FMA Direct Quantum 8 User manual

FMA LIMITED WARRANTY ON RADIO RECEIVER PRODUCTS
FMA, Inc. warrants this receiver to be free of manufacturing defects for the term of one year from
the date of purchase. Should any defects covered by this warranty occur, the receiver shall be
repaired or replaced with a unit of equal performance by FMA, Inc., or an authorized FMA service
station.
LIMITS AND EXCLUSIONS
This warranty may be enforced only by the original purchaser, who uses this receiver in its original
condition as purchased, in strict accordance with the Quantum 8 owner's manual. Receivers
returned for warranty service to an FMA service center will be accepted for service when shipped
post-paid, with a copy of the original sales slip or warranty registration form, to the service station
advised by FMA, Inc.
THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO
1. Consequential or incidental losses resulting from the use of this receiver.
2. Damage resulting from accident, crashes, misuse, abuse, neglect, electrical surges,
reversed polarity on connectors, lightning or other acts of God.
3. Damage from failure to follow instructions supplied with the product.
4. Damage occurring during shipment of the product either to the customer or from the
customer for service (claims must be presented to the carrier).
5. Damage resulting from repair, adjustment, or any alteration to product by any one
other than an authorized FMA technician.
6. Installation or removal charges, or damage caused by improper installation or
removal.
CALL [phone] FOR INFORMATION ABOUT SERVICE AND WARRANTY REPAIRS.
OWNER’S MANUAL
INTRODUCTION:
Thank you for purchasing the FMA Direct Quantum 8 FM receiver. The new Quan-
tum series represents the fifth generation in a history of high quality radio control re-
ceivers designed by FMA, Inc. The latest trend in the industry has been the move to
smaller and smaller airborne equipment. FMA pioneered these efforts with the micro
2000, Fotress micro and Tetra. By incorporating the highest level of technology avail-
able to the R/C industry, FMA engineers are committed to providing consumers with
substantial size and weight reduction while at the same time improving performance
over previous designs. This philosophy is vastly different from other manufacturers
who rush to market smaller products that are not even 1991 compliant, have limited
range and performance, and hence experience serious problems when used at typical
R/C fields. Quantum series receivers are designed with extremely narrow bandpass
and full-range capabilities. Furthermore, because they are dual conversion, interfer-
ence rejection on all fronts is unsurpassed. You may fly your Quantum 8 in anything
from park or indoor models to sport models or helicopters to IMAA legal quarter scale
aircraft with complete confidence regardless of how many pilots are in the air simulta-
neously. Available in two basic models to accommodate FM shift, the Quantum 8
supports either positive or negative FM modulation. As usual, superior RF mixer
technology and advanced circuitry for detecting and amplifying PPM information
enable the Quantum 8 to out-perform other single and dual conversion designs
presently offered. Heavy-duty, SMT construction on a single, glass-epoxy P.C. board
along with various other circuit improvements make our latest designs the most reli-
able we have ever produced.
NOTE: PLEASE READ MANUAL COMPLETELY BEFORE OPERATION
SPECIFICATIONS:
SIZE: 1.87"L X 1.00"W X 0.58"H (IN HEAT SHRINK CASE)
WEIGHT: 15 gm / 0.50 OZ.
DESIGN: DUAL CONVERSION, SUPER HETERODYNE
CHANNELS: 1-8
MODULATION: FM / PPM (PULSE POSITION MODULATION)
FREQUENCY: R/C CH 00 - 90 - U.S. LEGAL 50, 53, 72, 75 MHz
ULTIMATE BANDPASS: ± 8.5 KHz @ >55 dB DOWN
USABLE SENSITIVITY: > -95 dBm
3OIP: +12 dBm
OPERATING VOLTAGE: +3.5V TO +26V DC LIMITED ONLY BY SERVO REQUIREMENTS
LEGAL USE: MEETS AMA GUIDELINES/FCC 1999 RADIATION REQUIREMENTS
FMA, Inc.
5716A Industry Lane
Frederick, MD 21704
Sales: [phone] -Technical: [phone]
8 CHANNEL FM DUAL
CONVERSION SUB-
MICRO RECEIVER
Quantum 8

