Changing Mode on a Futaba 6XAs

[Redfox]

Hi guys... does anyone know how to physically change the mode of my Futaba 6XAs transmitter? Is it just a simple switch of the ratchet and spring assembly from one stick to another?

[Dave Robelen]

Hi,
In most all of the transmitters of this type, changing mode is pretty much a matter of swapping the spring and ratchet. I would make some pretty detailed notes and sketches of the assemblies before going to work, you just never know about those hidden parts. Got a digital camera? Even better.
Regards, Dave

[Grant Tokumi]

What do you mean by "mode" of the transmitter? Perhaps this might help.

http://www.open.org/~joerger/futaba.html

Specifically:

About Transmitter Modes:

There are two 'standard' ways that the two main control sticks are assigned to input channels. Mode 2 is the U.S. standard with the throttle (input channel 3) assigned to the vertical stick axis on the left of the transmitter, and the elevator (input channel 2) assigned to the vertical stick axis on the right side of the transmitter. Mode 1 (European standard) has these two assignments reversed; throttle on right and elevator on left.

Computerized transmitters usually have a software method of switching between modes. For the 6XAPs, a special menu for setting transmitter mode (and for reversing the channel 3 input stick) can be accessed by turning on the transmitter while holding doen both of the "MODE" buttons. Set STCK to 1 or 2 for the corresponding transmitter mode.

Since we can plug any of our servos/switches/controllers into any of the receiver outputs we like, there are only two reasons that modes are of any interest to us in this discussion:

Input channel 3 has some special features when it comes to dual rates, exponential response, and failsafes that may not be desirable for robot use.
The pre-programmed mixes have input channels pre-assigned and it may be useful to remember that input channels 2 and 3 can be assigned to either of the two sticks.