R2Hobbies Futaba 6DA interface

[JoePropmaster]

I have just activated a trainer cord USB interface for my Futaba 6DA transmitter by cutting a bit of excess rubber from the round large DIN plug with my No. 11 Exacto Knife. Apparently the outer metal shell on the plug was not reaching into the socket on my transmitter deep enough to engage the ground (earth).

As part of a lending library for training, my club had provided me with the interface with multiple trainer plugs that they obtained from r2hobbies in the east. I had a similar problem to many I've seen posted. On plugging the interface into the USB port, I checked the control panel in Windows XP for a game controller and found one listed. When I tried testing the controller in Windows nothing moved on the bars or in the little square for x/y. On the FMS program, nothing moved on the blue bars in the joystick calibration either, with or without the transmitter switch on. I saw a posting about the contacts required, so I gave the soft rubber around the metal on the male plug a little trim, making the metal part stick out about 1mm more. After reinserting the plug into the trainer port, I put the USB plug back into my HP's USB 2.0 port, and checked again at the control panel. Once I turned the transmitter on I could calibrate the joystick in XP. Then I went to controls menu in FMS and was able to calibrate the sticks. The blue bars actually moved when I circled the sticks! I had run the FMS on this computer before with an E-sky controller so I know it could be done. I had to check the little boxes for control reversals, but that was a piece of cake after the ground mystery. Moral of the story is that all DIN plugs and sockets are not standard and sometimes a little trimming is needed to get them to connect. No added drivers were required, as advertised.