TARANIS ANSWERS AND MODIFICATIONS FROM INTERNET POSTINGS From Postings on RCGroup Threads through 12/20/2013

Transcription

1 TARANIS ANSWERS AND MODIFICATIONS FROM INTERNET POSTINGS From Postings on RCGroup Threads through 12/20/2013 CONTENTS Pages Pg 1 Topic Splash Screen 1-2 Variometer 2 Global Values 3-4 RX Protocols 4-8 Use All 16 Channels 9-10 ELE-FLP Mix 10 Crow Battery Telemetry Servo Slowdown Problem 12 Audacity Tips Throttle Activates Timer 15 Trainer Setup Sounds / Value Combination P-51 Gear & Door Cycling 17 Throttle Power Off 18 Battery Alarm Control Stick Centering 20 Calibration Tips Fail Safe 21 Gimbel Problem 22 Loose Key Post Custom Switches for Alarm 23 Instant Trim

2 23-24 Momentary Switch for Landing Gear Global Variables Vario Sound 27 Telemetry Screens and Sound 28 Gear Door Sequencing Analog Telemetry Link to video - Programming on TX 32 Voice Time Count Down 33 Taranis version ID Taranis Upgrade Announcement 34 Timer Alert 35 Real Flight 7 36 RSSI Sound Alert Replacement Speaker Options 43 Activity Starts at Certain Throttle Position Another Approach to Adjusting Sliders (and Pots) 45 Vario Sound 45 Vario Connection Telemetry with 4.8V battery pack

3 SPLASH SCREENS They are 212 pixels x 64 pixels. To change the splash screen in C9x you choose "customize my TX" in the Burn drop down menu. Then click on "load firmware" in the little window that pops up and choose the most recent firmware you've downloaded. Then you choose "load image" and choose the image file. Save the firmware (use different name). With the Transmitter off -- plug into the USB and, using C9x, click on the "Write Flash Memory" -- choose the modified version of the firmware and you've changed your Splash Screen. VARIOMETER The new variometer FVAS-02 has two types of output. It puts out digital altitude values as a number on the data pins and also an analog variation voltage (climb/sink) on the analog pin. It can be used with current D series receivers with a data port - old generation - and the X series receivers for the Taranis and XJT module - new generation. It has two types of connectors. Two of the older white 4 pin Data Connector (JST 1.5mm type) which use the data protocol of existing FrSky sensors and the sensor hub. Two of the newer 3 pin SmartPort connector, which will be used by the new generation of receivers and sensors (starting with the X8R receiver). They have the same standard 3 pin 0.1 spacing connector as a servo. These two types of connections are not interchangeable but the vario can internally convert one to the other so that it can be used to join old Data and new SmartPort devices. It is assumed that this will work only for digital data not the analog variation voltage, but this is subject to confirmation with the X series receivers when they are available. Outputs 1) Altitude: The absolute altitude is calculated from barometric pressure and is sent as a number from the data pins on both connectors. This is the S pin on the SmartPort connector and the TX pin on the upper data connector 2) Variation: The rate of change of altitude appears as a voltage on the DA pin only of the upper data connector. In addition, the vario requires supply voltage and ground connection, which is done through two more pins on the connectors. All 4 connectors have V+ and gnd pins. The SmartPort uses the same wiring convention as a servo, that is center pin for V+. In order to connect to both old and new generation receivers FrSky has provided 3 cables with the vario. You only use one of these depending on the setup.

