Tasranis Question

[Bobmic]

Hi Guys,
I'm thinking of buying a Taranis but have a question about the gimbals and how they compare to other radios.
On paper I read that these are quad bearing gimbals but are these as good as JR, Futaba and the others?
The only thing I am hesitant is the fact that it looks to be based on an old JR case but I don't know if they changed all the HW.
From what I can see it will do almost everything I am looking for but wanted to make sure I will not be disappointment once I actually fly with it.


Any feedback will be appreciated.


Thank you,
Bobby

[sihinch]

I have one.

I have no idea what type of gimbals it uses, but they work! Mine is an early taranis and I believe they have since upgraded the gimbals.

No complaints from me.

[pmackenzie]

The Taranis case is based on the JR 9303, but is not an exact copy.
There are some minor details different, like how the switches at the case split mount and the lack of rubberized "grips" on the case sides.
And of course no "roller" selector which works so well on the JR.
FrSky actually bought it from another Chinese vendor (KST)
http://www.goodluckbuy.com/kst-t810-2-4ghz-pcm1024-8ch-transmitter-and-receiver-set-for-airplanes-helicopters-multicopter.html

The stick assemblies are not the same design that JR uses, nor are they simply the  KST ones.
They are FrSky designed and , from what I have gathered online, more like those in a Hitec Aurora 9.

Stock they are too soft for me, so I changed the springs to Futaba heavy duty ones
http://www.rcplanet.com/Futaba_Gimbal_Springs_p/futm3640.htm
And for slightly better feel at neutral also put in the alloy cross bars
http://www.alofthobbies.com/gimbal-crossbar.html

Both mods are very commonly done.

To me, after these changes, they are a bit better than the sticks in my XP9303.
But perhaps not quite as good as those in a X9503, which are ball bearing.
Also even with the stiffer springs I can't get them quite as stiff as the JR sticks, and I like strong springs.

They feel a lot better than high end Futaba sticks that I have tried over the years, which I never did like.

I don't use a ratchet on the throttle, prefer a smooth tension device like you would use on a heli.
I could not get quite the feel I wanted there, but a small piece of tubing over the tension device gives much smoother action.

The side levers on the Taranis have a very smooth action, better than the JR ones. But no ratchet, if that is important to you.
There is a nice centre detente, subtle but well defined.

Where the Taranis really shines is in the programming. Much more powerful than any Futaba, Spektrum or JR radio, regardless of price.
Might be harder to use, particularly if you come in from another radio brand and are used to everything being laid out for you.
If you are new to computer radios and don't have pre-concieved ideas about how things "should" work you might actually find it easy to use.

Pat MacKenzie

[Bobmic]

Thank you guys, I have the X9503 and the 11X so this is what I will be comparing to. Many of the users I see online are flying Quads and FPV, in which cases I am not sure how important are the gimbals.
I definately like all the options but am a bit afraid to be dissapointed from the overall feel.
I wish it was possible to take the internal boards and install them in a JR9503 or even better the 11X..