cpeisher

My Feedback: (13)

I just got my Futaba 8FG and i'm not very pleased with the Manual. Does anyone know if there is a decent in depth programming guide for this radio anywhere? Perhaps a complete walkthrough for a sport plane like the U can Do with multiple wing and elevator servos, travel and limits explanations etc???

cpeisher

My Feedback: (13)

ok, if there isn't a full programming guide, is there a better explanation of the difference between limits, travel, and end points somewhere?  Take a throttle servos for instance...I don't remember what i did, but in one case i set the top end of the throttle to be wide open on the carb, but the servo would hit that point about halfway through the travel.  So i adjusted the end point, or so i thought, and the radio would no longer try to move past that point and bind, it would simply stop at that point.  BUT, it would stop moving when the stick was at half throttle.  Further movement on the stick toward the top would do nothing.  What i wanted was the radio to spread the available range of motion over the entire stick movement.  during that time of setting the end points, i was also messing with the travel and limits, so i'm not sure which of those actually made that situation possible.  I would just love an explanation that is even slightly better than what's inn the book.  Any one program one of these recently?

aghost

My Feedback: (13)

cpeisher: I just picked up my 8FG yesterday. Now that I can do some hands on stuff, maybe I can be of help. I am familiar with Futaba equipment, but not this particular Tx. double check my answers.

The limits, travel, and end points question: After playing with my TX, RX and a servo, here's my conclusion. Not sure if its totally right but...

The limit point sets the end point for servo motion. The travel point relates to usable stick movement.
Example. Limit set at 50%, Travel set at 100%. move the stick to 50%, the servo moves to 50%. Move the stick to 100%, the servo does not move any more.
Example. Limit set at 50%. Travel set at 50%. move the stick to 50%, servo moves to 25% (50% of limit set point). Move the stick to 100%, the servo moves to 50% (100% of limit set point).

I think I would always set the travel to equal the limit if the limit is less than 100%.

Pg 61 of the manual doesn't really help with real world results of these settings.

Brian

DougV

More info,

Travel and Limit

"Travel" is the amount movement you get when you move a control from one extreme to the other. So this is the full movement from one end of stick travel to the other, plus trims; full movement from knob rotation's one end to the other; or a switch from one side to the other.

When you add mixes, such as V-Tail, you can add the travel amount of two channels together. This can cause problems because the servos may try to drive too far for the linkage, control surface, or the servo itself. "Limit" is the maximum amount a channel can move when it is driven above the travel amount by a mixer. Normally, the system defaults are all you need. You can make the Travel and Limit amounts larger or even the same, but it all depends upon how your model needs to be set up.

Doug.

green river rc

My Feedback: (2)

I have used an 8UAF and 9C for several years and feel the 8FG programming a step backwards in user friendlyness. So far after programming 2 helis and a plank I do not like the 8FG and I'm a Futaba fanboy.

DougV

The 8FG and 12FG software is way simpler to setup than the 9C’s radios.

Let’s take for example an airplane with 2 or 4 wing servos and two elevator servos:

Select NEW > AIRPLANE , scroll to wing type select NORMAL Scroll down and select how many servos (1-2-3-4 etc..) scroll down to TAIL and select (if using two servos for elevators) AILEVATOR and you’re done all in one screen. Now go to the LINKAGE MENU and check your servo end points and reverse the servos if necessary.

Now it took me less than one minute to do this on the 8FG and 12FG, it will take me about 5 minutes or more to do the same on my old 8UAPS radio.

Hope that helps,
Doug.

P.S. FYI: with the 8FG you can assign any channel to any function and any function to any channel or switch.

Skaluf

The Futaba Video Classroom does hit on this in Programming 101. I've just completed Programming 102 and it goes into much more depth on limits and endpoints. 102 will be posted later today or tomorrow.

http://www.futabarc.com/gallery/classroom.html

Steve Kaluf
Hobbico

LewAshby

There is nothing in the manual (that I was able to find) about setting the switches (SA, SB, ...SG, SH) or how to use them to for accessories (LEDs, smoke, etc.)

