Futaba: vintage M - series transmitter

With building WED-15, I often refer back to photos and even videos from the original behind the scenes. One thing that is always in my mind is the transmitter, a Futaba M-series transmitter, which were not only used for WED-15 but also for R5-D4.

John Stears - on the Star Wars set,
controlling the WED droid

I was fortunate enough to get a dual purchase of a 4 channel and a 6 channel, transmitters, a few years back (2016). Neither came with an antenna, but I was again lucky enough to find one, on eBay, for my display setup.

Futaba M-4 transmitter

Link to Blog post(s):

Post - purchase of M series transmitters

Post - vintage Futaba antenna purchase - eBay

Post - ribbon indicator- 3D printing part 1

Post - ribbon indicator part 2

I keep a search update on eBay, for similar transmitters as well as antennas, which always seem to be missing. Over the last few years the price of these transmitters has increased significantly!

I’ll be updating my display information to include the WED-15 image of John Stears.

Thingiverse - Futaba vintage transmitter stand

Back in 2018, I drew up a display stand for my Futaba M series vintage transmitter. It was one of the first things that I drew up so was basic but it did the job. After finding out that this model was used to operate R5-D4 & possibly the other droids on the set of A New Hope, I had to find out more about them. I was also fortune enough to get two (an M4 & M6) off eBay for a bargain price!

With attending events, having the controller would also be a talking point for people to ask questions. So the stand was simply drawn up and 3D printed.

This is the stand with R5's name and the club's name in raised print.

The M4 version can be seen in the image above.

I've just uploaded the files for this onto my Thingiverse page (click for link)

Throw Back Thursday - Vintage Futaba transmitter

This weeks throw back Thursday

is to my purchase of two vintage Futaba radio transmitters.

These were a little part of R5's behind the scenes history.

And was the start of a few mini projects linked to them.

Vintage Futaba Ripmax M4 & M6 [2016]

Vintage Futaba Antenna - eBay [2018]

Vintage Futaba Antenna - Ribbon Indicator [2019]

Vintage Futaba - Crystal hatch 3D printed 1.0 [2019]
Vintage Futaba - Crystal hatch 3D printed 1.1 [2019]

I also designed up and printed a display stand.....but I don't think I actually blogged it....? I'll have to dig it out and post pictures....

Vintage Futaba 'Ripmax' M4 & M6 for R5-D4 - 1.2 - Crystal Hatch

I’v had to do a few more attempts trying to fine tune the fit for the clip part of the hatch.
And also the leg pins to locate the hatch for it to pivot.

I reduced the actual width of the hatch to give a bit more twist movement for fitting which has helped. More work in progress.

Vintage Futaba 'Ripmax' M4 & M6 for R5-D4 - 1.1 - Crystal Hatch

Back in 2016, I purchased two Futaba transmitter controllers, similar to the ones seen used on set of Star Wars to control R5-D4 at the Lars Homestead.

Click link for my original post:
Vintage Futaba 'Ripmax' M4 & M6 for R5-D4 - 1.0

These two controllers didn't come with antenna's and neither of them came with crystal hatch covers, as can be seen in this photo I found online.

So after much searching online, with no success, I decided to 3D draw one up.
I only had this image from a manual as to what the underside of the hatch looked like, but I did have the transmitter, so was able to get dimensions to start designing.

My first version, fitted, but the width was tight & the catch tab was too long, so version two, was modified as the picture below.

This fitted width wise, but I still needed to redesign the position of the catch tab a bit more. Below is version 2. I also added the text to match the first picture (not 100% accurate font).

Next post will have version 3.....

Vintage Futaba Antenna - Ribbon indicator 1.1

Way back in January of this year I posted up my search and 3D printed design for the antenna ribbon indicator clip. There are two types, but this was the first one I found and so drew it up. See link below for previous post on this topic.

Click these link's to Vintage Futaba Antenna - Ribbon indicator 1.0 and also this link to my Thingiverse account & the ribbon clip.

I've been searching online over these months looking for an authentic blue ribbon, as seen in the above picture. I found one but the price was a bit much! So I picked up some blue ribbon off eBay, that matched as close as possible, to tide me over till I actual find a vintage one at a reasonable price.

I just need to cut it to a suitable length for the display unit.

New display boards - Futaba & R4-D4 dome

Just one of the many little things I've been meaning to do

is create some display boards.

