Affordable P.S.U. - Its cheap, but is it any good???

My el cheapo computer PSU converted power supply for my charger died on me more than a while ago. While searching around for a decent replacement, I found a few options, some recommended but really expensive ones and some that are affordable but relatively unknown. Eventually, I settled for a cheap chargery 12v 12A PSU, which is essentially a 12v version of the 14v PSU sold by hobbycity.



So why did I not settle for another computer PSU, since a brand new budget one could be had for $20. Its simply because for $20 more, this PSU has a pair of nice banana jacks out of the box, requires no work or modification and look pretty neat and compact compared to a computer PSU. In addition, not all computer PSUs have proper 12v output voltage. I did find one computer PSU with decent output voltage, a big 14cm fan, a sleek look with its mirror finish exterior and of modular design where you can plug or unplug the cables according to your needs, making it really neat. However, there was one problem-the price. So that stayed in my computer.

On to the "chargery power supply"...

As can be seen from the photos, the box is just a plain white box with a sticker label and the package consist of just a PSU and a power chord without a single slip of paper. Granted, a PSU is pretty much idiot proof.



As with most PSU, this power supply has a small built-in fan. While it is kinda loud, it does cool the thing pretty well. In fact, the outer heatsink casing doesn't even get warm when I tried drawing over 3amp continous. The output jacks are banana jacks, the type that you get on cheap hifi speakers and amplifiers. As can be seen, there is also a on/off switch on the unit and a green led to tell you its running. Thats all, nothing to adjust or fiddle with. Totally basic and simple.



The output voltage was over 12.6v unloaded and dropped to around 12.5v under a 2amp load. Therefore, it will be safe to assume that this unit should be able to work for most chargers around, with the exception of maybe, the more picky ones.

In my opinion, this type of PSU is more than sufficent for powering chargers doing TX/RX packs and smaller lipo packs. Personally, I only charge small 3s lipos and 2s rx packs, so it works great even when I run two chargers at the same time. For charging bigger packs like those 600/700 size flight packs, a better psu might be required.

RotorTech 690mm Vs Radix 710SB

In this short review, I will be comparing the Curtis Youngblood Enterprise(CYE) Radix 710mm SB edition and the RotorTech(RT) 690mm aeroflat's. The RT's that I am reviewing are the "Asia edition", which has similar specs and tip, but very different art design from the "US version". I don't know if there are other non-visible differences, but since I pay street prices with my own money for everything I review, I choose to keep that an unknown for now.

Not so suprisingly, they are made by the same people. So, how different can they be?

The art design between the ones that Century RC Helicopter Products is carrying and the ones that most parts of the world are getting are extremely different. Photo on the bottom left shows the "US edition" and the one on the right shows the "Asia edition" that is pretty popular among 3D pilots in Asia.



Similar to the US version, these are sold in different sizes of 560mm, 610mm, 690mm and 710mm. The photo above shows the 610mm and 690mm. I opted for the 690mm instead of the 710mm because I will be reviewing them using my T-rex 700N, which many prefer flying with 690's over 710's.

I choose the Radix 710mm SB edition over the Radix 690mm because the stick banger's edition are longer and yet, lighter. If only there is a Radix 690mm SB edition.

Specs For Specs

The RotorTech's are approximately 170g, while the rest of the specs off the box are...



The Radix on the other hand are not only heavier at around 175g, but also 20mm longer and 3.5mm wider.



The most obvious physical/visual difference between the two are the length and tip of the blades. Notice that the RT 690mm is using a not so conventional tip that is termed the "aeroflat" while the Radix is using a curved tip.



How Do They Compare Then???

On the same setup, the Radix gave different blade pitch angle compared to the RT's. In addition, the tracking for both pairs of blades were pretty different. This came as a suprise to me because in my past experience with blades manufactured by Funkey, you can pretty much swop blades across the different brands( Rotor Tech, Carbon Tech and Funkey) at the field and just go fly without touching the pitch curve or re-tracking the blades. Not a biggie though.

I had already been flying the Radix since I got the 700N a few months back, partly due to the positive comments about them and partly because of the popping sound and effect in one of the promos video by Align with Lukas Riva at the sticks. So needless to say, these blades really does have the "pop" in both sound and sight. Sudden stops with the radix are really good and on-the-spot. Cyclics are very snappy, precise and direct. It moves when asked to and just halt the moment you ease off the cyclic sticks. Flight speed was really fast too. However, the heli often feels overly floaty in flight and the engine would load up when the sticks are really banged.

