This revolutionary 14-channel system opens a new era in RC flying

The 14MZ has a large transflective full color touch screen that is easy to see in full sunlight. It is very easy to navigate, and you can take in a lot of information with a quick scan of the display. When you select a model from the 30 model memories, a digital image of the plane is displayed on the screen.

This revolutionary 14-channel system opens a new era in RC flying
As an all-around RC flier with decades of experience in the hobby, I was understandably thrilled to have the opportunity to review Futaba new groundbreaking 14MZ radio. The new 14MZ crosses a threshold that advances RC flying to a new “interactive” level of functionality, precision and fun. This radio is more than just a tool that connects the pilot to the aircraft; the 14MZ is a multi-media system that enhances the quality of your flying experience, taking it beyond what was possible with any previous radio.



The 14MZ, which is the result of over two million dollars in R&D (10 patents pending), takes advantage of the latest in computer technology. It has dual internal processors. The Windows CE operating system is used on one chip for all non-flight functions, including setup and programming of models, as well as management of digital image and audio files on the included compact flash (CF) card. A Futaba Custom Processor with its own proprietary operating system handles all critical flying functions separately. This combination gives the radio remarkable versatility. It includes a simplified PDA-like interface coupled with the reliability of the best of Futaba technology.

To describe the power and versatility of the radio, we will devote more than one article to the 14MZ. In our first installment, we will detail the primary features and benefits of the 14MZ and begin to fly the radio in a Great Planes U-Can-Do 3D airplane. You will see how Futaba has developed user-friendly menus with unmatched programming capability. In future issues, we will install and fly the system in different kinds of powered aircraft as well as helis and gliders. You will see the interesting ways in which this radio enhances both the quality of the flying experience and the performance envelope of your models.

14 CHANNELS AND WHY YOU NEED THEM
My first impression was one of outrageous excess, but once I understood the premise of this radio, I began to wonder if 14 channels were enough for the modern modeler. Every time we eliminate a Y-harness, we are eliminating a potential problem (connections can go bad, and some Y-harness applications require filters and amplifiers, especially with digital servos). Ideally, every servo should have a dedicated port in the receiver to plug into—and its own channel.

How many channels? If you have three servos to actuate control surfaces on each wing panel, you have already consumed six channels. Add two more servos for the elevator and you are up to eight. Adding two ganged servos for the rudder brings you to ten channels. Add throttle and your preferred subset of smoke, retracts, gear door sequencers, sliding canopies, spoilers, speed brakes or wheel brakes and you are already well beyond the capabilities of any previous radio—without the need for any Y-harnesses or related matching and sequencing accessories!

On a turbine jet, you often split the ailerons for two channels; split flaps for two channels, elevators for another channel. Many of these models also have additional single channels for each of the following functions: rudder, nose gear steering, sliding canopy, retracts, ordnance drop, speed brakes, lights, drogue chute, wheel brakes and, in some cases, leading edge devices or slats, and finally, throttle. We’re already at 16 channels. How have the jet jocks been getting by?

A NEW APPROACH TO GANGING SERVOS
Consider the modern giant, a 30% or larger model, with ganged servos on multiple functions. Those of us flying giant scale have all learned to accept the burden of dealing with this situation. We match our servos with all types of peripheral devices so that the servos do not fight each other and consume precious battery power. With the 14MZ, the balancing of the servos in centering, speed and throw is simple, and entirely built into the transmitter.

This sailplane wing diagram illustrates the amazing programming power of the 14MZ. Control surfaces can be coupled and mixed in ways that were not possible before the arrival of this radio. For instance, you can now deploy two sets of ailerons and flaps, which would use a total of eight channels. These control surfaces can be adjusted in unison to increase or decrease camber, or they can be configured as conventional flaps and ailerons. You can set up crow however you wish—or even configure drag-inducing “air brakes” at the tips of the wings for yaw input on a flying wing. The radio supports seven different wing types, 4 tail types, and 3 motor types.

A function page allows you to assign the input channels from the transmitter directly to any one of the channels of the receiver. Let’s say you are ganging three servos for rudder control on a large model. You would already have your rudder channel assigned to rudder use, and would then assign two of the auxiliary channels to the rudder as well. Then, using the 14MZ’s programming, you individually adjust the centering, speed and throw limits of the three different servos.

The result is a simple and trouble-free system that, again, needs none of the peripheral devices we previously couldn’t fly without.

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!

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!

Long “Sound Bytes” — The second system relates to lengthier stored files. These can be music, as we see used more and more in freestyle competition, or verbal sequences. Have you ever had to rely on a caller in scale or aerobatic competition? Have you ever had a caller pause or misstate a maneuver in a way that threw you for a moment and possibly affected your score? It has happened to me! With the 14MZ, you would establish your sequence and then record it as a digital WMA file. 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.

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