Can I fly any heli with Walkera Devo 7E or Devo 10?

[N99JH]

Hi All

I have just purchased a Gaui 550 Hurricane and done much research on Walkera radios. I know that their radios are designed so that they do not "Talk" to any other manufacturer's system which is fine by me. I do like their advanced technology and telemtry features, but, before I commit to buying one I would like to hear from anyone who is / was using them in other than Walkera helis.
Thanks for any help / opinion offered.

Joshua

[Blayd]

Theres lots of us flying Walkera Tx's.. I still fly the 2801 Pro.. its been flawless in three years of flying 4-Trex500's and a Trex700.
I own a Devo 8S, but havent converted over yet.
The new Devention Tx's can also be run on DEVIATION software, that allows the Walkera Tx to work with most other heli Rx's.. You can read about the software upgrade here..http://www.deviationtx.com/.. But, the Devo 7 I dont think is supported.. only Devo's 6/6S/8/8S/10/12.
You'll get a mouth full of crap from the haters.. but I can say, as an experienced user of multiple brands...a user for over three years.. my 2801Pro has worked great where other brands have failed, the same day, the same field. I cant wait to get my 8S in use...I wont consider any other brand right now..I will NEVER go back to Spek... and there was nothing wrong with my Futaba, except it fit like a box in my hands, and my 2801Pro is giving me the same functionality and performance in my flying as the $600 futaba...I sold the Futaba...

Heres a long thread......https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=510709

[SQRT(-2)]

http://www.deviationtx.com/

I have used a 2801 and loved it, and am using a devo 10. With the above firmware I can fly Walkera, Blade, and anything I can put an walkera or Spectrum RX in. Do some looking around about the above.

[N99JH]

Blayd and SQRT (2)

Thank you kindly for your helpful responses. I am planning to buy the Walkera Master Cp which is a 6 channels FBL heli, and, comes with a Devo 7e already installed. Do you think that the receiver and all electronics might be transferable to the Gaui 550 to enjoy the 6 channel control sofistication?

Joshua

[rojack]

Just to be clear... A Walkera "Devo" (Devention) transmitter, as it comes out-of-the-box, will only be able to fly a helicopter (or plane) with a Walkera receiver in it.

If you buy a separate Walkera receiver and put that receiver into your Gaui 550, then yes, you can fly the Gaui with the Devo Tx. This is pretty much true of any heli large enough to accept an after-market receiver.

As the Devos come, out of the box, you would not be able to fly such as most of the Blade micro line of helis (and planes), such as the Blade mCP X.

...But as the other folks mentioned. There is a team of folks that have developed a replacement software for the Devo line. You have to download and install this software into your Devo transmitter, and then your Devo transmitter can also speak DSM2, which is what the Blade micros speak, and what Spektrum receivers speak.

Best of both worlds, you might say.

[N99JH]

rojack
Thanks for your reply. Since at least for the forseeable future my only two CP helis will be the Master CP and Gaui 550 I don't realy see any use for the deviation firmware. My impression is that Walkera's radios are cutting edge technology wise and dirt cheap at that, so, unless you already have other systems - why bother? At the rate technology advances, who knows what will be the standard a year or two down the road, so - why spend a lot of money on a radio like Spektrum that may be obsolete by than instead of buying a Devo 8 or 10 for under $200?
Joshua

[Blayd]

AND.. the software allows you ALOT of programming options for the Tx...I am LOVING this on my 8S.

[N99JH]

I suppose that after 45 years in the hobby, it is rather difficult to retrain myself to think that hi-tech at affordable cost is real, and trustworthy.

[DaveHolland]

Wait one sec here. Youre saying with a firmware update you can make the Walkera radio talk to Spektrum recievers? If I am tracking correctly, do they also support the DSMX and 11ms or 1024 resolution?

Update: I read a little deeper and found only DSM2 works. So no 1024 resolution too.

[N99JH]

Is anyone using Futaba servos with a Devo 10 receiver? Are they compatible?

[Blayd]

I use Futaba tail servos on my 500's with a 802Rx ( DEVO8S ). I used the same servos with the Walkera 2801Pro Rx for years as well...

[TucsonFlyer]

Originally Posted by destroyerbmx

Wait one sec here. Youre saying with a firmware update you can make the Walkera radio talk to Spektrum recievers? If I am tracking correctly, do they also support the DSMX and 11ms or 1024 resolution?

