FrSky repair facility

[Classicpilot]

Sorry, that is not something we offer. We try to stay within our comfort range, and your project may be very easy, or may require a load of investigation to get it working perfectly.

Good luck!

Have you ever seen an Ace Micropro 8000 transmitter?
One of the best radios ever made, and was American made, metal case, no cheap plastic
Ace Micropro radios were far ahead of their time.

The newest version is called the Microstar 2000.
All the programming is done on the sticks and one button.
The gimbals are still much better than anything made today.
They are all machined aluminum.
I can program any of the three I have much quicker than any other radios made.
This is only part of what makes them great!
Here are a few pictures of an Ace Micropro 8000 radio.
One with a 2.4 conversion kit installed.
So you are telling me you can't handle this type of job?

Respectfully,
Ed

 

[Classicpilot]

Ace Mic

Have you ever seen an Ace Micropro 8000 transmitter?
One of the best radios ever made, and was American made, metal case, no cheap plastic
Ace Micropro radios were far ahead of their time.View attachment 8146View attachment 8147

The newest version is called the Microstar 2000.
All the programming is done on the sticks and one button.
The gimbals are still much better than anything made today.
They are all machined aluminum.
I can program any of the three I have much quicker than any other radios made.
This is only part of what makes them great!
Here are a few pictures of an Ace Micropro 8000 radio.
One with a 2.4 conversion kit installed.
So you are telling me you can't handle this type of job?

Respectfully,
Ed

Micropro 8000 radios were capable ( as many are equipped this way) with switchable dual RF decks. Switch is on top of the radio.

Some had AM or FM switchable or 2 different 72 Mhz frequency RF decks just by moving the switch.
They also were the first radios with an "alternate" switch, so if you flew inverted , you just moved the switch and flew the airplane as though it were flying upright!
I have one that I can switch between 72Mhz and 53 Mhz ( HAM band) just by moving the switch.

 

[Konrad]

Have you ever seen an Ace Micropro 8000 transmitter?
One of the best radios ever made, and was American made, metal case, no cheap plastic
Ace Micropro radios were far ahead of their time.View attachment 8146View attachment 8147

The newest version is called the Microstar 2000.
All the programming is done on the sticks and one button.
The gimbals are still much better than anything made today.
They are all machined aluminum.
I can program any of the three I have much quicker than any other radios made.
This is only part of what makes them great!
Here are a few pictures of an Ace Micropro 8000 radio.
One with a 2.4 conversion kit installed.
So you are telling me you can't handle this type of job?

Respectfully,
Ed

Ed, With all due respect, it has been 30 years. There is no need to perpetuate the sales hype.

I've had and used the Ace MicroPro 8000 well into the new millennium. I've still have over 1/2 a dozen Ace Micropro 8000. They had a lot of nice feature for their day But they always were second tier to the high end Japanese radios of the same time period. By 1992 they were obsolete (all radios were) by the very powerful Multiplex Profi 4000mc.

The much hyped metal gimbals were a far cry from the high end Japanese gimbals. The aluminum was very flexable and gummy which made it difficult to hold any real kind of tolerance. The stick tension wasn't adjustable (other than by changing out springs).

All the trims where Bob Dunham (Orbits Electronics) plastic and had very bad action (high drag). These were so bad that the motor/engine control really was little more than an on/off action on the Single Stick models.

In the 72 mHz days I loved the dual RF deck, I loved the auto trim feature. The alternate model would become a flight mode allowing one to switch between launch and glide mode. The true power of the radio was in the documentation and that flow chart. I had the JR Galaxy radio and it was a bear to follow the programing for that radio. While the MicroPro was a master /slave radio, that flow chart was the key to understanding the radio. The Micropro 8000 was a large 256 step radio. Most Asian radio were up to 512 resolution.

Now if comparing the Ace MicroPro to Futaba radios like the one below with its closed gimbals. Then yes the Ace MicroPro 8000 was miles ahead of it.

But today the bottom end FrSky is superior in all aspect to the grand old lady, the late 80's Ace MicroPro 8000.

I see that Aloft is out of stock for the XHT modules. I wonder if FrSky is planning any new production runs.

All the best,

Konrad

 

[HENNY]

Looks like the gimbals outer aluminium body could with stand a nuclear explosion, also the case still used the folded aluminium instead of the today molded plastic. These older radios must have been labor intensive and quite costly to manufacture.

Great to see a number of them still survive.

 

[Scott Page]

So you are telling me you can't handle this type of job?

Respectfully,
Ed

Wayne was very clear. He did NOT say they can't handle this job. He said they prefer to do what they are comfortable doing. Or put another way he said that's not something they're interested in doing. Frankly I don't blame him. I love tinkering with electronics and hacking radios -- but I certainly would not be interested in trying to breath life into a corpse from the stone age.

