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Acoms 2-channel stick radio evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3503

In the UK, Acoms pretty much had the radio gear market sewn up in the 1980s – the way I remember it, for 99% of the tens of thousands of youngsters buying an RC car, it had to be a Tamiya, and thanks to the price being the lowest, 99% of them would have been bought with a Acoms radio gear.

Later on, prices tended to fluctuate more, and Futaba got more of a look in, then in the ‘noughties, every man & his whippet seemed to produce cheap 2-channel radio gear. In the midst of that, Acoms seemed to stop caring – the "Techniplus without a number", although functionally fine, looked & felt cheap & nasty. This was followed by the Technisport - the first foray into 2.4 Ghz – which excluded many people (including me) by being of the steerwheel type. It looked like things were back on track with a stick version, but availability of Acoms sets dried up & died during 2015 :(

The production dates I’ve given below are very imprecise, and the “suitable cars” even more so – shops could well have had stocks of the old model hanging around for some time after a new model was released, some Tamiya cars have had very long production runs. Given how expensive radio gear was in the beginning, many radios would have been used with much later cars.





Note: with the exception of the Mk.II, Mk.III and Mk.V, the mark number is not an official Acoms designation and is only used here for discussion and comparison purposes.

AP-227 (retrospectively known as the mk 1)

Date: November 1978** until early 1982?
Realistically, 58003 Tyrell P34 on, firm on 58009 Toyota Celica**, to 58027 Ford F150 Ranger XLT ?

Transmitter: ATA-227
Case: Injection moulded in green plastic, black plastic insert for sticks, lower portion shows 27mhz frequencies/colours, neck strap fixing points but no carrying handle. Battery cover is interchangeable with the mk2. There is some varation in colour, most are a very dark green but a rare few are visibly lighter in direct comparison. No production TX is anywhere near as light as the prototype shown on some of the earliest boxes.
Made in: Japan
Power Output: 500mw
Power indicator: red light when on, goes off again when voltage drops below 7v
Antenna: 9 section telescopic, 9mm OD, M3 internal thread (interchangeable with the mk2)
Stick Adjustment: length adjustable by sliding plastic sleeve on metal shaft (not clear if this was an intentional feature), trim levers
Servo reversing: by removing back of case & rotating stick assembly
Power Source: Six AA cells

Receiver: ARA-227 (Green, large case, servo/battery sockets onboard)
Receiver Antenna length: (ARA-227): 995mm

Servos: Two ASA-227 (fat plug with retainer & reversed +ve/-ve wires, large curved green case with square output shaft) or AS-1*

Box design/contents: Flat card box; dark green with black panels. Polystyrene clamshell containing transmitter, receiver, two servos, fittings including round servo horns & spare stick ends, crystals, 4xAA battery holder & switch, TX antenna pennant (colour matched to crystals), and basic nylon cord lanyard (again, colour matched).

Overall: Most suitable for display, but its possible to have a functional set if you get a good one, or can put a little work in. Apparent TX failure is mostly caused by blue/green battery contact corrosion, rotted out battery to board wiring, schmutz in the on/off swtich, someone having fiddled with the servo zero point adjusters, mismatched crystals, or faults with car side components. Rotted PCB and failing electronic components can also be issues, but there is much that can be fixed. Corrosion & rot in the 4xAA battery holder/switch loom & failed servo wiring is difficult due to the unique connectors - most fixes are going to involve complete substition from a dwindling pool, or making oe good from two bad & so on. Receivers are pretty robust, considering - they can have board rot/component failure but the usual failure point is losing some of the antenna, or all of it close to where its soldered on.

Note: The antenna and battery cover are interchangeable with the mk.II

Note: the mk.1 box shows a photo of the contents, but the TX - presumably a prototype - is shown in a significantly lighter green.












Thanks to quatrrokid for these pics of his NIB mk.1 RiKo box photos: 








AP-227 Mk2
Date: Mid 1981 until late 1983?
58024 Sand Rover to 58041 The Frog ?

