RC India

fatuba fast compatible receivers on hobbyking
now on preorder
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14300

Well there goes the only reason for aversion towards Futaba FASST :giggle:

Since Futaba uses a custom ASIC, wonder how they pulled this off. Cloning Spektrum is easy, they use off the shelf components.

HOLA! HOLA HO HO!!  {:)} {:)} (:|~ (:|~ ;D ;D :bow: :bow:
Just Y'day I was thinking to put the awaited FASST clone's arrival on the HK Forum and see!!! This clone was my gamble not to get an Assan hack for my Futaba T7C, and but 2 more Rx...

Now when the Clones are finally out, I think I made the right choice. But yes, Anwar is right, cloning Futaba FASST would have been tough (but hey our Chinese brethren are too good in reverse engineering), so I would wait to see if it fares well on flying ground as well.

Anyway! good job HK!!

The newer radios from Futaba are firmware upgradeable. That suggests they are not using ASICs. Nothing prevents them from putting in a uP in an ASIC though. Are any of their receivers firmware upgradeable ?

Using an ASIC for the core RC functionality (signal encoding/processing) is very much possible even when the rest of the control logic is non-ASIC.  Or it could be a uP in an ASIC as you suggested.

Haven't come across receivers which are user upgradable.

Will this reciever perform well for .46 size nitro planes bieng used with a Futaba T6EX transmiter ?

They say "medium sized sport planes".  Not sure it includes 40 or 46 sizes, but that seems to be the upper limit.

BTW, the price was 30 yesterday, and it seems to be 40 now !

Anwar bro I just logged in and it said that you have a one time discount to buy it @ 29.99... so I did the needful ;)

Its no surprise that OrangeRx/HK is using the H\W 'Platform' from  Frsky ACCST system.
The board is 100% physically identical  :

http://www.frsky-rc.com/ShowProducts.asp?id=39

Hope it works well.

Oh n if you miss out on the "one time only discount".. Just clear your cookies n visit the page again for another "one time only" discount  :giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

I was looking at it without logging in... when I logged, the price went down to 30.  Ordered some ;)

Couple of things noted on some other forums related to this.

1.  Failsafe on all channels.
2.  Voltage handling up to 10v.

Seems like [1] is available on the R608FS only with the 10C radio or better, and the voltage rating or the original Futaba receiver is also less than [2].  In short, it seems to be little bit of an upgrade instead of just a clone (or "compatible" product!).

First review...

http://rcmodelreviews.com/fasst_compatible_review.shtml (Page 1)

http://rcmodelreviews.com/fasst_compatible_review02.shtml (Page 2)

Interesting quote...

In the tests I conducted, it was clear that the Futaba product was able to sustain a link under higher noise-levels than the TFR8 could. Even so, the TFR8 showed commendable levels of resilience and was far superior to non-hopping systems such as Spektrum, Assan and Corona when large parts of the band were affected.

This is getting interesting. Hope to read more reviews from the mass with the same answers.  :thumbsup:

Another interesting bit from the review is that the way they are doing this is more like how open source folks deal with closed source protocols (like how the Samba folks reverse engineer Active directory or the Zimbra folks figure the MS Exchange protocols).  So they think they cannot be sued, as only the protocol was reversed, and all hardware and software is custom (ie brand new!).

Is encryption the solution to stop the Chinese from creating "compatible" receivers that are fully legal ?

http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/locking_out_the_chinese.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Fe3ji3h0U

Anwar, looks like the new RX has bitten you hard on your brain!  ;)

Why not Vinay! we Futabins have been blessed with such an affordable Rx, almost as cheap as Assan/Corona Rx! Hope HK soon comes up with 6 Ch Rx at around $20 band.

Its just a few months or a year max before even I would jump into a F/JR band.

:D :D Is that you Vinay! I cannot believe it !!

Like I said before, this is game changing.  If they work well even for the 25 class and below including electrics (not even 40 size), it is a big deal for everyone (having multiple foam models and small helis, it is great news for me personally too!).

The other radio brands (outside of JR/Spektrum/Futaba) will have a tougher time competing now.

Earnestly! There were many people, who even after  having an OEM 2.4G system moved to Assan/Corona as OEM Rx were both hard to find(India) and 4-5 times costly. Vinay already did the feat, I was on the brink of doing (thanks to Towers earnest discount coupons).

If these 'Compatible' Rx are even 10%-20% times costlier than Assan Rx, it worth sticking to OEM protocol.

So the Goodness of FM/PCM - Tx/Rx system is here for 2.4G people!! Just like in India you are not held hostage to buy 'Genuine' part for your car all the time.

Please include JR/Spektrum/Futaba also in the band... As many sell one radio to a person and multiple RXs. Now with these duplicate RXs, their sales will go down by 50+ percent.

Dont know man, depends on how much money I can invest. RDS is doing a great job now. I really do not see any reason as why to upgrade as it provides all the features and mixes that I would need till my skills get inter mediate. The Assan keeps providing me cheap RXs. I think I can see a price drop in their RXs too.

