electrotor

I bought my first Digifleet set (XP/FM) in 1986 during a visit to the shop. After some discussion with Derek about what would best meet my requirements he handed me an empty box and let me pack it with all the bits I wanted from the bins and trays of parts. During this time a customer came in with a servo problem i seem to recall, and had it fixed on the spot, by Ernie I think, at no cost. Where else would you get service like that these days? Any queries I had later were always answered very promptly and the turnaround time was spectacularly fast. It is quite easy to use other manufacturers servos on a Digifleet receiver. The pins are all 0.1" spacing and you simply swap them around. Using Digifleet servos with other receivers really requires a change of plug because the Digifleet plug (AMP type and still available) is chunkier and has two guides for correct orientation. In its day the Fleet gear was way ahead of the Far East plastic stuff, which was styled like ghetto blasters. I too have an Omega, along with several other Digifleet sets, and only changed to JR because of the lack of a screen to set up models. Lippeats bought over Fleet and after initially continuing to supply some items, the Digifleet name slipped away quietly. Before Derek passed away he put together a compatibility list for use when mixing and matching with other manufacturers gear. I still have this if there is any interest.

Here's a couple of useful videos if you are considering a Heron or comparing it to a Solius.       Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 26/05/2015 15:59:03

BEB, Tony Bennett, Martin Harris, Martyn K Please be aware that there are other model flying organisations besides the BMFA who might better represent their members in their particular special interest. They too are recognised by the CAA.

Sorry Tim, each Forum seems to have it's own quirks and I didn't spot the link button. I'll remember for the next time. There's no edit button available for me to do it retrospectively though.   BTW please get my name right.Edited By electrotor on 30/10/2010 22:59:28

Posted by James M on 29/10/2010 17:05:52: Hi electrotor   What motor did you end up using ??   This one from Giantcod.   Not only did I ream out the foam in the nose, but I rerouted the motor wires out and under, avoiding any possiblity of them rubbing against the motor. This possibility is mentioned in Julian's review.   Here's a link to some build photos.    Edited By electrotor on 30/10/2010 17:08:58 Edited By Tim Mackey - Administrator on 30/10/2010 23:09:19

I too have one of these models and have enjoyed flying it. Whilst I would generally agree with Julian Beckett''s review I think it should have more than alluded to one of the fundamental flaws with this model. If you follow the instructions you will glue on the nose moulding/motor mount thus making it difficult to remove the motor. You may then think that you might be able to remove the motor via the battery hatch. That''s the second major flaw - the hatch is too narrow. What were Multiplex thinking about? On my model I reamed out the nose internally, reinforced it with thin ply doublers and glasscloth and made the nose/motor mount removable by using 2 screws and blind nuts. For what you get the airframe kit is rather expensive. For what you get the tuning kit is ridiculously expensive. I tried sourcing the motor elswhere but was not prepared to fork out more than £30 for a low power brushless motor with a 2mm diam. shaft (easily bent so you might want it removable). I ended up getting a much more powerful motor with a 3mm diam shaft for a third of the price. Again what were Multiplex thinking about? After the Twinstar I am somewhat disappointed with this model. It is not good value for money and has major design flaws.Edited By electrotor on 29/10/2010 16:49:26

1. Best high street retailer - Model Shop Leeds   2. Best mail order retailer - Robotbirds   3. Best ARTF kit - AXN Cloud   4. Best UK distributor - MacGregor Industries

I never win anything.

It is very doubtful if the original machine code is still available anywhere. Probably Lippeatts should have it, having bought out Digifleet on the late Dereks retirement. However they seem to have gone to ground. I have noticed a couple of Omegas for sale on Ebay recently, one working, the other not. Mine works fine although a little fiddly to programme until you get the hang of it. Sorry I couldn't help more. Have you tried other forums?  Eric

Digifleet use a 5 pin 180 degree DIN connector. I don't know if the Omega will work with Reflex. For connection details use this link  http://www.customelectronics.co.uk/fmstx.htm and scroll to the bottom of the page.

I'm tempted to say RIP Woodvale. Due to unspecified "security issues" the organisers, in their infinite wisom have decided that only competitors shall be allowed to camp there this year. From my aeromodelling perspective well North of the Border, this is a severe blow. It took at least 6 hours driving time to get there, which is about the same as getting to the SAA Scottish Nationals or Airshow in Stranraer. It was the most easily accessible of the big shows to the majority of Scottish modellers and many made a weekend of it. Camping on-site was all part of the fun (toilets excepted). Now, unless you are able to compete, you will have to camp elsewhere, with the added expense, additional journeys every day and inevitable queues to get in and out. Have the organisers taken into account the huge lost revenue from non-competing campers? Having gone since 1987, I think 2007 will have been my last. Under the new regime I will not be returning. I suspect I am not alone.

