After successfully upgrading my F14 Navy to dual digital / analogue operation with a Corona 2.4Ghz diy kit, I wanted to fully utilise the multiswitch expansion module that my unit already had fitted, when I purchased it from a friend of mine. Along with the installed encoder, came a matching multi prop decoder, this appeared to work, but it was a bit glitchy, with four toggle switches and four proportional knobs, it didn't really do all that I wanted. I also had the problem of requiring more of them, as I have multiple models I want to have multi function capabilities, I managed to find some in stock at:
http://www.westbourne-model.co.uk/ but they are really expensive.
I toyed with the idea of constructing my own units, but whilst hunting around the internet for information, I kept coming across the odd photo of the same decoder units being tested, but no information as to what they were or where they came from, after an extensive search I tracked the units down to a chap in Germany, by the name of Claus Poltermann:
https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://cp-elektronik.de/&prev=search His site, CP-Elektroik, once passed through Google translate, (I can't read German) is very well written, with lots of units available to suit just about every modeller and their multiswitch needs, the bonus being that his offerings are significantly cheaper than the original units.
After a quick browse of the site, I fired a few quick questions off to Claus to make sure I was buying what I needed for my setup, he was quick to reply, very helpful and writes impeccably in English.
In the end, I ordered a new encoder unit with eight, three position toggle switches, giving each switch two outputs and a middle, "off" position, matching sixteen switch decoder and two eight relay output boards. You can connect loads directly to the, "basic" decoder unit I have, but you are limited to 200ma per output, a higher powered version is also available using MOSFET switching, but I prefer good old fashioned mechanical relays.
At this point it is worth noting, that at the time of purchasing, each unit in the system has different options you need to specify, so I have the Robbe Futaba F14 encoder, my basic decoder works with 12v DC for the switched outputs and the relay boards are also 12v DC compatible, again, Claus was very helpful in clearing up any confusion about the options.
To make the units as slim and as neat as possible, some SMD components are used, now this is fine, but the main reason the units are so cheap, is that they are self assembly, now normal components are not a problem, I do this on a fairly regular basis, but SMD are just a pain in the butt, fortunately, for a very nominal fee, you can buy the boards with the SMD parts already soldered into place.
Construction is a straight forward enough affair, especially if you have put electronic kits together before, all the components for each unit came in an individual bag for that unit and very comprehensive instructions are available on the website, the only thing I found, was that when you pass the instructions through Google translate, it removed all of the diagrams, so it was necessary to flip between the original German and translated version.
Once the build was completed, I installed the new encoder and connected the decoder to the RX, after a quick setup procedure where the decoder learns the pulse width generated by the radio unit, a 12v LED was connected to to output one of the decoder and it only went and worked!
A few nights later, I got around to building up one of the relay boards, these are very simple, but it was not clear from the circuit diagram as to the orientation of the status LEDs, looking at the board, I felt confident that I knew which way round the anode and cathode went. Google Translate was less than helpful, the original German for the LEDs is: Loten Sie die LEDs so ein, dass der kurzere Draht zur Platinenaubenseite liegt, Google gave this as: Solders the LEDs so that the shorter wire is the platinum outside, another go with Babylon showed that the cathode of the LED should be on the, "outside" of the board.
Confusion over, I plugged the relay unit into the decoder and one after another, the relays and associated status LEDs responded to the switch inputs with a satisfying, "click"
All in all I am very happy with this latest upgrade and can't wait to get the units into a model and out on the lake for proper trials.
Short video of me testing the setup on the workbench:
https://youtu.be/_YpK5r1kHc4Enjoy,
Alex
Author
Topic: Robbe Futaba F14 Navy + Corona 2.4Ghz + CP Elektroniks add-ons (Read 3294 times)