As for the RT 690mm, collective response is equally good, but it requires far more collective pitch(12.5 on the RT's vs 11 on radix) to produce the same amount of "pop" feel and yet, it still does not have that nice sound effect that the radix produces. The cyclic felt a little different from the Radix though. While it appears to have a slightly faster overall roll rate, it just doesn't feel as instantenous and immediate as the Radix. These blades do make the heli feel just right in terms of floatiness. While they don't appear to be as fast in fff and backwards stuff, they don't load up the engine either when collective management goes bad. Autos on these are a lot more difficult than the Radix. They just don't auto too well. In fact, I thought autorotation with the RT 690mm felt more like a 50size than a 90size with light blades. That didn't suprise me though, because the RotorTech 610mm aeroflat doesn't auto too well either. The Radix on the other hand was not super good, but more than decent enough, even for someone who can't shoot autos.

VS.

Conclusion

The Radix 710SB are great for fast and big flights like most of the set maneuvers in 3DX. I found them to bite really well in windy condition.

The RotorTech 690mm are better for tight stick banging, where you rarely feel like easing off on the sticks. They are also great for someone who really bang the sticks trying to tear the heli apart in flight.

They are both great blades for 3D flight. Which is better might be just a matter of personal preference and style of flight.

Raptor 50 Xtreme Edition...

Well...obviously from Rcheliresource...

Some might have read the article I did two weeks back on the Raptor 50 Xtreme edition...Somehow, it got lost in the server upgrade process and so I did a repost of the article HERE.

In any case, I have continued on with the little project and finally have got everything sorted out. For those the busy ones who just want to know the results...Basically, this whole conversion is definately a worthwhile effort. It corrects the bad tendency of the stock raptor head, that is the pitching in FFF and slow roll rate. It gives a very nice feel in the cyclic, not too slow, nor too sensitive. With the new head, I can get that sort of "pop" effect that I thought was only possible on the 90 size. A lighter pair of paddles like the super stubz will make this head even better for 3D.

For the interested ones...read the full story here =>

The 700N is like a poshce boxster

After thinking about it for a while...I came to a conclusion. The 700N is just like a cheap, mid-engine, rear wheel drive sports car- a porsche boxster, using BMW aluminium screws. It comes sporty looking and is like a 911-wannabe, budget alternative.

It performs fine in stock form, capable enough to smoke most sedans(plastic fantastic). And for the price you pay at a Parrallel Importer, you can either choose a boxster which looks sporty or a BMW 525(evo90) with 4 doors and a really stiff suspension that your kids will complain of. Or maybe a less exciting, but equally good looking SLK(raptor 90 3D) with the engine hanging on top of the front axle- "old" conventional design, but works. Or you can pay a lot more and go for the equally capable and very powerful BMW M5(a turbulence 3D) that evolves the kitten purring in the 525 to the king of the jungle.

There are some upgrades that you can buy for a boxster, not required for a decent track day though, just like on a 700N. It comes in different form consisting of ceramic brakes, better tires and wheels, some porsche system that lowers the car and give better handling, and a useless sports chrono package. For the 700N you can get better paddles, better tail blades, metal pinion bearing block, X-stiffened bearing blocks...etc...good to have, but not required.

So all is well. You pay the price of a BMW 525, have the speed of a M5, own a car with the same badge as on the 911 series and get a car with the same engine/drivetrain layout as the million dollar super cars. What could possible go wrong?

Apparently, a lot. First off, maintence is a bitch. I am not saying the cost of the spares are expensive in any way, but the general maintence process itself is a BITCH. Its so time consuming compared to a traditional front engine car because your engine is hidden right under/behind the seat. So to change a hose or plug, you need to pretty much removing a million other things, just so unforunately, like on the 700N. Too time consuming, I might add. Just go try changing the clunk or removing the engine in a 700N. Exluding the exhuast, you will need to remove 14screws on a 700N to drop the engine. On a raptor? 4.

And the screws. In order to save weight, Align choose to use some useless, button head screws made of frozen butter which strip ever so often. Just like on a car using Aluminium bolts to save weight, you can choose to either replace them when you get it out the first time or face some other issues the next time round. So whats the issue here? Just some screws, surely they can't cost much? Well, it just so happens that those are not the generic screws...

