Futaba 4VF-FM User Manual

OUTPUT

4CHANNEL

RADIO

SYSTEM

CONTROL

4VF-FM

FM 4 CHANNELS FOR AIRCRAFT AND SURFACE

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

1M23N01708 4VF(V2)

R

Digital Proportional R/C System

Thank you for purchasing a Futaba SKYSPORT 4.

Before using your SKYSPORT 4, read this manual carefully and

use your R/C set safely.

After reading this manual, store it in a safe place.

See the glossary page 20 for a definition of the special terms used in this manual.

APPLICATION, EXPORT, AND RECONSTRUCTION

1. This product may be used for model airplane or surface use if on the correct frequency.
The product described in this manual is subject to regulations of the Ministry of Radio/Telecommuni­cations and is restricted under Japanese law to such purposes.

2. Exportation precautions
(a) When this product is exported from Japan, its use is to be approved by the Radio Law of the
country of destination.
(b) Use of this product with other than models may be restricted by Export and Trade Control Regula­tions. An application for export approval must be submitted.

3. Modification, adjustment, and replacement of parts
Futaba is not responsible for unauthorized modification, adjustment, and replacement of parts of this
product.

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RECEIVER (FOR U.S.A.)

This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two condi­tions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired
operation.

THE RBRCTM SEAL (FOR U.S.A.)

The RBRCTM SEAL on the (easily removable) nickel-cadmium battery contained in Futaba products
indicates that Futaba Corporation of America is voluntarily participating in an industry program to
collect and recycle these batteries at the end of their useful lives, when taken out of service within the
United States. The RBRCTM program provides a convenient alternative to placing used nickel-cad­mium batteries into the trash or municipal waste which is illegal in some areas.

Futaba Corporation of America's payments to RBRCTM makes it easy for you to return the spent bat­tery to Futaba for recycling purposes. You may also contact your local recycling center for informa­tion on where to return the spent battery. Please call 1-800-8-BATTERY for information on Ni-Cd
battery recycling in your area. Futaba Corporation of America's involvement in this program is part of
its commitment to protecting our environment and conserving natural resources.

NOTE: Our instruction manuals need to encourage our customers to return spent
batteries to Futaba or a local recycling center in order to keep a healthy environment.

RBRCTM is a trademark of the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.

-No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form without prior permission.

-The contents of this manual are subject to change without prior notice.

-This manual has been carefully written. Please write to Futaba if you feel that any corrections or clarifications
should be made.

-Futaba is not responsible for the use of this product.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOR SAFETY .............................................................................2

MEANING OF SPECIAL MARKINGS................................................................................. 2

PRECAUTIONS DURING FLIGHT...................................................................................... 3

NICD BATTERY CHARGING PRECAUTIONS .................................................................. 4

OTHER PRECAUTIONS ..................................................................................................... 5

STORAGE AND DISPOSAL PRECAUTIONS.................................................................... 5

BEFORE USE.............................................................................7

SET CONTENTS ................................................................................................................. 7

NAME AND HANDLING OF EACH PART.......................................................................... 8

TRANSMITTER OPERATION AND MOVEMENT OF EACH SERVO ............................. 11

INSTALLATION AND ADJUSTMENT .....................................12

CONNECTIONS ................................................................................................................ 12

ADJUSTMENTS ................................................................................................................ 14

USING OTHER FUNCTIONS ...................................................15

USING THE FREQUENCY BOARD.................................................................................. 15

SERVO HORN................................................................................................................... 15

NON-SLIP ADJUSTABLE LEVER HEAD ........................................................................ 15

STICK LEVER SPRING TENSION ADJUSTMENT.......................................................... 16

TRAINER FUNCTION ....................................................................................................... 16

CHARGING THE NICD BATTERY ................................................................................... 17

REFERENCE ............................................................................18

RATINGS........................................................................................................................... 18

TROUBLESHOOTING ...................................................................................................... 19

GLOSSARY....................................................................................................................... 20

Repair Service ..................................................................................................................21

11

1

11

To ensure safe use, observe the following precautions.

MEANING OF SPECIAL MARKINGS

FOR SAFETY

Pay special attention to the safety at the parts of this manual that are indicated by the
following marks.

Mark Meaning

DANGER

WARNING

CAUTION

FOR SAFETY

Procedures which may lead to a dangerous con­dition and cause death or serious injury to the
user if not carried out properly.

Procedures which may lead to a dangerous con­dition or cause death or serious injury to the user
if not carried out properly, or procedures where
the probability of superficial injury or physical
damage is high.

Procedures where the possibility of serious injury
to the user is small, but there is a danger of injury,
or physical damage, if not carried out properly.

