Futaba FASST

[Hydro Junkie]

What you all are describing are the reasons I have held off from changing over to 2.4 from an FM-PCM system. Like Duck, I use a twin stick radio, mine being a 9CAP module system rather than the 7C duck uses, but at the same time, I've seen on multiple occassions as well as heard of problems with the various 2.4 systems. I will be watching this thread to see if a solution comes out of it before I consider spending the cash on a 2.4 module and the several receivers I'll need to go with it.

 

[Tony Jacuzzi]

Are you using analogue servos?

It could be turning on in HRS then finally the radio self senses as it is supposed to and upon switching it on it changes to PPM as analogue servos need and works. Check to be sure it is in PPM mode if analogues are on any channel.

Not sure about why over voltage would be the issue as the I run 3PKS with module and the lipo's are at 12.6 volt all day after a fresh charge and run LiFe's at 6.6 volts on the receiver and no issues with that voltage. The receivers will work with up to a 12 volt input of coarse it would fry the servo's.

I wonder?

I'm running all analogue servos. Specs say it auto detects between HRS & PPM, any way to tell what mode it's operating in?

Terry if the radio is in the HRS mode your servos will be getting very warm very quickly. Tony J

 

[Daniel's Racing]

They do not in many cases auto detect. It must be verified and set to PPM manually. If it is in HRS and you use it it can do most anything. Usually you will get some movement and noise it just won't be normal that is for sure. If it were to work it would overheat the servo and it shut down or fail completely in short order. Hitech anologue servo's especially hate digital HRS.

If these conversions don't give you that info and a way to confirm and set the modulation to PPM before using on anologues it isn't going gto work and will ruin the servo's. They might still work if you switch to PPM immediately but can be permanetly damaged from even a few seconds of HRS. It usually takes 30 seconds to a minute.

 

[Ken Webb]

Maybe the main circuit board has a problem.The conversion is just the radio output.I only had to connect 3 wires on mine. May have to send it out for a checkup. You know of course that all electronics work on the FM princple.(f-cking magic)

 

[Andy Wood]

I have a 3PM 2.4FASST radio. When I first got it I was putting too much voltage to the receiver. I found that the receiver was designed to accept 5v or less. I went through a couple of servos and then I called the Futaba service center. I now use the futaba receiver packs with 4.8v. I still have on a occasion some servos jumping around. Those servos are mostly 3rd needle I just disconnect or replace the servo.

I also had a similar problem with a Spectronics module on a Airtronics radio. It just wasn't getting a good connection. I hope this helps. Terry if you have a problem like that again and your in Evansville yell at me and I can loan you a radio.

I hope this helps.

 

[Terry Keeley]

I do not remember having problems not working when I turned it on as you describe. I never tried it with the 3EGX transmitter either. After the crash I just decided I had to go a different direction in radio technology as Hitec and futaba were no longer making a 3 channel stick radio that I was comfortable with. The 7C has the rotating knob for mixture control on channel 6 and I just program different models on the 4 TX's I have for all my boats. Just cannot run with anything but a stick radio....old school guy here.

Thanks again for the info, sounds like your issue was different from what I have going on. I've tried wheel radios too and figure I could get used to them but I just don't like the throttle control. Man I love my old gold boxes!

Terry if the radio is in the HRS mode your servos will be getting very warm very quickly. Tony J

Guess that's not it either then, left it stuck in it's "trance" for several minutes to see if it would snap out of it, servos weren't hot and no damage.

Maybe the main circuit board has a problem.The conversion is just the radio output.I only had to connect 3 wires on mine. May have to send it out for a checkup. You know of course that all electronics work on the FM princple.(f-cking magic)

Looks like so far no one has had the same issues, in other words green lights but no movement of the controls, couldn't find anything on the other forums either. Starting to think it might me something in the tx itself, and nothing to do with the 2.4 module.

Sounds like a trip back to Tony is in order. B)

 

[dr gary turner]

Interesting subject. I am considering changing my 3PK PCM transmitter to the FASST by changing the module. Has there been any issues with the conversion? I would be using the LIFE batteries that but out more than 6 volts in the boat. I have had two boats destroyed by folks turning their transmitters on while I was racing and recently a transmitter failure which I have never had occur.

 

[Joe Warren]

Interesting subject. I am considering changing my 3PK PCM transmitter to the FASST by changing the module. Has there been any issues with the conversion? I would be using the LIFE batteries that but out more than 6 volts in the boat. I have had two boats destroyed by folks turning their transmitters on while I was racing and recently a transmitter failure which I have never had occur.

Doc, Buy the entire FASST System. It comes in 3PK FASST. I plan to put Some Boats on FASST System for next year...... However I DO NOT Like the Add On Module Systems that convert existing radios.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Interesting subject. I am considering changing my 3PK PCM transmitter to the FASST by changing the module. Has there been any issues with the conversion? I would be using the LIFE batteries that but out more than 6 volts in the boat. I have had two boats destroyed by folks turning their transmitters on while I was racing and recently a transmitter failure which I have never had occur.