TX: Manual lists it as having part number "ATB-227", but this does not appear on the TX itself. 
Case: Injection moulded in slightly darker green plastic, updated black plastic insert for sticks with round, painted bezels, lower portion shows 27mhz frequencies/colours, neck strap fixing points & T-bar carrying handle. Battery cover is interchangeable with the mk1
Made in: Japan
Power Output: 500mw
Power indicator: vertically scrolling analogue voltage indicator with green, amber & red sections
Antenna: 9 section telescopic, 9mm OD, M3 internal thread (interchangeable with the mk1)
Stick Adjustment: length adjustable by sliding plastic sleeve on metal shaft (not clear if this was an intentional feature), trim levers
Servo reversing: by removing back of case & rotating stick assembly
Power Source: Six AA cells

Receiver: ARB-227 (nearly identical to ARA-227: green, large case, servo/battery sockets onboard)
Receiver Antenna length: 965mm (unless anyone knows better)

Servos: ASA-227, AS-1 (teardrop shape on top, splined output shaft, still “wrong” pinout), AS-1S (no visible difference, so an internal upgrade?)

Box: Dark green with orange & white lettering & plan photo of TX. Contents list as Mk.I
Overall: fundamentally the mk2 is a facelifted mk1, carrying handle & analogue voltage indicator are useful improvements. Notes on the function/reliability of the mk.1 apply equally.

















Note on the AP-427

A 4-channel set & therefore not really within the remit of this thread, however it is noteworthy for having the same colour scheme as the Mk.1 and Mk.II sets, but having the same design cues as (and sharing some components with) the Mk.III set.
Production dates unclear as yet, but it seems likely it was introduced around the same time as the first Tamiya 3-speed truck (November 1981) and carried on through the same period as the Mk.III and "Mk.IV" sets.

Servos: 2X AS-2 (same green "teardrop" top case and the splined output as the AS-1 & AS-1S "correct" (Futaba) wire order and slimmer plugs, black print on alloy panel) + 1X AS-3 (as AS-2 but with reversed rotation and GREEN print).

Receiver: ARA-427








AP227 Mk3 Techniplus

Date: early 1984 to late 1987 (or possibly August 1985 to Autumn 1989 (**))

58043 The Grasshopper to 58065 Clod Buster ?

Case: Injection moulded in dark grey plastic, lighter grey inserts for sticks with round bezels, no neck strap fixing points, same T-bar carrying handle as mk2

Made in: Japan or Hong Kong

Power Output: 500mw ?

Power indicator: sweep analogue voltage indicator with numbered coloured sections: red (0-4), amber(4-6) & green (6-8)

Antenna: 7 section telescopic, 7 mm OD, M3 external thread

Stick Adjustment: Fixed length sticks, trim tabs

Servo reversing: by removing screws on front of case & inverting stick assembly

Power Source: Eight AA cells

Receiver: ARC-227 (smaller black case, conventional socket ... but on flying leads), ARD-227 (possibly just a BEC prototype/advertising mockup - I've certainly never seen one outside promotional material for the Fox), ARE-227 (same as ARC, but with BEC)

Note: ARC-229 also seen, same as ARC-227 but on 29mhz band.

Receiver Antenna length: ?

Servos: two AS-5, AS-5S or AS-7 (conventional size/layout plugs, black angular case, splined output shaft, white or black plastic gears)

Box: Three distinct versions, "A" is blue with black panels, "B" is basically black with a blue grid and an unfortunate artwork/text collision and a BEC receiver; "C" has a grey to black fade.
Lanyard is omitted, & polystyrene insert changes from previous marks.

Overall: a completely new & better looking case using eight AA size batteries (so 12v instead of 9) and lot more practical and reliable than a mk1 or mk2, but still no quick servo reverse option. In the decade+ since I first wrote this, corrosion & rot in the car side 4xAA battery / switch loom has become more of an issue, but thanks to the modern plug design at least  functionally equivalent new items can be used instead.

