tx shootout: iwaverII vs futaba 2pl

[betty.k]

i like to keep it simple so most of my rc stuff is 27mhz am.

so everything i run (rc’s with iw pcb’s, mro2, epoch, hpi rs4 rally, hpi rs4 mt) i would control with my i waver II tx. it has enough adjustments and settings for what i do.

but the range when running my 1:10 stuff was pretty average, maybe 50 ft of clear range.

so i decided to get a better quality tx to use as my main controller and decided to go with a futaba 2pl. (jamie hyneman says futaba is the shiznit, and he would know!)

this is the tx that iw modelled the electronics for on their mkII.

came with a pair of crystals, a nice small rx (r142je), 2 servos (s3003), rx batt case, switches, leads and even a cool little flag for the tx aerial with the frequency printed on

there are differences though.

the 2pl won’t work on first gen iw pcb’s.

it will work with 2nd gen iw pcb’s but it’s not smooth and pulses. does the same with the servo motor which weakens the already pissweak steering even further.

won’t work with my epoch all the time.

but it WILL work with a kyosho pcb (mr02 in my case) really well, better range, less glitching.

and now i can drive my 1:10’s out of sight!

there are a few other subtle differences.

the 2pl never pretends to be a 3 ch tx, there’s no ‘ch3’ adjustments or switch.

on the 2pl, adjusting the left end point adjusts the left turn end point regardless of whether the servo reverse setting is on or off. on the iwII reversing the servo also reversed the epa. real confusing!

the 2pl only has a steering dualrate switch. the iwII has steering and throttle dual rate switches.

the abs brake feature on the 2pl actually works! not only that it’s adjustable! (fast, medium, slow)

the 2pl’s battery tray doesn’t seem to be removable. it might be but i’m not gonna force it!

and the 2pl doesn’t have a blinding blue light or forget my settings!

so there ya go. it’s better for some things and worse for others. so i gotta live with 2 tx’s for my hobby grade stuff. i’m not too fussed, at least everything works correctly now. it’s fun to be able to run my mt all over my local sporting oval/park without having to move. my only prob now is it goes so far i can’t see or hear it!

for anyone interested, here’s my opinion of the iwII tx:

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpForum/viewtopic.php?t=5239

[merc-blue]

there is no doubt a REAL futabeL is a better radio then some sweat shop cheapie

i hope u enjoy ur new radio

[dgs73]

i use this particular tx myself, but in 29mhz… nice radio. betty; keep an eye on the foam around the steering wheel, it shifts occasionally, and can make you think thesteering trimis out, where as actually it’s just rubbing against the main body of the controller…

[kevsta]

I also use this tx in 27mhz and found it to pretty good for all my 1:10 cars. It’s reliable, virtually glitch free at the local club as long as I don’t use those ‘yeah racing’ crystals it’s fine.

It seems to have a problem running mr01’s though. Couldn’t get it to center the steering properly even after fiddling with all the adjustments on it…

I also couldn’t take the battery tray out, and didn’t want to force it out either. It certainly looks like it could come out butI’d probably snap something if I tried harder.

[Author]

Posts