Futaba 14SG chat

[Keith Evans 3]

Hi Malcolm ..Got it all working with the Camberlfap /ele.set up . Thanks for your help .Enjoy Xmas and the new year .

[Adrian Smith 1]

Hi Malcom,

I would like to pick your brains for a moment. Using my 14SG now for electric flight, I thought as a precautionary measure I should set the throttle cut option. I am using a separate battery for the RX, but I want to immobilise the throttle until after connecting the Lipo power source ready for flight.. The ESC is an Opto one and as usual, the throttle channel 3 accommodates the lead from the ESC (no servo). Now I have assigned the switch for this as SA and set the on\off direction for the switch. I am not sure what to do with Throttle Cut position setting as there is no servo. The default setting is 17%, but should I adjust it to 0%, as I just want to turn the throttle on and off? Thanks for your help in the past.

[Malcolm Holt]

If you want to use the throttle cut with an electric motor, leave the setting at the default 17%. This is the motor off position on the throttle stick. (With an I/C engine, this position gives tick-over so you need to reduce the value to make the engine cut).

That said, personally I would use the Motor Function rather than the Throttle to control an electric motor and set the safety switch in the Motor menu. If you attempt to power up the transmitter with the safety switch OFF you will then be warned. If you use Throttle Cut, the warning is the wrong way round for an electric setup. You only receive the warning if the cut switch is ON. This is intended to avoid fruitless attempts at starting an I/C engine with a disabled throttle.

[Adrian Smith 1]

As ever thanks, Malcom. I think I get your drift, but I will give it a try tomorrow using the Motor Function. Will come back and report then.

[Adrian Smith 1]

Right. I am now utterly confused having read the motor section.

Am I correct in assuming I can only use SW-G switch for this function. There seems also to be quite of few settings to go through which I don't need to do, such as direction, 1 speed/2 speed settings and few more which I don't think I need either. The motor is set up fine already. All I want to just keep it disarmed after connecting the Lipos, making the last job before I take off being just to arm the motor via the TX. Or is it not as simple as that?

[Malcolm Holt]

There's no "right" way of doing things. The throttle cut will do the job so, as you understand how it works, I suggest you use that.

I mentioned the Motor Function because I think it offers a safer alternative but at the cost of a slightly more complicated setup. I don't understand your reference to switch G. As usual on this transmitter, you are free to assign any control or switch of your choice. Yes, the Motor Menu offers several additional options but you only have to use the ones you choose.

[Adrian Smith 1]

I am leaning towards the Throttle Cut option as you suggest. Incidentally Malcom, some while ago I did buy & download your Kindle book on this TX. Now I have found my user name and password I can get back on to reading it again via the Kindle app! Thanks for your help as usual.

[Denis Watkins]

Am I/C Adrian, but am a major player at our patch

And the greater membership are leccy boys

All have Throttle Cut, on their models, as it is my job to check, and they fly

Futaba, Speccy, Tiranis, JR and Multiplex, so stick with it,

It is as simple as that as you say.

[Terence Moore]

I fly i/c and electric FW as well as electric heli's. All have either throttle cut or throttle hold on the same switch, which avoids complications.

[Malcolm Holt]

Denis.

Yes, the throttle cut does the job and is the familiar option to most users. The point about the Futaba 14SG is that it offers the alternative of the Motor Function with a safety switch. Both achieve much the same result but the difference lies in what happens when you switch on the transmitter.

With the Motor safety switch, the transmitter sounds a warning when you switch it on if safety switch is OFF. It will not transmit until you engage the safety switch or deliberately choose to override it. The Throttle Cut works the other way round. It sounds a warning if the Throttle Cut (safety) switch is ON. It will not transmit until you turn the safety switch off or deliberately choose to override it.

​As said previously, there is no right way. Personally I prefer the Motor switch as it offers an additional layer of safety but at the cost of slightly more complex programming. However, I think that the most important thing is that people should use the setup with which they feel most confident.

​Adrian

Stick with the Throttle Cut for now but, if you want to experiment with the Motor Function, there is an illustrated step-by-step guide in the appendices of my book. Create a new model on the transmitter and check out how it works.

[Adrian Smith 1]

OK thanks for the feedback gents. For simplicity I will try the Throttle Cut route and test the way it works.

Malcolm, I had created a new model when I started looking at the Throttle Cut option rather than experiment with a "live" aircraft, so I will continue with that as you suggest. Will report back if anything interesting occurs.

