FUTABA T10J Quick Start Manual

AnAtomy
of A RAdio
An inSide Look AT how RC
TRAnSmiTTeRS woRk
By Gerry yarrish Photos By Pete hall
As you become more involved with multirotors and the
sophistication of your aerial vehicle increases, you will
get to a point where you will start using higher-quality
radio systems. Many multirotors
come with a dedicated transmitter
that's programmed to work with
that rotordrone. For aircraft that
are built from kits or come in
almost ready to fly or bind and fly
packages, you'll have to supply your
own transmitter. there are several
programmable radio systems
available and to demonstrate the
basics, we've chose the popular
10J radio system from Futaba. All
modern radio systems operate
on basically the same principles
and differ mostly with how their
programming menus are navigated.
Relatively simple in operation,
transmitters (and their internal
components) can be a little
intimidating for first-time user. this
overview explains what the main
parts are, where they're found and
what the basic functions are.
Power Switch
All transmitters have a main power
switch for turning the radio on
and off. Some transmitters have a
program menu option to turn on with
or without the radio signal being
transmitted. This is helpful for setting
up your radio's programming.
Main Display screen
This LCD screen is the window into your radio's programming. It is where
you navigate to the various programming functions and options and
it also provides important information while you are operating your
multirotor. Basic information that is shown on the main screen includes
the model type, name and number, the transmitter battery voltage,
the type of signal modulation selected, user countdown or count-up
timers, and graphic bars to show the various trim lever positions. There
are several submenus also available for specific control functions and
programming parameters. There may also be a graphic for telemetry
receiving accuracy if your transmitter has that capability.
2 RotorDroneMag.com
Control Sticks
There are two main control sticks. The left stick (mode 2 setup)
controls the power of the motors and the yaw response of the
quadcopter. If you were inside a cockpit, the left stick takes the place
of the throttle control and rudder pedals. The right control stick is like
the main control column or joystick that would be between your legs
in the cockpit. For an airplane, it controls the ailerons (roll) axis and
the elevator (pitch) axis. With a quadcopter, by moving the right stick
you control the left/right movement of the multirotor as well as the
forward/aft movement.
Control Trim Levers
Close to the control sticks, are small switches that may
be used to "trim," or offset, the neutral position of each
of the control functions. These trims adjust the center
neutral position of each control function (or the idle
position in the case of the throttle control) and allow
you to fine- tune your multirotor's response. When the
control stick is centered but the model wants to drift
to the left or right or forward of backward, the trim
levers are used to bring the model back to a solid and
consistent hover.