This past couple days I have had the chance to examine and wring out the newest controller to hit the shelves at our favorite scale model racing shops, the "FLY Racing hand controller". Interestingly, in this age of "electronic" controllers, the FLY Racing hand controller is a resistor-type controller which will be VERY familiar to anyone who has used a Parma controller both in terms of ergonomics and function. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as there are many racers, myself included, who have stayed with these non-electronic units for various reasons.
As with any new interpretation of commonplace products the FLY controller sets itself up for direct comparison with the incumbent products (in this case the ubiquitous Parma/Ruskit controllers) and compare it we shall, but first let's take a look at this interesting new controller on its own.
The controller comes packaged in a handsome silver box with printing in shades of blue and gray showing an image of the controller over a checkered background, identifying the product as being from the FLY/GB Track "Accessories" line and as "FLY Racing hand controller" in both Spanish and English. The controller provided for this test is the #79721 45 ohm model, there also being 25 ohm and 60 ohm models available. The back of the box also has the standard age-appropriateness warnings in Spanish, English, French and German identifying the controller as being suitable for children aged 14 years and up. This is handy information to have since I'm sure many of us have friends and race-buddies who certainly ACT a fair bit younger than that--best keep them on the set controllers for safety's sake, right?
Inside the box is a single sided photo-copy spec sheet for the controller showing both the controller and a "ghosted" cutaway view allowing them to point out the features outside and inside the product in Spanish, English and German (I guess FLY assume most of the French will be excluded off by the age restriction and not need to see the features). Outside the controller features identified are the easy access to the resistor surface for cleaning purposes, the trigger spring "regulator" (tension adjuster--more on this later) and a polarity switch. Inside the controller the selection ohm-age resistors are identified (25, 45 and 60 ohms--but this is NOT an adjustment, separate controllers are required), the contact wiper made of silver, the trigger spring showing it's interface with the adjuster, and the adjuster itself.
An observation regarding this sheet and the information on it--the "Polarity switch" is identified as being at or behind the trigger. I could not find anything remotely resembling any sort of switch, polarity or otherwise, in my examination of this controller inside or out. My guess is this feature was either omitted from the production unit or it is/will be an add-on feature of the controller. My ignorance of things electric leads me to wonder if one really needs a polarity switch for a non-electronic controller or if one merely reverses connections?
Examination of the FLY Racing hand controller itself reveals it to be a very nice piece. The case itself has a very "silky" feel to it and it fits the hand, dare I say it, even better than my beloved Parma controllers. The trigger is also VERY nicely executed with a molded-on rubber cover--no blisters here. The trigger spring tension adjuster is easily accessed at the back of the case. And the cables are of the high-flexibility silicone insulated variety and are sheathed in a similarly flexible protective covering. On the bottom side of the handle, next to where the cables enter it, is a small plug that is captured when the two halves are screwed together. This implies (to me) that FLY intends to offer some sort of upgrades/improvements to the controller somewhere down the road. Perhaps the missing polarity switch, or…?
In all, high marks to FLY for the exterior execution. I am impressed.
A little less impressive, from a US market perspective, is FLY's choice to use "banana" plug ends on their cables instead of alligator clips or track system-specific ends. My understanding is these banana plugs fit the DiSlot track control system and are commonly used in Spain, but I don't think they're used much anywhere else. I think FLY would be better served to offer ready-made adaptors to a plug (or plugs) on the cables that could be purchased to fit the wide variety of interfaces commonly found in the world of scale model car racing. That way they could maintain the three SKU's (one for each ohm rating) of the comparatively expensive controller and then offer several different "interface adapters" which are, comparatively, much less expensive for the retailer to stock. As it is, we made adapters ourselves (double-ended alligator clips) for the purposes of this test.
Taking the controller apart is as simple as removing three screws. Opening this controller up will reveal no surprises to anyone familiar with the inner workings of the Parma/Ruskit controllers other than the novel (and functional!) spring tension adjuster.