Note on the ARD-227 RX: This was a prototype that appeared only in some marketing information about the Tamiya Fox. From memory it was very similar to the ARC-227 but with a prominent BEC logo. Any further information on the ARD-227 RX is welcome :)

















***











AP227F Technidrive aka mk. 4
Date: Late 1987 to Autumn 1989? see note on mk.3, above
58050 Wild One to 58077 Mud Blaster ?
Case: Strangely brown colour with fake hex heads moulded in around stick bezels; dark grey lower section & “aluminium” painted rounded T-bar carrying handle, neck strap fixing points
Made in: Japan
Power Output: 500mw?
Power indicator: vertically scrolling analogue voltage indicator with numbers + green, amber & red sections
Antenna: 7 section telescopic, 7mm OD, M3 external thread
Stick Adjustment: fixed length sticks, trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: 8 AA batteries, also fitted with NiCad Charging jack
Receiver: AR-227FE (from box photo); AR-227F (as AR-227FE but without BEC) (two versions with different antenna lengths)
Receiver Antenna length: AR-227FE: 449mm AF-227F: 545mm and 977mm versions
Servos: AS-7, AS-11
Box: 2 tone mid & light brown with white lettering. Later versions had metal effect "BEC" stickers added. Contents list as Mk.III
Overall: The first Acoms transmitter with all the modern features; still very useable & commands probably the highest prices of all Acoms sets.


















AP-27 MKV Techniplus (Chrome)
Date: Autumn 1989** to 1993?
58060 Monster Beetle to ?
Case: principally black plastic, but with large chromed front panel reminiscent of cheap 1970’s hi-fi incorporating both sticks, power switch & power indicator, chrome steel carry handle. Spookily, the battery cover is interchangeable with the Futaba Attack R FT-T2NBR (which also has a chrome front & a near identical battery voltage indicator).
Made in: Malaysia
Power Output: 500mw?
Power indicator: sweep analogue voltage “OUT PUT” indicator (note the space) with numbered coloured sections: red (0-5), silver (5-10)
Antenna: 7 section telescopic, 7mm OD, M3 external thread
Stick Adjustment: fixed length sticks, trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: eight AA batteries, also fitted with NiCad Charging jack
Receiver: AR-227FE (from box photo), AR-227F? (as AR-227F but without BEC)
Receiver Antenna length: AR-227FE: 449mm AF-227F: 545mm
Servos: AS-7 (from box photo), possibly also AS-11?
Box: Grey to Black fade with white lettering. Contents list as Mk.IV, except pennant omitted
Overall: No new features from mk4. Design owes more to the mark 3 than mark 4, but the chrome was an anachronism even when new – Hi-fi for example had turned black way before then – and suffers with age/use/poor storage. Still a very useable unit though.


















Muddying the waters: the French mk.III, mk.IV & mk.V****

The French do everything a bit differently with frequencies, so perhaps it's not surprising that one of the T2M (Techniques Moderned Du Modelisme) 26MHz sets messes with the idea of neat "mark" numbers:

T2M AP-26 Mk.iii: TX as per "regular" mk.III with alternative label section & stick gimbals are moulded in same colour as main part of case. Servos & RX TBC.

T2M AP-26 Mk.IV: as per T2M AP-26 mk.III but with the addition of servo reverse switches. The RX appears to be as the the ARC-227 with the flying leads, and the servos are AS-7s (both with different labelling) *****

T2M AP-26 Mk.V: TX as "regular" chrome mk.V with differrent label section, RX apparently has the model ref. ARC26 but looks very much like the AR-227FE; relabelled AS-7 servos (or AS-11 servos, presumably also relabelled). Box design very much as 27mhz variety, but principally in French.





