Then why are owners of the super duper expensive super cars(or expensive helis) with similar concepts and design not complaining like I am? Simply because when you reach the stage of being able to afford those, it won't matter if changing a hose or plug cost 5 man hour. It wouldn't matter if you have to change the whole assembly because one part of it is not quite good. Anyway, you don't do the maintence work, do you? Anyway, who drives the same supercar everyday?

Realflight G4.5

Needless to say...this is off rcheliresource again...

The Realflight G4.5 update have been out for a while. Just got mine updated a few days ago and it was a big file at almost 1gigabyte. As with previous upgrades, most of the changes are more on the visual and sound effect, rather than the physics or "realness" of the flight. However, I did discover a slight change in heli flight characteristic.



And the minor change in heli is the auto rotation capability. Gone is the unrealistic and overly easy autos. Now the helis auto with practically no reserve in the blades and to be honest, its even harder than the real thing.

In addition, the helicopters are now a lot more boggable. While it doesn't simulate a boom strike, the power of the helicopters feel a lot more realistic now. And that in itself presents a new problem. You will need to go back and re-tweak your old models if you had previous adjusted the power to feel like the real thing.

One of the new visual effect for G4 was the bloom effect. G4.5 take it to one step furthur with a Depth of View effect. One thing to note though, you will need a decently fast computer with a decently powerful graphic card to get decent frame rate with all these effects on. I suppose something along the line of a 2.6+ghz duo core with a geforce 8800gt should be sufficent...but no gurantee.

Since my computer has neither a fast processor nor a fast graphic card, I left my video in the bare basics. In my opinion, this new depth of view is just like a camera lens focusing on just the part that you want to focus on and blurring the rest of the background. Not into photography, but I think its called macro mode in cameras and the background is termed "bokeh".

Anyway, I took a few snapshoot to show the difference.


Plane with bloom and DOV on.


Bloom+DOV


No effect

Night Flying


Glow only


No effect


DOV+Glow. Note the focus is the "House of Horror"


DOV+Glow. Note the focus is on the plane.

There is also this new feature called "difficulty". It comes in 3 levels-"Beginner", "Intermediate" and "Advanced". Not sure what it stands for though.

Since I am not a plank flyer, I shall not go into changes made to the plane section. However, I did include a short flight video in the plane section of the video. Note the sound you get when the plane touches the ground, that is one of the new feature of G4.5.

And the video. Pretty low resolution for now. A high resolution might be posted in time to come...anyway, pardon the limited flying ability...just a weekend stick-banger here.



All in all a decent upgrade, definately worth the 1GB of bandwidth, considering that its FREE.

Update: A slightly higher resolution video of the HELI PART. Click HERE to open it for larger view.


Realflight G4.5 Heli from Calvin lin on Vimeo.
P.S. Since mine is the friendly version...its not always up to date.

Update on 700N

Some updates on my 700N...

Ball links still surviving.
Clutch still good.
Main gear still good.

For the first time in my life, don't have to change clunk line.

Still deciding and testing between radix 710Sb and Rotor Tech 690mm. Currently I prefer the 710SB for windy days, but 690mm is almost unboggable.

Finally got the tail WORKING GOOD. Up the piro gain and reduced the expo on the tx. Reset the end points and found a new larger range and most importantly, reduced expo width in the gyro and increased the expo on my tx. Now I have got a pretty decent tail. Got a pair of Rotor Tech 105mm. Will swap on soon.

RJX head conversion for my raptor...

Yet another month has passed. Exams over. Needa find something to do...and this RJX head conversion is probably a worthwhile project for this short sch holi...

And as usual, extracted from my posting in Rcheliresouce...lazy ya...but anyway it does sum up what I think for the time being...

Its been more more than 2 years since the last decal change(Titan) and I guess its about time for a NEW raptor decal because these photos were spotted off a reliable R/C heli forum. Fret not, this time round the raptor has been REBORN with a sparkling new fully programmable Rotor head. Gone is the overslug flybar design and the new rotor head features a 8mm spindle and 4mm flybar. Exciting.



Existing raptor flyers can convert theirs to the new head and washout, which will be sold seperately at around USD200. This new X-treme edition and the rotor head conversion is expected to hit the street in...well...NEVER. No, there is actually no new raptor, but I think I have found a way to make the good ole reliable compete against the "modern design".

Background (Skip this part if you don't feel like reading a grandmother's story...)

