sent me out a new switch to solder in for free (at my request instead of mailing back the controller).

You may also want to try opening the controller ... sounds like the spring was loose or disconnected. The off center jack may just need to be aligned when you close the case too. Might be a quick fix w/little downtime.

FWIW I had to open my G2 controller to fix the broken switch, and there is not much inside. I've got a squeaky spring on my rudder that I'm considering replacing.

Good luck. I understand your frustration ... I'd be uset too. At least when my controller switch broke I knew why

Carl

Thanks, CFOSSA...being the inquistive type, and being an electronics engineer, I popped the back cover off to assess the damage. The first problem has to do with the somewhat "floating" circuit board that the external transmitter jack is attached to, which has two pin holes to align with corresponding posts molded into the controller housing. They are located at the top of the transmitter internally. One was not seated into its hole, which skewed the jack so that the included plug for an external transmitter could not align properly. The bottom of the circuit board simply rests on two rails (not secured) at the bottom of the transmitter housing, to make the circuit board assembly somewhat floating so the plug will align properly. This was an assembly error at the factory, the plug on my included cable would not fit the misaligned jack until I seated it properly.

Problem #2:

The throttle/rudder gimbal assembly had a center pivot alignment pin that was supposed to be equally divided between the upper and lower gimbal saddles. The pin was not centered between them allowing a very small segment of the pin to "try" to align the upper gimbal saddle hole. This was a result of improper assembly at the factory, which also explained why my rudder/throttle control stick was not centered in the gimbal. One of the saddles had not been "snapped" into its slot properly, allowing the misalignment, and causing the centering pin to "jump" out of its hole.

I'm happy to say my throttle/rudder gimbal/stick is perfectly centered/aligned now, and my Futaba external transmitter cord/plug will now fit the jack on the back of the interlink controller.

This wasn't a shipping issue, as the interlink controller was well packaged and cushioned, with no signs of trauma.

I still stand-by my assessment that this controller is cheaply manufactured and assembled...it has to be to be competitive. The problem is that QC at the factory should have caught this problem, but, I'm guessing that only a small "sampling" of controllers are completely tested in the QC department and many will, and do get out the door with problems.

Hope this helps if anyone else has problems with their interlink controller.

Charles

Oh...one other note:

My throttle trim now works perfectly. I could not calibrate the throttle trim and had to use full-up for full-power. If the trim was reduced at all, it would also reduce full-throttle power considerably. Now, at half-trim, my throttle stays at full-power with the stick to the wall. Excellent.

Charles

Mine controlle is okay and I haven't experienced any problems with it. I do agree that Great Planes is **** in terms of how they distribute software.

Charles,

Glad it was a quick fix! That's a lot better than going w/o a controller while it is mailed back and forth.

Carl