jb48

I am new to RC electric and just received my new ARF Hobbico Superstar EP with ailerons. The kit has an ESC with BEC. The problem is that I took the standard servos (JR 527) and receiver (JR R700) from my retired glow Alpha Trainer .40. The ESC furnished with the Superstar looks to be Futaba compatible. It is impossible to connect the ESC to my JR receiver. The connection (female) from the ESC is a little bit to wide to enter the receiver. I made researches for adaptor and I am lost, especially when I learned that there are Futaba J and Futaba G on the market. What is the difference between J and G? I saw things like Futaba J (and G) to JR/Hitec adaptor and the reverse, i. e. JR/Hitec to Futaba (J and G)!!! What do I need to make the ESC to work with my JR receiver? If that is of any indication, the ESC connection has 3 wires and my JR receiver has 3 pins, but of different color. In online catalog, I found, just to confuse a little more, that adaptors are servo to receiver, does that mean that the ESC connection to be considered like the servo to be adapted, since the receiver is, well, the receiver?
I badly need the information to complete my SSEP. Thanks to all who can help me.

Will Hicks

The Rx wire coming from the ESC may be a Futaba type. Compare the connector to the one on your JR servo. The ESC connector may have a guide molded on the side. You can remove the guide with a Xacto knife. That should make it fit fine. The brown wire on the JR servo is negative; the signal wire is orange. That should match your ESC connector with black negative and white signal. If it's marked like Hitec, the signal wire will be yellow.

jb48

I appreciate very much a so quick response Will. You are right about the colors of the wires and the tiny lip on the ESC connector...doesn`t look hard to remove. I`ll give it a try. May I ask you another question, after all it`s Christmas (lol)! Just to be sure, the connector from the ESC goes in the Throttle position of the receiver, isn`t it? Suppose that for any reason (redondancy) that I want to use the receiver battery instead of the BEC function of the ESC, do I connect the JR battery connector to the Battery position in the receiver and left the ESC connected to Throttle? If it is wrong, what would be the proper procedure? Thanks again and Merry Christmas Will.

Will Hicks

Pull the red wire out of the ESC throttle connector. To do that, take a T-pin or straight pin and depress the locking tab, at the rear of the red connector. Once the lock is depressed the wire can be pulled from the plastic housing. Be sure to insulate the wire end with heat shrink or electricians tape. You don't want the positive wire to ever come into contact with anything.

The Rx battery can be plugged into any empty channel slot on the receiver. If you encounter a situation where you don't have any unused servo slots, use a "Y" cord to make the connection.

To go back to BEC power, simply plug the red positive terminal back into the plastic connector. Make sure the lock engages.

Merry Christmas!!

jb48

I don`t know how to thank you Will. You answered to my last question 46 minutes after I posted it. What a great forum and a great hobby. Thanks again.

Twmaster

While Will is right on target with his suggestion to trim the 'guide' off the Futaba type ESC lead, just to add some info here is a list/source for adapters:

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/hookup.htm

They have a bunch of adapters near the bottom of the page. Also, for completeness sake the plug you have on your ESC is a Futaba 'J' type. The 'G' plug is an older model.

jb48

Thank you Mike for the added information, I appreciate.

Matt Kirsch

Yep, the Futaba G plug has been discontinued for many many years.