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[Bradley]

Can anyone help, please?  I have searched MBM but cannot find anyone who has had the same problem.  I have a Spektrum DX5e transmitter and AR500 receiver (both brand new) and when I installed them in a boat the throttle (Mode 2) would only work like an aircraft throttle, ie. off when stick is fully down and increasing to maximum speed at fully up, in other words, no mid point on the throttle and no reverse.  There is no adjustment available on the esc, it is a 'plug & play'.  I was changing the r/c gear over from Futaba 2.4 which worked perfectly (and normally for boat control).  Another thing that happens is that, even when fully charged, when the T/x is switched on it goes to the 3rd green light and immediately drops back to the 2nd green light as if the batteries (2500 Nimh's) are not accepting and holding the full charge.  I have contacted Horizon Hobby (UK distributors) and they say that I should send the T/x in to them for them to adjust the throttle potentiometer so that it has a centre neutral.  Is this adjustment anything that an electronics dunce (me) could carry out?
I cannot believe that I am the only one who has had this throttle problem with the DX5e when used in a boat .
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. 
Derek.     

[barriew]

Derek,

I take it you are using the left stick for the throttle? I use the right and have no problems. The other possible solution is to change the mode of the transmitter. There has been info in the model mags on how to do this.

Wideawake is the expert on this.

Barrie

[Bob_V]

Derek,

Try plugging the speed controller in another channel, for example the rudder channel (which I assume works correctly).

This should tell you if it is a particular channel on the transmitter that is faulty.

With regard to the lights, my DX5E only shows full battery charge if I fit non rechargeable cells (1.5v per cell). When I fit rechargeable cells (1.2v per cell) the end light goes off and the next one comes on. I still get several hours use which is long enough for me.
Hope this helps?

Bob.

[Bradley]

Many thanks for the suggestions Bob and Barrie.  I have tried it with the bec plugged into the elevator and rudder channels and the motor runs correctly (F-N-R) on either.  I control my boat rudder off the aileron channel (right stick) so it looks as though the only answer is have the potentiometer on the motor stick adjusted.  Or, if I am brave  , and someone can suggest the way to go I would consider trying to adjust it myself  .
Derek.   

[barriew]

Derek,

If you really want to have the throttle on the left stick with a self centering stick, then perhaps you could switch the left and right stick assemblies. Not sure if it is possible, but just changing the pot would still leave you without self centering. I actually prefer having throttle and rudder on the same stick, so am quite happy to use the right for both.

As I said Guy (Wideawake) has taken these things to pieces, and spoken to the importers and is the best source of knowledge.

Barrie

[exvtop]

I've been unable to get my DX5e to work with an Electronize FR15 speed controller.
This has a fixed, non-adjustable centre point and runs in reverse at about quarter speed with the throttle control at mid point.
Get similar but slightly different results connecting to any of the other three axis.
The Electronize works fine with a Futaba 40Mz system.
The Dx5e works OK with an Mtroniks ESC presumably because this has auto-centering.

Mike

[mjed]

I changed the centre position setting to fit a sail winch. When I run a motor boat, it still looks for the centre position and because the ESc whistles, I can hear when its in "neutral". I then had a problem with the system not finishing its binding process and had to prove it was the TX after buying another Rx. It has now gone for repair after Andover models tried another TX. Could it be that these cheaper DX5e's are not so reliable?

[Bradley]

I was beginning to wonder about reliability and also why Horizon Hobby say that the potentiometer on the throttle stick needs adjusting.  My previous r/c gear has always been Futaba and I have never experienced any problems using gear primarily intended for aircraft on a boat.  As mentioned previously the Futaba gear that I had installed worked perfectly.  When I had the problem with the Spektrum I re-installed the Futaba to satisfy myself that it had been working correctly and, lo and behold, it had.  The only reason I was changing was that I did not need the sophistication of the Futaba gear and also because additional receivers are expensive  . 
I have PM'd Wideawake and waiting for him to reply.
Derek.   

[Shipmate60]

I had one of these checked out and found channel 3 had a wayward neutral setting AND uneven full ahead and astern points.
Channel 1 was also a bit out.

Bob

[exvtop]

There certainly seem to be "issues" with this Spektrum gear.
I'm not going to get rid of my ultra reliable Futaba 40Mz FM gear and when more users have gone over to 2.4Ghz the question of channel availability will have gone away!
Mike

[FullLeatherJacket]

I had one of these checked out and found channel 3 had a wayward neutral setting AND uneven full ahead and astern points.
Channel 1 was also a bit out.
Bob

Mine, too - but strangely it works fine on a P94. Must be Chinese electricity................. 
FLJ

[wideawake]

Derek,

I take it you are using the left stick for the throttle? I use the right and have no problems. The other possible solution is to change the mode of the transmitter. There has been info in the model mags on how to do this.

