Bob Cotsford Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 So there I was minding my own business when I came across this ad under ham radio on th evil bay. It was for an ABC MiniSonic transmitter. Having seen Phil's single channel site and his 2.4GHz conversions I took a punt. Not bad for a tenner and despite still having the batteries in it there's not much corrosion The PCB and switches look perfect, but I'm not even going to try it. Phil G's encoder hooked up to the original switches and an FrSky DIY module It really is like magic being able to reliably operate a 'compound cascade' R/E/M single channel setup, it definitely helps using modern micro servos with a standard or micro 2.4 receiver. Yep, 3 channels from one button. Ok , not magic compared to modern proportional, but if you spent your yoof trying to get a successful flight out of valves or germanium transistor technology and rubber bands, it really brings home how iffy radio 'control' really was. Right, where's my PicoStick for a proving flight while I assemble the shopping list for a Swannee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Bob, the penny's dropped... You're RobC over in t'other place! I'm intrigued by the P.C. board in the third pic. Apart from the "abc" id on it, it looks very much like the sort of thing I'd have etched in the 70's, drawing out the tracks with a resist pen or even paint and a paintbrush. I wonder what the technology of the day was for producing the boards? Presumably they were "mass produced" but in relatively low numbers? I've just had to 'google' PP1, as I don't remember those at all. I do remember using PP6, PP7 and PP9 batteries - all 9v, and seemingly, with a bit of hunting, still available today. Keep up the good work, I never used s/c myself, but do enjoy reading about the modern incarnations of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 Hi John, yep, that's me. I've gutted the batteries as I am tempted to line them with balsa and put them back in to create an illusary battery pack. I had more success with single channel in boats than with aircraft, or at least less terminal disasters. At least it kept me out of trouble! The last straw was watching my newly built Matador with a new receiver and diesel gently circling it's way off across Sutton Colfield. I'm guessing the pcb was etched but it is very neatly done. The germanium transistors suggest it's pre 70s from what I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Shame about the Matador... I've never really seen the appeal of boats - a bit too 2-dimensional for me! And that's despite living on the coast for the first 20-ish years of my life. I suppose though, unless they sink, if all goes wrong you don't usually have to go too far to retrieve them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Nice one Bob, amazing isn't it watching servos replicate so uncannily what we remeber the old escapements doing. It amazed me how easy my Matador was to fly using Phil's single channel. Good luck with your flights and let us knwo how they go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Green Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Very neatly done Bob and a nice clean 'donor' transmitter too. Far better that these sets are actually down the field "on active service" than stuck in some collectors cupboard! I've an identical ABC S/C set to yours, boxed and all working in original condition on 27mhz, with its super-regen rx and escapements. I'd love to get hold of an early OS Pixie for conversion though. Theres a lot of simple pleasure to be had from flying a rudder-only model, and reliable gear means you can do it with none of the worries of the early days. The attention these sets draw in the pits and especially on the flight line is incredible, its really very rewarding. When I'm flying the 2.4g Remcon reeds, people will come up to see what on earth all the clicking noise is! Incidentally, you're probably well aware of this but you can remove the toggle switch from the FRsky DHT module if you only ever use 2way receivers, makes it slightly less messy. I wish they still did the V8 modules, they were so much smaller & neater. It would be great if you could follow this up with a flight report and some pics! Can you believe its exactly 3 years since the veroboard prototype 2.4g S/C set? Cheers Phil Edited By Phil Green on 23/02/2013 23:32:55 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Hi Phil, you can just see on the photo showing the internals that I've fitted that rather clumsy switch through the battery compartment seperator. I'm leaving it on as I've got a couple of D4 series RX that may end up being used. I'm up at 05:00 on callout, that will do nicely to pay for this project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I've just moved this thread to the new single-channel forum section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Green Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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