"The raptor is such a old design and its SO SLOW!", "Raptor? 3D? Nah, get a t-rex.", "Plastic fantastic? Plastic pig you mean?". Found these familiar? Well, you should, because they are so often said about a raptor. While I don't disagree with some of the very negative comment, I do think a raptor can be MUCH improved by just doing something to the main rotor head.

The original raptor was designed around a pitch window of +11/-9 with a easily achievable 7degree of cyclic. While it was considered to be VERY GOOD in the days where the competition was just of Shuttles, Nexus and Egros, it is BARELY enough for today's style of 3D flying. As such, aftermarket brands like Kasama and G-Force came about making adjustable 3D mixer arms and whole rotor head, which gives the raptor a much larger pitch window. While the increased +/-14 degree of collective really does give the "pop", something was altered along the way with those aftermarket arms- the flybar ratio. I fitted a pair of Kasama mixing level on my raptor and while it definately made a night and day difference to the collective feel(due to the large amount of collective pitch allowed), the roll rate was still...barely adequate at best. I also found quite a bit of pitching in FFF with decently light paddles.

A flybar ratio mod, involving drilling the flybar carrier and retapping to shift the flybar mixer level closer to the hubd, was invented. This mod is pretty well discussed on runryder and apparently, Colin Bell is running this mod too. I was interested and thought about redesigning the flybar carrier and mixer level, but never got down to it due to resources and time constraint.

In addition, I got interested in looking for a head swap on my raptor. Why a swap of head and not heli? Because I love the raptor for its simplicity not found in newer flavour of the month-The belt drive, the mechanical mix and the plastic frame and tail case. There have been a few different head mod and so far, each has got its own set of issues. The T-rex 600N head fit the raptor ok, but had a small collective pitch range due to the mechanic of the raptor. The Kasama sirimok underslug flybar was ok, but a bit of machining has to be done to the main shaft to fit the head. I have also seen a Hirobo 90 size SSZ series head fitted, but apparently the owner found the blade rotor disc to be too far away from the heli, causing issues in rolls.

By fate, I chanced upon the deal of a used RJX X-treme 50 8mm conversion head complete with flybar cage and washout set. That was when I started my journey of conversion....

THE RJX X-TREME 50 HEAD CONVERSION (Important stuff starts here...)

Full of uncertainty, I had to first make sure if the RJX head will at least fit the raptor main shaft before I threw my pocket money into the deal. Asking around got me the answer. It does. The raptor has a jesus bolt to main shaft tip length of 8mm, while it was almost 10mm on the X-treme. In simple terms, the RJX head will clear the raptor main shaft just fine.



Since I got my head used, I shall not go into the assembly or "out-of-box" part. Also, because its a used unit rated by its owner as 8/10, it is obviously not going to be in pristine condition, but its ok, coz I was given a pretty resonable price(Less than 1/2 of its NIB price). And this is the condition of the as it was sold...



Pretty decent, I might add.

It fits the raptor without any mod required. And this is the outcome after an evening of effort. The blade grip distance and flybar length are both longer than on the original design of the raptor head. I got the Align 700n paddles installed because I had them lying around...



I had originally intended to use the stock plastic washout arm and metal washout hub of the raptor, but due to some interaction between the long linkage rod and washout arm screws, I opted for the RJX washout arm and hub set with some slim button head screws. I retained the original washout arm-swashplate linkage to keep the washout higher on the shaft.

And here are the photos of the settings before the maiden today morning. There are a lot of possible settings on the RJX rotor head. 3 on the flybar carrier, 3 on the blade grip, 6 on the grip mixer arm and 2 on the washout arm. Which means effectively...3x3x6x2=108 different possible combination. To be honest, I don't like it. I just need one setting- MOST AGGRESSIVE.



I only did one flight in the morning and I have to say, its should be quite a jump from the raptor head...but there are a few issues with the rod length and flybar deflection which I am still sorting out as of now and will post the solution and outcome in my final review of the Rotor head which will COME SOON..

I only HAVE 1 VERY SERIOUS disappointment. My raptor has really turn to be a heavy weighter with all the RJX head and washout. I am pretty weight consicious with my heli and with my effort to keep things light but practical, my raptor used to tip the scale at less than 7.5lbs, which is around the ball park of most 50size. With the new head, it actually weighs 7.8lbs, heavy.

The full review will come soon...really soon..