BTW are there any chances that Futaba may come up with a law suite to fight these RXs?  :headscratch:

BTW its just 3 more posts to reach 1000. All I have done is put some crap posts on this forum and did nothing Good.  ;D

Has anybody here used this receiver....?
What is the range of receiver...? Is it compatible with futaba 6ex...?

Yes... are there lucky people in the India who got this usguely most hot item in Hong kong ? I have been waiting for the stock to arrive for so long.
 
There are people reporting that the Rx works fine with Futaba T7C and 6EX transmitters.
http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/fasst_compatible_review.shtml

There are other people on e-bay having the stock. but they are selling at much higher price of $59, which is a deal breaker as the OEM 6 Channel FASST Rx is already sells at same price.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FrSky-2-4G-8-channel-FUTABA-FASST-Receiver-TFR8-/320595248117?pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4aa4f743f5#ht_3534wt_961

Interesting to see it uses a FPGA rather than a microcontroller. That means it might never become as cheap as the other clones. On the flip side, the latency should be good if designed right.

Hmm... FPGAs in a RX is quite interesting. As Rotor said there are not cheap devices. May be down the line Futaba may have plans to make them into cheap ASICs. Who know, by that time, the chinese would have clones with COB chips...;-)

I should get mine (3 pieces) tomorrow.  Forgot to follow it up with the post office/customs after I got back. 

Will post details here.

Got them. Will post reviews after testing on the field this Friday.  They were just sitting at the post-office since the 19th !

looks cool. is it a full range one ??

The range claimed is 1.5km.  But there are some "interesting" notes on the product page itself.

1.  Disable failsafe on transmitter, otherwise you will experience servo jitter.  Failsafe is done differently on these.

2.  Great for small planes, helis, parkflyers or even medium sized sport planes.  So I would not put it on anything beyond 40 size.  Preferably limit it to park flyer electrics and small helis.

Thanks Anwar Gi. I saw the product page after my post. Please keep us updated, I want to by few for my foamy ones. Now I am using Assan on a 6 Channel JR for the foamy planes, But I have to carry both TX to field. If this one works I can use one TX. As indicated in RC model Reviews "current-draw of the TFR8 was around 30% higher than the Futaba R608FS". So I am not sure if its ok  ??? for small electric ones ?? Please post your review.

Tested the receiver on the field, on the HK 450 Pro test and abuse bird ;)

1. Disabled failsafe for the model.
2. The binding was very quick, like in a second.  Hold the button down, and connect power to the receiver.  The negative pins of servo connections are closer to the board.
3. Set failsafe by holding the button down for one second on the receiver itself, with the throttle stick at zero position.

Did not notice any difference in the flight compared to the original Futaba receiver.  I flew as far/high as I could take a 450 class heli. 

The only thing I felt wishing for was a better casing the receiver, especially while mounting it. More than anything else, it felt a bit weird working with a receiver seeings its innards !

@ anwar
Have you tested receiver range...?

Like I said, I took the heli as high as I could.  Will continue testing with slightly bigger planes which can be taken even higher. 

I can say with conviction that range would not be an issue for small electrics.  As always, make sure your two antennas (the exposed tip parts) are setup to be perpendicular to each other.

looks promising  :thumbsup:

Guys, I was just wondering, if this is a full range reciever then what is the problen in using it in medium sized planes. I mean maybe a 90 engine. If it were to create problems in bigger planes then neither should it work in small planes. What say all.
Doc

1.  The manufacturer does not endorse it.

2.  Why doesn't the manufacturer endorse it, especially being an "8" channel one which would better suit a bigger plane with more servos ? :headscratch: This is where we have to suspect things like whether the receiver is designed to handle say 6 or 7 current hungry full size digital servos (or something like that... I am just speculating).

Oh.. one thing I noticed was that the antennas were capable of rotating at their base (where they are attached to the PCB).  I can't imagine why they did that, a direct soldered connection would have been simpler and more reliable ?

Anwar

The receiver really has nothing to do with the type of servos used. The only problem could be very small tracks on the PCB for the power supply to the servos. But I cannot imagine ANY, half decent, manufacturer goofing up on this aspect as there is no "rocket science" involved.

Of course. Whether it is PCB tracks or quality of materials used (both affecting current carrying capacity) or just their own confidence in testing (and related warranty issues), this is one of the aspects of why a manufacturer would intentionally exclude themselves from more widespread use on a receiver that is claimed (and proven) to be full range.

Once the receiver is full range, then the big difference I can see between small (to medium) and bigger planes is the number and size of servos.  Hence my suspicion that it could be current capability related.

If current draw is the only issue, it would be very simple to power the servos separately and only take the control signal from the Rx.

I am sure we will see some of that in the future by more adventurous folks :)  Waiting out on RCU, RCG etc for the same.

People who put Assan stuff on their gassers during its initial days for testing, will not lie low on things like these too.  If they work fine, the word will get out and we may see these being used in all sorts of bigger planes too !  I hope that happens. 

Or even better, I hope they come up with one that is fully designed and tested for bigger planes too !

