INSTRUCTION MANUAL
F-14
The notes above regarding the transmitter battery also apply to
the receiver pack. Please note that all rechargeable batteries
in the RC system should be given a slow charge at the 1/10
rate (standard charge rate, example: 500 mAh battery-charge
current 50 mA) for at least 14 hours, regardless of how long
you used the system last time. This compensates for the fact
that NiMH batteries self-discharge when stored. On average
NiMH cells discharge themselves at a rate of about 1% capa-
city loss per day. This means that a fully charged pack will be
completely flat after 100 days even if you do not use it at all
during that time.
Most battery chargers feature LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to
indicate that charging is in process, i.e. the batteries are on
charge when the LEDs glow. We recommend a battery charger
from our product range.
The illustrations of the transmitter show the position of the bat-
tery charge socket. Fig. 4 shows the schematic arrangement of
a typical battery charging circuit.
The transmitter and receiving system must always be left swit-
ched off when you are charging the batteries. If you prefer to
rapid-charge the transmitter battery the charge current most
not exceed 1 A, as the transmitter could be damaged at higher
currents. The transmitter features an integral protective diode
which prevents damage if the charge lead is connected with
reverse polarity.
The first step is to connect the banana plugs attached to the
charge leads to the battery charger, then connect the charge
leads to the charge sockets on the transmitter and receiver
switch harness. The receiver battery can safely be left in the
model for charging. Using a switch harness with integral char-
ge socket means that you do not have to disconnect the recei-
ver battery from the switch harness for charging.
After a long period of storage, after initial purchase or after the
Winter break, the batteries should be charged and discharged
several times before you use the system to control a model.
This cycling process „balances“ the packs and restores their
full capacity and operating time.
Faulty or exhausted batteries must not just be thrown in the
household rubbish as they constitute toxic waste and are po-
tentially harmful to the environment. Always take such packs to
the appropriate collection point for toxic materials.
NC batteries can be recycled, and this restores the poisonous
heavy metals to the production cycle and prevents them ente-
ring the environmental chain. Please do your bit to protect and
preserve the environment!
Changing crystals
Within their fixed frequency bands the transmitter and receiver
can be operated on different spot frequencies by changing the
crystals. Note that the crystal in the transmitter and the receiver
must be changed together, as they must be a matching pair.
The frequency band of the transmitter and the receiver must
be the same, and in each case a pair of matched crystals desi-
gned for that frequency band must be used. Always use origi-
nal crystals from the Futaba range exclusively.
The position of the transmitter crystal socket is shown in For
the R168DF receiver, dual conversion crystals are needed!
Fig. 5: it is located on the main circuit board. To change crys-
tals you must first open the case as described earlier. Check
that the transmitter is switched off before you do this.
Adjusting the sticks
The length of the sticks can be adjusted to suit your personal
preference, and the procedure is shown in schematic form in
Fig. 6. Loosen parts A and B, set the stick end to the desired
length and lock part A against part B again. If you wish to use
the transmitter as a hand-held unit we recommend the shorter
stick ends. If you intend to use the transmitter in a tray the lon-
ger stick ends are usually a better choice.
The centring spring tension of both stick units is infinitely varia-
ble to suit your personal taste. To make adjustments you must
remove the transmitter back panel as described earlier. The
next step is to disconnect the battery from the circuit board -
this is important.
The spring tension can now be adjusted for each function se-
parately using a small screwdriver. The position of the adjustor
screws can be seen in Fig. 7. Rotating the screw clockwise
increases the spring tension (the stick feels „harder“). Turning
the screw anti-clockwise reduces the tension, and the stick
feels „softer“.
The transmitter is supplied as standard with all four stick func-
tions set up with self-neutralising action. However, one of the
two vertical planes of movement is usually converted to rat-
chet operation to allow for functions which do not require self-
neutralisation. With ratchet operation the stick affected stays
5
Fig. 4
1 pin connectors for ch 1...4
2 pin connectors for ch 5...8
3 Multi in connectors
5 trainer connector
4 Multi out connector
6 Xtal connector
4
3
2
1
6
5
Fig. 5
Part A Part B
Fig. 6
