Transmitters and recivers!

Hi all! Im shopping to get a reciver/transmitter and was wondering what you guys think are the best option! Looking to spend under £100.
http://www.robotshop.com/uk/optic-5-...ol-system.html <--- this was the one i was thinking about getting, as it gives me control of 2 motors and another channel for a weapon if and when i want one (i think thats how it works haha) and its a good price. The other one i like is the dx6i series but there a tad more expensive, There are plenty of cheap and chearful but im reluctand to buy something that may turn out to be junk and would rather spend a couple of extra quid on something sturdy and reliable! Thoughts and suggestions please! :)

Cheers

If you're building a heavy you need a dx6i and lemon rx for full failsafing to pass tech check with a heavy.

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Originally Posted by daveimi

If you're building a heavy you need a dx6i and lemon rx for full failsafing to pass tech check with a heavy.

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This just because of the built in failsafe capability?

Just FYI, this is not mandatory. Any transmitter/receiver combination that stops a robot with signal loss is fine.

You don't need a particular brand or model of transmitter. However regardless of what model you go with it MUST be able to failsafe on all channels.

I use an old 40 meg futaba set that I fitted a 2.4ghz conversion kit to.

Other setups will work, but the DX6i is the go to standard TX. It has on board mixing and model menus and various other useful features. You can usually pick them up from Ebay for around £60-£70.

Lemon RXs are great. A lot of people are put off because they are so cheap (~£4 as opposed to ~£20 for a proper Spektrum RX), but I've found them to be much more reliable than Orange RX (another common choice) and have used them without issues in all my robots. The Lemon failsafes by taking the throttle to the position it was first bound in, and switching off all other channels. This is the same way most RX failsafe.

OOI, hows the failsafe testing usually done, just by demonstration at the tech check?

With a bot on it's cradle, you usually just push the stick forward until the wheels are moving, then switch off the TX. If the wheels stop turning (in a reasonable time), then you're all good. I should imagine spinners and the like would be checked in the arena.

Thank you Rory, youve been a great help! If you dont mind me asking, what model of lemon do you use and where do you usually get them from? Cheers!

You'll probably want this type: http://www.lemon-rx.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=92
It takes about 2 weeks to arrive from china.

You'll likely want to wrap it in some insulating tape to keep it safe.

What are everyone's views on the Orange T6 Tx/Rx? It seems to have 100% of the functionality of the Spektrum for 60% of the price...

https://youtu.be/7PxeVMFaeiU

This is pretty decent comparison.

I love my dx6i but I would consider an orange one as a back up.

The Orange Tx is great; it is my main Tx. However once you add £35 shipping from the US on top of the £40 or so it costs (even more if you're caught by customs), the price comes to about the same. The full screen menu and back light are great for when you're trying to change settings when arming up at a show (It's usually very dark).

They can have weird issues though; mine doesn't bind to specific models, so if you select the wrong robot model it will still connect (has caused issues in the past). Alex has one which came with a dead transmitter module. This was swapped out but it doesn't record model names correctly, so you just have to guess which model your bot was bound to... It's very odd to get random firmware bugs like this given they must all be programmed from the same source code, but it seems to be the case.

Thanks again Rory, i ordered a couple! Im sure i can figure out how to set it up.. if not i know who to ask! :lol: not sure about the controller though, dont like the sound if the tech niggles you've had with the orange, might just play it safe and get the DX6i

I use the OrangeRX T6 and orangeRX R620 receiver in a few models, and the Turnigy TGY-i6 with Turnigy iA6 receiver in others. Should anything happen with the oranges, I'm swapping everything over to the Turnigy. I like their failsafe recovery and their menu system a lot more than OrangeRX/Spektrum/JR.

"might just play it safe and get the DX6i"

That's my point, there are tried and tested combinations that others have found through trial and error. There are a million different tx's and rx combinations out there, but only a few that are known to reliably function properly as a pair. As with anything, look at the most common solutions in use and go from there...

sorry to bump this, but do you think the OrangeRx T-SIX 2.4GHz DSM2 Compatible 6CH Transmitter would be compatible with the Lemon Rx DSM2 Compatible 6-Channel Receiver ive got? not sure i can afford the DX6i as there £80 on ebay atm...

Not really sure without researching it. You don't need an expensive transmitter if you enter lighter weight classes as the rules dont require full failsafing. If your building a heavy you'll need an expensive transmitter. Everything in the heavyweight division ends up crazy money if your jumping straight in. I think it's why a theme of the advice is start small n work up but with the heavy stuff coming on the telly it'll be hard to convince people that a beetle or feather would be a better starting point.

All robots should failsafe. The price of the transmitter is irrelevant. If a setup works it works. So long as it's not a toy like the blade transmitters etc.

The beetle stuff doesn't even require a removable link if there is no spinner weapon.

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Originally Posted by daveimi

Not really sure without researching it.

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As suggested by the ineffably wise Rory and friends earlier in the post they very well may pair nicely. He did mention shipping costs but ill look into it. The orange and the lemon.. all i need is a lime product and i have the holy triage of citrus fruits! Think i will include both failsafe's and link as what i build may be rubbish but i want it to be safe rubbish

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Originally Posted by daveimi

The beetle stuff doesn't even require a removable link if there is no spinner weapon.

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That's weird. Not sure why that is. Anyway why bring up links? Talking about failsafing.

not even failsafing, just wanted an opinion on the compatibility between the lemon rx receiver and the orange transmitter lol

I wouldn't go with the orangeTX simply for the weird issues people get with them. A DX6i is very nearly the same price and while the orange has a nice backlight and menu it literally seems hit and miss what features you get.I've yet to see a pair of OrangeTX's that actually operate in exactly the same way! OrangeTX's and LemonRXs do work together.

Also as a side note: Whether a receiver failsafes or not is solely down to the receiver. The transmitter has nothing to do with it as that is the entire point of a failsafe. The transmitter is not there.

Thank you Shakey, i guess ill bite the bullet and order one! If its as good as people say it will hopefully last me a few years and a few applications!

I mention failsafes as an example as to how not every safety feature is asked for in every weight class. Pushy robots I've built in the lighter weight classes have never been required to fully failsafe by the EO, and so I got away with a £20 tx and RX that was cheap and reliable on 2.4ghz. Now if I try to enter a heavy, the first thing to be asked is "does it failsafe on all channels?". To achieve failsafing reliably as mentioned above usually requires a more expensive pairing such as a dx6i and lemon RX. To me that means people can build a heavy straight off the batt if they have the engineering skills, but at the same time need to accept they should spend more money on quality equipment to reliably meet the safety aspects being asked for.

I'll say it again, failsafing is independent of the transmitter. You don't need a DX6i to failsafe right because it doesn't matter.

It's just the DX6i has a lot of handy features, if I knew I was going to be really serious about the hobby I'd grab a DX6.

I bought a Devo 7E, £40 and is fairly similar to a Dx6i. I'm happy with it.

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Originally Posted by Pinski1

I bought a Devo 7E, £40 and is fairly similar to a Dx6i. I'm happy with it.

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Sounds and looks good, what receiver do you use?

I've been using LemonRx DSM2 RXs so far with no problems.

hmm.. thank you Pinski, gives me something to think about!

Yay! my Lemon rx and my shiny new DX6i transmitter arrived today! #SecondChristmas haha! Does anyone know the name of the connectors that go onto the Lemon as ive got everything i need except them and i want to get it right!

Which lemon did you get?

http://www.lemon-rx.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=92

its a lovely compact piece of electronics! May need new batts but ill try with what i have