Techniplus AP-201* Alpha mk. VI ?
Date: 1994 – 1999?
Case: Dark grey plastic, visually dominated by the carry handle & power indicator array.
Made in: Malaysia*
Power Output: 500mw*
Power indicator: 5 LED design, red, amber & 3 green
Antenna: 7 sections, 7mm OD, 3mm outer thread in bottom*
Stick Adjustment: trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: eight AA batteries, also fitted with NiCad Charging jack
Receiver: AR-201 (BEC, allowed input is 6,0V to 8,4V)*
Receiver Antenna length:
Servos: AS-12 (confirmed*, also on box) / AS-14?
Box: Same grey to black fade as Mk.V, white & orange lettering + green/blue "Alpha". Contents list as Mk.V
Overall: Last of the “powerful” transmitters, the following "mk.7" and "mk.8" are rated at 100mW.

*







AP-202 Techniplus mk. VII?
Date: 2000-2005?
Case: Dark grey with black stick areas, carry handle still the dominant part of the styling
Made in: China
Power Output: 100mw (from manual)
Power indicator: 3 LEDs – red, amber, green
Antenna: 7 section telescopic, 7mm OD, M3 external thread
Stick Adjustment: Fixed length sticks, trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: eight AA batteries, also fitted with NiCad Charging jack
Receiver: AR-2/27 (27mhz) or AR-2/40 (40mhz)
Receiver Antenna length: ?
Servos: ?
Box: Black & red diagonally split. This first issue have "Asahi RADIO" text and Asahi logo. Contents list as Mk.V and Mk.VI, but with single sided pressed card fibre insert.
Overall: First of the CE marked Acoms transmitters & therefore reduced power output (100mW vs 500mW). Also available as a 40mhz set
Note: also see mk.VII "A", below











Ownership changed from Asahi Communications/Corporation to CCP Co., Ltd



Techniplus (no other identifiers) mk. VIII?
Date: 2006-2010
Case: Black plastic
Made in: China
Power Output: 100mw (from manual)
Power indicator: single red LED
Antenna: 7 section telescopic, 7mm OD, M3 external thread
Stick Adjustment: Fixed length sticks, trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: eight AA batteries, also fitted with NiCad Charging jack
Receiver: AR-2/27
Receiver Antenna length: (AR-2/27): 489mm
Servos: AS-16 or AS-17
Box: Black with red fade. Contents list as Mk.VII
Overall: Has all the features you need on a basic 27mhz set, but design & colour are uninspiring. Looks & feels cheap.















AP-202 Techniplus mk. VII "A"?
Date: 2011-2015
As the AP-202 "mk.VII" in all regards apart from a new owner/manufacturer. These later versions have the Asahi logo & text on the box covered by "WITH NEW RECEIVER" and "Think Happy" (really) instead.










Techniplus AP2402 2.4ghz, mk. IX?
Date: 2011 - 2015
Case: Black plastic with large satin metal look section, large badge reminiscent of "mk 8"
Made in: China
Power Output: not stated
Power indicator: single red LED, flashes at 4.5v, off at 4v
Antenna: fixed 52mm length 2.4ghz mast with 3-position angle adjustment
Stick Adjustment: Fixed length sticks, on/off/on momentary trim tabs, 70/30 throttle split lever
Servo reversing: Yes, by switch
Power Source: four AA cells (6v)
Receiver: GR-24 - no BEC
Receiver Antenna length: very short!
Servos: single AS-17 / none
Box: Construction changes to light corrugated card box; Black & white with red lines. Contents now just TX, RX & manual.
Overall: Look and feel are a huge improvement over the previous "mk 8". Prices are a lot higher than the current 27mhz offerings - but 2.4ghz technology means no crystal swapping, glitching, or long RX antennas. Reverting to two sticks also means appeal to old-timers like me (unlike the first Acoms 2.4ghz set - the steerwheel & trigger "Technisport").
The omission of BEC is a backwards step - it can't be used with the Tamiya TEU101BK / 104BK ESCs without an additional UBEC unit.















photos/additional info from Larbut (*), Peter Ellis (**), dreadly (***), Gumpie22B (****), stingray-63 (*****)




Price Guide

(from February 2014):

The follwing assumes that all transmitters are working, have the battery plate and an unbroken antenna. Value range depends on condition - the higher end should have no wear to the paint highlights.