Super stubz Vs Stock 700N Paddles

Been a while since I last updated...anyway got a pair of super stubz from a fellow flyer who converted to flybarless...did a short comparison on rcheliresource...here it is...

"Since the release of the production 700N, more than a few on different forums have asked for faster paddles alternative. The standard answer would always be CY super stubz. While these replies are usually from people who own a 700N running the stubz, not many of them have actually done any comparison between the stock paddles and the super stubz. In fact, I was a little skeptical, because how much faster can this rocket get? I had to find out.





And so, I had to jump at a good deal from one of my flying buddies.

The CF paddles that come with the 700N are quite closely priced to the street price of the super stubz, so this comparison is a fair one.

Basically, the Curtis Youngblood Enterprise stubz paddles came in a few varients. Options are available for 3mm, 4mm and 5mm flybar. Paddle length are 84mm(the stubz), 93mm(only for 3mm flybar) and the 105mm super stubz. CY has a product code for each type and it comes in the form of P4105, P393, P3105...etc. Where the first digit is the flybar hole diameter and the last 2-3digits are the length of the paddles.

The super stubz are lighter than the stock 700N paddles, but they are hollow, unlike the solid stock paddles. In fact, the "hollowness" felt a bit like those old hollow funkey fiberglass blades, which have long been replaced by the foam filled ones. While the grub screw in the stubz cannot be taken out of the paddles(which mean that you will need new paddles if you strip the screw!!), its actually a 2mm one which is one size larger than those in the Align Paddles. Weights are provided along with the super stubz and are adjusted by sliding them along the flybar. Because I was looking for maximum cyclic, I opted to not use them.



Compared to the Align paddles, the super stubz are not much bigger, if any. The stock 700N paddles were wider but shorter. I suppose this would mean a bigger paddle disc in the air with the super stubz.



Suprisingly, the flybar threaded much deeper into the super stubz than the Align paddles. A full centimeter was lost from each side with the super stubz, which means while the paddles disc is bigger, in reality, its actually closer to the main rotor. I am not an expert in flybars and flybar length, but I suppose a shorter flybar will have slower cyclic.



Super Stubz installed. The exact same heli and setup was used to test the paddles.



FLIGHT CHARACTERISTIC

In all honesty, I haven't expected a lot of difference and I sure didn't feel that much. Sure enough, the initial feel you get from the cyclic is MUCH faster, but the overall roll and flip rate does not change much. One interesting point is that with the super stubz, the elevator is not quite as "linear" as with the Align paddles. I get the full flip rate with 3/4 stick and it doesn't flip any faster if I push the stick furthur. However, on the Align paddles, there is definately variation between 3/4 stick and full stick. Since I changed nothing on the electronics setting, I suppose this is probably a characteristic of the super stubz or the limit of a flybared setup. Piro flips, inverted funnels, tic-tocs...etc could all be done with slightly less input. Fast forward and backward flights showed no obvious pitching, but it just did not feel as arrow like. Overall, these are definately good for a "lazy 3D stick-banger".

To think this was suppose to be a short comparison article... "

20 flights with the 700N and my thoughts on it...

Been a busy month with all the reports and quizzes in school...so I am having very little time for fiddling with the heli in between surfing forums and school work...

But anyway, here is my take on this heli...

Problems/ Complaint...
1. Main Gear- Don't know why they make it white, it is super dirty, even more so than the raptor's 87T ones.

2. Tail pitch slider/arm- Mine is getting slightly loose from a combination of slop from different places along the tail shaft. Don't feel it in the air though. The grip are loose too, but I thought it should be normal coz of the thrust bearing.

3. Ball links are wearing...unbelieveable...20flights ball links feel worst than 200flights old raptor links.

4. No sure if its because of the spacer I used on the canopy mounting post, but the canopy simply does NOTHING to shield my electronics from oil. I get oil droplets on my regulator.

NOT ALIGN/700N induced problems...
5. WHY is there no normal mode on the solid-g? I am used to carrying the heli around in non-heading hold mode and then spooling it up before turning on the heading hold so that the tail won't start spinning on spool up. Due to the lack of non-heading hold mode in the solid-g, I have been fighting my tail quite a bit on spool up. I am sure wiggling the stick before spooling up helps, but I don't have that habit...

6. The anodizing on my YS engine is dropping...not sure why. I stripped the engine coz I thought it might have gotten too hot...but apparently it isn't...Wiping with tissue shows the bits are falling off. It makes good power, so I am not too worried about it for the time being.