22

2

22

Symbol: ; Prohibited ; Mandatory

PRECAUTIONS DURING FLIGHT

WARNING

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Do not fly simultaneously on the
same frequency.

Interference may
cause a crash.

*Use of the same frequency will cause inter­ference even if the modulation method (AM,
FM, PCM) is different.

Simultaneous flight on

the same frequency

prohibited

Do not fly on rainy or windy days, or
at night.

Water will penetrate into
the transmitter and
cause faulty operation,
or loss of control, and
cause a crash.

Do not fly

Rain

Wind

Night

Do not fly in the following places:

-Near other R/C flying fields (within
about 3km)

-Near people on the ground, or ob­jects in the air

-Near homes, schools, hospitals, or
other places where there is a lot of
people

-Near high tension lines, high struc­tures, or communication facilities

Radiowave interference and obstructions
may cause a crash. A crash caused by
trouble in the R/C set, or the model itself,
may cause death or property damage.

Do not fly when you are tired, sick,
or intoxicated.

Fatigue, illness, or intoxication will cause
a loss of concentration or normal judg­ment and result in operation errors and a
crash.

FOR SAFETY

MANDATORY ITEMS

Extend the antenna to its full
length.

If the antenna is too
short, the effective
range of the
radiowaves will be­come shorter.

Extend to

full length

CHECK ITEMS

Check that the transmitter antenna is not loose.

If the transmitter antenna comes off during use, control will
be lost and the model will crash.

Always test the digital proportional R/C
set before use.

Any abnormality in the digital proportional
R/C set, or model, may cause a crash.

*Before starting the engine, check
that the direction of operation of each
servo matches the operation of its
control stick. If a servo does not move
in the proper direction, or operation is
abnormal, do not fly the plane.

Test

33

3

33

CAUTION

17

Install frequency

board

PROHIBITED ITEMS

When placing the transmitter on the
ground during flight preparations, be
sure that the wind cannot knock it over.

FOR SAFETY

If it is knocked over, the throttle stick may be
pushed to full high and the engine will race and
create a dangerous situation.

When turning on the power switch

After setting the transmitter throttle stick to
maximum slow,

1. Turn on the transmitter power switch,

2. Then turn on the receiver power switch.

When turning off the power switch

After stopping the engine,

1. Turn off the receiver power switch,

2. Then turn off the transmitter power switch.

If the power switch is turned
off in the opposite order, the
engine may go to full throttle
unexpectedly and cause an
injury.
*Maximum slow: Direction in
which the engine or motor
runs at the slowest speed.

Do not touch the engine, motor,
and FET amp during and imme­diately after use.

They are hot and will cause a burn.

MANDATORY ITEMS

When adjusting the digital
proportional R/C set, always
stop the engine, except when
necessary.

If the engine suddenly goes to high
speed, it may cause an injury.

When flying, always install
the frequency board to the

Power ON

Power OFF

transmitter antenna.

When the fre­quency was
changed, also
change the fre­quency board.

NICD BATTERY CHARGING PRECAUTIONS

Always charge the nicd
battery before each flight.

If the battery goes dead during
flight, the plane may crash.

44

4

44

WARNING

MANDATORY ITEMS

Charge the digital proportional R/C nicd bat­tery with the special charger, or digital propor­tional R/C quick charger, sold separately.

Overcharging may cause burns,
fire, injury, blindness, etc. due to
overheating, breakage, electro­lyte leakage, etc.

Use the

special charger

CAUTION

Shock

prohibited

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Do not use commercial nicd penlight
batteries.

During quick charging,
the battery holder con­tacts may overheat and
damage the equipment,
or prevent charging.

Do not short the nicd battery connec­tor terminals.

Shorting the terminals may cause sparking
and overheating and result in burns or fire.

Penlight
nicd battery

Use

prohibited

OTHER PRECAUTIONS

CAUTIONS

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Do not get fuel, waste oil, etc. on
plastic parts.

The plastic may melt and fail to function.

Do not drop or apply strong
shock to nicd battery.

The battery may be shorted and cause
overheating or breakage and electro­lyte leakage and result in burns or dam­age by chemical mater.

FOR SAFETY

MANDATORY ITEMS

Always use Genuine Futaba
transmitter, receiver, servos,
FET amp, nicd battery, and other
optional parts.

Futaba is not responsible for damage,
etc. caused by the use of parts other
than Genuine Futaba parts.
Use the parts described in the instruc­tion manual and catalogs.

Use genuine parts

STORAGE AND DISPOSAL PRECAUTIONS

WARNING

Do not leave the digital proportional
R/C set, battery, model airplane, etc.
within the reach of small children.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Touching and operating the digital propor­tional R/C set, or licking the battery, may
cause injury or damage due to chemical
matter.

55

5

55