Futaba 4PL Setup, Tips, Tricks & Help

[RadioFlyer]

:shock: You do know that you CAN NOT use a "Surface" designated radio to control a plane and you likewise CAN NOT use an "Air" designated radio to control a car, truck, crawler or boat, don't you? It is illegal and could cause great injury or possibly death depending on the circumstances. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.

Actually, that does not apply to radios operating at 2.4Ghz. Perhaps I wasn't clear in my earlier statement so I will elaborate. The "air" system I was looking at was a 2.4Ghz radio. All 2.4Ghz radios can be used for surface or air models. According to the FCC you can even use it in rockets, hovercraft and robots. But thank you for your concern nonetheless.

Technically speaking, the only radios that are legally restricted are 72Mhz for air and 75Mhz for surface. There are other bands available but they are combined and/or licensed. (27, 49, 50 and 53 Mhz)

Just wanted to make sure you to knew that. ;-)


For further information please refer to the AMA website at Academy of Model Aeronautics for the US frequency chart and at the MAAC website at Model Aeronautics Association of Canada for the Canadian frequency chart.








Sean 8)

 

[reden]

You probably need to change your servo mode from High speed to normal.

How do I set this on the 4PL?

 

[Harley]

How do I set this on the 4PL?

It's at the bottom of the model display screen. The very bottom says RX Mode, the response type is either NORM or HIGH.

 

[reden]

Was set as Normal.

Seems the common ground might still be a good idea sometimes.
Recently redid the ESC's to dual FXR's and did the commen ground from the onset.
Worked out perfectly.

Kind Regards
Rudolf

 

[Tgreer]

Throttle epo.?

Ok, I am trying to adjust my throttle expo., but when I do it only affects my esc running the front axle. I can't figure out how to set both the esc's the same. Any advice would be great.

 

[Harley]

Ok, I am trying to adjust my throttle expo., but when I do it only affects my esc running the front axle. I can't figure out how to set both the esc's the same. Any advice would be great.

You need to set the MXMD to MIX in dual ESC menu.

 

[Tgreer]

?

Mxmd has just on and off, so do I set it to on, or am I in the wrong place?

 

[Harley]

Mxmd has just on and off, so do I set it to on, or am I in the wrong place?

Yes ON. Small differences form 4PK to 4PL. I do this all from memory :lol:

 

[AreCee]

I just found a glitch this past weekend and am at a total loss to figure it out.

I want to install a LED light system in my scaler and I have two; one from RC4WD and the other a Thunder Tiger ACE RC for drifters. I had the ACE set up fine on my drift car using a Spektrum DSM RX and TX. I used that car to set up the RC4WD for the scaler, all leds lit just fine (these are pass through circuits connected to Ch1 & Ch2.

Now I take the RC4WD over to the scaler which has the Futaba FHSS RX in it to use with the 4PL. Plugged it all in and the leds go haywire. None work as they did with the Spektrum. OK, let me try the ACE RC lights, again the same thing they don't work with the Futaba. I switched Futaba receivers from the 2106 to the 2104 and same results. I pulled the RX and dropped in an old Spektrum using my old 3PKS/Spektrum module and all the lights work.

I'm wondering if the signal shoft processing is the culprit. Anyone have a guess?

 

[Harley]

I just found a glitch this past weekend and am at a total loss to figure it out.

I want to install a LED light system in my scaler and I have two; one from RC4WD and the other a Thunder Tiger ACE RC for drifters. I had the ACE set up fine on my drift car using a Spektrum DSM RX and TX. I used that car to set up the RC4WD for the scaler, all leds lit just fine (these are pass through circuits connected to Ch1 & Ch2.

Now I take the RC4WD over to the scaler which has the Futaba FHSS RX in it to use with the 4PL. Plugged it all in and the leds go haywire. None work as they did with the Spektrum. OK, let me try the ACE RC lights, again the same thing they don't work with the Futaba. I switched Futaba receivers from the 2106 to the 2104 and same results. I pulled the RX and dropped in an old Spektrum using my old 3PKS/Spektrum module and all the lights work.

I'm wondering if the signal shoft processing is the culprit. Anyone have a guess?

Probably just need to change it from High Speed response to Normal.

Just go to the model screen and it's at the bottom.

 

[AreCee]

Probably just need to change it from High Speed response to Normal.

Just go to the model screen and it's at the bottom.

That was one of the first things I tried. Then I put both the steering and throttle back to default, recalibrated the CC SW and all to no avail.

Both ESC and servo function properly, it is just the led systems that don't.

Weird, no?

 

[Harley]

That was one of the first things I tried. Then I put both the steering and throttle back to default, recalibrated the CC SW and all to no avail.

Both ESC and servo function properly, it is just the led systems that don't.

Weird, no?

Yes very wierd. I can't say I know why, hard to say what those systems were designed for.

 

[AreCee]

Yes very wierd. I can't say I know why, hard to say what those systems were designed for.

I'll be receiving a third LED system by the end of the week and I'm curious to see if that one works with FHSS.

 

[YJ_Driver]

Yes very wierd. I can't say I know why, hard to say what those systems were designed for.

I noticed that the servo signal pulses from these receivers have a lower high voltage, near 3V, which caused problems with my home made CMOS logic switches that are looking for over 4V. My switches worked fine with my very old AM RXs as they put out 5V pulses but couldn't detect the pulses from the new RXs.

I don't know what other modern RXs put out so this may not be the issue but thought I'd put up the info.

 

[mdchris]

Got my updated 4pl back today, turn around time was about 3 weeks from and back to Canada, and they paid the return shipping, very happy camper! "thumbsup"

 

[Charlie-III]

Got my updated 4pl back today, turn around time was about 3 weeks from and back to Canada, and they paid the return shipping, very happy camper! "thumbsup"

Ummmm.....why are you posting & not driving..??!!

:lmao::lmao:

Glad you have the radio back.

 

[RadioFlyer]

I'm just about ready to get a 4PL from Tower but am a bit worried about getting an older one without the updates. Do you think those are all gone by now?



Sean 8)

 

[AreCee]

I bought mine from there about two months ago and it was a newer one with the latest program.

 

[RadioFlyer]

I bought mine from there about two months ago and it was a newer one with the latest program.

Righto.

Thanks. "thumbsup"



Sean 8)

 

[waltgpierce]

Incremental increase to rear when using front dig?

I am using a dual ESC setup on my XR10. Is there a way to program the 4PL to be able to incrementally have the rear axle receive power when using the front dig? I would like to have 100% on the front and be able to add a little bit of power to the rear tires to assist in a climb, without rolling over.