Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Radio Equipment => Topic started by: Ghost in the shell on August 29, 2010, 11:42:50 pm
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Planet T5 2.4ghz radio system
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a couple of months ago, I decided to follow in the footsteps of some other members of the club and try a new radio. The radio i have chosen to purchase is the new Planet T5, is a no frills radio, similar in functionality to the Futaba skysport IV, but with a retracts switch added as well.
What you get
The radio package I brought was just radio and receiver, without any servos or charger, the transmitter module has a small JR (center neg) charging socket, so if you get a charger for the DX61, which also uses 4x AA cells, you will be able to charge batteries in the radio itself using the side mounted jack.
The Transmitter
Unlike many radios on the market, this particular radio is what can be considered entry level, with no computer menus to worry about, this makes it an ideal radio for someone who is just getting into the RC hobby, whether it be airborne or surface modelling, though like any 2.4ghz radio, if you are a submariner, dont bother. (this has more to do with the dynamics of the waveband than the actual radio itself, 2.4ghz is not able to penetrate the water).
The power for the radio is from 4x AA cells, you can either use 1.5v single use disposables, or as in my case 4x 1.2v rechargables, for this i am using Sanyo enloops.
The layout of the radio is very tidy, with 2 very smooth acting stick gimbals, the throttle has a nice positive feel to it, and with each increment easily felt and is available in Mode1 and Mode2, though I have opted for Mode2, simply because i like the left hand throttle. On the top of the radio, there is a small flick switch for ch5, which unusually has two speeds, slow and normal, this is i presume for the flyers who want to have a more scale retract speed, rather than going in at full speed.
the centre part between the sticks is where the On/Off switch is located, with the display for the voltage being located at the top of the facia, rather than like the Futaba 6EXA which has its display located towards the bottom of the facia, and as it is a 4-AA pack, when the voltage gets to around 4.6-4.4v, it will be time to come in and change the batteries.
Unlike most radios that use 2.4ghz, the Planet t5 comes with traditional slide trims, ok its not very high tech, but manual trims have been around since the dawn of RC sets from futaba and hitec. and to be honest if they work, why change it?
To change servo direction, the servo reverse controls are easily located behind a tinted flap on the facia, just below the right hand stick and can be moved with a small screwdriver or a finger nail.
Binding the radio
this process is remarkably straight forward, turn on the radio, turn on the receiver and with a small screwdriver, press the button down on the receiver. yes its THAT simple.
The Rx that came with the T5 is a 6channel unit, about the size of USB memory stick, with a small single antenna on it, range is stated as good for 100m (300ft), which at that distance most models will be difficult to spot.
I have yet to put the boat on the water with this radio, however initial impressions, as someone who is used to computer radios are quite positive, if you want a radio that does exaclty what it says on the tin, then give this one a try. retails in the UK for £50, which is around $75 to $80 US
(http://s1.postimage.org/11e61r.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11e61r)(http://s1.postimage.org/11e8wA.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11e8wA)(http://s1.postimage.org/11eb0J.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11eb0J)
(http://s1.postimage.org/11edvS.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11edvS)(http://s1.postimage.org/11eg00.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11eg00)(http://s1.postimage.org/11eiv9.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11eiv9)
(http://s1.postimage.org/11ek_i.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx11ek_i)
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Very helpful :-)) :-))
Can we twist your arm to write reviews about some other sets O0 O0
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Excellent work Ghosty :-))
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Nice review ghost :-))
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thanks guys,
On the subject of battery life:
it uses hardly any power, with one set of 4 nimh's lasting a few weeks at the pond rather than a few hours at the pond.
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GRRREAAATTTT.....i was looking for a good guidance like this...thank you dicky...
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Nice 1 Ghosty , how about including the rx set up , ie which way is up , white, black red leads against orange brown etc. I know some will find this bit elementary but some may not.. :-))
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i think that can be done :)
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i think that can be done :)
From the uninitiated much appreciated :-)) :-)) :-)) O0 O0 O0
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Can anyone provide the URL for downloading the Instruction Manual, please? I'm one of those old-fashioned types who likes to read it first!
DM
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Ignore last Posting - now found.
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For them that might want it, you can find it here.
http://www.jperkinsdistribution.co.uk/detail.php?JPNO=7710150&activepage=6&Navmain=R/C%20equipment&subcatname=R/C%20equipment%20-%20Planet%202.4GHz
Regards Al
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Father Christmas answered my prayers for a Planet 5 2.4ghz .I must say I am well pleased with it.I have now used it four times without recharging the batteries,so I agree it uses next to nothing. Myself ,I dont like the non return left throttle stick, so when I can find a supplier that actually has them in stock,I will by the return spring set, which is only about 50p! I even found it dead easy to tune in to my Mtronics Viper 15s,which I thought may have been a problem but no . I have bought a second receiver to go in another of my most popular boats,and that was only £13.95. I wish I went there sooner. SOooo uncomplicated. Mick
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i can also vouch for the quality and ease of use , ive had my t5 for about a year now , easy to bind more receivers , no interference from other models and a reasonable range to boot . im currently operating mine with a wee nip yacht , the recevier is more often than not below the surface of the water ( inside a plastic pot ) and the model being operated in the solent . to date ive not had any signal problems with this either ! im also now using the later computer planet twister 6 ch 2.4 ghz radio ( uses the same receivers as tthe planet t5 ) both on my kysoho seawind & my fairey huntsmen , all of which are operated at the same location !