From 90size

From 90size

From 90size

From 90size

Flight Characteristic
This heli is amazing compared to the raptor. While the quality is not quite there, the flight characteristic is exceptional. Cyclic is VERY fast and direct, which means now I can do multi-point rolls/flips without struggling. I might try some super stubz in the future, but for now, the stock paddles are good enough. Collective "pop" is impressive too. Anytime you want the heli to stop, just bang the stick and it stops right there, with a nice "pop" sound. The punch is exceptional too. And as with all 90size, this thing has got that hang time, whereby it just stays in the air without losing height even when you put it in knife edge and its most noticeable when doing piro-flips and slappers. However, because of that floatiness, I am still having a little trouble learning to control it so it comes down nicely.

Only thing that I think is still lacking is the tail gear ratio. Its a little too low which lowers the tail authority. Somehow, the tail authority on the 700N just doesn't feel as good as the raptor. Other than that, everything else is great. Also, it tracks very good in forward and backward flight, with no hint of pitching. Everything has become faster, even a simple big loop just get BIGGER AND FASTER.

BUT having said that, this thing is in not a unboggable heli. It still requires good management, even more so than the 50size. On my raptor, most of the time I am using the full pitch range on the throttle stick, but on the 90size, most of the time I am just playing around between the +/-7/8 region. Full stick will definately bog it. The full stick is really just for that instantanous pop. A 50 size uses rpm to produce power and lift, but a 90size uses its torque. Comparing them is like comparing a 2.0l engine with a big turbocharger(a 50size), where you have to keep the revs up, vs a 6.0l v10 american muscle which just pulls and pulls from the start. Its definately worth that extra fuel cost. Like the saying goes, 2 good(and expensive) flights is better than a few average(and affordable) flights.

Futaba T10CHP 2.4ghz FASST review...

NOTE: The large photos appear lope sided...click on it to open the photo...

After flying ccpm on the T-rex 700N, I found a lack of precision, as if the servos or tx is lacking resolution. When I moved the stick in extremely tiny steps, there are instances when the servos don't move at all. I tried it with my hitec 6965hb and found that the problem was with my TX. In mechnical mix, there is no such issue, just in ccpm. Since my 9C was long due for replacement, I got the 9C replacement, the Futaba T10CHP.

Got it about two weeks ago. I have spent quite a bit of time with it, playing with the menu and exploring the new features(not that there are that many...). Since I got this as a replacement for my old 9C, I will be comparing it to the 9C in this review. Because I don't fly any plane that requires complex mixing, I will only be covering the heli functions of the TX.

I got the 2.4 version, there is also a PCM version which comes with the 1410DP rx. This thing does not work with G3 PCM. To use pcm1024 on a 2.4 set, a PCM module from the 9C is required. I tried the pcm module off my old 9C and it works flawlessly. Initial feel is great. Smooth gimbals although they are not quad bearing ones. Menu is the same as the old 9C and 9C super, except for a few changes(good ones), so it is still very easy to use and program. Only complaint is that the antenna for the 2.4g module goes behind the tx handle.

Box opening...



Whats in the box...same old charger, nicd batt and rx switch that the 9C came with...



Very nice LCD backlight.



Still pcm 1024...instead of the newer G3 pcm. Fasst 2048 is great.



Size comparsion with the 9c.



Module and receiver.



Whats inside the casing...




Initial Feel/ Physical Design

The 10C is very similar to the 9C. From the stick feel, to the switch layout, to the navigation buttons and even the TX battery itself, is the same as on the 9C. I have read a few complaints about the idle up switches being too close together, but so far, I have not found it so be so. It feels a little less weighty than my 9C, but the balance with the 2.4G module is a lot better than on the 9C, not perfect, but better.







Home screen
Not much difference from the old 9C, except that with the 10C you get a throttle/pitch % read out and the user name. The pitch % display the actual curve value, while the throttle % is just the stick position of the throttle stick. There are 3 timers now, instead of the 2 on the 9C.

10C vs 9C



Navigation Menu
The menu in the 10C is almost the same as the 9C. It can be good news, it can be bad. For me, I am glad Futaba kept the simplicity.

10C vs 9C Basic menu 1 and 2



10C vs 9C Advance menu 1 and 2



Changes to the Basic Menu and functions

In the parameter screen, there is now a picture of a swashplate to indicate the type of swash selected. Scrolling further down the parameter page will show the settings for the TX, including the Backlight brightness.