TSR2 Harrier EE Lightning

Sorry, no joy with Ernie's whereabouts. I do however have a contact address for someone who may be able to help with Fleet repairs. PM me if you are interested.

Sorry Chris I don't have any Fleet circuit diagrams. Perhaps Trevor who posted earlier has some. Perhaps also Ernie, who had a very long association with Fleet could also help out. However I don't know his whereabouts. Let me make a few enquiries though.

When MacGregor went Far East they ended up simply selling JR and the Digimac line ceased. I had a Digimac 4 which had the most resilient NiCads I have ever encountered. I think the Fleet sticks are so nice because they were built to a spec and not to a price. Fleet txs & rxs were manufactured in the UK and only the servos sourced from the Far East, either to a Fleet spec. or simply re-badged and re-plugged. Manufacturing costs were a real issue for Derek Olley which meant he was really up against it from the competition. I asked him once why he didn't incorporate a display with the Omega 7. The reason was because it would have substantially increased the cost. Latterly Fleet gear was fairly expensive but I stuck with it because it worked very well and the service was superb.

Compatibility of Digifleet with other makes of equipment (Part 1 again!) This information is presented in the light of best available knowledge at the time, but no guarantees are intended or implied; it is your responsibility to check the suitability and performance of any mixing and matching. CRYSTALS In general, always use the same maker’s crystal with the unit it is plugged into; always use a Fleet crystal in a Fleet receiver, Futaba crystal in a Futaba transmitter, and so on. For 27 MHZ FM, we still have reasonable stocks of crystals but Futaba are a close match, if you can find any of their FM crystals for this band. For 35 MHz FM, Futaba crystals are again a close match, while most Japanese receiver crystals will be OK, albeit with some possible loss of interference rejection due to broader tolerances. For 40 MHz FM, you must use Fleet Tx crystals, while Futaba crystals are again an adequate match for the receiver. Note that PCM equipment uses FM crystals.  Also, when checking the frequency of a Tx crystal, it should measure within 500Hz of nominal when the Tx is switched to PCM. TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER Fleet PCM equipment uses our own code, thus you must use a Fleet PCM Tx to drive a Fleet PCM receiver, nothing else will do.  For the same reason, you must use a (say) JR PCM Rx with a JR PCM Tx and so on.  At least with Fleet, any of our Fleet PCM receivers will work with any of the PCM transmitters, with other makes they can have 2, 3 or more incompatible codes. Fleet FM transmitters all use the industry standard 20 ms frame time with 8 pulses of 400 micro secs a nominal 1.5 ms apart.  The servo position or movement is 90° for 1 to 2 ms with neutral at 1.5 ms, trim throw is a minimum of 20% giving an overall throw of 0.8 to 2.2 msecs.  The FM bandwidth is 2 to 2.5 KHz, with the base line at -1 KHz and the top of the pulses at +1 to 1.5 KHz.  Because of the offset mark-space ratio with the standard FM system, the Tx radiated output measured on a frequency metre is 700 Hz below nominal. This is different to the PCM case. Choosing a transmitter - I suggest you try a Futaba Skysport 6, or perhaps a recent Sanwa, again, try a fairly basic type. Unfortunately, the Futaba computer screen transmitters seem to use a non-standard (ca. 15 ms) frame time which causes problems with our receivers. Fleet receivers have a full 5 volt pulse output to the normal CMOS standard, so they should drive just about any servo.  The only exceptions are the early PCM receivers which had a .7 volt baseline above battery negative; later receivers (1988 - 1990) had this figure reduced to .3 volt, which solves all those mini servo jitter problems.  There is no problem with later receivers due to a change of microprocessor. Choosing a receiver - third party units ought to be choice (like GWS, etc) but in practise our customer feedback plus our own measurements give contradictory results.  So, I am back to suggesting you try a Futaba, and yes, it can be a double-conversion type, but you will definitely need a new Rx crystal.

As the compatibility document states Fleet used Berg Dubox connectors. These are still available from Deltron UK amongst others but may be subject to a large minimum order quantity. Altermatively you can simply swap over the pins in a Futaba/JR style connector. They are also 0.1" pitch but you must be more careful when plugging into a Fleet receiver to orientate correctly. If anyone needs a copy of the Omega programming instructions I have it in .pdf format and will happily email it to you.