roadtrip

Anybody know of an accessory switch or module that you can plug into one of the channels on the reciever? I'm looking to plug lights, bomb drops and brakes into the accessory module and then plug the module into an open channel on the reciever. I only have 9 channels and 8 are used up with engines, controls and retracts.

Slug

Bob,

GWS do a switch that is designed to turn their gyro on/off in flight, don't know is that can be used with other functions.

I am not sure I understand how these various functions can be operated through one channel, surely your bombs would drop, lights light and brakes come on all at the same time? You could achieve the same thing with 'Y' Leads.

Maybe two receivers is the answer, but how you set these up I don't know, I have never run out of channels myself.

Maybe worth a chat with SM Services here in the UK (+44 1234 751095), they do various electronic gadgets and the guy there is very helpful and knows his stuff.

Best of luck

Simon.

heavy date-RCU

Lights can just be turned on with a switch on the ground or if they are landing lights, rigged to the retracts to come on when down. Brakes can be run through a Du-Bro V-tail mixer so that right rudder pushes right brake and left, left. Up elevator will apply both brakes.

My question is how are you running out of channels? My B-17 has all the things you mention on 15 servos except lights and I have a 9 ch radio with 1 channel left over.

shupack

I read a while back about a huge lancaster bomber that used 2 radios, one for main flight controlls and inboard engine throttles, and another Tx on a separate channel for auxiliaries and outboard engines.

roadtrip

Heavy Date, you said that nav. lights can be turned on from the ground. How do I set that up? Does a switch on the transmitter activate something in the plane, other than a servo, such as the landing lights with the retracts? Is there a way to set up bomb drops the same way? Also, if I couple up elevator in with the brakes, I won't be able to taxi and take off.

heavy date-RCU

Roadtrip,
Just use an on off switch for the lights, no need to have them work from the radio. Just flip the switch when you want them on and off if you don't. All my planes with lights work that way.

For landing lights a Y harness on the gear channel can be hooked up to an R/C switch or even an on/off switch with a servo on it can be used to turn them on when the gear is down and off when up. No need for a dedicated channel for that.

As for brakes, use 2 proportional valves, a Du-Bro V-tail mixer, some music wire, and 3 wheel collars. Set up the V-tail mixer as normal. Now mount the cylinders for the brakes side by side. Hook the airlines from left cylinder to the left brake and the right to right. Take a piece of music wire and run it from the cylinder through a wheel collar and then through a kwik link in the mixer servo arm. Do this for both the left and right cylinders. Leave about an inch of music wire sticking out past the kwik link so that the servo can rotate and not have the wire come out. Run another piece of music wire from the center post of the mixer, to the rear servo of the mixer set up. Now Y harness the forward servo of the mixer to the rudder and the rear servo to the elevator so that when you push left rudder the left cylinder is operated and of course right works right. When you pull up elevator it will operate both cylinders.

Set the wheel collars on the 3 pieces of music wire so that they will push on the cylinders at about 1/3rd throw. That will give you a dead zone. Almost forgot! Do not use a set screw on the kwik link. It is just used as a wire guide and a surface for the wheel collar to be pushed by. With the proportional valves, the more you push on them the more brake they apply so when taxiing it will add a bit of brake in turns or you can throw the rudder hard over and spin the plane in place. Same goes for landing. Just keep pulling more up as you slow down and the more you pull the more brake action you will get. Works great and looks very scale when taxiing!

Sounds long winded and tough. but it is very easy to do.

Hope that helps out. If not email me and I will try to explain better.
Hans

phayd

We _could_ run multiple items off of two channels.

One channel would set the item to be controlled, the other to control the item.

I wouldn't want to do it for controls that effect flight (landing gear or flaps) but you could theoretically have three devices with a three way aux switch, and another switch.

Position 1 - lights
Position 2 - bomb drop
Position 3 - smoker

Does anyone know of such a device that would do this?

Pelle Gris

Hi... As far as I know the Futaba FC-18 radio I own can be expanded with 2x8 additional channels. Both on/off or proportional. Each module will use 2 of the standard proportional channels of the radio to drive 8 extra functions. That means that you will have the normal four channels controlled by the sticks plus 16 additional channals. So.... 20 channals/functions should be enough.
The only drawback that I know of is that the 16 extra channels will be a little slower than the normal functions.

lectronx

It all started out that I just didn't like the instrument panel graphic..,but I needed a glow system and I do like bells and whistles as well as good flight/engine specs. It's a pseudo instrument panel. Although these are P-51 gauges, redrawn from the flight instruction manual, it's not made to look like a P-51 i-p. It does however function. 8 buttons (418MHZ local remote option) and 17 LEDS provide for:
1.) back lighting the gauges,
2.) landing lights enable
3.) position lights (Port,Starboard,Tail)
4.) collision lights (Port,Starboard,Tail)
5.) tail light blinks when gas float switch is shorted.
6.) port wing blinks when Rx Battery is low (adjustable trip point)
7.) starboard wing blinks when Glow Battery is low (adjustable trip point)
8.) starboard wing also blink when Glow Drive is ON to indicate good glow plug. (heavy current draw)
9.) glow plug trip point (throttle position) is set with up down buttons and stored in flash memory.
10.) map light illuminates cockpit and pilot.
11.) lost Tx/Rx will beep and flash light for easier retrieval if Main Tx or Navigation Rx signal is lost.
12.) lost Tx/Rx will also beep and light when command is received from remote
13.) aux control for bomb release or camera etc.
I know probably 99.9% of R/C flying is done during the day, but I think flying at dawn and dusk with this setup will give an extra sensation. Thanks for any and all feedback. If the pictures don't show below, there are several others at my gallery. ec