"Respectfully,"

Scott

 

[Chris]

Have you ever seen an Ace Micropro 8000 transmitter?
One of the best radios ever made, and was American made, metal case, no cheap plastic
Ace Micropro radios were far ahead of their time.View attachment 8146View attachment 8147

The newest version is called the Microstar 2000.
All the programming is done on the sticks and one button.
The gimbals are still much better than anything made today.
They are all machined aluminum.
I can program any of the three I have much quicker than any other radios made.
This is only part of what makes them great!
Here are a few pictures of an Ace Micropro 8000 radio.
One with a 2.4 conversion kit installed.
So you are telling me you can't handle this type of job?

Respectfully,
Ed

Not saying that we "can't handle it" I'm saying that I do not want to be responsible for it. Experimentation on customers radios is not something we do.

 

[gp49]

@Classicpilot

Ed,
If you follow the link below to the '2.4 ghz conversions of older 72mhz radio control transmitters' group on Facebook, join in, and post for help, you probably will be able to do the conversion yourself......

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Maybe another useful links:

Sign in - Google Accounts

Sign in - Google Accounts

Sign in - Google Accounts

 

[Classicpilot]

Than

@Classicpilot

Ed,
If you follow the link below to the '2.4 ghz conversions of older 72mhz radio control transmitters' group on Facebook, join in, and post for help, you probably will be able to do the conversion yourself......

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Maybe another useful links:

Sign in - Google Accounts

Sign in - Google Accounts

Sign in - Google Accounts

Thanks GP49
The critique on the MP8K by on member here on ALOFT , I assume he is British.
Multiplex radios are nice, but well outside most of our modelling budgets.
I have three MP8Ks
Passed one up on Ebay because it's the first one I ever saw that did not have the dual deck switch.
I have dibs on another owned by an actual Ace techinician that has some nifty adds to it.
Strange the picture of the the non-adjustable spring tension. Mine has it, done by ACE back in 1994
It was an option they offered.
Plus they were American made!
I'll bet you can't change out an Eprom on a Multiplex.

I have never favored Jap made radios.
Comes from the fact my Dad fought them in World War Two.
His Destroyer escort took a glancing blow from A Kamikaze plane off of Okinawa

Thanks again!

Ed
We never had a Japanese TV or radio in our home when I was growing up.

 

[Classicpilot]

Ed, With all due respect, it has been 30 years. There is no need to perpetuate the sales hype.

I've had and used the Ace MicroPro 800 well into the new millennium. I've still have over 1/2 a dozen Ace Micropro 8000. They had a lot of nice feature for their day But they always were second tier to the high end Japanese radios of the same time period. By 1992 they were obsolete (all radios were) by the very powerful Multiplex Profi 4000mc.

The much hyped metal gimbals were a far cry from the high end Japanese gimbals. The aluminum was very flexable and gummy which made it difficult to hold any real kind of tolerance. The stick tension wasn't adjustable (other than by changing out springs).

All the trims where Bob Dunham (Orbits Electronics) plastic and had very bad action (high drag). These were so bad that the motor/engine control really was little more than an on/off action on the Single Stick models.

In the 72 mHz days I loved the dual RF deck, I loved the auto trim feature. The alternate model would become a flight mode allowing one to switch between launch and glide mode. The true power of the radio was in the documentation and that flow chart. I had the JR Galaxy radio and it was a bear to follow the programing for that radio. While the MicrPro was a master /slave radio that flow chart was the key to understanding the radio The Micropro 8000 was a large 256 step radio. Most Asian radio were up to 512 resolution.

Now if comparing the Ace MicroPro to Futaba radios like the one below with its closed gimbals. Then yes the Ace MicroPro 8000 was miles ahead of it.

But today the bottom end FrSky is superior in all aspect to the grand old lady the late 80's Ace MicroPro 8000.

I see that Aloft is out of stock for the XHT modules. I wonder if FrSky is planning any new production runs.