Complete sets should have a transmitter as above, receiver, servos, servo horns, 4x battery box & switch; the box & poly foam inserts may be a little warped or tatty;
For the high end of the range, I would expect the instructions, baggies, lanyard & the pennant (where provided new) to be present, with the box in very good order.

All values are in GBP.

Receivers: 5 to 10 depending on condition
Servos: c. 7 each for the older ones, dropping to 5 for newer
Crystals: 3-5 per pair, up to 8 brand new

TX only:
mk.I 5-10
mk.II 6-12
Mk.III 8-15
Technidrive 12-25
"Mk.V" (Chrome) 5-15
Alpha 10-20
AP-202 ("mk.VII") 6-10
"Mk.VIII" 5-8

Boxed complete set, used:
mk.I 30-40
mk.II 35-45
Mk.III 35-45
Technidrive 40-45
"Mk.V" (Chrome) 30-40
Alpha 40-50
AP-202 ("mk.VII" and mk.vII-A) 25-30
"Mk.VIII" & "7-A" 20-30
"Mk. IX" (2.4ghz) 30

Genuinely New In Box, unused & still in baggies, add up to 100% for the best examples. Incomplete unboxed sets, deduct up to 50%


2024 update: supplies contine to dwindle, and asking prices continue to rise. In general you can double the figures for loose RXs, servos and crystals, and there's now a market for reciever 4xAA battery/switch looms (which we all thought we'd never need again thanks to BEC and ESCs).

Early (mk.1 and 2) and Late boxed sets (the 2.4ghz sets, and the last "Think Happy" era 27/40mhz sets, aka "mk.7A") have also doubled, with genuinely NIB set being double that again (so up to 120 GBP). "Middle" period (mks.3 to 8) prices are much more flat, though it can only be a matter of time until the mk.3 and Technidrive catch up.




Update February 2016 - Change(s) of Ownership, the mk.VII "A" .. and the end of Acoms?

Mk.VII (AP-202) - all boxes are marked as Acoms, but only some have an Asahi (Asahi Communisations = Acoms) logo, on later boxes any mention of Asahi is gone, mostly changed to "Think Happy". Looking at the corresponding manuals, both show Acoms, but the back page shows the manufacturer has changed from Asahi Corporation to CCP Co., Ltd (3-1-8, Sakae-cho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-8521, Japan).

Looking at the "Mk.VIII", all boxes (I think) have the "Think Happy" logo & the manuals all show CCP Co., Ltd as the owner/manufacturer.

On the "Mk.IX" 2.4GHz stick sets, all are also "Think Happy" logo'd & show CCP Co., Ltd as the owner/manufacturer.

Note: I looked at both the CCP website (www.ccp-jp.com/) and that of the Bandai/Namco group (www.bandainamco.co.jp/) and found them quite impenetrable.


Given the above, I've revised the chronology to include a note on the "Mark VII-A" and put in end dates of 2015 on that and the "Mk.IX" 2.4ghz offering, during which supplies of both seemed to dry up entirely.

I can only speculate as to the reasons for the apparent end of Acoms, but it does seem a shame to me - the AP-202 27mhz ("mk.VII-A") sets were both cheap and competant, and while the 2.4ghz sets had some flaws (audio only trim adjustment, looks, and to a certain extent, price), nostalgia for the brand alone would I think have guaranteed a place for it. :(



Edit, February 2022:  Footnote on what happened to RiKO (Richard Kohnstam Limited, Hemel Hempstead) 

If you ever bought a Tamiya or Acoms product in the UK in the 80s, it would have had a RiKO sticker on the box, or the logo on the accompanying paperwork. Elsewhere in the world you’re probably at least aware of them being the Tamiya importer in the UK for the early years. 

Just like Acoms, there’s no definitive history for RiKO, or even much at all available on the internet, so much of the information here is supposition, based on limited sources (and limited cross references). 