A brief discription about the Futaba transmitter,

the type used to control R5-D4 in the original scene,

seen below in this picture.

Next display board is for my R4 dome I made.

This has a brief discription about how I made it.

Documented with photo's from the build and a

QR scanable code for a link to the begining of the build.

Here's the QR code if not viewable on the above picture.

Hopefully this will help visitors to our table explain

how we build these domes in a bit more detail.

I'll be taking both of these along

to the Birmingham NEC this weekend,

for MCM Comic Con.

Vintage Futaba Antenna - Ribbon indicator 1.0

One thing that I have wanted to get but couldn't find was a ribbon antenna (clip) ....later to be found to be called a 'frequency penant or pennant'......to match the controller seen below in the picture.

I searched online for images & also ones to buy, but the pictures were never really clear for the top of the antenna and also I didn't find any that, for what I wanted, cheaply enough. I then found an instruction manual for an ACOMS ATB-227 (Mk2) transmitter. It had a nice drawn sectioned view of the clip. So I thought I'd give it a go at drawing & 3D printing one.

I first drew the clip part for the antenna. After a few test prints I was happy with the grip. Next up was to draw the rest of it up. I assumed that the ribbon itself would be no more than 1" in width, so this plus the dimensions I'd collected off my actual Futaba's aerial, I was able to produce something to a scale.

I then found a picture (I think) eventually of the ribbon clip used by Futaba. It's looks basically like a coat hanger design lol......after all the designing for the above version lol.

This following picture link takes you to a great site which has vintage 'adverts' from magazines etc. These are for the Futaba's, and shows the range and changes over the years. I found this years ago when I first started looking to try to identy the controller in the first picture. The controllers used were from 1974 to 1977. The newer modles were seen and used in the later films.

click pictutre for link to this site for info on vintage Futaba's etc

I have now found a similar clip, so will purchase this instead.

....I'll post the ACOMS's version up on my Thingiverse account, [free].

Vintage Futaba Antenna - eBay

With everything going on with events and the run up to Christmas & The Last Jedi, I posted up on my Instagram but not on here, that I had found and won a bid for an antenna to fit the vintage Futaba Ripmax Radio reviever. Only one available, but it's a start lol.

It was in excellent condition and not to expensive, less than £10 (inc P&P).

I just need to print off this picture......

and then I can display the unit.

Vintage Futaba 'Ripmax' M4 & M6 for R5-D4 - 1.0

......photo from the set, R5 operator with transmitter....

On my searching and discovery of R5 pictures over the years for references for his build etc, I found the above pic of R5, [astromech.net], we'll call them his 'technical operator crew'.

It show's the original electronics of these Droid(s), in the open space where his dome/head would be. For me tho was the remote control transmitter being held by the operator.

I thought it would be a nice addition to have and at show's, could help people travel back in time to when the film would have been made. So I started my search for info related to this type of controller.

The controller is a Futaba.

From the image, there is a black 'knob' on the right hand side top & a switch on the left.

From my searching, I have found that this could either be an M3, M4 or M6 unit.

(the number represents the number of channels)

I say either as there are two versions (that I have found) but these are slightly different

(the top panel switches & black buttons seen in above pic) I've settled on this being an M4 version (until convinced otherwise lol).

Also the versions that were imported into the UK, where I believe, done so under the name 'Ripmax'. So USA versions are logo'd as just Futaba, but UK ones as Ripmax/Futaba (see pic's below).

Ebay searches through up a few of these on a semi-frequent basis and at not to extreme prices. So the internet history info search was on to find the correct version that I wanted.

Then last week, I found not one.....but two for sale!

Not only that, but the two were being sold as a pair for only £22!!

An M4 & M6 version.

Futaba M4 transmitter

Futaba M6 transmitter

There's always a catch tho lol.....no antenna's.

UPDATE: Thanks to Alan, a fellow R2 club member, for helping source a link to antennas.

I have also found that modeller's have converted these to 2.4Ghz's in order to fly their vintage plan's which have also been converted to the new frequency.

UPDATE: Thanks also goes to Brad and his knowledge, this can quite easily be done.

So this could be something for the future as well.

The units should be arriving the end of this week, but they arrived Tuesday.

They power up, do need some TLC and a clean, but for they're age, are not to bad.