New Spektrum DX3r Observations
 

I don't see too many people talking about this radio, so I thought I'd post my observations. That and Dicky asked what I thought about this radio in another thread.

First of all, the sr3100 receiver is SMALL! Should be easy to fit in any receiver box. Makes the older Spektrum receivers seem large by comparison.

I'm not sure I like the bind "plug" though, I think I'd rather have the old button style. The plug is just something that can easily get lost. Not too hard to make one, but still.

Maybe I'm not good enough, but the reaction speed seems to be on par with the DX2/3/2.0/3.0. It might be a tad faster, but I don't know if it really is, or if it's just my knowledge that it should be biasing my perception. It would probably be easier to see the difference if I was using two identical systems side by side, and/or maybe in race conditions.

The DX3r transmitter is amazing! I LOVE the LCD screen and the scroll wheel interface. One button does it all to change settings (other than trims of course). Changing the user/model name is a PITA because you have to scroll through letters, but that's just a one time deal really.

It only takes 4 cells so it is really light. Since the top is small, the balance feels good. Fits good in my hand too, but TBH, I've always like the way the stock Traxxas transmitter grips felt the best.

One last thing to note: if you ever reset the parameters, make sure you fully recalibrate the steering/throttle throws and save! I won't go into how I found this out, but it wasn't pretty. :oops: I suppose I could have RTFM, but what's the fun in that! :wink:

Did it come with any rx?

Like you I have a couple of DX3.0's with Rx's and wouldn't mind consolidating to a DX3r...

Yeah, it came with one receiver. The box also contained a 4-cell receiver battery holder, the bind plug, and the various parts to convert to left-hand use.

Older Spektrum receivers will work, but only in the "slower" DSM1 mode. The newer sr3100 receivers are the faster DSM2 mode. The transmitter knows which is which and sends the correct protocol accordingly (so the manual says). I'm not sure how true this is because for the system as a whole to know what receiver/transmitter combination is being used, there would have to be 2-way comms between them, and AFAIK, there is only 1-way comms (tx to rx). Personally, I think the manual is a bit misleading. The new DSM2 signal probably has the old DSM1 signal embedded as well to be backward-compatible with the older receivers. That's just a hunch though.

Well I will wait until your's goes and then will put up I think 2 DX3.0's and 2 Rx's - should get me close to a DX3R...

I assume you're comparing it to the SR3000 or SR3001? Because the SR3500 Micro Rx is smaller than the SR3100.

Yeah, I'm comparing the SR3100 (comes with the DX3R) to the older SR3000 (comes with the DX2/2.0/3/3.0).

Go ahead and post it now if you want, no big deal. Mine may be hard to offload because I don't have a receiver to go with it.

When I get home tonight I'm going to search my parts bin - maybe I do have an extra receiver (SR3000) to make it a more appealing purchase. If it doesn't go, I'll just keep it for my sons Stampede if I ever convert that to BL.

I bought a losi 2.4 setup cheap for my son (5) - doesn't need all the gizmos on his crt .5...

there seems to be one issue with dx3r . receiver sometimes unbinds. happened to me again this weekend twice after maybe a month of working ok. other people experience the same issue.

That issue is known: http://www.spektrumrc.com/Products/S...ProdID=SPM3100

I'm lovin mine. I switched from the M11 w/ Spektrum Module to the DX3R back when it was first released. ( havent had any "unbinding " isses thank goodness) It just seems to be the right amount of radio for me. It has everything I would ever need in a small light easy to use format. The main reason I switched was the M11 had to many things on it that I didnt use or even know how to use. It was confusing even after a year of using it. As far as the speed. I cant really tell a difference from the old Rx to the new DSM2 Rx speed. I use the new Rx that came with it and the all 3 of the older versions as well. The original grey, the Pro, and thie micro Rx. From my perspective, the speeds that any of these things run are are faster than my reaction speeds. I never felt like my old M11 Spektrum setup was slow. I really think you have to have some serious skills to even be able to tell the difference.

Overall I really like the radio and would recomend it to anyone looking for a upgrade to the basic 3 model radio.

BTW:
The DX2 and DX2.0 have a 2 model memory.
The DX3 has a 3 model memory.
The DX3.0 has a 4 model memory.

if you lower the frame rate setting to 5.5ms you'll notice the speed difference... you need to have digital servos howerver... i'm running ace 1015 servos in my losi 8's... also i'm using lipo rx pack without a regulator... at 6v they're rated at .10, at 8.4, silly fast... with the 5.5ms setting you can't even see the wheel... lol

Im looking at getting one of these radios but haven't seen many people use them to ask for feedback. Since you only have 4 cells does the batteries last 1/2 as long as other transmitters?

drift, i was curious about this too. When i talked to the spektrum guys at the hobby convention recently they stated it actually gets better battery life on 4 batteries than the old radios got on 8 because the screen was more efficient and took less energy to power. whether this is true of not i am not sure but maybe some owners can answer that. PS. i am picking up one of these radios soon.

I don't know. Considering actual RF output is measured in milli-watts, the battery voltage probably doesn't affect range (Spektrum has confirmed this). So, the gains must be in the display and/or circuit topology. Maybe the new radio has more of the circuit integrated onto one IC, which can save power over discrete components. I've only had it a very short time, so I don't have any data about the "runtime".