The RiKO catalogue for 1669/70 suggests that they were the Tamiya importer from then, if not earlier - but I don't have any information on that.

Looking at my Tamiya catalogues, my 1973 edition has a loose RiKO price list inside, which I believe to have been there from purchase, and for those between 1978 and 2000, RiKO branding is printed on the back.. In 2001, the space in the centre rear has been left blank, and from 2002 to 2009 (there was no catalogue printed for 2008), the importer information was replaced with The Hobby Company Ltd, Milton Keynes.


For 2010 to 2023 (which are “perfect” bound) the importer space is filled with Tamiya Carson GMBH, The Hobby Company Ltd, or left blank, depending on where I bought them.

From this I surmise that RiKO was the UK Tamiya importer to around 2001, and The Hobby Company took over from around 2002 (and are still the UK importer). 




The fate of RiKO appears to be tied up with the fate of Beatties of London – note the “of London” part, as although they are very much thought of as a Midlands/Northern England chain of Toy/Model shops, that London is where they started – and it differentiates them from Beatties, a small chain of midlands department stores of no relation.

From the (very small) Wikipedia article  (en.wikipedia.or..._of_London), which to a large extent reproduces a forum post from 1998 (groups.google.c...B5YXNTKmn0), it appears that RiKO bought Beatties (of London) at some point; that they (Beatties (of London)) may have been in trouble as early as 1999, and went into administration in 2001. 

Nb “Administration” in the UK as least assumes that a team from one of the big accountancy firms can run the business (or wind up its affairs) in a more orderly way than the current owners/management. Sometimes a company can come back from this if they secure new investment, though often in a very reduced form. "Receivership" is a step further, from the outset there being no hope of a resurrection.   


Edit 13 February 2024
 

Footnote on the Steerwheel (or “pistol grip”) Acoms Radios 

Apparently, they do have some advantages for racing, even if you started out with sticks), and youngsters seem to be jump on them with no issues, but like many UK RC modellers who started out at the dawn of the 80s (or earlier), I just can’t get my head around these “new-fangled” wheel transmitters.  

I know that Futaba started with their mass-market steerwheel radios in 1975, Acoms were considerable later, but they’re still a part of their history so ought to be covered here. Availability in the UK was never as good as for “stick” radios, I don’t remember seeing them on model shop shelves, and they never featured in any “deal” (kit, battery, slow charger & radio for the lowest headline price) offers. 

Now, you’re most likely to be able to find a mk II TX, or one of the 2.4ghz units (possibly even boxed) but there are far fewer about than the corresponding stick radios. This rarity doesn’t translate into higher values, or much interest though. The middle years (mk III, 4 and V) are conspicuously absent.  

Technisport AW-27 (referred to here as the “mk.1” for discussion purposes) 

Very well specced for an Acoms 2-channel set of the time (boxy styling suggests it’s around or slightly before the Techniplus mk.iii 2-stick unit, so 1983/4?) with a charging jack, reversible grip for left/right handed operation, servo reverse switches, steering tension & rate adjusters, throttle rate adjuster, removable 8xAA holder, analogue voltage meter. 

Probably came with ARC-227 (pre-BEC, with flying leads), ARE-227 (still has flying leads but has BEC) receiver, and AS-5 or AS-5S servos.

pics: "mk.1" in left handed setup:



 

Technisport AW-27 mk II

TX omits the “AW-27” text on the outside of the battery holder area and the “DIGITAL PROPORTIONAL RADIO SYSTEM” text near the top of the case but is otherwise identical to the “mk.i” unit, even down to the metal spec plate on the back. 

AR227FE BEC receiver & AS-7 servos. 

(pics to follow)  

Note: rc-tamiya.cekuj...adio_acoms goes into a lot more detail about later Acoms steerwheel TX models – with pictures. Some of the units I’d never even seen/heard of before :)


Technisport AW-27 & AW-40 Mk III 

More organic looking styling, but visibly made a lot cheaper, 3-led voltage indicator replaced the analogue meter, and lost the reversible design, for example. 

