[NSRCA-discussion] Dufus Moment

[Ron Van Putte]

We all try to avoid a "dufus moment", because you waste time and feel  
so dumb when you realize what you've done.  I'm posting this to help  
one or more of you from having your own "dufus moment" on this subject.

I am setting up a new Extreme Flight 47.5" span Yak-54 (REALLY NICE  
AIRPLANE!).  I decided to try to program my Futaba 9ZAP transmitter  
to work with a 6-channel Vampower dual conversion receiver.  I began  
mixing channel 1 into channel 5.  That didn't work at all.  Then I  
tried doing a programmable mix of channel 1 into channel 6.  That  
sorta worked, but  I could still move the right aileron (channel 6)  
with one of the dials on the front of the transmitter and couldn't  
null out the effect of the dial.  I didn't like that, so, after  
fussing with it for an hour or so, I decided to use an 8-channel  
Vampower dual conversion receiver instead.  I installed the receiver  
and mixed channel 1 into channel 7.  After I'd been playing around  
with it for a while, I remembered that I'd want aileron differential,  
so I  actuated the ADF.  This is when things really got weird.  The  
dual rate worked fine on the left aileron (channel 1), but was  
reversed on the left aileron (channel 7).  Not only that, but the  
servo neutrals changed when I switched the aileron dual rate from  
high to low and it took some weird settings in the ADF to get the  
ailerons to work properly in high rate.  On top of that, I still  
couldn't get low rate to work.  After three hours of frustration and  
no small amount of profane language, I discovered what I'd done.

BOTH the channel 1 to channel 7 programmable mix and aileron  
differential options were actuated!  I turned off the channel 1 to  
channel 7 programmable mix and I had the ailerons working exactly the  
way I wanted within fifteen minutes.

Will somebody please tell me they've done the same thing so I don't  
feel like the only dumb 9Z programmer in the List?

Ron