Gary,

The Futaba 3PK will accept the fasst module and work without the issues. The receivers work fine with LiFe. Life is all I have run for a year or more. Also run transmitter LiPo that reads 12.6 for three weekends after it's once in 3 months charge. With the Lipo in transmitter and LiFe in the boat any chance of a pack draining during the day of running is not likely. Ran over 8 Sundays before I put the 1700 mah LiFe on the charger and it only took 3 minutes and it was full again. These things are rediculous.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLZP3&P=ML

Taking no chances with this one,

 

[longballlumber]

Interesting Subject Terry...

This is something I wanted to do (convert to 2.4gHz) this Fall with one of my 3UCP’s (like Duck pictured). So I am watching this one.

I am not sure you can do this with your conversion, but did you try and put a 75mHz module back into the TX and see if you get the same results. I would guess that since you converted the TX “totally” (no 75mHz antenna any longer) you’re not able to do a test of that manner. Just a thought though.

Later,

Mike

 

[Terry Keeley]

Interesting Subject Terry...

This is something I wanted to do (convert to 2.4gHz) this Fall with one of my 3UCP’s (like Duck pictured). So I am watching this one.

I am not sure you can do this with your conversion, but did you try and put a 75mHz module back into the TX and see if you get the same results. I would guess that since you converted the TX “totally” (no 75mHz antenna any longer) you’re not able to do a test of that manner. Just a thought though.

Later,

Mike

I actually could put an old module back in and try it, thing is it happens so rarely and I haven't been able to reproduce it in the "lab". :huh:

After talking to Tony at Radio South and Pete Waters at Kraft Midwest I'm tending to think it's something to do with the encoding the old 3EGX tx is feeding the 2.4 module and nothing at all to do with FASST technology.

I would have no reservations whatsoever converting one of the older radios using a FASST module.

 

[LarryConrad]

Interesting subject. I am considering changing my 3PK PCM transmitter to the FASST by changing the module. Has there been any issues with the conversion? I would be using the LIFE batteries that but out more than 6 volts in the boat. I have had two boats destroyed by folks turning their transmitters on while I was racing and recently a transmitter failure which I have never had occur.

Doc,

When I bought my 3PK radio system new in 2007 it was an FM system and also came with the 2.4 module and a 603FS receiver. I have had zero issues running on 2.4.

 

[Rudy Formanek]

After talking to Tony at Radio South and Pete Waters at Kraft Midwest I'm tending to think it's something to do with the encoding the old 3EGX tx is feeding the 2.4 module and nothing at all to do with FASST technology.

My thought was the contacts from the module to the trans might be a little dirty (especially after bouncing down the road in a trailer) or the board they put in the module might have moved a bit. Guess you'll just have to mod another 3EGX trans and module so you have a back-up, at least you got a sample to copy. Murphy's law says once you have a back-up it will never give you problems again.

 

[moparbarn]

terry, i am by no means an electrical expert, but i am beginning to believe it has something to do with the age of the 3egx's. being an auto tech, i do deal with a fair amount of electrical & computer issues in cars. age definately comes into play. over time, components & connections will deteriorate. may or may not show up with circuit tests, sometimes you actually need to "catch it in the act" to be able to diagnose it. i know this doesn't really help you find your problem, but maybe it can be another possibility to look at. tony should be able to REALLY check out the health of the circuits & outputs of your egx. if it's not exactly right, i could understand why the 2.4 module can't utilize the signal properly. yes, it might bind, but still might not be able to transmit, because of a "dirty" waveform..........i still know where 2 or 3 of the 3egx's are. very low use, & not much travel/bouncing around on them. if you ever feel you may need some boards or parts with lower hours, lmk. not so sure its in the coding of the fm in the 3egx, fm is still pretty much fm (i think :blink: ), although the components used have improved for less amp draw & reliability. one test we use in the automotive world is a wiggle/tap test. when the unit is malfunctioning, you would gently shake/wiggle all connections, & gently tap on the boards & components to see if it comes alive. of course, this would involve opening the tx up, & "catching it in the act". look VERY closely at all the capacitors. the are filled with an electrolyte (an acid). the can leak over time & corrode the solder joints directly under them. very hard to see sometimes, may not spread any further than the solder joint on the leads themselves. i have replaced more than one automotive control unit for just this problem. i have a gut feeling it's a single peice that isn't working all the time due to age. isolating it would prolly take someone like tony to thoroughly check the entire unit, component by component. i know of a couple of companies that rebuild automotive control units, that is what they do. i have used them, with excellent results. if you think they could help, i can pass contact info on to you. not sure if they would be willing to work on a transmitter, but heck, all they can do is say no......