4 1 A three wire cable with 3 pin black servo connectors on each end which will be used with new receivers and sensors as they become available. Can connect to either SmartPort connector they are identical - and there are two to allow daisy chaining of additional devices. 2 A 4 wire cable with white 4 pin JST connectors on each end. This joins the vario to the FSH-01 Hub or a FAS40/100 current sensor, which is then connected to a receiver and other sensors in the old style. 3 A special cable with a white JST on one end and three black connectors on the other that allows direct connection to a D8 series receiver. This avoids having to use a data hub. The FAS40/100 current sensor can then be plugged into the Vario as well to make a compact current, capacity and vario/altitude telemetry system. One connector is a 3 pin servo sized plug with only two wires and is connected to any spare channel on the D8 to supply V+ and gnd to the vario. The two single connectors are plugged into the TX port (Yellow wire) and DA port (Brown wire) on the side of the D8 receiver. How do you zero the precision vario? Reset telemetry on the tx, also chose the setting for above ground level not sea level GLOBAL VARIABLES Global variables are values that can be substituted to the usual number on every Weight, Offset, Differential or Expo setting. Their main use is to group the adjustment of several parameters that should have the same value. For example, aileron differential on a glider with 4 surfaces responding to the aileron function. When trying to find the sweet spot for the differential value, instead of having to repeatedly edit the differential value in 4 mixers, all 4 can be set to use a global variable (e.g. GV1 resp. -GV1, selected by a LONG press of the ENTER key on the Differential field). Then adjusting GV1 on this page is all it takes for all differentials to be updated. Global variables are also flight mode specific, so instead of having to create separate mixer lines with different values depending on the flight mode one can simply use a global variable with different values for each flight mode. This can significantly help simplifying the mixer screen by avoiding many duplicate entries. Global variables can also be adjusted in flight thanks to the Adjust GVx Custom Function that will be described later, and help adjusting those parameters that are easier to tweak in flight like D/R ratios, expos or again differential. The Global variables screen allows setting a name for each of the 5 available variables for convenience, and seeing/setting the value each of them will have in each of the 9 flight modes.

5 RECEIVER PROTOCOLS V, D, X and L are different RF protocols (or transmitting modes) used between the TX module and receiver (just like for example Futaba has FASST-7CH, FASST-MULTI and S- FHSS, Spektrum has DSM, DSM2 and DSMX etc). For communication to work, one must use a protocol that both the TX module can transmit in, and the receiver can understand. V is the old one-way, 8CH protocol. D is the current 2-way (control uplink and data downlink), 8CH protocol. X (also referred to as D16 by FrSky, the opentx team prefers X as it matches the receiver denomination) is the new 2-way (control and data uplink, data downlink), 16CH protocol. L is the new one-way, 9CH protocol optimized for longer range. The old V8FT, V8JT, V8HT TX modules could only transmit in V mode. The current DJT, DFT, DHT can operate in V and D mode. The new XJT can operate in D, X and L modes. Old V receivers can only receive V protocol. Current D receivers can only operate in D mode. New V-II receivers can receive V and D protocols. When in D mode they do not transmit telemetry data. New X receivers can operate in X and D modes. New L receivers can receive L mode. This is all you need to know for module/receiver interoperation. Now between the radio and module: DJT/DFT/DHT modules currently accept only a PPM signal as input - a well-known standard used by all radio manufacturers for the past 40 years or so. They will only take up to 8 channels, because the V and D protocols they can transmit only support up to 8 channels anyway. The new XJT can accept either PPM, or the new FrSky PXX signal. PXX is a protocol that is ONLY used between the radio and RF module. Its purpose is to allow communicating things other than just servo positions to the module. The good old analog PPM is nice, but can only send servo positions, which nowadays is quite limiting. PXX currently allows passing transmit mode (X, D or L), region code (to follow different countries' radio regulations), model number (for receiver match), failsafe mode and positions, as well as initiating binding and enabling range check mode in addition to up to 16 channels. When PXX is used between a radio and XJT, all these things can be set on the radio, stored in the model settings, and the info is transmitted to the module when needed. When the XJT receives PPM it still needs to be told which RF protocol to transmit with, and