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Myself ,I dont like the non return left throttle stick, so when I can find a supplier that actually has them in stock,I will by the return spring set, which is only about 50p!
J Perkins have these in stock @ £1.75. I'm currently negotiating for one. PM me if you'd like to "piggy back" on that order. No promises, mind!
DM
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thanx for the offer,but I have just found out that a local model shop which I didnt even know about, near Culdrose has them, so I will go check them out.Cheers,Mick
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i have had one of these sets for 2 and a bit years now and for the price of it its very good iv never had a problem with it
i have done some modifications to it iv added a piezo so it beeps when you turn it on and beeps when the battery is going flat.
iv locked out the left and right on the left stick and locked off the up down on the right stick then put the 2 unused channels to switches
iv also added end stops to the left and right channel and to one of the switched channels.
and it all still works
again very impressed with it
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I have just acquired a Planet 5 and would be interested in how you achieved those modifications.
Could you do us some drawings or info as a low battery 'bleep' sounds great.
Cheers
ken
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Hi pswinn, I to would be very interested in the ( piezo ) buzzer connection diagram, it does sound great, or it would do if I had one .
john
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Yeah I will do that for you
I will post up the buzzer mod for you its very easy. i think they just didn't add a piezo to cut costs
(http://s4.postimage.org/18w1ho4f8/buzzer.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/18w1ho4f8/)
as i remember you can get them from Maplin for not to much
mine looks like this
(http://s3.postimage.org/2qsxj0cxw/buzzer2.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/2qsxj0cxw/)
for the other mod i will have to do some drawing so i will post up in a day or 2
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Thank you very much for the info.
Ken
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Having just read through the online instruction manual it states this receiver is to be used with a JP something or other servo.
Is that really the case or will my spare Hitec servos do the job just as well. Is it just a case of them trying to sell their own servos??
Geoff
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I cannot say for sure which ones won't work, but I tested mine on the bench with a hodge podge mix of servos and they all worked fine.
One interesting fact that I've found is 'which transmitter lever' worked which channel, so I've marked them to indicate thus. I particularly liked the channel 5 switch on the top which made the servo slowly move from one end to the other, and back again when switched.
What I didn't like was the pins are rather close together and all the servos plugged in were quite a tight fit. Might need sand on the edges of the plugs methinks.
Hope this helps
ken
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Thanks Ken - will try the hitecs out but will not put on any really heavyweght servos
Geoff
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Hi pswinn,
Thanks very much for the buzzer info
john
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Hello PSWINN,
On your post about fitting a low voltage warning buzzer, where are the two connections on the Tx ?.
In my Planet Tx there are three printed circuit boards, the main one, the Tx one and one on the back of the on/ off switch.
Which one is the buzzer connected to?.
John.
www.john-dowd.co.uk
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sorry probably should have added it in.
its the PCB at the top. its the one that has the LCD attached to it hope this helps
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Hello,
Found the Buzzer connections, trip to Maplins needed now !.
Did a lot of sailing at the Kirklees Event, while doing it, the winch on Endeavour chewed up the sheeting line ( my fault, poor quality Cord) so yesterday I changed the cord and tested all systems!.
What I DIDN,T do, was to turn OFF the transmitter, today, 25 hours later, the voltage showing on the tranny was - - 4.7 Volts !!!!!!.
Everything was still working!, the cells are 2300 mAh NI-MH ones, quite old, not new ones.
This is a record for any TX that I have owned before.
John. :-))
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That's a Great 'Feel good' factor. Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if if the current rises when the sticks are moved.
Ken
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Hello,
I was wondering that too !!.
Will have to break into the feed to the Tx and wiggle the sticks for a while!.
That should show any rise in current.
John. :-)
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My reason for this joy is that the voltage from the rechargables is lower than ordinary batteries, so this brings the level nearer to the cut off voltage. Hence my need for a buzzer, but this report on 'battery life' is good news.
Ken
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Hi Guys,
Thought you may like a traders view point. I have been stocking and selling these Planet T5's from the day that they first appeared at Perkins. We cautiously purchased ten to see how they would sell and of course as soon as they arrived I had one on the test bench and stripped down to see what it was made of. To my surprise it was very well made, no dry soldered joints, no cheap parts were used and the whole layout was well thought out. Then onto the normal range tests and usability, All passed with flying colours! Apart from the fact that the Throttle channel had this annoying ratchet and was not sprung loaded. OK for other form of modelling but no good for boats or cars.
So I rang the development team at Perkins and asked them to get Twister (Planets manufacturer) to produce a Spring conversion kit and whilst at it produce the opposite - a Ratchet conversion kit.