 

[Terry Keeley]

terry, i am by no means an electrical expert, but i am beginning to believe it has something to do with the age of the 3egx's. being an auto tech, i do deal with a fair amount of electrical & computer issues in cars. age definately comes into play. over time, components & connections will deteriorate. may or may not show up with circuit tests, sometimes you actually need to "catch it in the act" to be able to diagnose it. i know this doesn't really help you find your problem, but maybe it can be another possibility to look at. tony should be able to REALLY check out the health of the circuits & outputs of your egx. if it's not exactly right, i could understand why the 2.4 module can't utilize the signal properly. yes, it might bind, but still might not be able to transmit, because of a "dirty" waveform..........i still know where 2 or 3 of the 3egx's are. very low use, & not much travel/bouncing around on them. if you ever feel you may need some boards or parts with lower hours, lmk. not so sure its in the coding of the fm in the 3egx, fm is still pretty much fm (i think :blink: ), although the components used have improved for less amp draw & reliability. one test we use in the automotive world is a wiggle/tap test. when the unit is malfunctioning, you would gently shake/wiggle all connections, & gently tap on the boards & components to see if it comes alive. of course, this would involve opening the tx up, & "catching it in the act". look VERY closely at all the capacitors. the are filled with an electrolyte (an acid). the can leak over time & corrode the solder joints directly under them. very hard to see sometimes, may not spread any further than the solder joint on the leads themselves. i have replaced more than one automotive control unit for just this problem. i have a gut feeling it's a single peice that isn't working all the time due to age. isolating it would prolly take someone like tony to thoroughly check the entire unit, component by component. i know of a couple of companies that rebuild automotive control units, that is what they do. i have used them, with excellent results. if you think they could help, i can pass contact info on to you. not sure if they would be willing to work on a transmitter, but heck, all they can do is say no......

Thanks, might be something else to look at, if only I could reproduce the problem.

I sure know about bad caps, replaced a bunch on a motherboard years ago that had split and were leaking all over. Worked great after that. There's even a forum about the subject:

http://www.badcaps.net/forum/index.php

 

[moparbarn]

yeah, that's the trick, catching it in the act. the fact that it only does it on initial power up leads me to feel that it is a single component that is not "lighting up" on power application. if it was a connection, i think running & the vibration involved would cause it also. the part that concerns me is, that sort of stuff doesn't get better, & a failure on the water is a very real possibilty, imo. i'd hate to see a grown man cry . even if you could narrow it down to a single board in the tx, at least you could replace that, instead of trying to isolate the one piece that is malfunctioning.

 

[Terry Keeley]

My thought was the contacts from the module to the trans might be a little dirty (especially after bouncing down the road in a trailer) or the board they put in the module might have moved a bit. Guess you'll just have to mod another 3EGX trans and module so you have a back-up, at least you got a sample to copy. Murphy's law says once you have a back-up it will never give you problems again.

The tx in my 40 boat did it a couple times earlier in the year and I went to my backup, now switching to my SAW tx for my 60 boat that gave me problems in EVille. Contacts all looked clean when I put them together last winter but ya never know.

Transmitters always ride in their foam lined cases in the car.

yeah, that's the trick, catching it in the act. the fact that it only does it on initial power up leads me to feel that it is a single component that is not "lighting up" on power application. if it was a connection, i think running & the vibration involved would cause it also. the part that concerns me is, that sort of stuff doesn't get better, & a failure on the water is a very real possibilty, imo. i'd hate to see a grown man cry . even if you could narrow it down to a single board in the tx, at least you could replace that, instead of trying to isolate the one piece that is malfunctioning.

Hasn't happened yet other than initial power up, once it's on it's rock solid. Failsafe still works when it goes into it's "trance" so I guess that would save me if it happened while running.

 

[moparbarn]

you've got me curious now, terry. if nothing reacts to tx inputs when it goes into it's "trance", how do you know the failsafe is working? have you purposely set the servos to different points & then turned it on & had them goes to the failsafe settings when it malfunctions? if so, that's great that the failsafe feature still operates. that might also help tony (or anyone else) isolate the issue, or at least eliminate some parts of the tx. any & all info like that will be a HUGE help to anyone trying to diagnose the problem .

 

[Daniel's Racing]

I got it. Problem solved, Lol

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXRSE0&P=0

Miss my old Futaba stick radio(remember the beige colored S-7 or the S-29 servos). Now I guess I have gotten used to a wheel finally but think the stick gave better control although a pistols throttle trigger is better for that function. I think someone should make a kit to install stick gimbal in place of the wheel for the 3PMX, 3PKS and 4PKS pistols and we coulds have best for both.

 

[Terry Keeley]

you've got me curious now, terry. if nothing reacts to tx inputs when it goes into it's "trance", how do you know the failsafe is working? have you purposely set the servos to different points & then turned it on & had them goes to the failsafe settings when it malfunctions? if so, that's great that the failsafe feature still operates. that might also help tony (or anyone else) isolate the issue, or at least eliminate some parts of the tx. any & all info like that will be a HUGE help to anyone trying to diagnose the problem .

I run a separate FS-1 failsafe (don't trust myself to set the tx each time I turn it on) and it closes the throttle when in "trance" mode. The rudder and mixture are held firm at neutral. :blink: