DX6 and RealFlight 8

[dcbochmann]

If I buy the digital download of RealFlight 8, what would I need to connect the DX6 to my computer to get it to work? I have read that Spektrum radios all work with RealFlight Simulator. Just need to know what I would need to connect.

I am thinking one of these two items are what I would need:

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGFRE&P=0

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXGFRG&P=0


Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[PaulMohr]

I have been researching the same thing today. I have RC7 and Realflight 8, currently using an xbox controller on my pc to fly with. Works ok with RC7 because it lets you do more with customizing the controllers. It works with RF8, but not real well. So now I am looking into getting an actual transmitter to use with it, the DX6 is the one I am thinking of getting. I called a local shop to see if they sell them and the cable to connect it my computer. He said the cables you have to get with the software, there is no way he can just get them and he doesn't carry them either. I didn't think this was right so I googled it and I was correct. For the DX series Spektrum actually makes a wireless usb dongle to work with simulators. Sells for like 45 dollars. Says it works with most simulators except pheonix for some reason. I found a few cable versions that I think will work but they cost about as much as the wireless one so might as well just get that one. I will probably order the transmitter and dongle today and should have it in a week. I can let you know how it works when I get it.

My original idea was to just get a ready to fly plane like the carbon cub with auto land all that. But now I have decided to use a simulator, get a decent transmitter and use that for the winter. Then when it starts to get nice out again I will join a local RC club and look into getting a BNF type trainer plane and see how that goes. I honestly know nothing about RC planes at this point, but this is some information I found recently that might help you.

 

[sprzout]

There are a couple of solutions to get a Spektrum transmitter to sync up to the computer. I went with the OrangeRX USB wireless dongle.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/orange-rx-dsmx-dsm2-compatible-protocol-usb-dongle-flight-simulator.html

First, it was relatively cheap to get this (Hobbyking has it for approx. $15 USD right now, before shipping) and it works with most Spektrum DX radios (I've gotten it to work with a DX6, DX6i, DX8, DX9, and a DXi12; I'm sure others will work, but those are the only ones I've tested it on).

Create a profile in the radio marked as something like "Sim" or "Computer" or something. You don't need to modify any further settings beyond that, like trim or anything; that'll all be done through the simulator settings.

When you're all done, take the dongle out. There's a button on the side of the dongle; press and hold it while inserting it into a USB slot. This will put the dongle into bind mode and start it flashing. Now, if you're still on the Sim profile on your radio, turn it off, step back about 3-4 feet from the computer, hold the bind button, and turn the transmitter back on. (And yes, that 3-4 feet distance IS critical; my dongle would NOT bind up if I had the transmitter too close to the dongle. Once it was bound, it was fine, got great control, but too close and it wouldn't bind up)

This USB dongle works with Aerofly, Realflight, Liftoff, Velocidrone, and a few other drone sims.

DEFINITELY recommend the use of a simulator to keep yourself in practice. I taught myself how to fly a drone with the Liftoff simulator and the Ikarus USB transmitter (which I think has since been discontinued), and then went over to the Spektrum USB dongle when I got my DX6.

 

[PaulMohr]

I just ordered the dxi and the spektrum dongle, was like 319 with next day shipping. This one sprzout listed looks like about the same exact thing but much cheaper, whish I had saw it on the site or waited a few a bit for a response lol. I am going to guess both work great but this one is about the third of the price.

Horizon hobby's site did have the spektrum dongle at a reduced price. Most places I looked it was like 45 bucks, on horizons site it was only 39 bucks. Still not 15 bucks, that is cheaper than most of the dedicated wired cable dongles. Good on them for creating such a good product at a much lower cost.

 

[PaulMohr]

I got my DX6e with the wireless dongle today and tried it out. I made a thread about it if you want to read the whole thing. The one thing I will say is it didn't work as well I hoped. The batteries are simply not suited for extended simulator time. If you play for more than a few hours a day you will be eating batteries like crazy. By the time I got mine all set up and figured out the batteries were dead. I would say you get about 4 hours of battery time with the ones that came with it. Which is great for flying real planes, but not so great for spending hours playing in a simulator.

It also wasn't a plug and play thing either. It took some fiddling to set up and configure it and the program to work ok. My advice to anyone trying to do what I did would be to just order the controller they make for the software. It will probably work a bit better. Give you more options for set up and it is powered by the USB port on the computer. When actually flying the planes in the simulator though it does feel better and gives you better/smoother control over them than the xbox controller does.

 

[Bricks]

When I first started using a Sim I picked up some rechargeable batteries cheaper in the long run.