AR-201 (BEC) receiver and AS-12 servos date it to around 1994 and onwards.     


Technisport 4 / Hayabusa (early) 

Long running model name, initially with 2-ch 27Mhz AM, 40Mhz AM, 40Mhz FM and 4-ch 27mhz FM. Styling looks very current as per the “V” models but with an LCD display. 10 model memory on most models. 

AS-16 & AS-17 servos would seem to indicate that these are from around the same years(s) as the “V” models, but these were the “premium” line. 


Technisport V 

Available in 27Mhz AM (blue highlights), 40mhz (red highlights) & 27mhz FM (grey highlights) versions, redesign manages to look a lot less toy-like than the mk III. Supplied with suitable receiver (probably AR-2/27 AM and 40/27FM variants) and a single AS-16 servo, which dates it to around 2008 and onwards, when Tamiya kits all had ESCs included (depending on market).   


APW-2401 Technisport II (2.4Ghz) 

First 2.4ghz steerwheel from Acoms, boxier design harks back to the “mk.i” and mk,II. Presumably from around the same period as the Techniplus 2.4 2-stick TXs (2011-2015). GR-24 receiver (which don’t have BEC BTW, the assumption being that all ESC output a “safe” voltage - which all do, apart from the Tamiya TEU-101BK (and possibly the 104BK) which puts out straight full battery voltage and was still the most common ESC of the time…), AS-17 or AS-18 servo.


Last gasp (the “Think Happy!” era ?):

AW-24G : back to the Technisport 4 / early Hayabusa design, this time a 3-channel, telemetry capable 24. GHz unit.

AP-2400 Hayabusa: 2.4 Ghz DSSS/40 TX, 10 model memory, DR-224 receiver.

APW-2400 Hayabusa: 2.4Ghz/79 TX, 10 model memory, DR-224 receiver. 
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Last edit: by Jonny Retro.

Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3506

Jon, another great post with loads of information!
It makes me want to dig out all the transmitters I have on the loft and see if I have them all :-)

This qualifies for another award!

-Lars
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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3507

Jon, another great post with loads of information!
It makes me want to dig out all the transmitters I have on the loft and see if I have them all :-)

This qualifies for another award!

-Lars


If you've got one of the 5-LED "Alpha"s & can take a photo of it that would be great - I'm sure I've got three of them, but can't find one ... I was almost tempted to buy one I saw of eBay earlier for the sake of completeness, but as it came with a car & was up at
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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3509

I found my old manuals for some Acoms sets:

The Techniplus Alpha is part no. AP-201.
500mW is confirmed.
Servos are AS-12's
Receiver is AR-201 which has BEC system (allowed input is 6,0V to 8,4V)
Antenna is 7 sections, 7mm OD, 3mm outer thread in bottom.
Made in Malaysia



I also have the manuals for AP-227 Mk II and for the 4/5 channel AP-435FM / AP 535FM

AP-227 Mk.II
:
Transmitter part no: ATB-227
Receiver (part no. ARB-227) is NON BEC.
My manual only mentions AS-1 servos.

That's it :-)

-Lars
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Last edit: by larbut. Reason: added more data for the AP-201

Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3510


If you've got one of the 5-LED "Alpha"s & can take a photo of it that would be great - I'm sure I've got three of them, but can't find one ... I was almost tempted to buy one I saw of eBay earlier for the sake of completeness, but as it came with a car & was up at

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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3517

Thanks Lars, have edited & credited :)
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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3519

brillent lar most usefull i have all but the first control but never seen such a detailed approch to explainning good for you and long live 27 mhz there is only me at club with a long airel and i dont have to worry about the crystals being the same as there is only me on 27 if it works why change it is my moto B)
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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3672

minor updates:

... added photos of AR-2/27 & AR-227FE RXs, AS-7, AS-11, AS-16 & AS-17 servos (still have lots more servos & RXs to dig out, photograph & post ...);