Skaluf

See page 56 of your manual. This is what the Function menu is used for.

Steve

LewAshby

I seen that but it doesn't go into great detail.

For example, I want to power some LEDs with a low/high switch. Down = off, Middle = low and Up = high. There is the matter of putting together a circuit board is a different story...

Bax

My Feedback: (11)

The switch on a transmitter can only give position information. When you plug a servo into a switched channel that uses a 3-position switch, you can only have 3 servo positions: endpoint A, middle, endpoint B. To have a light be off, low intensity, bright, you need to have some kind of device that plugs into the receiver channel so that endpoint A is light off; middle will be the low intesity setting, and enpoint B is the bright setting. The R/C system cannot do that directly, unless you have a 3-position switch in the model and use a servo to move the switch to the 3 positions needed.

For things like smoke, you can have a pressurized smoke oil system and use a two-position switch to move a servo so that it moves a valve to on and off positions. If you want to have something that moderates the amount of oil flowing into the muffler, you'll again need a separate device that allows you to set the amount of oil flowing. The transmitter and receiver cannot directly control many things. They can only provide information to the receiver output connectors that is then interpreted by other devices.

Wanting to control a light directly from the receiver is like wanting to control the elevators directly from the receiver. Without a control device you cannot control lights, and without a servo you cannot control the elevators.

LewAshby

The above information was very helpful Bax. It points me into the right direction in looking for what I need to do to make a device.

cpeisher

My Feedback: (13)

I'm dredging this post up again since i've just found out that the 8FG has been Firmware Updated to allow 14 channel communication. I did a google search for "Futaba 8FG programming Guide" and this thread was the 3rd link down. Also listed in the results were some posts on a website called thebaxonline.com, but i can't access that site from my current network. It leads me to believe that the BAX from this site has that domain. Has anyone here checked out that programming guide? Has anyone written a good guide with pictures for setting up different aircraft types, heli's etc specifically on the 8FG?

cpeisher

My Feedback: (13)

Steve, i've just started watching the classroom videos you have posted.  This seems like it may be pretty close to what i need thanks!

bob114

I Agree the Futaba Manual as usual is extremely lacking. With the 8 and 9 U radios there were excellent after market guides that really explained the radio in simple english! I too believe that the 8FG's programing is far from intuitive and not well explained. Try to find something as simple as setting up the radio for 2 elevator servos, the manual leaves you hanging half way through the setup!

I wish Harry Higley or someone else would write a GOOD manual for this radio...I would buy one today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Bird

Where's AnnMarie Cross when you need her! She wrote a couple of Futaba manuals, one I believe was for the 9C.

FB

Charlie P.

I found the 8FG to be more intuitive than the 9C, but perhaps that is because I had the 9C mostly worked out.   I agree that a Harry Higley style programming guide would be a Godsend.  That's what got me through the 9C and was much more informative as the presentation is a linear process rather than jumping around as a description of features. 

The FAQ on the Futaba Website are also very helpful; though there aren't as many tips for the 8FG.

DougV

I think She now has her own farm and she's also a Doctor (veterinarian)

Doug.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Ditto.
So far I have been just lucky getting mine to work like I want. I really love my 9C.

Skaluf

Not exactly, they do run an horse rescue operation. However AnnMarie works in HR for a company that manufactures LED signs/billboards. Her husband (Mike) runs the rescue full time.

Steve

TimBle

Google Malcolm Holt futaba 8FG supplementary notes.

vicman

My Feedback: (10)

Wow! Thanks for the link. I am printing all 37 pages now.

acerc

I found one has to erace all knowlege of previous radio programming to get into the new terminoligy of the 8FG. I am a Die-Hard Futaba guy and for a spell I hated this radio. But now with a new mindset of programming I love this radio and it's capabilities.

kopperlis123

The 8FG and 12FG software is way simpler to setup than the 9C’s radios.