6 one needs to put it in bind or range check modes when needed, so there are DIP switches and a pushbutton for that, just like on current modules. From prototype testing it will accept up to 12 channels on the incoming PPM signal. So some examples: To send 16 channels, you need a protocol that supports that many (X), a module and receiver that support that protocol (XJT and X8R), and a way to send that many to the TX module (PXX). To send 9 channels you need a protocol that supports that number (X or L), a module that supports those (XJT), a receiver that does too (X8R or L9R), and a way to send 9 channels to the TX module (either PXX or PPM from the above info). To send <=8 channels you can use any pair that has at least one protocol in common. PXX is implemented in opentx, so available on the Taranis (it had better be), as well as other radios/boards opentx can be run on. If someone wants to grab the code and implement it on other radios they're free to do so. HOW TO USE ALL 16 CHANNELS The TARANIS Transmitter has an Internal Telemetry-enabled RF module capable of transmitting up to 16 channels. It uses the new FrSky PXX modulation. This new modulation scheme is compatible with the current D8 mode for backward compatibility, but, also introduces a new mode called D16 and is introduced with the new TARANIS and the XJT module. The D16 mode supports 16 channels utilizing the S. BUS (SBUS) and full duplex (two-way) telemetry. The new D16 mode receivers are: FrSky X8R - 16 channel, full duplex (2-way) telemetry, S.Bus, Smart Port Receiver - $33. FrSky L9R - 12 channel, non-telemetry, S.Bus (SBUS), Smart Port Receiver - $xx (to be determined) So, the magic question is how do you get all 16 channels out of an 8 channel receiver? The X8R specs state that it is a 16 channel receiver, but, if you look at a pic of it, you will notice that it has 8 Conventional Channel Outputs (pwm outputs - Ch 1 to CH 8), a S. Bus Port (SBUS) (Ch 1 to CH 16), a Smart Port and a RSSI Output Port. The key to using more than 8 channels is using the S. Bus (SBUS) Port. The SBUS requires you to hook up all servos serially. The SBus Port is a digital port that sends all 16 channel signals to all servos on one port serially and the SBUS servos are each assigned a channel that only it recognizes. A 'SBUS' cable is utilized to connect all the servos serially to the SBus Port. I am not sure what FrSky will call its cables and I have not been able to find any information on them, or, as to when they will be released. Futaba currently sells leads in varying lengths called a 'HUB' cable for connecting servos to the SBUS. One end of the cable has a male - three (3) servos universal connector which

7 you plug the servos into and on the other end it has a female - servo universal connector which is plugged into the receiver. The cost of the Futaba SBUS Hub cable (Part: FUTAEC33) is $30. Hobby King has a comparable product called the 'Servo Splitter Lead 1 Female to 5 male'. The product number is and it only costs $0.96. One end of the cable has a male - five (5) servos connector which you plug the servos into and on the other end it has a female - servo universal connector According to reviews they seem to work great. Here is the link: I also provided an image below. So, if you had 16 servos to hookup, 8 conventional servos in the CH1 - CH 8 ports and 8 SBUS servos, you would need at least three (3) of the Futaba cables, or, two (2) of the HobbyKing cables. If you had 16 SBUS servos to hookup, you would need at least six (6) of the Futaba cables, or, four (4) of the HobbyKing cables. The cables are simply daisychained together to form one serial cable to be connected to the SBUS Port on the receiver. For the FrSky SBUS architecture, I assume the same principle will apply. Please note that FrSky currently sells a 'HUB', but, it is used for connecting multiple Telemery modules to the RSSI or Smart Port. Do not confuse this HUB with a SBUS HUB (cable); they are totally diiferent. So, from this point forward, I will be calling the FrSky SBUS cable the 'SBUS HUB cable'. If you are only interested in using up to 8 channels and you have conventional servos (Analog or Digital), you will be using the 8 Conventional Channel Outputs (Ch 1 to CH 8) on the X8R and nothing else for servo connections. This is the way we currently connect servos to a receiver and this will not require any additional 'stuff'. If you need to use more than 8 channels, or, you want to use S. BUS (SBUS) compatible servos (including Futaba SBUS servos), you must use the S. Bus (SBUS) Port. At this time, I have only read some info. on the new SBUS servos that FrSky is going to be releasing soon. The cost of them has not been stated yet either. First, to assign a particular channel to a SBUS servo, you must use a FrSky Servo Channel Changer. The cost is $15. It is a compact tool that features an easy to see OLED display and lets you assign any channel to a SBUS servo. It is also used to assign a channel to a CPPM servo using a Decoder (more about the decoder below). The Futaba changer (Futaba SBC-1) will also compatible with the FrSky SBUS servos and it cost about $30. You can also use Conventional (CPPM) servos on the SBUS by using a FrSky SBUS & CPPM Decoder. It is used to decode SBUS or CPPM signals and convert them to PWM signals for use with conventional analog and digital servos. FrSky and Futaba both sell a decoder, but, the FrSky decoder is the cheapest and of course, you have a Frsky radio, so... The FrSky decoder is $10 and can decode up to 4 servos. The Futaba counterpart (Futaba SBD-1) is $60 and decodes 3 channels. So, if you followed so far, you have 8 conventional servos using the 8 Conventional Channel Outputs (Ch 1 to CH 8) on the receiver. If you want a minimum of 4 additional servos connected to the SBUS Port on the receiver, you have two options. Option 1 - use 4 SBUS servos and a SBUS HUB cable. Please note that you still must use a FrSky Servo Channel Changer to assign channels to the SBUS servos. Option 2 - use 4 Conventional servos, a FrSky SBUS & CPPM Decoder and you still must use a FrSky Servo Channel

