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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Air Models / September 2006Futaba buddy box connector
Down very many years I have used buddy box cables on countless occasions and have never had a problem. Normally these have been terminated with DIN plugs which fitted into sockets mounted into the transmitter case. Last year I bought a new Futaba transmitter with the newer small square socket. This lasted just over twelve months before the slave transmitter started behaving erratically and the problem was traced to a cracked solder joint on one of the transmitter's socket connections. Although this was an easy repair I was astonished to be shown the design of the socket. This is soldered directly on to the printed circuit board and is held solely by the tiny terminal pins. The plug of the buddy lead passes through a hole in the rear cover of the transmitter but the edges of this hole make no contact with the socket. Accordingly the full weight of the buddy cable is supported directly by the printed circuit board and the tiny soldered pins. Even with very careful use this does not seem adequate and, realistically, there will be times when the cable snags or is even trodden on. Am I missing something here or is this just penny-pinching in the extreme by the manufacturer? Is this really fit for the purpose for which it is sold? Malcolm, I feel for your failures but have used my own FF9 for a few years now with no problems. I also used to train students professionally at one of our more well known training schools with the same kit and found no problems either. I wonder if you had a "bad 'un" and are now worrying needlessly? Nevertheless, thanks for the heads-up. D > Down very many years I have used buddy box cables on countless occasions > and have never had a problem. Normally these have been terminated with DIN [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > by the manufacturer? Is this really fit for the purpose for which it is > sold? > Down very many years I have used buddy box cables on countless occasions and > have never had a problem. Normally these have been terminated with DIN plugs [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Am I missing something here or is this just penny-pinching in the extreme by > the manufacturer? Is this really fit for the purpose for which it is sold? All you're missing is that Futaba, and every other RC maker, have for years been charging ridiculous amounts for transmitters that are cheap rubbish. Take the FF8 for example, the transmitter module that has to be removed to change crystals has plastic locks that simply break off is you use them much, and it's connector becomes intermittent after a relatively small number of insertions too. I've cleaned several of them and taped the module in to maintain reliability, but that means you're stuck on one channel. If you open up a transmitter and cast a professional eye over it (I'm an electronics designer) it's basically the cheapest Chinese rubbish that you would expect in a kids toy, right down to the single sided paper PCB. They put a lot of effort into making the case look flashy to justify the price, but the bottom line is that a £300 transmitter costs £20-£30 to make. Greg >> Down very many years I have used buddy box cables on countless occasions > and [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > but the bottom line is that a £300 transmitter costs £20-£30 to make. > Greg ok then make one cheaper and better and I for one would buy it say £100 for a FF9 equivalent and you have a deal and £70 profit for you > ok then make one cheaper and better and I for one would buy it say £100 > for a FF9 equivalent and you have a deal and £70 profit for you One sale wouldn't exactly make it worth while 8-), but seriously, you have to have volume to get the price down and no one entering the market now could expect to take a large enough slice away from the big three who have it all sewn up, especially the very limited distribution channels. Greg >> ok then make one cheaper and better and I for one would buy it say £100 >> for a FF9 equivalent and you have a deal and £70 profit for you [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it all sewn up, especially the very limited distribution channels. > Greg and thats why we pay £300 for a £30 transmitter not tha we want to there is no real option > and thats why we pay £300 for a £30 transmitter not tha we want to there > is no real option I didn't say there was an option, you seem to be off on another tack. The OP was asking about poor quality and I confirmed that in my professional opinion they are indeed made very cheaply, something that most would not realise from the price tag and flashy case. To take the specific example of the connector failure that the OP has seen, assuming the FF9 (which I haven't examined closely) is the same construction as the FF8 and all other Futaba transmitters that I've seen, a connector secured only by it's pins soldered to a single sided paper laminate PCB is very unreliable. The pad is most likely to break off the substrate and break the track. A double sided, plated through, FR4 substrate PCB (which is the industry standard if you're not skimping) would be infinitely more reliable as the pad is effectively riveted on by the through hole plating and pad on the other side. Such a PCB would add roughly £1 to the parts cost of the trasmitter but make the whole thing much more reliable mechanically and far less susceptible to interference from such things as mobile phones due to the flooded ground plane that becomes possible. I don't think most people would expect that pound to have been skimped on such an important part of a £300 item, but as you say they have us over a barrel. Greg Perhaps I don't get bragging rights to be able to mix with the BMW estate crowd but, I use a Sanwa RD6000 (not sport or super) because, the construction seems better, I know people dont like the slide switches but they're far better at self cleaning than toggle switches. Also the programming is far easier and more intuitive than any Futaba I've ever used. I'm not now and never will be a sheep, just following the crowd, or buying something for the "status symbol" effect, I buy that which I think will give best service and value. My first radio was a 27 Mhz Futaba 6M and have others both PPM and PCM, I also have HiTec, but like the RD6000 better by far. Dave :^) On Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:55:33 +0100, "Dave :^\)" <yourejoking@NOSPAM.noway> wrote: >Perhaps I don't get bragging rights to be able to mix with the BMW estate >crowd I think I am one of the lucky ones here, even if I'm slightly OTT :-) The guy who has recently been training me on his buddy box is a good friend who was an RAF Phantom pilot in the Falklands. In later life he now trains pilots to fly Boeing 737's. Although in his forties, he still has lightning reactions (fastest I have ever seen in a human being) and the presence of his forefinger on the buddy box switch has saved me a whole load of grief.. so much so that I am now a reasonably competent and confident solo flier. Of course, now I have said that, I'm bound to have my first crash :( Travec. |
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