Guys any more testing done on the Orange futaba compatible Rx? I have a SPAD extra ready with an ASP 52 engine, for testing if there's anyone willing to donate a Rx.  :giggle:  :giggle:.
Doc

Back in stock, with a proper case :

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=14300

For people like me who got the first batch with simple plastic shrink wrap on the receiver, there is a custom case that can now be ordered separately.  It seems to prevent the antennas from rotating around, which was one of the issues noted in this thread.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16074

Hi friends,I'm asking this question on behalf of my friend..Any body tried the Futaba compatible Orange receiver? how abt the review of tat product? can it be used with 6EX 2.4GHz tx? Thank you..

Hi Krish....

I have been using the orange recievers with the 6ex from a long time and basis the same here are my observations :

1. No range difference
2. have flown them on planes upto .90 size no hassles whatsoever
3. remember to tame the reciever to the standard servo mode
4. remember to switch off failsafe

Go ahead and use them without fear .. I have tested them to all limits !!!

Thanks for the quick review Divay..I'll inform these things to my frnd..

Merged...

Divay, thank you for taking the lead on testing these up to .90 size.  People ask me all the time at the field, and I was hesitant at recommending them for fuel planes over 40 size, because there was not much data on this type of usage !

Likewise

I have five of'em all except one (Thanks anam for initiating Warranty Replacement) worked pretty well, including on a 50cc gasser, the one that did not work had no light coming on , no binding, however servos were centering, HK gives 1 yr warranty, warranty replacement however will take time, heads up on that

Now you have'em, used it with Digital Hi torgue servo (Hitec 7955TG) on CAP 232 and    with Turnigy MG958 Composite Digital Metal Gear Servo on Edge 540 26 CC with gyro, this Rx works just fine, range check with Tx voltage of 11.9V 1.5 kms on a upsloping runway. If this data is of any help  :)

of course Failsafe → INH

To clarify... you INHibit failsafe on the radio, but do have to set it on the RX itself. 

In fact, we should have a topic/poll on that... how many people do really religiously set failsafe, and test it on the ground (by turning their radio off with the model at non-zero throttle) ?

I have also used 2 of them without any problems. The size of the plane should, really, have no bearing on the performance.

One would think so... except for the fact even the manufacturer seems to caution against usage of it on larger aircraft :

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=14300


Now why would they do that ?  We can only guess reasons like inadequate QA, inability to handle current (hanging too many hungry servos?), inability to handle vibrations etc.

Anwar Bhai,

Didn't want to spell it out here , checked this Rx out with the similar Tx volts, orig Rx had Range a shade less than Orange, May be because Orange has a better Antenna, but will that Rx be considered a bench mark or an aberration? can't say, One out of 5 Rx went bad and that is a large percentage, Rx quitting in air due vibration is an issue which cannot be tested. therefore, the reason why they say not on a bigger model is probably to save you some money if Rx quits for any of the reasons  enumerated by you above

Am in complete agreement with the last line. As for vibration, 4C engines vibrate more than 2C. So would the recommendation be for 60 - 4C?

Anwar. Both the technique and connectors are standard. Futaba also uses the same.

Nice nice .... as they call it in various parts of the not so developed world .... this is a "TRIPLE A" product ;)

Thanks Krishna anna. Now that I can buy this product with a confidence.

That is true, but the cases of the Futaba ones did the job of securing the antennas. The initial lot of the Orange RX ones without cases was what I was griping about.

For the record here is the pic comparing both, in terms of Rx size and antenna Length. Wt is almost same. (SD Card is to give an idea of the size)

Looks like someone forgot to set failsafe on this one :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxBwAVy0g9c

Wow... there is a Corona branded one too !

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19689__Corona_R8FA_2.4Ghz_Fasst_Compatible_Reciver.html

With FRSky having a good track record with TFR8 and the new TFR6 coming to close to OEM Futaba RF617, I don't see many people testing the new water unless FrSku ones go out of stock. The price of Corona ones are at ballpark, giving no financial justification for the switch.

Frsky has gained much applaud for their ACCTS system in the FPV/UAV community and seem to be winning the hack module  war with more veteran Corona. Their inexpensive Telemetry system is another rave.

nevertheless, this thread would wait for similar field report of these Rx, like Divey and Gusty sir did for Frsky TFR8.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__23926__Corona_R14FA_2_4Ghz_Fasst_Compatible_Reciver.html

Wonder if the Corona one is better than the FrSky/Orange ones.

Frsky version of futaba rx is pathetic.. I have had many bad experiences with frsky rx... It sucks big time..  i have lost some really good models with this piece of junk. Most of the time it was complete brown out. 3Electric n 1 nitro model smashed down to the ground coz of this useless piece is xxxx.
Orange rx is much better.. I have tried it on big models with high torque servo and its brilliant with no glitches no control loss.Its worth paying extra 10$ n getting a faast orange..
Cant trust frsky again with their new dummy rx.
About Corona.. Cant trust hobbyking reviews. .
Either wait till someone crashes his planes n puts up his rx on sale or try it yourself on a worthless model..

I was under the impression that Orange RXs are actually repackaged FrSky RXs.  Did a quick search, and came up with stuff like these.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10820632

So any quality issues should affect both, right ?

Well that we will come to know only on the field.. ;)