Update: I read a little deeper and found only DSM2 works. So no 1024 resolution too.

The latest versions of Deviation support DSMx (not sure about telemetry yet). My X4 is running a AR7200bx +DSMx sat and it binds with my Deviation'd Devo 8S in DSMx mode perfectly. My 250 DFC has a DSMx sat + 3GX and binds perfectly in DSM2 mode.

Once you get the hang of how the deviation mixer programming works you can do darn near anything with it.

[Blayd]

[N99JH]

Thanks Blayd.
Joshua

[Khal]

Originally Posted by N99JH

I suppose that after 45 years in the hobby, it is rather difficult to retrain myself to think that hi-tech at affordable cost is real, and trustworthy.

Meh. It's swings'n roundabouts.

Computers, at their absolute base level, are just a whole lotta' on/off switches. Millions and millions of 'em all packed together in a massively complex way, I grant you. But not beyond the ken of mortal man, in principle.
They don't run at high power levels or temperatures (at least, not in an R.C. transmitter application) and they don't have any moving parts, so, as long as they're kept out of the elements reasonably well, they effectively don't wear out. Not over any timescale the average user would be aware of. So the brains of the box will be pretty rock solid, in my humble opinion.

The basics of something like the Walkera transmitters have been worked out for... what? Probably about a decade by now..? And it's a fair bet they only get better, not worse.

I suspect something like the Devo 10 will serve you well.

Although I have a personal dislike of the colour touch screens on the Devo 8S and 12S. I'm sure they're perfectly good things but I genuinely worry about the fragility of them. I personally don't treat my transmitter very gently (I don't think I should have to). I've been tossing my DX6i on the back seat and/or leaving it loose in the trunk for the better part of five years now... dropped it a couple of times, too. And it's never missed a beat. I strongly suspect that if I had one with one of those colour touch screens, it'd be broken by now.

Something to think about: It's a different matter for the electrickery in the helicopter itself. That's a real nasty environment for electronics to be in and over time, you'll probably notice the difference between the "high end" stuff and the... ahem... "more affordable" range of products, for the average Sunday-afternoon-park-fly-for-fun kinda guy (such as myself).

[Atomic Skull]

Originally Posted by N99JH

Hi All

I have just purchased a Gaui 550 Hurricane and done much research on Walkera radios. I know that their radios are designed so that they do not "Talk" to any other manufacturer's system which is fine by me. I do like their advanced technology and telemtry features, but, before I commit to buying one I would like to hear from anyone who is / was using them in other than Walkera helis.
Thanks for any help / opinion offered.

Joshua

Been using a Devo 8 for over a year now and the radio is starting to physically wear out. The color is wearing off the case on one side where it rests in my hand and the gimbals are getting creaky. Walkera will not fix it, and they won't even sell me the gimbals to fix it myself.

Walkera is using a DSS system similar to DSM2, not FHSS like almost everyone else is using these days.

The receivers are fragile and imo overpriced for what they are (FrSky receivers are better quality and less expensive). The antennas are fragile and easily damaged (they develop cracks in the wire insulation just forward of the strain relief) and in one of mine the surface mount LED popped off the board (it still works but has no light now).


When the FrSky Taranis comes out in about a month I'll be changing everything over to FrSky.

http://www.alofthobbies.com/frsky-ta...x8r-combo.html

[Atomic Skull]

Originally Posted by destroyerbmx

Wait one sec here. Youre saying with a firmware update you can make the Walkera radio talk to Spektrum recievers? If I am tracking correctly, do they also support the DSMX and 11ms or 1024 resolution?

Update: I read a little deeper and found only DSM2 works. So no 1024 resolution too.

DSMX was recently figured out by Russian hackers and should be implemented in Devention eventually because DSM2 and DSMX use the same RF chip. You should also start seeing DSMX compatible Orange RX receivers as well for the same reason.

[Blayd]

Telemetry for DSMX is supported.

[Pigs dont fly]

I'm waiting patiently for the Taranis also. I come from a time when the idea of using a Walkera Tx Rx, on a heli that was big enough to kill you, as crazy. I guess they have improved now.

[Shogun71]

This thread almost had me convinced on a Walkera transmitter.

I have a reasonably reliable v120d02s but I hate the stock devo7 transmitter and menus.

I am considering a devo 8s for the v120.

The other option is to ditch the Walkera and go with a 130x....

My dx8 works well for me.

Decisions.......