How to build a simulator cable for the E-Flite Blade / E-Sky Honeybee CP2 Transmitter for use with FMS, Realflight, and other R/C Simulators.

Ever wondered if you can use your new E-Flite Blade CP or Honeybee transmitter in FMS or realflight without having to buy a $40 adapter? Yes, you can! In fact, I learned to fly my Blade CP with FMS! A simulator is really the best way to learn to hover. I know a few helicopter pilots who gave up and sold their helicopters before ever trying a simulator. Now they are back into the hobby and flying fine thanks to simulator time.

First, you'll need to download SmartPropoPPJ. This converts a signal from the soundcard input (thats right, the microphone) and converts it to something which looks like its attached to the parallel port. You can download that here: SmartPropoPlus for PPJoy (the General Purpose Version)

Next, download PPJoy. This sees the faked parallel port input and converts it to a "Virtual" joystick, so that other applications can see it. PPJoy can be downloaded here

If you don't already own Realflight, then you'll need a simulator. FMS is a decent one and it's free (for now): Flying Model Simulator

Also, you can download the correct helicopter here (unzip the files into the models directory of fms): Blade CP/Honeybee Model for FMS

Now, build the cable. There are two resistors and a phono plug. If you aren't going to solder right now, just twist together one end of the two resistors (a 10K and a 1K resistor). Wrap the positive wire from the mini phono plug around those leads. Now, wrap the negative wire around the other leg of the 10K resistor. Push the remaining lead of the 1K resistor into Pin 1 of the transmitter. Now push the resistor lead from the 10K resistor (with negative or black wire wrapped around it) into the shield part of the transmitter plug. This is the curved part. See the image below: NOTE: I should mention that these resistors are not required in all cases. Most of the time you can simply connect the red wire directly to the pin without including the resistors. In some cases though, the capacitors of the sound card are not rated high enough to handle the voltage from the transmitter. So for correctness, this diagram includes the resistors. If you want to leave them out, so be it, it's your decision. By leaving them out there is a very slim chance you could damage your sound card. I've never head of it happening though. I included them as a precaution only, and use them in my own cable. Now, DOUBLE CHECK THE CABLE, and then plug it into the mic port on your computer. Turn on the radio and you should hear a buzzing sound which changes when the sticks are moved. If you dont hear it double check the cable and adjust the volume and mic or line in volume in the windows mixer panel. If you hear it, it's working. Ok, so you have a working cable. Unzip SmartPropoPlusPPJoy into a folder on the desktop. Double click on SppConsole.exe. Make sure it looks like the following picture: Click "Hide". Now install and run "Configure PPJoy". Add a virtual joystick, and set it to Controller 1 Windows will install the virtual joystick drivers... just click ok to both confirmation dialogs.. and "Next" thru them. Now, select the joystick and click "Mapping". Set the Axis settings as shown below: Click Next until finished. Now, run FMS and select "Controls->Analog Control" Choose "Joystick Interface" Select the configure button under the channel sliders, and move both sticks full travel in every direction. For the E-Flite transmitter with Blade CP with CCPM filter enabled you should have the channels set as follows: For the E-Sky transmitter with Honeybee CP2, set the channels as shown below (thanks to Andrew Parkman of Derbyshire, UK for the settings). If you have problems with these settings try turning off CCPM in the SmartPropo Filter menu.Andrew didn't mention if he had it enabled in his version so I can't be sure. Click Next, and then center both sticks and all trims Calibrate the sticks, and then move one stick in on direction at a time and see which channel moves. Your channels should match the following settings: Left Stick Up/Down: Throttle and Pitch Left Stick Left/Right: Rudder and Tail Right Stick Up/Down: Elevator and Nick Right Stick Left/Right: Aileron and Roll Now verify that the sticks are controlling the correct movement in FMS, but rememeber that the controls MAY BE REVERSED at this point. Getting them right is going to take some experimentation. You just want to make sure that aileron is controlling aileron, rudder is controlling rudder, etc. Now go back and one by one, click the "Inv" (invert) option for each axis which is backwards. If you find that the stick movements are too sensitive for that axis, you can also click "Exp" (Exponential). This will change the sensitivity of that axis. I have noticed that this model in FMS is extrememly sensitive at full stick movement (unrealistically so). Unfortunately I haven't come up with a fix for that but it is at least flyable. I've also noticed that if CCPM is disabled in SmartPropo, the idle up switch may need to be turned on to get correct behavior. I've switched to using the CCPM Filter setting in SmartPropoPPJ and setting idle up to off. Note that the idle switch does not work correctly in FMS with this radio. The Blade CP model is always in idle up regardless of switch setting. You are done! Enjoy! This *should* work with E-FLite's simulator also, but I don't own it so I can't confirm. One note: The Blade model always flies in idle up mode with this setup (at least on my machine it does). Not a problem just something to be aware of. Click here to see all of my Blade CP and Honeybee articles