All the best,

Konrad

View attachment 8157
View attachment 8158
View attachment 8159
View attachment 8161
View attachment 8162

Greetings Konrad
When I purchased my MP8K from ACE back in 1994, they did offer adjustable spring tension as an option.
27 years of use on my original MP8K ( likely over 2500 hours) has never resulted in any component failure or anything breaking or failing!
Only changed out batteries when needed and updated the Eprom when RC radio technology changed.
True it's only 8 channels but this is all I have ever needed.
I live far out rurally and can still safely fly on 72 Mhz or 53Mhz HAM band on the farm land I fly off of.
My centering arms have never had a problem or come loose.
I keep a close eye on my equipment, and I am an electrical engineer now retired.
Worked on missile guidance systems and various radar systems including thse presently used by our US military.Multiplex radios are quite nice radios but usually well beyond the budget of the average modeller.
I am also an FAA licensed pilot and fly vintage aircraft, owning and flying a 1946 Ercoupe.
Other aircraft I have flown are a 1929 Ford Trimotor, a 1945 Boeing B-17G, a 1929 Curtiss Robin, and a 1929 Travel Air 6000.
I also have quite a bit of time in Cessna 150's and Cessna 172s and a J3 Cub.
I build almost all either scratch built or kit built RC airplanes of 1920's to 1950's vintage aircraft.
My latest project is my 1/3 scale Jerry Bates scratch built Curtiss Robin ( 123 inch wingspan)and my scratch built 1/3 scale Travel Air Mystery Ship ,
123 inch wingspan.
Been building balsa model airplanes since 1957.
Best regard,
Classic Pilot

 

[Konrad]

Not sure what our CV's have to do with the topic.

I too spent most of my professional career in Aviation/Aerospace as an engineer of some sort. Last was involved in flight test of the B787. I too was an RF electrical tech in university. I hold several FCC licenses and some radar tickets. So what?

My radios date from 1989 as they were given to me by Ace as part of my involvement in the team that won the USA Nats for FAI F3D pylon using ACE Silver Seven radios (built by me). I'd like to see the tension adjuster in the later sticks.

After getting the first Multiplex Profi 4000mc I got a second after a few months, even at $1200 in 1992 dollars they were a great value. Their mixing power left the Micropro 8000 and all other radios in the stone age. That was until OpenTX came along.

As an an engineer I'm sure you can assess the merits of design and production product. So I won't go over the Ace sales hype. I loved my Ace MicroPro 8000 and still do, as I've held on to about half a dozen. I also have kept my analog Silver Sevens and mixing modules. But by any measure the Ace MicroPro 8000 is obsolete and has been early in its life cycle. In may respects it was great. But any of the bottom end computer radios of today are far superior, such as the FrSky X9D+ (2019).

Been building toy airplanes since 1968. Been building RF sections since 1978. Been making full size aircraft parts since 1989 (machinist). Was as system engineer at a major airline (turbines). Was engineering manager for ATA Chapter 49 (APUs). And retired (QUIT) from UTCAS after completion of the B787 flight test program.

All the best,
Konrad

 

[Wayne]

You know you can setup Autotrim in OpenTX, right? It was something we liked to use with the single stick conversions.

 

[Konrad]

Yep, That is another reason not to put the antiquated Ace MicroPro 8000 on too high a pedestal. If looking too closely one can see that the Ace MicroPro 8000 has feet of clay.

It really wasn't the game changer some hype it to be. But get this, and this would be something for the other radio OEMs to look at. it did come with great documentation and a detailed flow chart. It was easy to find and use the full capacity of the radio early in ones programing efforts.

Is there a SIngle Stick FrSky/OpenTX radio on the market?

 

[Classicpilot]

Yep, That is another reason not to put the antiquated Ace MicroPro 8000 on too high a pedestal. If looking too closely one can see that the Ace MicroPro 8000 has feet of clay.

It really wasn't the game changer some hype it to be. But get this, and this would be something for the other radio OEMs to look at. it did come with great documentation and a detailed flow chart. It was easy to find and use the full capacity of the radio early in ones programing efforts.

Is there a SIngle Stick FrSky/OpenTX radio on the market?

Konrad,
I attained my 1st Class FCC license right out of high school.
Attended two years of tech school then enlisted in the US Army due to
my very low draft number.
They put me through 4 more years of college than obtained a Masters .
My first radio was Heath kit 4 channel propo I built while I was in the military and stationed at McGregor Missile Test Range.
Spent time on Okinawa working with Western Electric techs on the Nike Hercules system, the south Korea, then Kwajelin working on the then new Safegaurd
system, then back to McGregor. Finished my degree at Purdue.
My first store bought RC radio was an old Futaba 4 channel. Bought my first MP8K at the Toledo WEAK Signals expo in 1994, direct from ACE.
I will say this about the MP8K , it has outlasted many of the cheaper plastic cased radios many of my buddies used, or had to replace evrytime tehnology
changed.
Mine never became a shelf ornament and has been in constant operation for the past 27 years!
Yes the well written flow chart manual and the ease of programming always made it much easier than other computer radios.
Just two sticks and one button to program.
Newer radios have many more channels, but as I said before, 8 channels is all I have ever needed.
I have noticed a lot of guys are now seeking the ACE single stick radios , making them quite popular over the last several years.
And yes the "autotrim" button was worth its weight in gold!
I belong to two local clubs and have seen most of the guys purchase new radios every few years to keep up with changes.
Not so with my MP8K.
Updating it is so easy!
I like old stuff!
Several years ago I spent a lot of time in our Vintage club hngar at the Auburn airport helping to restore "Little Mulligan" Harold Nuemnns 1941 Monocoupe for the EAA Museum
Harold Nuemann flew Mister Mulligan, race # 40 to victory at the 1935 National Air Races in Cleveland Ohio.
During a estate sale several years ago, we flew out to Nevada and east of Las Vegas to check out a WW2 T-6 USAF trainer
that was for sale. But buried in the hangar under about 20 old army canvas tents we found literally an almost "new condition" 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster, which my cousin purchased and we rented a 24 foot car hauler and Ford pickup and brought it back to Indiana.
It has a straight 8 cylinder engine in it and drives like a dream!
He puts it in the "Parade of Classics" every year during the "Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival"
Best regards,
Ed

