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Any new Alta owners out there

Discussion in 'ALTA' started by Jose Luis Ocejo, Aug 13, 2015.

  1. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    You can also set the 14SG to announce the flight battery voltage either on demand (using a momentary contact switch), or every N seconds (I favor 20 seconds). I did notice that every so often Jeff's Girlfriend (as such talking voices are called) announces "zero point zero volts," and I'm not sure why.

    Andy.
     
  2. Steve Maller

    Steve Maller UAV Grief Counselor

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    Gary, does this firmware still use the proprietary format for the SD Card? The firmware update instructions seem to imply you can just format the card and copy the various files onto the SD card and the 14SG will read them directly.

    Confused :confused:
     
  3. Steve Maller

    Steve Maller UAV Grief Counselor

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    The telemetry signal is definitely intermittent. Apparently the Futaba receiver isn't quite as good at being a transmitter, and vice versa. I had the same problem with the Graupner radios in my Cinestar days. That's why I prefer to rely on the ALTA's OSD.
     
  4. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    The SD card definitely uses the Futaba highly-suspect proprietary file system (FFS). The only way you can reformat an SD card in the transmitter is to deliberately format it in a PC or Mac to obliterate the Futaba file system -- and then it asks whether to reformat it in the transmitter when you first power on.

    So to do the upgrade, you have to use the FFS.exe program to move the firmware and sound upgrades on to the SD card and then install the SD in the transmitter.

    Thanks for the comment re: Jeff's Girlfriend faking me out with 0.0v announcements. It's an attention-getter for sure!

    Andy.
     
  5. MIke Magee

    MIke Magee Active Member

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    WHo can I pay to produce a short step-by-step process for adding voice support to the 14sg for the Futaba impaired? It would be a great How-To topic.
     
  6. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    I was thinking of creating a Rather Good Guide(R)for doing this, but it'll take me a couple of days to get to it....I'm not sure whether Gary has the time immediately, either...

    But, to be truthful, I just slowly (very slowly) followed the documentation from Futaba for the firmware and sound upgrades, and then experimented with the "idiosyncratic" (polite word) Futaba interface.

    Andy.
     
  7. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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    Mike here's the first part.

    1. Power on the transmitter
    2. Click the Home button to go the telemetry screen
    3. Scroll to the second data section to RECEIVER and click
    4. Scroll to the sensor line, click and scroll/change to
    EXT-VOLT.
    5. Click the Home button and now you should Rx voltage in the top and
    Flight Battery Voltage in the bottom.

    That gets the voltage reporting turned on. To adjust and hear the 'voice'

    1. Double click the LNK button
    2. Scroll to Telemetry and select (RTN)
    3. Scroll to Ext and select (RTN)
    4. Scroll and set
    Alert - ACT
    Threshold - whatever I use 22.2 which corresponds to the same warning volts on Alta
    Vibes - Type 1 - 4 so it also vibrates
    Next page
    5. Speech - ACT and then unless you want it doing it over and over again assign a switch to it. I use SH which is the long momentary switch on the top bottom right side. Pick the switch and then highlight and click "ON/OFF". Select 'OFF'

    Home button to get out.

    Voltage drops below 22.2 it tells you. Use the SH switch it tells you. Other settings can set it up to repeat after xx seconds if you want it constantly reminding you.

    Let me know if this all works :)
     
  8. Michael McVay

    Michael McVay Active Member

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    Thats great Gary - thanks.
     
  9. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Jeez, Gary....I haven't even finished doing today's email and you already got it done! I'm impressed.
    Andy
     
  10. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    You might also want to use something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Ster...60480&sr=1-15&keywords=ipod+portable+speakers

    I don't like flying with earbuds in my ears because I'm already flying wearing Cinemizers and a Tilley broad-rimmed hat and I don't want people to think I'm dorky. OK. OK. I mean "too dorky." :rolleyes: Just dorky enough so that I exude enough menace so they don't go into the "How high/far can it fly? Did you build that yourself? etc. etc."