... also spotted several "new" Techniplus AP-202 (mk. VII?) online today... spooky;

... have also just ordered a Techniplus 2.4ghz (mk IX?) set :)
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Re: Acoms 2-channel 27mhz transmitter evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3680

brillent lar most usefull i have all but the first control but never seen such a detailed approch to explainning good for you and long live 27 mhz there is only me at club with a long airel and i dont have to worry about the crystals being the same as there is only me on 27 if it works why change it is my moto B)


Sorry darc, but I'm getting increasingly seduced by the dark side - 2.4ghz ... no long metal antennas to get bent or stick in your eye, no crystals to faff about with, less interference issues, no need for a long whippy antenna on the car ...

2.4 ghz appeared, what, 3 years ago? At first it was way too expensive for me, 18 months ago you could get really cheap (but nasty) units, or decent, not too expensive units that needed modifying (so I have some Planet T5 setups), & now with the latest Techniplus units I think we've reached the mass market point ...

Having said that, personally I'll only put 2.4ghz sets in my "bashers" - which are almosty universally not boxart, and where practicality is more important to me than having the correct period radio; and in new cars - where a 2.4ghz set _is_ the correct period radio :D
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Re: Acoms 2-channel stick radio evolution 12 years 5 months ago #3707

List of TX/Servo/RX part numbers:

TXs:
AP-227 (retrospectively known as the Mk.1)
AP-227 Mk.II on set, manual lists it as the ATB-227
AP-227 Techniplus Mk.III
AP-227F Technidrive (aka Mk.IV)
AP-27 Techniplus Mk.V
AP-201 Techniplus Alpha (mk.VI)
AP-202 Techniplus (mk.VII?)
Techniplus (mk.VIII?)
Techniplus AP2402


Servos:
Part #    Description    Found in
ASA-227    Large plug with retaining clip, reversed +ve/-ve wires, large curved green case with square output shaft.    Mk.1, Mk.2
AS-1    Superficially similar to ASA-227 but teardrop shape on top, splined output shaft, still has “wrong” pinout.    Mk.1, Mk.2
AS-1S    Visually identical to AS, so an internal upgrade?    Mk.1
AS-2    Has "correct" (Futaba) wire order and slimmer plugs. Black print on alloy panel    AP-427
AS-3    As AS-2 but has green print on badge panel; operates in reverse direction    AP-427
AS-4    (unclear if this actually exists?)    n/a
AS-5    Plugs are conventional size and layout; black angular case, splined output shaft, white or black plastic gears    Mk.3
AS-5S    As AS-5    Mk.3
AS-6    (unclear if this actually exists?)    n/a
AS-7    As AS-5 and AS-5s    Mk.3, Mk.4, Mk.5
AS-8    (unclear if this actually exists?)    n/a
AS-9    (unclear if this actually exists?)    n/a
AS-10    “Mini” servo visually similar to AS-5/AS-5S/ AS-7 but with reduced angle range and reduced dimensions - height in particular. Conventional plug, output splines as AS-5 and onwards. Rated as 3.2 kg, same as regular servos.    ?
AS-11    Broadly similar design to AS-5/AS-5S/ AS-7, but angled side now has an additional plateau for identification – which has become a printed sticker rather than a aluminium badge.    Mk.4, Mk.5
AS-12    Design very similar to AS-11    Alpha (Mk.6)
AS-13    (unclear if this actually exists?)    n/a
AS-14    Possible sighting with Ap-201 Alpha (mk.6) set?    Alpha (Mk.6)?
AS-15    Similar design to AS-11/AS-12    ?
AS-16    New top section of case closely following sizes of the gears underneath, open mount points, white output gear.    AP-202 (mk.8)
AS-17    Very similar to AS-17 with some detail changes around the label area. Baby blue output.    AP-202 (mk.8)



RXs:
ARA-227
ARB-227
ARC-227
ARD-227 ?
ARE-227
AR-227F
AR-227FE
AR-201
AR-2/27 / AR-2/40
GR-24
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