 

[davemcddd]

With all of those qualifications, why in the world would you even ask Aloft to convert a MicroPro to 2.4? This should be a simple project for you.

 

[Classicpilot]

With all of those qualifications, why in the world would you even ask Aloft to convert a MicroPro to 2.4? This should be a simple project for you.

Hi Dave,
Because I am extremely busy in working on a 1946 full scale Ercoupe, and helping a friend restore a 1968 Hydrodyne ski boat,
and taking care of my 5 acre ranch. My family built Hydrodyne boats when I was much younger.
I thought if I could send the radio out and have it done, it would be convenient
And helping out in the two EAA and VAA aircraft chapters I am a member of
I have had very little time to spend in my workshop.
I am retired and spend about ten hours a day 3 days a week working on the boat and 4 days a week working on my
Ercoupe.
I am one of the few people qualified to work on the boat, and it's a tough and messy job!
Sometimes I wish I had never said I'd help do it!
Removed the deck and tore up the floor and replacing all the stringers.
Then put it all back together!
I spend several weekends and one week a year volunteering at the EAA and VAA at Oshkosh Wisconsin.
I live in Indiana.
The boat will be about 5 more months worth of work.
And most likely several more months of work on my Ercoupe.
Then mowing 5 acres of grass every week pretty much fills out my time.
I try and sneak out and fly RC one or two evenings a week just to relax.

Blue skies!
Ed

 

[davemcddd]

If you would have used your precious spare time more wisely, perhaps you could have easily had enough time to install an XHT module in that MicroPro instead of spending it on composing and posting all of those excuses.

 

[Classicpilot]

D

If you would have used your precious spare time more wisely, perhaps you could have easily had enough time to install an XHT module in that MicroPro instead of spending it on composing and posting all of those excuses.

Dave,
Respectfully if you were to spend a few days in my shoes, perhaps I'd actually seriously consider what you just posted.
By the way I do get paid for my expertise in boat building.
I grew up in the industry.
I learned every aspect of the business, from grinding raw decks and hulls to mold room layup, to assembly line to loading and shipping, and sales.
Some of our customers were Gus Grissom,Gordon Cooper, Jackie Kennedy, Roy Rogers and Tommy Bartlett Ski Shows
And the US Navy we made Vietnam gun boats for.
It was Gus Grissom who got me seriously interested in engineering.
He was quite an engineering genius!
He gave me a Sal Taibi 1/2A Starduster free flight kit.
I still have the airplane.
I make my posts during short work breaks.
Blue Skies!

 

[Wayne]

Hey guys - Why in the world are you bugging our new member? This is not the experience we foster here at Aloft.

Ed - Sorry, not the welcoming I would have expected from our members here. Glad to have you hear! Sounds like some grand adventures and neat discoveries. Keep it up!!

Would love to see some pictures of the restoration projects, maybe start up a new thread for them. I'm slowly building up a Glastar (very slowly) and restoring (updating) an old International Scout, and if you ask my wife, have a few other projects in the works. I always love to see what others are up to, and there is always something to be learned from it.

I was on the Mp8k email group for a very long time.. Actually, think I am still on it, but it is pretty quiet now. I use to be a bit more active with it in the past.

 

[Hank GB Z]

Hi Wayne and Aloft crew,


I’m traveling right now but my loving wife put my X9lite in the mail today. It’s blue and has my custom left hand slider installed. Let me know if you have any questions when you get it. Like I said before it just seemed to stop working one day.

Hank

Hmm, might as well leave it in place and better send us a link to what you have there as I know the guys are going to ask me what the heck is this thing?

 

[Hank GB Z]

HI Aloft Crew,


Just checking to see if my Blue X9lite arrived at the store. I know you were busy with the Sunset event last week but i just want to make sure it's there.

Thanks,

Hank