All the workings are carried in a cast-metal frame, which is held in place within the handle by molded-in protrusions in the case.
All the electrical connections are made with loop-type connectors screwed down to the appropriate contacts. The resistor is nearly identical to that found in the Parma/Ruskit controllers though the bore through the resistor is smaller. The spring tension adjuster is fitted to the back of the frame and consists of a captive nut into which the rear loop of the trigger spring is hooked. This square nut rides back and forth in a "track" along a screw that is turned via the externally accessible dial, varying the pre-tension on the spring.
At this point I noticed there are a couple "guide pins" meant to align the case when it is assembled. One of these alignment pins had been mis-aligned in initial assembly, had not gone into its intended hole and had been broken over. Honestly, this isn't something that would trouble me, as the controller seems adequately "aligned" without it.
Now lets give it a try. Whoops! She's a no-go from the box. Squeezing the trigger reveals the resistor is very rough as the wiper sweeps across its face, and the first band and brake band have enough "step" at their leading edges that the wiper can't reliably return to the brake/at rest position. That said, this is NOTHING that isn't commonly experienced with the Parma/Ruskit controllers and should not be seen as any sort of indictment of the FLY Racing hand controller beyond there being a need to fiddle with it to get it "just so". Now, I am the first to say it is frustrating to buy a new product and have to make user "adjustments" for it to even work, but this is the reality of the game. I have five Parma Turbo controllers myself, of which two (as memory serves) were similarly non-functional from the box. Time will tell whether this particular FLY Racing hand controller was one of the "2 in 5" from my own experience or if they'll all be like this.
Correcting the problem really isn't tough to do. I opened the controller up by removing the 3 case screws (careful--just like on the Parma the nuts on the backside of these screws will drop straight to the floor once the screws are removed unless you hold your other hand under them) and had a look at the controller. Using the back end of my X-acto knife handle (blade removed!!) I firmly pressed the leading edges of the first power band and the brake band down. I then used the side of the knife handle to "roll" smooth the resulting manipulation. Taking a small section of 600# wet-dry sandpaper I sanded the resistor for a few minutes, which again is something that I do with ALL my Parma controllers. When I got my first Parma Turbo controller, Paul Kassens told me to sit and watch a half-hour sit-com and sand it. By the end of Three's Company (kinda tells you how long Paul has been at this stuff…) the resistor will be silky-smooth. I sanded the resistor in the FLY Racing hand controller for all of five minutes and the result was every bit as good as my best Parma Turbo.
The tension of the wiper against the resistor also took a little fiddling which is, again, something I end up doing on ALL my Parma Turbo controllers. This is a trial-and-error operation, but you don't want to just flex the wiper against or away from the resistor--you need to be sure the face of the wiper remains flat against the face of the resistor. Here the Parma controllers are a little easier to fine-tune because the bore of the resistor is enough larger than the bolt holding the resistor into the frame that the resistor can be adjusted side-to-side and fine-tune the pressure against the wiper as well as fine-tune the wiper to resistor interface for parallelism. The bore of the FLY resistor just doesn't have enough "slop" to allow this shortcut. Also, the bolt that retains the FLY resistor could sure stand to be another 1/8" long or so--it doesn't fully engage the nut at the forward end and I can SURE see it pulling the thread or two it DOES engage out.
Another couple of niggles…When I set up my controllers I try to adjust the wiper so it is toward the front end of the brake band when the wiper is "at rest". What this does is minimize the distance the wiper has to travel before it contacts the first power band on the controller. On the Parma Turbo this relationship is easily adjusted by bending the brass tab that contacts the brake button until the wiper is where you want it. The FLY Racing hand controller has no similar tab--the back of the trigger contacts a protrusion from the frame to provide the "at rest" position which leaves the wiper, to my mind, much further away from the first power band than it should be. After initial testing, when I was trying to "optimize" the controller, I applied a couple of pieces of servo tape (really sticky foam tape) with the paper backing left on the top thickness to build-up the frame lug that provides the trigger stop. This adjusted the wiper about where I like to see it.
