Spectrum Transmitter.

[Glen Clark]

I'm looking at buying a Transmitter and receiver.The Radio I'm looking at is the Spektrum Dx6e,What should I be looking at regarding a receiver?Is there any reason to go for more then 6 channels?if so where would you go Tx and Rx wise.

The reason I'm looking at the Spektrum is Brian Ostlind. was having trouble with Futaba and the problem basically sorted itself out once he got the Spektrum.I've got the patients of a Tasmanian Devil so I just want an easy life with the electronics.I've got the full option packs,including sound and recoil.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Glen

[Adrian Harris]

The "e" range of transmitters are the bottom of the range from Spektrum and have (to me) a very cheap feel to them.

Also, the DX6e doesn't have dual antennas (diversity) so there is an increased risk in losing the quality of the signal between the transmitter and the receiver. Probably not much of a risk, given the distance from which we tend to drive our tanks, but diversity is a good thing to have.

Six channels is ample for running a basic tank, but if you went for 8 or more channels now, you can then add to the tank (remote lights, remote smoke, remote figures etc) without being limited by the transmitter .

One transmitter will work 250 models, so I would spend the money now and future proof yourself.

Adrian.

[bryanrmassie]

Hi Glen

I would agree with Adrian, the DX 6 e lacks a bit of quality, I personally go with a DX 7 but at around £250, quite pricey but money well spent, you will get the receiver also and easy to set up, will also control your other 249 models

Bry.

[Glen Clark]

Thank you for the replies,so would a dx7 be the recommend Radio?

Glen.

[Gerhard Michel]

Hi Glen,

I would feel rather unhappy to have only 6 channels. Please remember every tank needs:

- driving
- steering
- turret movement
- gun movement
- motor starting, driving, stopping
- gun firing
- machine gun firing

Further a tank may need:
- exhaust smoke
- main light
- backlight
- horn
- some commands (via radio)
- some military songs for the crew in a ceasefire, coming over the radio (reduced frequency range)
- gun smoke
- cartridge case ejection
- variable loudness via transmitter

and so on.

Therefore 12 or more channels are a good choice for further ideas

[Armortek]

Thank you for the replies,so would a dx7 be the recommend Radio?

Glen.

I think the DX7 may be discontinued, but not 100% sure.
We use the DX6 and AR610 as our favoured combination. Reliable and trustworthy. 6 Channels, but that is all you need on our kits so far (except the Rolls Royce and unless you are adding some other components like Gerhard mentioned).
If you want to be on the safe side, go for the DX8 - that gives 2 spare channels for future proofing.

[Glen Clark]

Thank you for the replies,a singing crew I can do without Gerhard,but I get your point.I'm thinking maybe 8 channels but with my attention spell possibly just the 6.I will see what's available and decide now I have some idea what I'm looking for.

If I was to go for the Spektrum Dx8 should I go for the Dx8e Or the Gen2 ?

Glen.

[Glen Clark]

I seriously love the fact that a singing crew is a worthwhile addition to a 6th scale Tank,There is me thinking a predator crash helmet with dreadlocks was daft.So I'm not the only one with the mindset of a 10 year old.

[michael hilton]

Hello Glen, I have the Spektrum DX8G2 with a AR8010T receiver, I would go for the extra channels. My only gripe is that the receiver sockets are very tight, on the plus side, no chance of the radio lead plugs pulling out while you are in the air....Mick

[Armortek]

Hello Glen, I have the Spektrum DX8G2 with a AR8010T receiver, I would go for the extra channels. My only gripe is that the receiver sockets are very tight, on the plus side, no chance of the radio lead plugs pulling out while you are in the air....Mick

Agree.

A good solution is to pre-wire your receiver with servo extension cables (google search). You can just plug your RC leads into those. Make sure you label and tie-wrap/ velcro them or it will end up being be a bunch of spaghetti.

[Steen Vøler]

I use these quick connectors for my setup

Its very fast to dismantle and no errors re-connecting the reciever and servo cables.

I use 2 x 4 as I have 8 channels in use and have color coded the connectors with white and yellow so that they can be identified easily


http://www.electrodynam.com/store/102.shtml

[Gerhard Michel]

Just a little addition: I didn't think about a self singing crew ( ), but a crew listening to news coming from tank radio equipment, consisting of military orders, newsreel infos and music.

E.g. the Beier sound module allows to use self generated accidential sounds, which are emitted automatically in a range of 1 to 250 seconds, furthermore 30 sound events (songs, orders, war noises and so on ) which are seperately controlled by RC, and a WAV-player containing up to 30 songs which are played continuously, also controlled by RC (start, stop, next, previous).

All these features listed in my posting above (and some more) need to be started / controlled by RC equipment; therefore it's near impossible to have too much RC channels...

[Glen Clark]

I've bought a Spektrum Dx8 with a AR8010T receiver.So my search is over.I would like to thank everybody for their input and advice.Gerhard,thank you for clarifying that.I still think it's great but it's not for me. I have enough silly toys.


Best Regards and Thank you

Glen.

[Glen Clark]

Next job is the Batteries.

I've spoken to Kian and gone with a he batteries he recommends....Yuasa Rec 22-12s I'm hoping that's all the big spending done now for a while,although I will be needing a 24v Charger.Any recommendations?



Glen.

[Stephen White]

Glen, congratulations. A couple of things for you to consider.

You now have a radio system that offers telemetry. It's very easy to set up and can give you a real time readout of your main battery voltage. That's very reassuring if you have a long running session. It's also very informative about how your battery is performing.

Secondly, there is a lot on here about battery choice. I've summarised the main threads in a Knowledge Base Topic here:

http://www.armortek.co.uk/Forum3b/viewt ... 5a9e034241

The basic choice is between lead acid and LiFePO3. The former is cheap and reliable, heavy, large in size and the discharge curve is such that you don't get full power for long. It does however reduce power gradually, so you get fair warning. Lithium Iron Phosphate is new technology. It's perfectly safe, (unlike Lithium Phospate - LiPo). It's acquisition cost is higher but the batteries last longer, so over the life of a model, the cost compares well with lead acid. The major benefits are significantly reduced size and weight and a much flatter discharge curve. That means you get full power for much longer in the discharge cycle but it will shut down as soon as the safe minimum discharge voltage is reached. That's why telemetry is so useful.

I'm a fan of Lithium Iron Phosphate. At the weekend, I ran my Cent for two days solid at Bovington without re-charging. At the outset the battery was showing 26.6V. By the end, it had dropped to 26.1. That's remarkable, particularly given that the safe minimum voltage is 16V.

Stephen