∗ FCC Information: FCC ID: KH8-T2000 - This device complies with Part 15 of the Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
PACKAGE CONTENTS:
1. FMA Direct Quantum 8 FM, 8 channel sub-micro receiver
2. Dealer or factory-installed channel crystal (if purchased with unit)
3. Owner's Manual
PREPARATION:
•TRANSMITTER COMPATIBILITY, POWER AND SERVO CONNECTION
Quantum 8 receivers are available in two models to support both positive and negative
modulation. For the sake of simplicity, this manual assumes you have purchased a 72 MHz
band receiver. TABLE 1 highlights transmitter compatibility depending on the part number
and what is listed on your receiver label. If you are unsure which model receiver you have,
contact FMA Direct immediately.
Quantum series are designed for
use with all standard servo
connectors and support Futaba,
JR, Hitec servos, and Airtronics
servos equipped with the new “Z
TYPE” connectors, as well as other
brands that use standard polarity
(GROUND, PLUS, SIGNAL).
When connecting power and ser-
vos to your Quantum, please refer
to TABLE 2 and Figure 1 for proper
hookup of your servos. Note: with
the receiver sitting label side up,
the signal lead (marked #3 in Fig-
ure 1 and color coded as in TABLE
2) must match up to the pin closest
to the label side of the receiver. No
damage will occur by plugging a
servo in backwards, but the servo
will not operate. You may mix and
match any standard type servos,
but neither may be used in combi-
nation with “Old Style” Airtronics
servos – see warning below. When
hooking up power to your receiver,
you may either connect a NiCd battery pack to any unused channel input or use a “Y” har-
ness to connect the battery and a servo simultaneously to any receiver channel.
WARNING: IF YOU INTEND TO INTERFACE AIRTRONICS SERVOS THAT USE “OLD
STYLE” (PRE-“Z TYPE”) AIRTRONICS CONNECTORS TO THE QUANTUM 8, YOU
MUST UPDATE THE CONNECTOR TO THE CURRENT INDUSTRY STANDARD
POLARITY (SEE FIGURE 1) AND PROPER INDUSTRY STANDARD SHELL THICKNESS.
YOU MAY READILY CONVERT YOUR EXISTING “OLD STYLE” AIRTRONICS
CONNECTORS TO CURRENT STANDARDS 1) BY INSTALLING APPROPRIATE
ADAPTERS (FMA PN 217AJ) OR 2) BY REMOVING THE OLD CONNECTORS AND PINS
AND REPLACING THEM WITH FMA PART NUMBER SEASSYJ. EACH SEASSYJ
CONTAINS ONE JR COMPATIBLE MALE SHELL AND 3 FEMALE PINS. YOU WILL
SERVO BRAND 1 2 3
FUTABA BLK RED WHT
JR BRN RED ORG
HITEC BLK RED YLW
TABLE 2 SERVO PLUG ORIENTATION
Figure 1 - Model 508FM72F Shown
Part Number Quantum 6 Label ACE AIR FUT HITEC JR
508FM72F FUTABA TYPE 
508FM72J JR TYPE 

TABLE 1 TRANSMITTER COMPATIBILITY (72 MHz)
NEED TO CRIMP THE PINS AND SOLDER THEM TO THE WIRES OF YOUR EXISTING
SERVO AND PLUG THEM INTO THE SHELL PROVIDED. MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE
RED WIRE (+V) GOES TO THE CENTER PIN AS ILLUSTRATED IN FIGURE 1. FMA
WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ATTEMPT TO USE “OLD STYLE”
AIRTRONICS CONNECTORS WITH QUANTUM SERIES RECEIVERS THAT DO NOT
HAVE THE POLARITY CHANGED TO INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
•CRYSTALS
All Quantum 8 receivers support full crystal interchangability using FMA Direct Quantum or
Fortress series dual conversion crystals. The only difference between these crystals is the
size. The new Quantum series crystals are low-profile and will not stick up as high in the
receiver. Contact your local FMA Direct dealer or call FMA Direct to obtain the correct
crystal for operation with your transmitter frequency. Plug the crystal into the gold-plated
crystal sockets and secure with a piece of tape or the channel sticker provided.
INSTALLATION
Care must be taken when installing your receiver to isolate the electronics from vibration. Do this by
wrapping the receiver in 3/8” thick foam rubber. Restrain the foam-packed receiver using Velcro or
a rubber band if necessary. NOTE: FAILURE TO USE FOAM RUBBER AS DESCRIBED ABOVE
DURING INSTALLATION VOIDS PRODUCT WARRANTY. Extend the antenna to its full length.
Do not coil the antenna up or range will be shortened. If you are installing the Quantum 8 in a small
aircraft and you require a shorter antenna, you may cut off a portion of the 39.75” antenna without
de-tuning the receiver; a unique feature of FMA Direct receivers. Reducing antenna length will
reduce range, however. Proceed carefully, removing only a short amount at a time and be certain
to ground range check the receiver with each incremental reduction in antenna length. NEVER
CUT THE ANTENNA SHORTER THAN 18 INCHES! A special note to helicopter pilots concerning
standard FM receivers and antenna placement: FMA Direct receivers are tested thoroughly in all
types of aircraft including helicopters. Helicopters often create a challenge because they generate
RF noise and heavy vibration from fast-moving parts. In order to improve reception in a helicopter,
it is recommended that you route the antenna of the receiver as far away from the tail boom as
possible. This is particularly true of carbon-fiber booms. Nylon push rod material mounted to the
underside of the skids provides a good channel through which to route the antenna. When hooking
up a servo to your receiver, use TABLE 1 and FIGURE 1 to check its plug wire color orientation.
RANGE TEST
To assure proper performance, the Quantum 8 series receiver must be range tested with the "host"
transmitter. The major reason for this important test is that over time, all R/C transmitters are
susceptible to de-tuning and frequency “drift”. To ensure the utmost in secure RF reception, current
technologies for narrow-banding used in FMA designs can actually place a higher demand on
transmitters. Power level and frequency accuracy of your transmitter are more important than ever
before. Therefore, for the initial range check and in rare cases when you suspect degradation of
performance from your R/C system, FMA would like to suggest the following guidelines: Begin by
placing the receiver on a cardboard box or another non-metallic surface to elevate it about 2 feet off
the ground. Connect only one servo and the battery direct. Do not install a switch harness for the
initial range test because switch harnesses are often the cause of poor range. Perform the range
test with the receiver antenna fully extended VERTICALLY into the air on a dowel rod or the like,
and the transmitter antenna collapsed. Apply power and walk away from the receiver moving one
stick on the transmitter. You should obtain at least 200 feet of line-of-sight ground range if
everything is operating properly. If any loss of servo control occurs, the system must be calibrated
by an FMA service station. CALL [phone] for FMA Direct technical assistance. In certain
cases, the FMA service station may ask you to send in your transmitter along with your receiver.
ACCESSORIES:
Aileron extension cables, Y-harness, switch harness, and numerous other accessories as well as a
full line of servos, batteries, chargers, and ARF airplanes are available for use with your FMA
receiver either direct or from your local FMA dealer.