The other "niggle" here, and potentially far more troublesome, is the manner in which FLY have pivoted their otherwise excellent trigger. Instead of a small carriage-type bolt through a bearing or bushing and a nut to retain it, FLY have chosen to use a roll-pin which pushes through the trigger and captures it between ears from the frame on either side. This roll-pin is by no means a tight fit, and after a fairly short period of testing we found it had worked its way to one side enough that it was no longer engaged in the frame on one side. This allowed the trigger to tilt enough that the wiper started to make intermittent contact with the resistor. Again, this is easy enough to fix (I just put a small square of the same servo tape over the hole at the outside of the frame on both sides), but this really shouldn't have made it to the production piece. It is a production cost-saving measure that doesn't work in the real world.
Ok--NOW let's give it a try. WHOOPIE!! Once out on the track the FLY Racing hand controller works very nicely. The wiper glides smoothly over the resistor, varying the speed of the car exactly as one would expect. The brake action was positive and consistent. Run back-to-back with my 45-ohm Parma Turbo controller we could detect no difference in performance and saw no difference on the DiSlot timer. But here's where the FLY Racing hand controller shines--THIS IS THE MOST "COMFORTABLE" CONTROLLER EITHER ICEMAN OR I HAVE TRIED. A lot of "comfort" is certainly subjective, but the texture of the FLY Racing hand controller seems perfect. It isn't the knurled texture of the Parma/Ruskit controllers; it's just a satiny plastic. I'm curious if it would be slippery for someone whose hands perspire when they race, but it seemed fine to us. The trigger is a revelation; the molded rubber covering absolutely cannot be beaten for smoothness or comfort.
The adjustable trigger spring tension, which seemed on first impression to be sort of a "bells and whistles" gizmo of limited benefit, really does work as intended. Everybody has preferences regarding spring tension. In deference to my tendonitis, I fit all of my Parma Turbo controllers with a longer "free length" spring, which is substantially lower tension than the standard spring they are fitted with. The problem with these springs is they are sometimes difficult to find, and in reality they add another couple bucks to the effective price of the controller. The adjuster on the FLY Racing hand controller renders such a change needless--you just apply or remove tension until you find your own personal "sweet spot". I don't anticipate this is something you would adjust on a regular basis, but it allows you to easily fine-tune the tension to your preference. End-to-end on the adjustment is eight full revolutions of the wheel which can be turned about 1/6 turn at a time with the adjusting wheel which protrudes from both sides of the controller body. This dial is easily manipulated when you are trying to do so, but it is positioned where it won't be accidentally adjusted when you are racing. It is impossible to tell where the adjusting bolt is in it's track unless you are at one end or the other, and it's similarly impossible to figure precisely how many rotations you've actually put the dial through if you are trying to count in or out to find a particular setting. If I was going to be adjusting the controller from time to time, and I was "anal" about getting the same settings, I would (and did) use a felt marker to place a single mark on the outer rim of the adjusting dial in the middle of one exposed side when the dial was backed all the way out. This makes it easy to count how many turns in or out you've made.
Conclusions
FLY seem to have hit a home run with their entry into the controller market. My first impression was that they have created a Parma/Ruskit controller for use in the European market where the Parma products are very expensive compared to their prices here in the USA. Once I'd actually used the controller, though, I found that FLY have made a number of detail improvements to the old "standard" that significantly raise the bar, particularly in the oft-under appreciated area of ergonomics. Neither the Iceman nor myself would hesitate to buy one of these to replace one of our Parma Turbo controllers and both of us may do just that--they are THAT comfortable to use.
A quick summary of the FLY Racing hand controller to the Parma/Ruskit:
Strengths:
