Just showing off some old school stuff

[DavidB1126]

Digging and cleaning out the basement. Found my grandfather's old futaba stuff.
72 mhz FM radio
3 channel crystal receiver
2 analog servos
Nicad battery and charger
On off switch

Got no idea what he used it in tho.
None of it probably works. Lol

 

[ahr43]

Great find. Do your research on how it all goes together, and I'll bet it still works. As long as they weren't put away with the batteries in them. Were there crystals in the find? Think Futaba still makes them. Last time I looked anyway. Couple of years ago.

Yeah, I've got two Futaba crystal systems in storage. One AM and one FM. Keep thinking about bringing them back in some kind of retro build.

 

[DavidB1126]

Great find. Do your research on how it all goes together, and I'll bet it still works. As long as they weren't put away with the batteries in them. Were there crystals in the find? Think Futaba still makes them. Last time I looked anyway. Couple of years ago.

Yeah, I've got two Futaba crystal systems in storage. One AM and one FM. Keep thinking about bringing them back in some kind of retro build.

Not sure. Haven't found anything else yet. Not sure if I can use a newer esc to do so? Would the old receiver handle 6.0V from the esc bec?
The battery gots electrical tape around it. There is a crack on top / bottom near the wire. Probably dead and not recoverable. Probably been like this for 20 or 30+ years. My grandma says my uncle broke the controller so not sure if it still works or not. Prob not.
Nvm, newer esc won't work as it has a different connector on it. The pins are in the receiver now, not on the actual esc or servo plug.
Servos still spin fine by hand though!
I think I found the manual to it the other month, not sure what I did to it, gotta find that.

 

[ahr43]

Pretty certain Futaba can repair it if you want to go that route. There is an online source for older manuals. Link lost to me years ago, but perhaps one of the other old timers can link you up. That would be the first step for me were I going to pursue getting the system up and running again.

Old NiCd's were pretty durable. Would not surprise me if you could coax it back to a useable charge-at least for test and tune. Long as the cells are not visibly compromised. Be interesting just to see it work as a system once again. Be a good fit for a retro Tamiya build.

 

[pwn1j]

that's old school and cool as hell... i remember back in the day i had futaba magnum / magnum sport radios and had a huge bag full of crystals. that servo was probably used for a mechanical speed controller. we can tell our grandkids.. 'whippersnappers with your fancy brushless motors, esc and lipos... all we had were am radios that had 4ft antenna and charging nicad batteries all night long for our mechanical speed controllers running a silver can motor'. lol