Spektrum AR6200 full-range Rx soon to be released

[kgfly]

Advance news of a new full-range 6ch Rx from Spektrum appeared on RR recently:

http://www.helifreak.com/album_mod/upload/c9c3a3e8df2f935902ae41bd6d87a797.jpg

This is a picture of the new AR6200 six channel DSM2 receiver for the DX7 that Paul Beard had it at the San Diego Fun Fly.

It lets you have the redundancy of the DX7s' 7ch in a micro package.

Nice!
:
:
Yes it's a full range DSM2 receiver.

How much I don't know but when I asked Paul if I could post a pic he said yeah no problem it's coming out soon.

Some people put the 7ch receiver in their small T-Rexes and this is pretty much the same thing but 6ch and without the large size.

Could be good for glider-guiders since they can make an extension and mount the tiny satellite Rx outside the all-CF fuselage.

[Jermo]

Nice, hopefully the software makes the sat rx an option rather than a requirement.

[Hitch]

Nice, hopefully the software makes the sat rx an option rather than a requirement.

If you dont use the satelite rx, then whats the difference between it and the 6100?

[kgfly]

Time will tell but I suspect it won't work without the satellite. AFAIK the AR7000 won't work without detecting its satellite Rx being attached. I suspect that from an operational point of view, AR6200 without satellite = AR6100. The AR6200 will have different firmware to make use of the satellite Rx.

[Danal Estes]

Correct, a 7000 will not pass it's initial quality checks at power up time without the satellite. Unplug it after power up, and that's just like the satellite failed, operation continues on the 'base' RX. Easy to verify yourself, those are plugs... stiff, but plugs.

The 6200 almost has to be the same. If it would link up without a satellite, how would you ever know if the satellite in a 'normal' installation had failed (or come unplugged) since last flight?

[Jermo]

That's just piss poor design.

Danal, the RX and Sat have an led in them that indicate operation and link state. It's easy to tell who we're waiting on during initialization. It would be simple for the software to simply check for the SAT at initialization and not use if if not found. On pre-flight we would note if the LED for both units are on or off. If the Sat led is off then it's not being used. Pretty simple.

The only reason this is an issue is because the Sat is more susceptable to damage IMHO and renders the entire system useless if it or the connecting cable is damaged. On a smaller copter I'd argue the SAT isn't needed and is a nice add-on that could be saved for later use in a larger model.

[kgfly]

That's just piss poor design.I would see it as an unavoidable design aspect since this (ie having the two physically separated Rx) is what distinguishes this as a "full range" Spektrum Rx solution. If you don't want a full range unit, use an AR6000 or AR6100. If you do, then to meet the design parameters and operate to the mfr's specification you need both elements. If they allowed you to operate without the satellite then some dumb b*st*rd would do it, have an accident and sue them for allowing him to fly his 20lb, 200mph model with an inadequate setup. What's worse is he would probably win and be awarded $1M damages.

[Hughes500Bob]

The advantage of the AR6200 is that the satellite Rx is attached by a double plug ended cord so it can be mounted any distance from the main Rx. I see that as a huge advantage over the AR7000. If the sat Rx could be bought seperate from the main it would also save $$ in a crash if only the sat Rx was damaged. If all you want is one Rx then buy the AR6100! All this new stuff is FUN :smokin: .

[Danal Estes]

Jermo, I respecfully disagree. Many installations will make the LEDs invisble when powering up. Most fixed wing airplanes will have the RXs in an enclosed fuselage. Even helis may foam pad an RX on a nitro to the point the LED is not visible.

A part of my job is designing large complex fault tolerant systems. One of the biggest issues is knowing when some part of an active/active redundant cluster has failed. If the system works normally with the 1/2 the pair down... then you lose the one remaining active element...

In the case of the Spektrum system, if it worked with the satellite out, people would fly it and never know until they had a glitch or total failure. IMHO, no amount of lights beats not giving you servo control.

In fact, I sort of had this situation with an AR6000 after a crash. Worked; glitched just slightly when turning my Trex 450 a certain way. Investigation proved that one antenna was broken and just hanging from the glue in the case. Soldered it back onto the board and the RX was solid again. Ideally, the 6000 would have two LEDs... cause there's no current way to know if both halves of the 6000 are working. Were it designed to not link at startup unless both halves worked, I would have found the broken antenna much sooner. I was lucky... for a 7000 or 9000, I strongly prefer it to not link if the satellite is not working properly at startup.

[kgfly]

I expect it is the same satellite Rx used for the AR9000 (and AR7000?) which is indeed sold separately.