I am running digital servos and the 5.5 frame rate... Still cant tell a difference. The faster frame rate doesn't make the servos move faster, it just reduces the latency from when you turn the wheel to when the servo starts to move. When these things start getting measured in mili-seconds its beyond my mortal abilities to tell the difference. I'm sure there is probably sombody who can...but not me.

The way I understand it is the older FM style radios were based on older tecnology and needed more power for pushing the FM or AM based signals. The original radios were still designed around that same technology and then just retrofitted to use the 2.4ghz. The 2.4ghz wanvelength is shorter so it travels farther on less power. Designing the entire radio around this allowed them to use less battery power to brodcast the signal.

BTW. I have noticed no range loss on batterys that were just about to die. It has a low voltage alarme you can set. I have mine set to start beeping at 4.1v and it seems to still have the same range as with freash batteries. I havent pushed it to find out exactly what voltage it stops working at though.

I can sure tell you that comparing this thing to my old M11 made the M11 feel like holding a brick. At first it felt wierd that it was so light, but now that Im used to it I picked up a buddys M11 and I couldnt believe how heavy it felt.

I just picked up an M11 and a pair of m8s. I like the feel and features of the m11, much better than my futaba 2pl and 3pm. I have a spectrum module and a couple of novak switches, and a bunch of novak synth receivers. I plan on running mainly fm, but will run spectrum on my top speed project. I have had great success with fm, did notice that my 3pm had much better range than my 2pl. I have not had much time to test the m11 yet, off the bench. It is really easy to set, even mixing channels and setting all of theother cool functions! Had to glance at the manual a few times...

I can see the benifit of 2.4 when racing, no need to lug around a bunch of crystals! I would buy a new radio, but I have only spent about 600 bucks on the 3 radios and about 20 receivers...

I hear ya linc. nothing wrong with good old FM, still works great. I just prefer the security that I know nobody else is gonna flip on their radio and my RC is gonna run amok. (I think thats how its spelled.)

i've had mine for a few months and i can say that its the most efficient radio i've has when it comes to power consumption... i've had airtronics mx-3, jr xs3 and futaba 3pk with spectrum module...

Brian, here's an idea for you - if you could fit a 2s Lipo in the battery tray, grab a 5v switching regulator and hook it up to the 2s Lipo with a switch between the two, and plug the regulator into the DX3R's battery input. You could also throw a low-voltage buzzer alarm onto the switching regulator's input that is set off at 6+V. Then you can have a Lipo-powered DX3R that won't receive too high of voltage due to the switching regulator, with huge runtime compared to the batteries you have in there right now, and no chance of over-discharge (assuming you don't accidentally leave the regulator on and cannot hear the buzzer). And if you currently have rechargeable AAs, then you won't have any self-discharge to worry about!

I have this radio and really like it . Its very comfortable and light. I also have one of the first released ones but haven't had the bind issue.

The only things that I wish they added are a backlight, and the ability to slow down the servo speed. I had a jr-z1 before this and that was nice but I do like the 3r better.

Also it seems to be good on batteries. I am running 4 2500mah rechargibles and dont know the exact runtime but long enough not to have to worry about it. I had a lipo in my other radio of obviously that lasted longer but it not enough of a problem for me to worry about getting a lipo and regulator.

Jhautz: I was thinking new Spektrum vs old older Spektrum, not other radios. That makes sense, older technology is almost always less efficient than newer.

The size and weight is certainly a lot less than the DX2/3/2.0/3.0! Not only that, but the reduced weight on top makes it less top heavy - not that the old one is bad, you just notice the difference when holding both.

The 2.4 security is nice, and it's sure easier than carrying crystals when at the races. However, the main reason I got mine is the 30 model memory. :smile:

MetalMan: I've already thought of that. I am a little hesitant because what if I do accidentally leave it on and don't hear the buzzer? I would rather have an LVC than a LVW (low voltage warning). The latter is passive protection, the former is active protection. I have a LVC circuit idea that I might try.

I thought of it first :angel: lol. This is what I've been using in my Nomadio React for almost a year now. At one point I did accidentally leave it on before installing the low voltage alarm, and puffed a 2s 2100mah pack, but I had another. It's been fine for quite some time now, especially since after killing that first pack I also installed an external switch between the Lipo and the regulator.

Or, you could use a pair of cell phone batteries, as they have an lvc built in. You would still need a voltage regulator to get it down to the correct voltage. Sike knows more about this than I, but I have been using nokia cells (3s) in my 2pl and 3pm for a while. They are only 1000mah, but are super light, and I have a few packs made up so that I can swap them out. i have also seen some of the voltage regulators that have active lvcs built in. They are designed for lipo receiver packs in nitro vehicles, but should work as well in a radio.

I also just made a lipo pack for my M8 radio. Used 3 2500mah 18c cells that I had laying around, as they fit the strange battery tray perfectly. That radio has a 9.1v buzzer built in. It is not an active lvc, but hopefully I do not leave it on... Do you think that 18c is a bit much for a radio battery...