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Spektrum receiver not receiving input from dx8 radio

Discussion in 'Electronics' started by Matt M, Jul 30, 2013.

  1. Matt M

    Matt M New Member

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    I have a Spektrum DX8 radio receiver and a Spektrum satellite receiver. At odd intervals when I am operating my camera during flight I seem to be losing communication with receiver. I try to tilt the camera in either direction and at times it seems to get stuck or just not work and then after a few up and down movements on the dx8 the camera starts to tilt again. I am not sure if it is a distance issue or a interference issue. All of my cords have plenty of slack so it's not a stuck cord.
    I am wondering if anyone has had these issues.
     
  2. Brandon Loeser

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    We've had some distance issues but we recently re-bound the receiver and radio and it's working great. Are you running radians and just the spektrum satellite? If so... you'll have to get a dmx receiver to connect the satellite to again and rebind.
    good luck
     
  3. Kristian C

    Kristian C Member

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    Are you also using a Spektrum transmitter for the ship?
     
  4. Chuck Taylor

    Chuck Taylor New Member

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    Hi Matt, same issue here from time to time. I've tried rebinding the transmitter, and yet it continued. About 2 months ago I finally rebound another DX8 transmitter. This seemed to solve it for the most part, but it would still happen on odd occasions. Last week, the problem started up again, but it is too early to tell if it was a site specific problem. I'm curious as to what causes this with the Spektrum satellite and DX8 combination as I've tried replacing everything. I've moved Radians around in case one had a bad input, replaced cables, replaced the satellite receiver, replaced the antenna on the DX8, but still this happens.
     
  5. Matt M

    Matt M New Member

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    Yes running Radians and just the satellite receiver. Will try rebinding. But what's the explanation for this? Any benefit to mounting both the receiver and the satellite or is just the satellite sufficient? What kind of range should I be getting?

    Chuck sounds like we have the same issue. It is driving us nuts.
     
  6. Chuck Taylor

    Chuck Taylor New Member

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    I sent the first transmitter into Spektrum to have them look at it. Yesterday they responded by email,
    "We have not been able to duplicate a signal issue or any issue at all with this DX8. However, if you would like, I could replace the RF module(circuit board) if you wish. That way we could eliminate that as a possible problem. No receivers were sent in with the DX8 for testing. What receivers are you using? Be sure to double check all remote receiver extensions, switch harnesses and any other wiring extensions you may be using"

    I responded:
    "Hi Shannon, thank you for the feedback.
    I didn't send in any receivers because I had tried three separate receivers and were having the same issues. I replaced the wiring, and even changed the antenna on the DX8 transmitter. The only thing that made a difference was when I bound my backup DX8 transmitter after having replaced everything else. At this point the problem went away. I'm stumped."

    I haven't heard any more news since. What sort of transmitter/receiver is everyone else using? Is there one which is recommended by Freefly for camera work?
     
  7. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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    Chuck you may want to send them the receivers. Complete system, everything you've got. Let them test it all as a complete package.

    Out of curiosity how long did it take for them to respond after you sent it in?

    Most of the Freefly team has been using Futaba's. That's what we had at NAB for the MōVI. When i have seen videos or photos of Tabb flying I have also seen MX-20's.
     
  8. Chuck Taylor

    Chuck Taylor New Member

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    Gary,
    Thank you for sending the information regarding the brand of transmitters being used by the Freefly team. I would sent in the other components to Spektrum, but unfortunately I need them for the other jobs I have going on at the moment. I really did swap out every piece desperately trying to find a solution while I was in Brazil for a BBC shoot. The only thing that worked after trying everything else was to swap the DX8 for another. As Matt and I are experiencing the same problem - which appears to occur fairly randomly, and the Freefly team is using Futabas, I suspect that perhaps the spektrum satelite receiver option may not work perfectly with the radian system - just a guess though.

    I'm not familiar with the Futaba transmitter and receivers. Is there a particular model that is recommended above others?
     
  9. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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    8FG seems to be popular is is similar to the MX-20 in functions.
     
  10. Chuck Taylor

    Chuck Taylor New Member

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    So I ordered an 8FG and have just received it. Now comes the fun part of getting it set up. It is very different than the DX8 I was using, and I have very limited time to get it up and running before my next gig. If anyone is able to offer some advice on setup, or is even able to upload a model file which I can use as a starting point, I'd be extremely appreciative. My camera operator likes it so that the throttle controls the tilt, and the aileron controls the pan. I think I saw or read somewhere that the two knobs at the top center (LD and RD) could be programmed to control the speed of the tilt and pan - but I have no idea how that would be adjusted on this radio. I'm off to bed for now, and hope to get some testing in tomorrow. Hopefully this will resolve some of these signal glitches I was experiencing with the DX8 and satellite receiver.
     
  11. Chuck Taylor

    Chuck Taylor New Member

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    So first of all, a huge thanks to Andy Johnson-Laird for helping me out with getting the Futaba 8FG setup sorted out. So far since we've switched the radios from the Spektrum kit to the Futaba, we have had no problems with the signal dropping out causing the tilt to reset. Once we had the pan stop working for a bit, but we simply unplugged the power, and plugged it back in - causing the problem to disappear. I will post again if I ever see this signal problem occur, but otherwise it is looking much better.
     
  12. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Glad it all worked out Chuck.
    The document I sent him was an as-yet unpublished Rather Good Guide® for configuring an 8FG for a camera controller. Let me know if you need such a document and I'll either finalize and publish it or just send it to you. It's too big to post on the forum directly because of the illustrations -- at least I think it is....

    Andy.
     

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