Single-Channel Emulation Encoder - constructors & support thread.

[Phil Green]

Heres a 'help' thread to discuss any technical questions and conversion ideas relating to the Single Channel Emulation Encoder project.

If you're interested in assembling a 'new-age' S/C set, first off, please download the manual from www.singlechannel.co.uk and have a good read, its the first item on the 'Archive' page.

If you do decide to order an encoder, or build one, do please follow it through, make up a S/C set and get some S/C flying in, its great fun and it would be a shame after all the design & development effort, for someone to stick it in a drawer, unused and dismissed as a novelty, and missing out on all the fun!

There are loads of Single-Channel related videos on mine & Shaun's Youtube channels - mine - **LINK**
and Shauns - **LINK**

Dont expect Hollywood productions - this isn't a commercial venture or anything, its just a bloke in his shed!

Many thanks for supporting the S/C revival!

Cheers
Phil

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

Hi Phil

Great to see your articles and great to see you on the forum too.

If I can help with the emulators use when buddy boxed to a Spektrum or JR master Tx then let me know. It works very well for me. Although a modified channel sequence was required wasn't it?

Anyway, more to the point really is to say how this unit took me straight back to the mid 70's especially the way the rudder does the full cycle every time a command is sent - just like compound escapement. Flying the Matador with single channel is far easier than I expected and great fun.

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 14/11/2012 14:18:42

[Phil Green]

Here's the build sequence of a typical Single-Channel transmitter conversion. The tx is a Macgregor MR200, a very popular set made in thousands in the later 1960's.

We remove the 27Mhz board, leaving just the case, the aerial surround, the switch and button. Into this we install the new electronics. Heres the assembled and tested encoder:

 

Here are all the component parts ready for assembly. Transmitter side-cheeks removed, the aerial surround counter-sunk ready for the 2.4g antenna connector, and a standard servo plug soldered to the RF module. Ensure the module connections go to the correct pins:

 

The encoder mounted with Gyro-tape (a good quality double-sided tape) between the switch and button, making sure that the underside of the PCB cannot short against the metal case. The LEDs curved around to display through the front panel:

 

This is followed by the approved 2.4g RF module, with its bind-board and aerial, and the 2S Lipo battery. Double check all connections and plug orientations before switching on!  Any mistakes could be fatal for the PIC chip or even for the module:

 

Heres a closer look. Some like the bind-board accessible from outside - but the Macgregor case is so easily opened, its no inconvenience in this case to have in mounted internally:

 

And heres the finished S/C transmitter, ready for range-testing, set against the redundant 27Mhz board. You can see the LEDs right next to the on/off slide switch. Its important that they're visible.

 

All very straightforward, and if you go for the ready-made encoder then its more of a 'lego' assembly task than any daunting electronics. This particular set was built for the purpose of photographing the assembly stages, but it has since been flown many times in an Eric Clutton 'Sharkface'.

Cheers

Phil

Edited By Phil Green on 14/11/2012 14:58:18

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 14/11/2012 22:37:26

[Phil Green]

A couple more conversions - a S/C RCS Guidance System and a Gem, both are flown at every opportunity:

 

 

Chris - thanks for the kind words, maybe one day we'll fly S/C together!

Cheers

Phil

 

 

Edited By Phil Green on 14/11/2012 15:23:14

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

Here's my Matador. Not sure if it's landing here single channel or 2 channel on Spektrum.

And my conversion, front and back.

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

Posted by Phil Green on 14/11/2012 15:15:51:

 

Chris - thanks for the kind words, maybe one day we'll fly S/C together!

Cheers

Phil

Yes that would be great, there's your single channel event and there's always the Greenacres events.

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 14/11/2012 22:58:43

[Phil Green]

And the Sleap Retro do... & Cocklebarrow...

Love the Matador, by coincidence my pal Shaun has just restored an old, original S/C Matador:

**LINK**

It has the removable nose like yours, but only one! I see yours has two, lecky and diesel. What a cracking idea!

Cheers

Phil

[Bob Cotsford]

Hiya Phil, nice to see you getting around so much! I supose I really should give this s/c malarky a go and knock up a Sharky to go with the bigger retro stuff, it's not as though I'm short of FRSky stuff to use. I'd be tempted to put some in My Veron 1 1/2 Strutter as it's the right age to have used s/c originally though I can't help thinking 'kick down' elevator might be needed on that one.

Cheers,

Bob

[Phil Green]

Do it Bob, ya know ya wanna...

Peter G sent a link to a recent video of his Sharkface, he flies it on 2.4g S/C sequential rudder only with a Cox TD049, and he really wrings it out! Unforch Peter has replaced the howl of the TD with Rimski's bee's (that would have been a much better pun if he'd used a Babe-Bee instead of a TD)

 

Cheers

Phil

 

Edited By Phil Green on 17/11/2012 19:55:54