14mzpage2

MENU NAVIGATION

Editing can be navigated via the touch screen
panel, or with the help of a rotary dial. With
either system, you will discover Futaba’s most
intuitive programming system yet. From the
startup screen (top left), you can navigate to
any of three secondary screens: Linkage
Menu, System Menu and Model Menu.

Note that at the bottom of the startup screen
there are buttons for short-cuts to these three
most-used menus.

The PDA-style graphic interface simplifies and
speeds navigation through programming
options when you are setting up a model.
Moving from screen to screen is just a touch
away. For example, the Linkage Menu (top
right) features buttons that lead to the Model
Type, Picture, Sound, Frequency and
Function screens shown, among other
choices. As you’ll see in our next installment,
the screen’s expansive display also facilitates
use of the powerful programming templates
and curves that Futaba has built into the
system.

You load the file into the CF card and then, with the card
back in your transmitter, assign the file to a switch for
playback. You can pause the recording when you need to,
and continue when you and the judges are ready.

MODEL MEMORY AND UPDATES

The radio includes 30 model memories, but this is
expandable. Using the CF card, you can save programming
and images for up to 100 different models. You have up to
32 characters to name a model.

With a radio system as sophisticated as the 14MZ, you
know there will be software updates as time goes on.
Futaba has made the updating process extremely simple.
To update the radio’s software, all you do is insert the CF
card with the software update and turn on the radio.

CUSTOMIZABLE STICKS

Each control stick axis is supported by dual ball bearings.
Stick tension, length and detent are all adjustable, so
airplane and heli modelers can personalize to their
preference. That’s only the beginning, as you can
customize other aspects of the hardware interface as well.

SWITCHES, SLIDERS AND KNOBS

All of the eight switches on the transmitter are
interchangeable among four different switch types and
styles, and these are assignable for any application. Extra
switches are available from Futaba so you can choose
exactly the configuration that is right for you. Buttons can
be installed where you want them, and spring-loaded
switches used exactly where you need them. Don’t forget
that with the ability to program in voice prompts, your
custom-configured switches can be programmed to tell you
what their function is when you operate them!

The sliders on the sides of the transmitter are very
comfortable. Futaba has stacked two into the location
where only one slider typically exists on other brands and
models. I really like this type of slider, as I can adjust it
comfortably and confidently without looking and, most
importantly, without lifting my fingers off the controls of a
plane or heli. Having four sliders in reach is a feature that I
will use. Off the top of my head, I can envision three
applications: I would assign one for flap deployment, the
second for spoiler or crow-style speed brakes, and the third
for traditional throttle trim adjustments (start position,
normal idle, and kill).

The knobs of the 14MZ are unique. To my knowledge, this
is the first use of a stowable knob in the RC industry. You
press the head of the knob and it rises to a position for
adjusting whatever

function you have assigned it. Then, after setting it where you want, you depress it back into
its recessed position. It is safely stowed and cannot be accidentally rotated.

LITHIUM BATTERY POWERED

The transmitter’s 7.4-volt 2200mAh Lithium-Ion battery provides between two and three
hours of flight time. The use of the audio functions, as well as the brightness of the screen,
affects the power consumption. The coolest thing about using Lithium cells is that the power
output is up and the weight is down. More good news is that the charger accompanying the
system can recharge the battery in approximately one hour!

14MZ FLYER'S CLUB

This will be a prestige club for 14MZ owners that will periodically provide 14MZ update
information, free items and special offers. We expect this may include clothing and outdoor
wear for members. Members will have an inside line on the availability of software updates
and other product enhancements. Check out www.14MZ.com for updates straight from
Futaba on the radio, and you can sign up for email updates as well.

CONCLUSION

Our first look at this radio has introduced you to the features of the 14MZ and explored why
you need them. You can see that the radio is a huge leap forward in terms of basic
functionality. There is a lot more to this story. The 14MZ offers powerful programming
templates and curves that you can adjust and customize on the fly. In our next installment, we
will show you actual installations and explain how we accomplished them. You’ll be surprised
at the intuitiveness and power of the programming. See you next time!

Loops & Rolls

Dave Baron

Links:

Futaba, distributed exclusively by Great Planes Model Distributors, www.futaba-rc.com, www.
14mz.com,
(800) 682-8948.


	THE NEW FUTABA 14MZ by Dave Baron page two return to page one HIGHER RESOLUTION, FASTER RESPONSE The 14MZ has twice the resolution of the previous top-end PCM 1024 systems—it offers 2048 discrete steps. It also offers backwards compatibility with all of the receivers you currently use with your Futaba radios—PCM 1024 as well as PPM/FM. Futaba has named this new system PCM Generation 3 (PCM G3). The frame rate is 40% faster than that of the Futaba 9Z. The higher resolution and faster response time means that your control of your airborne ship has never been tighter or more precise. The servos pick up even the slightest stick movement, and respond 25% faster. This is a serious advantage for planes with lots of throw and large amounts of exponential. They tend to spread out the steps of motion to the greatest extent, and they do it right around neutral, where you can feel it most! THE BIG SCREEN The screen is of the HVGA type, and it is big and very easy to read, indoors and out. The full color transflective touch screen is highly visible even in bright sunlight. It features a special lens system with a liquid between the lens and the film that virtually eliminates glare, for maximum visibility both indoors and outdoors. There is a ton of information available to you on the large screen—this is a real eye-opener. The screen offers a PDA-like graphic interface, a big improvement over standard LCD characters. I have quickly embraced this remarkable interface as a fast and efficient way to monitor critical parameters like battery capacity, model memory selected, trim positions, etc. at a glance. This is a welcome new experience. The most notable feature on the screen is the image of the plane you have selected from memory, right in the display. To get your own plane into the display, you need to take a digital picture and convert it to a bmp file in your PC. Next, you will need to insert the CF card from the radio into the port in your PC. Transfer the bmp file(s) to the CF card and insert it into the radio. Now there is no excuse for you to have the wrong memory selected when you fly! START UP MENU LINKAGE MENU LINKAGE MENU MODEL TYPE MODEL MENU PICTURE
		CHANGING CHANNELS The 14MZ also offers frequency-synthesizing capability. Channel selection is accomplished solely with the transmitter. Select your channel through the transmitter and the receiver will automatically synchronize to match the selected channel of the transmitter. No crystals required, and the receiver is amazingly small given its capability. MUSIC AND VOICE PROMPTS At first I thought this was absurd excess. Sounds stored in a transmitter…but the more you work with it, the more commonsense needs begin to shine through and justify this novel addition. The 14MZ can play back WMA (Windows Media Audio) files that are saved to the CF card. You can listen to these files using the built-in speaker, or you can listen in private with the included earphones. To record these, you simply speak into a microphone that is built into the transmitter. Short “Sound Bytes”—Essentially, there are two separate systems working in this system. One involves short sound bytes or recordings, approximately three seconds long, that you can use to perfectly identify a switch when it is moved. Imagine deploying flaps and hearing the radio say “flaps down.” You don’t have to take your eyes off your plane in flight. You can assign up to 24 different voice prompts!