TX commands are delayed to FMS... - Very new at this and need assistance.

[undermutt]

Hello All,

This is my first time with any type of rc vehicle, so be kind.

When I issue a command via the xmitter there is a delay before it shows on FMS.

Here is my setup..

I purchased the Dragonfly r/c helicopter. I don't know what kind of xmitter I have but it is black and has a silver toggle switch in each upper corner, (btw...what are these for?).

I have a dell laptop and the tx is connected via the supplied cable and a serial to usb converter cable.

I have setup ppjoy set to the Zhen Hua 5 byte serial protocol.
I have FMS control set to Joystick interface.
This setup seems to work except for the delay, which is very frustrating since I have never flown any kind of rc plane or helicopter before.

One other question about the tx. On the back there is a dip switch with 8 switchs. The manual says they are there and wheat the first 4 switchs relate to, but not what their purpose is.

Any help with any of these questions will be greatly appreciated.

Rick.

[shaul_eiz]

Hi Rick,
Welcome to the club. I'm sure you're going to love your new hobby!
I made some research regarding "Dragonfly" - it looks good.
They are using a standard Futaba transmitter, which is very good for you, because you will be able to use it with your next model. The two extra switches indicate that you have a 6-channel transmitter: the minimal 4 channels that are controled by the two sticks plus 2 extra ones. They can be used for almost any function that does not need a continous action. In helicopters they might be used to control PITCH, in aircrafts they might be used to control landing gear, flaps or even turn-on some lights.
As for your frustration with the FMS-connection - It seems that one of the links slows you down. My guess is that it is that Serial-to-USB has some electronics that slows you down.
My way to connect is through the sound-card using a and the . It works just fine for Futaba PPM transmitters such as yours.
Don't hesitate to use this forum is you have further questions
Shaul

[undermutt]

Shaul,

Thanks for the sort of good info. Unfortunately I have a laptop and the only interface I have with the outside world are my usb ports. I'll look around, mabe I can find an inexpensive pci card with a serial port.

I'm still open to other suggestions.

[Eric Brouwer]

On notebooks/laptops, there are two things that can cause your problem.

1 - Video Drivers
The Frames per Second will indicate if the delay is caused by the video card. If you get more than 30 frames/second, your card is fine.

2 - Interface method
I have tried several makes/models of USB to Serial ports, but it seems as if the operation of this converters are machine specific. It might work fine on one PC, but on the next PC, it might cause a delay. It also depends on the type of Serial interface that you have.

If you have the Simple Serial PPM interface (two transistors), you might experience more problems with the USB converter.

If you have a Serial PIC interface (microprocessor type), there might be a better chance of you using the USB converter. In this case, do not make use of PPJoy, as FMS can see the interface directly on the virtual serial port. In this case, use the "Serial PIC Interface" option in FMS.

For notebook/laptop users, I normally recommend to go for a USB Joystick interface.