8 Changer to assign channels to the 4 Conventional servos through the Decoder. Note that I did not mention the need for the SBUS HUB cable for Option 2 because you can directly plug one end of the Decoder into the S. BUS port of the receiver. But, this is only a total of 12 channels. What about the other 4 channels for a total of 16 channels? The answer is that you must daisy-chain an additional Decoder using a 'Y' cable or one (1) SBUS HUB cable to have a total of 16 channels. Please note that you can mix Conventional servos/a Decoder with SBUS servos on the SBus Port without any issues. Also, you could substitute 'Y' cables for the SBUS HUB cable(s) which may be the direction that FrSky is going. Not sure. So, the actual configuration/cost for a 16 channel setup is: 1 - X8R Receiver - $ FrSky Servo Channel Changer - $15 (You will need this regardless of which type of servos you use - SBUS or Conventional) 16 - SBUS compatible servos (if you chose not to use any Conventional servos) - 16 x $xx = $xxx 6 or 4 - SBUS HUB cables - 6 x $xx - $xx (Futaba); 4 x $xx - $xx (HobbyKing) (Or, substitute for 'Y' cables) -- or Conventional Servos - 8 x $xx = $xxx 8 - SBUS compatible servos - 8 x $xx = $xxx 3 or 2 - SBUS HUB cables - 3 x $xx - $xx (Futaba); 2 x $xx - $xx (HobbyKing) (Or, substitute for 'Y' cables) -- or Conventional Servos - 16 x $xx = $xxx 2 - FrSky SBUS & CPPM Decoder - 2 x $10 = $ 'Y' JR compatible cable - $3 (to connect the 2 Decoders together) --- Additional Info: FrSky SBUS & CPPM Decoder - $10 FrSky Servo Channel Changer - $15 FrSky X8R - 16 channel, Telemetry, S.Bus (SBUS), Smart Port Receiver - $33 FrSky L9R - 12 channel, non-telemetry, S.Bus (SBUS), Smart Port Receiver - $xx (To be determined) SBus Hub Cable Futaba SBUS Hub cable (3 in 1) - Part #: FUTAEC33 - $30 Hobby King Servo Splitter Lead 1 Female to 5 male (5 in 1) - Part #: $0.96. FrSky SBUS Servos - To Be Determined FrSky D12MB FrSky D25MA

9 Futaba SBUS Servos Futaba S9071SB Digital Mini S.Bus Programmable Servo Futaba S9072SB Digital S.Bus Programmable Servo ** Additional HV (High Voltage - 6V) Futaba Servos are available ranging from $30 to $200)

