which 2.4 for the 14?

[busted blade]

i know there is alot of info out there and i apologize if im asking questions that have already been answered but im just too dang lazy to do the foot work so ill ask. which of the 3, spectrum, xps, or futaba is going to offer the best performance and reliability disregarding cost or is there no clear winner. the only big deal i see that futaba doesnt have is the two way comunication. does that matter?

[DavidH]

The Futaba 2.4 module and receiver is the only one that is going to give you full benefit of all the features of the 12Z/14MZ. Your going to be able to use all the channels on both radios, plus the 2048 resolution.

With the Spektrum and XPS you will only be able to use 8 channels on the 12Z/14MZ. This is due to those modules using the PPM signal from the transmitter.


Davd

[R-4-L]

well that explains the $400 (Tower) price tag on the set.. I think its fair enough ! I just hope that the other online shops will have it cheaper (heliproz,Ricks)

any idea when will the mod be released?

I was actually wondering, why the G3 Rx is more expensive than the 2.4 one by almost $100!?

[hoot]

Actually XPS will allow all channels. If you have a 12/14 all you need to do is download the latest firmware and it will put out all PPM channels.

[kgfly]

Well disregarding cost there is a strong argument to stick with Futaba to have maximum confidence in both compatibility and enduring support/backup. XPS is new and small, it is impossible to know if they will survive a year, five years or ten. If that matters to you, then FASST is the way to go.

However based on features and price, XPS looks better, especially if you have to retrofit a whole fleet with new Rx. Does bidirectional operation matter ? Well it does give XPS some benefits in terms of handling interference, maximising performance and of course new features like telemetry. One user has already found a way to use it as a lost-model direction finder. The one downside is slightly higher Rx power consumption (since the Rx is also a Tx) but compared to servos etc, it is a small increment in overall system power consumption. Other feature benefits include programmable channel grouping, programmable channel mapping, per-channel failsafe setup (either hold or user-defined) and field upgradability (at least the next batch are supposed to have that feature).

As hoot pointed out, there is no operational disadvantage to XPS compared to FASST but both of them come out ahead of Spektrum for the 12/14mz since it really is limited to 8ch regardless.

So:
- Based on features = XPS
- Based on price = XPS
- Based on brand reputation = FASST

[Kinger]

Wouldn't the XPS have more latency than the Futaba unit considering it's using the PPM stream? What I like about the Futaba units that I saw at Toledo was the fact that they were reasonably small and did not appear to require removal before being placed in a TX case. While I agree the Futaba cost seems a bit high, for somebody like me who only has one model, I can live with the price.

[kgfly]

Kinger - Possibly, it's TBD. The first version of the XPS was shown to have a 22ms latency variation which XPS claim was due to a firmware bug that has been fixed in current version. This should bring the latency contribution of the module+RX down to about 25ms on top of the native Tx stick-to-PPM latency. It will be very interesting to see when independent tests are done on the 14mz+FASST combination and a retest on the XPS.

[DavidH]

Actually XPS will allow all channels. If you have a 12/14 all you need to do is download the latest firmware and it will put out all PPM channels.


Still won't be able to utilize the 2048 resolution on the PPM stream. 2048 will only work when transmitting on G3. Futaba will be only 2.4 system that will be able to utilize the 2048 resolution. That may not matter to some, but with everyone talking latency numbers. I would think they would want the best resolution possible.
From looking at the XPS website. Doesn't look like they have a module that will plug directly into the 12Z/14MZ at this time. I would think they are going to use the piggyback deal and have a cable running to the trainer/data port.


David

[kgfly]

I think you are right there David, definitely a significant issue for someone considering going from a G3/2048 setup to 2.4GHz or anyone really wanting the best from their 14mz.

[busted blade]

thanks for the replies everyone. how can the resolution of 2048 compared to ppm be understood. i want to be locked in as much as the next guy but can we really tell the difference?

[R-4-L]

Just got word from XPS, The 12Z/14MZ modules will be available mid-july ! this good news !