After a few months both arrived on my doorstep and was quickly opened and the back taken off the Transmitter. I set about stripping parts out to convert to spring from Ratchet also with my camera at hand. I completed the first conversion in an hour! the second in three minutes.
I produced a small instruction handout to give to my customers when they purchased the conversation kit. I will put it as a download on my on-line shop shortly which you will get at www.huntersystems.co.uk and then go to the Planet dept.
Now after selling hundreds of these sets I can put hand on heart and say - I have never had one return of Transmitter but have had one Receiver returned - the complaint was that there was no binding slide switch on the Receiver! As all of you know that have purchased this Kit, the switch is a micro button switch. It seems that the customer had in his mind that the switch was a slide switch and had ripped the switch off the PCB. I sent him a new one with a note to tell him of the situation. I kept the damaged one for my garden railway. It only needed a bent piece of wire to close the contacts at the time of binding.
Twister have now brought out a whole range of Planet T5 compatable Receivers from 4 to 7 channels and are now bringing out a 7 channel programable radio.
As far as I am concerned there is no other Radio set that is as capable and as low priced as the Planet T5.
Regards To you all.
Graham
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yes i agree i only really got mine due to the price for a 2.4MHz £45 for TX & RX was amazing and again i really cannot fault it.
the spring back you talked about was an issue when i got mine they didn't have anything other than a TX & RX but i only needed a 2 channel setup at the time so stole the spring and other bits of one i had locked out now i do see them selling the convertion kits.
Hunter
Do you have a link to the new programable radio?
just to add i was pleased that planet also added enough space to accommodate switches on the top and even holes in the plastic molding under the outside metal spaced out correctly so you don't make a mess.
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ive got both the original t5 and bought a new 6 chanel programable tx last christmas , the only fault with the six being that ch 6 is piggy backing ch 1 with no way of separating it !
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As I type this, one-handed, I am smashing my piggy bank with a hammer in the other hand. I hope, amongst the buttons and euro-cents, I can find 45 shiny British one-pound coins. If so I shall be scurrying off to the model shop tomorrow, with a note from SWMBO, who says that I can have one if I'm good.
(or I might just buy one online, but then I'd have to wait for it and I'm too excited to do that ok2)
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Based on all the positive comments I ordered a Planet radio on Friday. I used to use 35mhz 'computer' radios in gliders but really never used even half of the available functionality.
The planet system seems ideal for a model boat.
Should be here on Tuesday all being well.
Cheers
Jon
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Definitely a good decision. I have mine now and am using it with Model Slipway HMCC Sentinel and Trent lifeboat. No interference with anyone else on the lake (or the guy who flies r/c planes nearby), no more engine stutter and no more fannying around with crystals. A step in the right direction. :-))
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The planet 5 arrived today. My initial impression is exactly the same the same as those expressed by others in this thread: It has a quality feel and is remarkable value for money. Binding the RX to the TX was very simple and took only a few seconds.
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yes i agree i only really got mine due to the price for a 2.4MHz £45 for TX & RX was amazing and again i really cannot fault it....
How about £25 for the RadioLink T4U 2.4 Ghz...?
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Been using the planet system for a while now and really cannot fault it. As a basic set for model boat use it seems just about ideal. Great value for money.
Must admit i am a little 'old fashioned' and was unsure about 2.4ghz but am now a convert. The advantage of no crystals or channel selection and reduced/eliminated possibility of a 'channel clash' with another user is just such an advance in the right direction.
It makes me smile when i think how much we used to pay for a single channel, non-proportional push-button (one push for left turn, two pushes for right turn) superegen (Only one radio could be switched on at a time) radio set back in the 1960's.
The first radio control model boat i built had a rubber band powered escapement rather than a servo!
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It just goes to show, how modern technology has taken a lot of the fun and guesswork out of model boating, only joking folks.
The planet T5 is superb and I am waiting for Perkins to release the T7 without the Twister helicopter.
It is compatible with all the Planet receivers.
john44
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Perkins are showing the T7 as 'in stock'. I have just ordered some and am awaiting delivery. Will keep you up to date :-))
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I've used the T5 for six months now with reversable speed controllers and it works fine :-). However, now I have a problem - I want to use the T5 with an Overlander XP speed contoller on an Orlyonok A90 Ekranoplan powered by one tail mounted propellor. Problem is that the speed controller will only start when the centre sprung throttle stick is pulled fully down (reverse on most of my boats). Releasing it to the centre position then leaves the prop going at half speed which is not ideal from a safety point of view :((. Overlander tell me that I cannot force the speed controller to recognise or accept the mid position as zero throttle. Any suggestions as to how to solve this problem would be appreciated. However, I still want to be able to use the T% as it is for my other boats.
Jeremy
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Hi jeremy, I had the same problem on my jet-ski and my brushless air boat. I removed the spring from the left stick and replaced it with a ratchet.
Not everyones cup of tea, but it works for me.
I just have to make sure the stick is in the neutral position when starting my other boats.
john44
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Hi all
Just seen the new planet 7 on ebay with info on the TX & RX price not bad for 7channels
I do have a planet 5 & very happy with it :-)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390373448050?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390373448050?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649)
Jason