10C vs 9C

The timer function is pretty much the same as on the 9C, except for the 3rd timer. Again, options are provided for switch assignment, including the new Logic Swtich function.

10C vs 9C

So what is this Logic Switch about? It is actually triggering the function via two steps/switches instead of one. For instance, if you want to know the amount of time you spend hovering in normal mode(exluding take off and spooling up), you can set the logic switch to activate the timer when your throttle stick is above 27% and the flight mode switch is in normal. So at any point of time, even if you flip into normal but the sticks is less than 27%, the timer will not run.





Changes to the Advance Menu and Functions

Condition- A new feature in the 10C. While it sounds impressive, it is actually nothing more than assigning switch for your different flight mode. It is not like the real "conditions" on the higher end models.



In the 10C, there is also another new feature call the Hi-Lo pitch. This setting allows you to not touch the pitch curve and yet adjust the max and min pitch value for each individual flight mode.



Cyclic-throttle mixing is now a standard feature on the 10C. Previously on the 9C, the user had to give up the P-mixes if he desire such a mixing. This will be great for governors that work on throttle curve, like the ATG. There is alieron-throttle, elevator-throttle and rudder-throttle mix, seperate values available for each flight mode.



In terms of changes in the advance functions...

The delay function now includes delay for pitch and throttle servo. It is great for switching out of a auto because it opens the throttle servo slowly. For me, 20-30% is about right without too much lag.

10C vs 9C

The governor menu now allows changing of the governor gain base on condition (flight mode) instead of just a switch like on the 9C, which I tied to the idle up switch. As such, a totally different rpm can be set for idle-up 3.

10C vs 9C

The 10C features 7-point throttle and pitch curves as compared to 5 on the 9C. In addition to the extra two points, the curve menu in the 10C also allows the user to set the stick position for each point.

10C vs 9C

And lastly, the greatest change when compared to a 9C...the programmable mixes. In the 9C, each individual mix is listed on the 2nd page of the advance menu, but on the 10C, you have to get into the P-mix "content page" from the advance menu and then select the mix you want to edit. On the 10C, one will get 4 linears mixes and 2 5-point mixes, which is twice of what was offered on the 9C(2 linear+1 5-point). The mixes themselves are exactly like the same as on the 9C.



Settings/Flight

I installed the 6014 rx in my 700N and copied the 9C model file into the 10C. Everything works as it is. In fact, one can just copy all the values( Endpoints, gyro gain, curves...etc) from the 9C to the 10C and it will work exactly the same as on the 9C. A campac with 9c model files will work too.

I know that in theory, our servos can't resolve the the 2048 resolution and any 1024 resolution radio system is more than sufficent. However, I did find myself noticing the difference in flight. When I first started doing CCPM on my 9C, I started noticing a lack of precision compared to the mechanical mix mode. The servos were like moving in "steps" and I noticed that minimal movement on the sticks produced no movement on the servos. With the 10C, this problem has been resolved and I feel the control of the heli being more direct and precise. As to the latency issue of the 9C, I didn't quite feel any of it when I was using the 9C, so I can't really comment too much about latency improvement. However, I did find my usual piro-flip timing going a bit off with the 10C. Stick feel is very similar to the 9C, not super smooth, but good enough for me.

An unexpected difference was my rx battery consumption. Not sure why, but with the 10C and fasst setup, my servos actually consume a bit more power, about 0.3A more. I copied all the settings over from my 9C without any changes which means in theory, the consumption should be exactly the same.

Conclusion

It has been 7years since the 9C was introduced into the market. In this period, technology has evolved so much, from cheap CRTs to cheap LCDs, from pentium 3 to quad core, from notebooks costing thousands of dollars to UMPCs that cost less than $300. In this same time, the 9C/9C super has evolved into a 10C...which is erm...75% similar to what it was like and cost slightly more. So you be your own judge if this tx is worth it.

In my opinion, this is a worthwhile replacement if your old 9C/9X is getting worn and you are looking for a simple and affordable tx. The LCD with backlight is great and the buzzer sound on this is considerably louder than my 9C. It retains the simplicity of the 9C and add a touch of more advance features. However, if you are looking for a more advance radio, perhaps the 12FG might be a better option, considering that it cost just a bit more but comes with a lot more, including the quad bearing gimbal sticks.

P.S. The above is part of two articles I did for rcheliresource.com