Spektrum DX7s
Layout of the gimbals and switches (above left) is pretty conventional. The system comes with Mode II as the default but can be switched in the System Setup menu tree to any one of four modes. The trim levers are
List menu, but with the AirWare software they’ve been restructured to be more intu- itive. They seem to bring together related settings, that were once individual selec- tions in typical menus, as single menu items. On the other hand, especially in one System Setup menu, some new graphic pre- sentations make more complex menu choic- es almost no-brainers. Getting into either follows established practice. For the more utilized Function List, it’s a simple matter of pressing the rolling selector when the home screen is dis- played. The various menus are accessed by simply rolling the selector and pressing it when you want to select something. The System Setup which is used only initially when setting up the basic parameters of a model, again follows a customary practice. The selector is pressed and held while the power switch is turned on. The menu screen doesn’t come up right away so the selector needs to be held until it does, or it simply goes to the home screen. There are other upgraded features not
found on earlier Spektrum radios. For in- stance, the transmitter can be set up as a Mode I, II, III, or IV. For many of you, my-
digital and audible when adjusted. Information from the home screen (above right) is basic, showing plane name and model selection, type, trim settings, timer and voltage. The speaker is just below the Back button.
self included, Mode I and II are familiar. Mode I essentially puts elevator/rudder on the left stick; the right stick controls eleva- tor/ailerons. Mode II, probably the most widespread usage, has rudder/throttle on the left and aileron/elevator on the right. In the DX7s that’s the default. Mode III is the exact mirror image of
Mode II with aileron/elevator on the left stick and rudder/throttle on the right. Mode IV is the mirror image of Mode I with eleva- tor/rudder on the left stick and aileron/ throttle on the right. These modes are set up with a combination of computer settings and/or mechanical adjustment. Something that’s important to notice
about this transmitter is the shift from the customary 9.2V 8-cell Ni-Cd battery that powers a wide majority of transmitters. The DX7s joins a trend toward smaller batter- ies—not capacity, but cell count—that can be substituted with a 2-cell 7.2V Li-Po bat- tery. Capacity, not voltage, determines the amount of time the transmitter can be safe- ly operated and in the DX7s, Spektrum has used a 2000 mAh battery. It can work safe- ly for 10-12 hours. The unconventional voltage and ability to
switch to a Li-Po battery brings up an im- portant safety issue. The wall power supply included in the DX7s system is specifically designed for it alone, and older, more con- ventional wall chargers cannot be used with the DX7s. The DX7s charger is actually in- ternal and can charge the Ni-MH battery al- ready installed in the transmitter or it can also charge the optional 2-cell Li-Po battery that Horizon Hobby sells for it. That also means that the DX7s cannot be
fast charged. What’s really interesting is the “international” flavor the charger gives the system since it comes with four inter- changeable plugs, one for American/Canadi- an 120-volt outlets, and three others for for- eign 220-volt outlets. This international flavor carries over to
the instruction manual which includes the radio instructions in five different lan- guages: English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. That doesn’t mean you get a 5- inch thick book. The instructions are tight- ly concise, but thorough enough, and as long as you’ve had some experience with other programmable transmitters, the transmit- ter menus are pretty intuitive in this revised setup.
In the System Setting menu, found in System Setup, note the rectangular box (above left) around the contrast level, 10. Rolling the selector moves
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the box to the desired item. Frame Rate (above right) in System Setup offers the choice between 22 (older analog) or 11 ms (faster digital servos).
APRIL 2012
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