    I use Velcro to attach them to the Futaba and a small home-made 3.5mm male to female cable to come from the earphone jack on the Futuba out to the speakers.

    Andy.
     
  11. Gary Haynes

    Gary Haynes Administrator
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    Andy the only thing that popped into my mind immediately was Rodney Dangerfield on the golf course in Caddyshack cranking up the boom box in his golf bag....:cool: Rock on dude.....
     
  12. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Yeah, but he didn't have Jeff's Girlfriend going "24.1....24.1.....24.1....0.0....24.1....24.0...." :)
    Andy.
     
    Dylan Glockler likes this.
  13. JASPER GLAVANICS

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    Would be great to hear your about your tests and experiences when you start flying your ALTA Michael!
     
  14. Dylan Glockler

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    Went the Golden Ticket Event last Friday - which was pretty awesome - seeing how incredibly thorough the build and testing process is and meeting the crew there - impressive company and products. Got to fly a demo unloaded and it definitely out performs the s1000 (as expected). Incredibly solid.

    My Alta was supposed to have shipped last week but they did say they were just slightly behind - so expecting it any day.
     
  15. Dylan Glockler

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    I asked this question on-site at Freefly last Friday and was told if you purchase the controller it will come with installed, bound radios. Definitely hope that's the case when mine arrives.


     
  16. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Ben: I had the same issue in that I wanted to upgrade the Futaba to version 5.0 firmware and also install the Sound v 2.0 firmware so I could get voice announcements of the flight voltages.

    My workaround is to use Bootcamp and install Windows on a Mac Book Pro -- the real culprit is that Futaba's SD card uses a hokey Futaba proprietary file system where files are referenced by numbers, so you have first format the SD card on a Mac or PC to FAT format, then, when you put it into the 14SG it asks whether you want to format it in the Futaba File System (FFS).

    Files 1 - 4 are reserved for firmware updates, but files 5 and above are "yours" to use. You select a file number and then either "import" a file to the SD card from the PC or "export" a file from the SD Card to the PC. Note: In my mind Futaba has the direction of import and export transposed...but, whatever, I'll roll with the punches if it works.

    Then you have to use Windows to run the program FFS.exe that can then mount/dismount the FFS-formatted SD card. Then you have to "import" specific files *to* the SD card. Once you have the upgrades (or the ALTA configuration file) on the SD Card then you can dismount the SD card (using FFS.exe -- not the usual Windows mechanism), and put it into the 14SG. To force the update you hold down the left Home/Exit button then power on the 14SG.

    You also have to use FFS.exe under Windows to "export" telemetry files from the SD card to the Windows system.

    The only good news is that a Mac Book makes a great platform on which to run Windows. If you want to run either Windows or Mac OS X, then use Bootcamp. If you want to run *both* Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously, then use VMWare's Fusion and Windows runs as a guest operating system hosted by Mac OS X.

    Andy
     
  17. Dylan Glockler

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    For anyone waiting around tapping their fingers like I have been:ship date was the week of the 24th and it shipped today (the 4th) so they seem to be about a week behind..
     
  18. Katya Nelhams-Wright

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    Hi Tom
    Same with ours. We picked it up Friday and one of our booms is crushed inwards as you describe. Makes you worry about shipping it to a destination for a job and finding one or more of your booms are damaged on arrival.
     

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  19. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Kat:

    EDIT: Wait a minute. I re-read Tom's positing. So the crushed CF is at the contact point where the boom locks on the central hub make contact with the underside of the boom, I think.

    Are there any signs of crushing on the underside of the top foam tray. The top lid of the outer case does flex a small amount, but to crush the CF of the boom requires significant force.

    Can you post additional images please? It's not immediately clear exactly where on the boom this crushed CF is located.
    It's a holiday weekend here and FF will not be able to respond until Tuesday.

    Andy.
     
  20. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Kat:
    Is the damage shown in your image just on the surface, or is the surface deflected inwards towards the center of the boom?

    Andy.
     

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