Wideawake is the expert on this.

Barrie

I've been off-line for a acouple of days and just found Derek's PM.   

I'm not sure about that Barrie!  However I did write a review of the DX5e for MB magazine some months ago.    I'm not sure if it's available on the MB website.  Maybe Colin can advise?   Accessing the mode change switch is easy.   You just need to cut away a bit of the plastic fascia to the right of the row of slide switches, where instinct suggests another switch might be and hey presto there is indeed a switch under there.   Using this switch will allow you to change modes and put the throttle on the other stick.   It's also possible to swap the self-centring and ratchet components over on the two stick mechanisms.  I'll wait to see if Colin confirms that the article is on the MB site before going into more detail, as if it is then it would be better to read it, with the associated pictures, there.

HTH

Guy

[Colin Bishop]

Wideawake's review of the Spektrum DX5e was in the May 2009 issue of Model Boats. This is not among the sample articles we have put up for general viewing but it is available on the subscriber content only Flexipage facility which allows you to browse back issues.

There is also a short but useful thread on the subject on the Model Boats Forum under the R/C & Accessories heading: http://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/threads.asp?t=37 and co-incidentally I have only today put up a topic for discussion as to whether R/C and electronics is getting a bit overcomplicated and confusing for many people. Any contributions from Mayhem members who are also registered on the Model Boats site are very welcome. 

Colin

[Bradley]

Many thanks Guy and Colin (and others).  I risked all and opened up the t/x today and can see how the sticks and ratchets are set out but what I assume to be the potentiometers do not appear to have any means of adjustment by an amateur (me).  I appreciate what you say Guy about changing the throttle to the right hand stick but I have always used mode 2 and would prefer to stick with it.  I fail to understand why Spektrum set them up so that there is no mid-point neutral on the throttle stick - perhaps someone ought to enlighten them that there are radio controlled model boats these days  .  I do subscribe to Model Boats magazine Colin but do not always save the back issues but I will have to keep my fingers crossed and see if I have the May 2009.  In a way I agree with you Colin about radio gear becoming complicated these day and I think that is because they mainly comply with the requirements of the fliers.  However, I think that the Spektrum units are not overly complicated, if only they had got their act together for us boaties and, from what I see, the GiantCod units also appear to suit our purpose and are cheap. 
Derek.   

[Colin Bishop]

Derek,

If you are a subscriber as opposed to buying the magazine in the newsagents you will have a subscriber number. This is also printed on the packaging in which the magazine is posted. The subscriber number will give you access to the FlexiPage back issue facility on the Model Boats site where you can browse all the issues going back to January 2007. Once you are in Flexipage you can also do a word search on all available back issues which is how I quickly found Wideawake's review. This is really useful in finding particular articles without manually ploughing through all the back issues looking for something you know is there somewhere! You do need to be in FlexiPage and use the menu option to access the search facility. The search box on the main back issues page doesn't seem to work!

Colin

[wideawake]

Hi Derek

The reason there is no midpoint neutral on the throttle stick is (at the risk of teaching you to suck eggs!) that aircraft don't go backwards!  I've not got access to my gera at the moment, but as far as I remember, using one of FLJ's ESCs and turning on with the throttle stick (ratchet) set in the middle the ESC understood was that this was the neutral position.  The same applies if you swap the self-centring components on to the throttle stick.    I wasn't suggesting that you change your usual way of operating just that if you change modes, in effect  you move the throttle on to a self-centring stick.

You can read the article on line just by signing up in the MB website.  No charge and it saves hunting through back numbers if the article is in the on-line archive.   I'm not familiar with the giant cod sets but do have one of  the r2hobbies computer programmed sets which is OK.

HTH

Guy

[Bradley]

Many thanks once again to Colin and Guy.  I found the May 2009 Model Boats and was avidly reading through the article until I got to where you mention the correct way to bind the receiver, Guy.  I immediately went out to my workshop and did as you say - release the trainer switch as soon as you switch the tx on - whoopee  - it works now exactly as it should.  I had previously been holding the trainer switch on too long and it was setting the throttle incorrectly.  Easy when you know how - ain't it!!   
Once again, many thanks chaps.  If nothing else, you have saved me the wasted postage to return it to Horizon Hobby AND solved the problem.
Derek.   

[Bradley]

The only thing I would like to add is that I think that Spektrum, through their importers, Horizon Hobby should put out a notice (possibly via the model magazines) to correct this ambiguity in the binding procedure.  At the same time, it is beyond me why Horizon Hobby suggested returning the tx to them to reset the potentiometer when the answer, which they should have been aware of, should have been perfectly obvious.
Derek.