Futaba Radio Control "Joystck" Conversion

[Daubie]

Hi,

(Didn't know where to post this; started here.)

I got thinking, I have a 6 or 7 channel Futaba (I think, it's been awhile) old radio control unit, analog, before they took the radio frequencies for cell phone use---there, that dates me pretty good.

I did a few searches here and came up empty.

Can it be done to use a radio control outfit, refitted to do AHII or other flight sims with?  Seems to me that would be a pretty good setup, compact held in my lap.  

If I just thought of it, bet it has been done already, though maybe not here.

Thanks for any replies and fun links.

[Blooz]

Sure , just reach through your monitor and grab a plane, install the receiver and servos and off ya go!

[Geary420]

They make R/C airplane/helo training software that you can hook your transmitter up to.  As to getting it to work for AH I would have no idea.  Also if its that old it may not have the required port on it or however they hook it up.

[Speed55]

It would suck to be in the middle of a fight to have the battery die.

[Wolf14]

search for a program called pcjoy. should be a freeware program. you'll also need a funky cable that comes out of your trainer port and goes into your usb port.

[Roscoroo]

wouldnt this be easier .

http://cgi.ebay.com/CH-Products-Flight-Stick-568-and-Pro-Throttle-USB_W0QQitemZ130124604184QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3677QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[CAP1]

Originally posted by Roscoroo
wouldnt this be easier .

http://cgi.ebay.com/CH-Products-Flight-Stick-568-and-Pro-Throttle-USB_W0QQitemZ130124604184QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3677QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

IF I DIDN'T  already have a ch setup about ready to hook up, i'd jump on that....looks like a ogod price, and perfect feedback.......daubie.......j ump on it dude.....or if ur gonna stick to the r/c radio idea...use JR:D

[Daubie]

Oh, yeah, CH Products rock, I know.  I got the money, no problem, but later for that and rudder pedals.  I got this old Dell.  I could go out and get a state of the art gaming machine, but if AHII won't run on it, why do it?  I'll wait for AHII to catch up with Vista before I spend a few thousand dollars.

My current setup is a $50 Saitek AV8R-01 twisty, USB.  I'll live with this awhile.  What to do with this stick?  Maybe save it for a rainy day if other goes down, I guess.   My previous stick was Logitech Attack 3.  That sits in a box.

But to convert a radio control setup would be fun to do just for the hot-place-down-there of it.  Just to read how others have done it is reward by itself.  I know RC'ers practice their setups with online cartoon models.  Was just wondering if anybody has transitioned it to the flight-sim online gaming agenda.  Cost effective to do it?  Most likely not.

[Roscoroo]

if your expecting vista to become standard for the PC gaming world .. you are about to get a rude awakening ...    if anything there going to pull the xbox into it even more and put you under microsofts evil monopoly .

At least thats what I see coming .

[68Hawk]

You could always cannibalize an old joystick and hook the servos up to that.  Then you could fly with your controller, but have it translated easily into PC speak.

edit- to hell with vista!

[OdinGrunherze]

Wow man, I haven't thought about that in many years... I have an old Futaba 8Chan stashed in storage... They swiped the band for cell phone use??? Geez I guess that was a long time ago.. The 80's, Hmmm, I guess I'm gettin old...

OG

[VWE]

I've got a Logitec game pad I paid $10.00 for and it has the duel sticks, your going to find dog fights real tricky. Personally I hate it and in bout 12 hours I'll be home and able to use a joystick again.

[Bosco123]

Originally posted by Daubie
Hi,

(Didn't know where to post this; started here.)

I got thinking, I have a 6 or 7 channel Futaba (I think, it's been awhile) old radio control unit, analog, before they took the radio frequencies for cell phone use---there, that dates me pretty good.

I did a few searches here and came up empty.

Can it be done to use a radio control outfit, refitted to do AHII or other flight sims with?  Seems to me that would be a pretty good setup, compact held in my lap.  

If I just thought of it, bet it has been done already, though maybe not here.

Thanks for any replies and fun links.

well u could mayby with the one of the flight sims for R/C realflight or FS one might work you may be able to do it with a spectrum because they have a fit for the computer. the qustion is will AH pic up that kind of controll

[CAP1]

Originally posted by OdinGrunherze
Wow man, I haven't thought about that in many years... I have an old Futaba 8Chan stashed in storage... They swiped the band for cell phone use??? Geez I guess that was a long time ago.. The 80's, Hmmm, I guess I'm gettin old...

OG

actually, no i don't believe they used that band for cell phones.
AMA went to a narrow band to improve safety, and to improve reliability...causing less problems with interference from another frequency close to the one you might be flying on. those older radios used to get sent in and converted to narrow band, and "gold tagged" to show it.
newer radios got cheap enough..sorta...and MUCH more advanced to where it wasn't worth gold tagging your old one though. now the next step they're taking is going to the 2.4GHZ range. there's radios sold like that....and i know that at least JR radios, can be adapeted to this band. spektrum makes modules that snap right in where the TX chip used to go, attatch new antenna, install 2.4GHZ RX, mate them, and you're off.......

probably more info than most of yas wanted....but what the heck, right?

[Daubie]

I got mine cheap when they were changing over to new frequencies.  I assumed (ass u ME) it was because of cell phones because right after that the cell phone market exploded.  Google would know.  I remember, then, RC frequencies went FM.  I contacted Futaba and they said system would still function ok, just purchase new frequency crystals.  Mine is not digital.  A few RC fields still around in the onion fields here in NY state.  One old Army Air Corp airport, some nature conservancy came in and kicked everybody out and made it a birding refuge.

Just today I remembered I have that old unit in my closet.

Joystick
========
That's a good idea converting an old joystick to servo controlled.  I see a lot of movie special effects are controlled by those old units, like puppetry and such.

Vista
====
My old Dell runs on XP Home and this AHII runs pretty good on it, though I added a PCI graphics card.  I can buy a new system, Vista ready, but get XP Pro for it.  Vista won't run on my Dell.  I'm not even interesting in Vista.  You PC guru guys know more about it than me.  I just read the boards here for the info---keep up the good work.

I figure no harm in asking here 1st to see if RC conversion was ever attempted in here.  Lot of guys here, various disciplines,  to pick brains.

Thanks for replies.