How to connect Futaba FF7 to FMS

[Roel Bergers]

Hi All,

My son Kevin wants to leans to fly and FMS seems a good tool for his first flying lessons. I'm using a Futaba Field Force 7 myself and want to connect this to our PC. I did read the manual but didn't find any infomation about the FF7. Any out there who can help?

thanks in advance,

Roel.
The Netherlands.

[olivier2]

Hi, Roel,

Your FF7 has the same 6-DIN-connection as other Futaba's with a 6-DIN-connection. Check out my website : you need the "OUT" and the "Ground". You'll find in chapter 7 some examples on how you can connect to the LPT-port (parallel-port. Also check this standard text hereunder :


A) For Win 95-98-Millennium with FMS, 2 easy possibilities (above all
possibilities that are also possible for Win 2000 and XP, see section "B").
1) THROUGH THE PARALLEL-port (LPT1)
eventually with a resistor and zenerdiode, see the manual of FMS
(http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index.html) or some examples on my
website which I personally tested (http://users.belgacom.net/TX2TX) figure
7f-fms and others in chapter 7. Or here : (German).

2) THROUGH THE SERIAL-port
See the manual of FMS (http://n.ethz.ch/student/mmoeller/fms/index.html)

If you think you're not able to make such a cable, buy eventually one :


(German)

B) For Win 2000 and Win XP with FMS, a SIMPLE connection through the
parallel-port or serial port is not working, those 2 versions of Windows are
handling other protocols on these ports than Win 95-98-Millenium.

Your options then :

1) THROUGH THE SOUNDCARD
With smartpropo :
The advantage is that it's simple to make : 1 audio-cable and a resistor or
potmeter

2) THROUGH THE SERIAL PORT (Com-port)
a) via an interface with a programmable IC (PIC), which is described in the
directory of FMS, see .FMS\Doc\Interface\readme_en.htm on your harddisk.
Or
b) or the same electronic interface that you can buy ready to use here :




(German)
(French)

3) THROUGH THE USB-port
(selfmade)







(French)
(French)

(German : kit)
(German)
(German)
If you have a 4-axis joystick, you can use an interface-cable
gameport-->USB, for sale in every computershop, thus ideal for modern
laptops without a COM-port

4) THROUGH THE GAME-port
a) with an interface which transforms the signal of the transmitter in a
joystick-signal
(selfmade)



(French)
(German)
(German)

b) buy a 4-axis-controller joystick

(German)

c) or make yourself a 4-axis joystick with an old RC-transmitter, removing
all electronics, replacing the 4 potmeters by potmeters of 200K (not 100K
like mostly mentioned), and wiring like in :

(French)
(French)

5) Or make a partition on your harddisk where you will install Windows
95-98-Millennium. Then you can connect your radio simply via the
parallel-port or Serial-port as described in the manual of FMS and start the
older Windows (see section "A").

Hope this helps,
Olivier
--
: buddy box compatibility problems between
different brands of RC-transmitters.

[Roel Bergers]

Hi Olivier,

Thanks for all the information, excellent! Can't go wrong now I guess. I will give a try tomorrow.

regards,

Roel.