• Minimum PC Requirement

• USB Driver Installation

• Connecting Servo Motors

  • Servo Motor

  • Power for Servo Motors

• Connecting to Transmitter for RF transmission

Although any PC that's capable of running Microsoft Window 98 SE (second edition) or later, and equipped with USB ports (specification 1.1 or later) will work; the recommended minimum PC is a 500+ MHz running Windows XP and equipped with USB ports.
 

Under Windows 2000 and XP, make sure you have Administrator privileges before installing the driver. The necessary files for the driver installation is in the \UCBc folder on the distribution CD. If you've downloaded the drivers (zip file), then locate the directory of the extracted files.

Depending on your present windows configuration, there can be two stages of the driver installation. The first stage is the USB HID Input Service (human interface device), the second is the actual COM port driver. The HID service may already be installed if you're using any HID USB compatible devices, such as gamepad, joystick, etc...
 

Windows 98(SE)/ME

To initiate the USB COM Driver installation, you may need to unplug and plug the cable back. Depending on your version of Windows, the plug-n-play installation will try to search for the appropriate driver files (ccport.sys & hidcon.sys). If Windows cannot locate the file, you will need to specify the location of the driver files, please specify the \USBc folder on the CD.

If the plug-n-play will not initiate the driver installation, you will need to locate and run the program HidComInst.exe in the \USBc folder of the CD. THEN unplug and replug the cable.

Please specify the \USBc folder on the CD for the location of the driver if necessary.
Once the driver installation is completed. Please check the Device Manager in the ports section for the Cypress device.

Windows 2000/XP

USB HID Input Service Installation
Upon first connection, the HID input service will be installed if necessary:



USB COM Driver Installation

For Windows 2000 and XP, you will need to locate and run the program HidComInst.exe in the \USBc folder of the CD. This is easiest done by clicking on the [USBc Drivers] button on the main installation program (see here). Please specify the \USBc folder on the CD for the location of the driver if necessary.

Under XP, you may see the message:

Click on [Continue Anyway] the driver has been tested under XP.

Once the driver installation is completed. Please check the Device Manager in the ports section for the Cypress device.

Servo Motors

All modern servos have three wires; signal, power, and ground; with the power being the center wire. With the power pin in the middle, if you make a mistake and connect the servo backward, nothing will "burn up". Years ago Airtronics/Sanwa has the power pin on the outside, which means numerous burned servos and receivers. Since then Airtronics/Sanwa have gotten smarter and choose the same convention of wiring as everyone else. The "new" Airtronics is called Airtronics-Z and has a blue connector. So if you have Futaba, Hitec, JR, GWS, Aitronics-Z, etc... servos; they are all wired the same way; and most have the same connector. The small exception being the Futaba (J), which has an extra tab at the signal end (shave off the tab and you'll have the same connector as others).

Often you will see the term "universal connector" for servos. This just means it has the same connector type as Hitec, JR, and Air-Z. A universal connector will connect to any modern receiver (and servo controller like the SC-8000); including Futaba receiver (the polarity tab is simply not used).

A "white dot" on the SC-8000 housing specify the "signal" wire. You should also be able to see the circuit board through the opening; the pin closest to the circuit board is "ground". Depending on the servo brand, the signal wire color may be different. Airtronics-Z: BLUE; Hitec: YELLOW; Futaba J: WHITE; JR: BROWN.

 

Note for servo extensions. At times, especially in animatronics applications, servo extensions are used. If you are using a "universal connector" servo extension, a Futaba connector will not go in the female end of the extension. Just shave off the small polarity tab on the Futaba J connector in this case.

Power for Servo Motors

The power port on the SC-8000 requires a 4.8V to 6.0V power source with a standard 2.1mm power connector (center positive). This can be an AC adapter or a battery pack.

Depending on the types and number of servo motors used, the power must be sufficient to drive all servo motors or you may have sluggish results: servo motors moving slower than anticipated, or do not move at all. If you are using digital servos, the power requirement can be much higher than standard servos. Please see our online shop for various AC adapters available.

The PPM output on the SC-8000 can be connected to your transmitter "trainer port" for standard RF transmission. When connected, the transmitter will transmit the signal from the trainer port (the SC-8000's signal). This is similar to the buddy training setup, where the SC-8000 is the "student".

It is recommended for you to change trainer port "momentary switch" to a standard toggle switch. A momentary switch will require the user to hold the switch at the "trainer" position and will spring back to the default position when released. Since most likely you will be (constantly) using the trainer position, a standard toggle switch is much more convenient. With this limitation, the best choice for a transmitter to be used is one with a trainer "switch" instead of a push button.

Depending on your transmitter trainer port, various cables are available to connect the SC-8000 to your transmitter.

SC-8000	→	RF1 Futaba AM DIN5 -shift	RF2 Airtronics DIN5 +shift	RF3 Futaba Hitec DIN6 -shift	RF4 JR mini 3.5 +shift	RF5 Futaba 9C square 6 -shift