V
FUTABA 9Z
THE UNOFFICIAL WORKSHOP MANUAL
WARNING:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS MANUAL IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY BE INCORRECT, CAUSE DAMAGE
TO YOUR RADIO OR INJURY TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. IF YOU USE THIS MANUAL YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
www.jamesandtracy.co.uk
Copyright 2012 jamesandtracy.co.uk
Page 55 of 84
CAMPAC clone on the market is limited to 16K due to Futaba’s enhanced protocol for
accessing the larger CAMPACs. Therefore, if you are going to build your own CAMPAC
for the Futaba 9Z you’ll need a PIC programmer (~£9 for a Chinese clone). Actually
programming the PIC chip and making up the circuit is simple, but the cost of the
programmer normally means it is not worth it unless you are going to programme other
projects.
Table 4 below shows a list of CAMPAC clones and tools, simply plug their names into
google to get to the authors pages. Of particular interest is Toolpac – this is not a
CAMPAC, it allows you to read and backup CAMPAC memory on your PC. I’ve built one
of these and it really is a nice piece of kit.
Name
Description
Cost
Clonepac
16K simple CAMPAC. No PIC programmer
needed. Quick and easy to make up, but not
compatible with the 9Z series of transmitters.
Free – just search the web to
find the circuit schematic. The
author’s website is no longer
available.
Mempak
64K CAMPAC. PIC programmer is required
to load the provided code onto the PIC chip
in the circuit. Compatible with the 9Z.
Free – download circuit
schematic and PIC code from
author’s website
CampacSL
64K CAMPAC. PIC programmer is required
to load the provided code onto the PIC chip
in the circuit. Compatible with the 9Z.
Free – download circuit
schematic and PIC code from
author’s website
Ultrapac
64K to 256K CAMPAC with “menu enabler”
(see APPENDIX A for a DIY version). This is
the no hassle option if you do not wish to
build one yourself. Compatible with the 9Z.
See manufacturers website
for current pricing.
ToolPac
Excellent piece of kit that allows you to read
the contents of your CAMPAC. Simple and
very cheap to make and does not require a
PIC programmer. It uses the parallel or serial
port interface (there are circuits on the web
for both). However, a cheap USB port
emulator can be bought from ebay to
simulate this old-school technology.
Free - download circuit
schematic from author’s
website
Table 4 Available DIY CAMPAC clones
4.10. Building a Training Cable for Buddy Boxing
A training cable or buddy box lead will allow you to buddy box two Futaba transmitters
for training purposes. Some transmitters work well together and some do not, check out
compatibility for the models you are using.
First, you should refer to APPENDIX B for information on the Pin-out numbering. Then,
to make your own Training cable, you need to:
1.
Buy two standard 6 Pin Dins from an audio or electronic component supplier (we’ll
call these DIN-A and DIN-B).