I'm window shopping for a replacement controller. There's a lot of mention of the Futaba 8xxx in this forum that has positive things to say. I happen to be in a local RC shop last weekend and they were pushing the Spektrum 8xxx. So, without knowing anything about the Futaba, here are some of the things that intrigued me about the Spektrum.
Pros:
* Spring centering on throttle.
* Trimming of the four joy stick outputs on the fly (electronic centering?)
* Switches that match those on the Phantom's transmitter with the same amount of toggle positions allowing you to program it to mimic the Phantom.
* A dial to control channel 7 for gimbal tilt control.
* Ability to download pre-programmed configurations to an SD card which just plugs into the controller.
* Ability to turn down the gain on the joy sticks, use normal gain, or use exponential gain, all selectable via one of the toggles (this is really what made me consider the high $$)
Cons:
* Need to buy and install a receiver into the body of the Phantom.
* Too many switches that I'll never use.
* High $$$
Questions:
* Will this also improve the range?
* Any reason to choose one brand over the other?
* Assuming the Futaba also requires a new Rx, does it come with it, or is that a separate item?
* Any other features that made you spring for one of these?
Pros:
* Spring centering on throttle.
* Trimming of the four joy stick outputs on the fly (electronic centering?)
* Switches that match those on the Phantom's transmitter with the same amount of toggle positions allowing you to program it to mimic the Phantom.
* A dial to control channel 7 for gimbal tilt control.
* Ability to download pre-programmed configurations to an SD card which just plugs into the controller.
* Ability to turn down the gain on the joy sticks, use normal gain, or use exponential gain, all selectable via one of the toggles (this is really what made me consider the high $$)
Cons:
* Need to buy and install a receiver into the body of the Phantom.
* Too many switches that I'll never use.
* High $$$
Questions:
* Will this also improve the range?
* Any reason to choose one brand over the other?
* Assuming the Futaba also requires a new Rx, does it come with it, or is that a separate item?
* Any other features that made you spring for one of these?