I really do like my 14SG, but the manual appears to be written by a geek not of this planet, and with no consideration for the average reader. Thank goodness for Malcom's book I say.

[Adrian Smith 1]

I am looking at buying an aerobatic plane that has 2 aileron servos per wing using R7008SB rx. I am trying to establish the simplest way of achieving this whether by using some SBUS hubs per 2 servos or whether it can be done just by programming alone on the tx. I want avoid having to buy too much extra radio kit. Hopefully, Malcom still reads this thread or anybody else can help me understand what is required. Thanks.

[Malcolm Holt]

How many channels do you need in total? It would help if you could list what each is to be used for.

[Adrian Smith 1]

Sorry Malcom I wasn't thinking

Elevators CHs 2 & 7

Throttle CH 3

Rudder CH4

with ailerons CHs 1 & 6 presumably (two servos per channel). I am not sure if it can be done with a y-lead, probably not.

The aircraft is for an electric conversion using an Opto ESC for the motor and a separate battery for the RX working surfaces. Hope that is a better explanation. I do have your 14SG book downloaded somewhere, but I wasn't sure were to look.

Thans.

[Malcolm Holt]

The R7008SB is an eight channel receiver without using S.BUS. You still have channels 5 and 8 unused. Why not use them for your other two aileron servos?

[Adrian Smith 1]

Ok this sounds like a dumb question, but do I say, slave 1 to 6 and 5 to 8 to achieve this end? Or is this over-complicating it? Also where do I plug the RX battery power source as I have used all 8 CHs? Sorry if I am being a bit thick! Thanks.

[Denis Watkins]

Ducked out

Edited By Denis Watkins on 25/04/2018 20:47:15

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Malcolm Holt]

Posted by Tom Sharp 2 on 25/04/2018 23:41:53:

Posted by Adrian Smith 1 on 25/04/2018 20:11:34:

Ok this sounds like a dumb question, but do I say, slave 1 to 6 and 5 to 8 to achieve this end? Or is this over-complicating it? Also where do I plug the RX battery power source as I have used all 8 CHs? Sorry if I am being a bit thick! Thanks.

Y lead on any channel.

In the Model Menu, select wing type as 4AIL+2FLP. You will then see AIL, AIL2, AIL3 and AIL4 in the Function Menu. You can reassign the two Flap channels to Motor and a second elevator and then connect each servo to its own socket in the receiver. This will enable you to adjust the travel and sub-trim of each independently to achieve the best setup.

As Tom has explained above, to use a separate battery to power the receiver and servos you can connect it to any channel via a Y-lead. You will, of course, need to consult the speed controller’s instructions to see how to use it with a separate battery. Although I know how some people do this, I don’t fly electrics so am unwilling to offer advice on this part of your setup.

[Adrian Smith 1]

Thanks, Malcolm I really appreciate your clear explanation and it's all crystal clear now.

Thanks Tom for your input. The y-lead option for the RX battery is so obvious I didn't consider it!

[Frank Skilbeck]

And if you put the Y-Lead on the highest duty servo (Rudder?) then the current for this servo doesn't flow through the receiver.

[Adrian Smith 1]

Hmmm....... there is an S.bus socket on the rx, but I would imagine that’s a no, no?

[Malcolm Holt]

Posted by Adrian Smith 1 on 26/04/2018 18:20:37:

Hmmm....... there is an S.bus socket on the rx, but I would imagine that’s a no, no?

S.BUS is fine but you initially said you wanted to avoid having to buy extra kit.

[Adrian Smith 1]

Well yes correct, Malcolm. I am just a bit concerned now about using the y-lead to connect the RX battery to a channel in use based on what Frank says.

The good news is that I set up a test aircraft on the TX and connected up all the servos as per your suggestion and every thing works as expected on the test bench. I am using a separate RX power source will all my large scale electrics (up to 60cc equivalent) with OPTO ESCs so I have no worries on that score. Until now I have used a free channel for the battery plug and it's only now when considering a larger aircraft (100cc) I am getting to grips with the logistics of using all channels for the working surfaces. I am sure the leccy experts will put me right on that one. Thanks for your help Malcolm, much appreciated.

[Dickw]

Posted by Adrian Smith 1 on 26/04/2018 20:23:07:

Well yes correct, Malcolm. I am just a bit concerned now about using the y-lead to connect the RX battery to a channel in use based on what Frank says.

....................

I think you missunderstood what Frank was saying. He was pointing out the BENEFIT of using a Y lead on a channel in use.

Using a Y lead on a channel in use is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Dick