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11 ELEVATOR FLAP MIXES Setup a Curve say Curve 1 with 3 points...flaps down = -65%, Flaps mid = 15 and flaps up = 95. Pretend flaps are on Ch 6 and you want to use Switch G Ch6 100% SG (Curve 1)...This makes channel Chan.6 go -65,15 and 95 %of total servo travel Now add another mix to Elevator channel % Ch6 Switch(SG-) this adds 10 of the Flap deflection for middle position. Note all % values may need to be made positive or minus to get servo to travel in the correct direction. And maybe another mix to elevator channel for a bigger % of down when when flaps are full down will be required (or less)...-22% Ch6 Switch(SG^) OR OK, here is one simple way. Assume your flaps are on separate channels 7 and 8, and Ele is on CH2. Start by making a curve, say, Curve 1. Make a 3 point curve with the leftmost point at 0, the center at -30 and the rightmost at -60 (change the -30 and -60 to get the actual flap deflection you want). In the mixer screen make a mix on any high channel (let's use CH16 here) like this: Source = SE (this is switch E, but use the one you want) Weight = 100 Curve/Differential = Curve 1 Multiplex = Add Now, on your flap channels CH7 and CH8 make the following mix: Source = CH16 Weight = 100 for one flap and -100 for the other (change +/- as required) Multiplex = Add Slow = Up 1.0 and Down 1.0 Flaps are now done. For elevator/flap compensation add a mix to CH2 Ele (make it the first mix, ie; on the top) like this: Source = CH16 Weight = -10 (again adjust by testing and +/- for down elevator movement) Multiplex = Add Slow = Up 1.0 and Down 1.0

12 edit - I forgot to type CH2 in that last mix, oops. A note on the curve 1, too. It's best to rig the flap servos and linkage so that your flaps are in the middle position with the servo arm centered. The servo then drives one way to put the flaps up and the opposite way from center to extend the flaps to full down. This is a better geometry and would mean changing curve 1 to accommodate the new rigging. But, you know how to do that now. CROW Here is one way. My B switch is set so B^ is Crow, B- is flaps move in sync with ailerons, and Bv is flaps. My Flaps are on Ch 6 and Ch 7 There are other ways. REAL FLIGHT Battery Telemetry Battery telemetry again - sorry. So, do I measure my current battery voltage, then adjust the range to have it read what the battery actually measures? So if the battery is 12.2, I adjust the range so it displays 12.2? And I STILL don't get what the offset does. It just seems to

13 adjust the reading, but I don't know what offsets it is applying and what it does to the accuracy of the reading! The range is determined by the voltage divider ratio. If you have a 3:1 ratio, the range is 3.3 x 3 = 9.0 volts (good for 2s). 4:1 ratio gives range of 13.2v (3s) 6:1 ratio gives range of 19.8v (3s or 4s) So just figure out the ratio and set accordingly. No separate measuring of battery voltage required except to check that you are getting the right readings. Offset in effect shifts the zero point. Not normally needed. Lweave it at zero. Now, how do in set the tx audio to read out the mains voltage? Define a custom function assigned to any switch you want with "Play Value" as the function and "A2" as the param. I normally have it set to repeat every 10 seconds when enabled. SLOW DOWN SERVO MOVEMENT I'm trying to do what should be a simple mix of Flaps and Elevator to attenuate Flap caused ballooning. I chose the simplest (for me) approach and the real life result has some unexpected actions. I added "slow" to Flaps channel (y-flaps) and the Flaps deploy in a kind of jerky, digital fashion instead of smooth. Two, the Elevator, initially goes down abruptly and then follows the "slow" speed of the Flaps channel.

14 On Channel 6, use "MAX" as the input instead of "SD". Setup SD as the switch. Channel 2 is likely twitchy due to the SD mix as well. "Max" with a switch may be a better solution there too. AUDACITY TIP Here are some key points for Audacity: 1. If the track is stereo convert it to mono. (or it will run at half speed) 2. Set your project Rate to Hz in bottom left menu 3, Export from File Menu : "Wav (Microsoft) signed 16 bit PCM" is the best quality sound (theoretically) THROTTLE ACTIVATES TIMER Is there a way to set the Timer activation for % throttle like in er9x? I don't want the timer activated at less than 30% throttle. Thanks, Steven What I did was create a custom switch with "a>x" on the throttle and a value of -40, then use that custom switch as the trigger for the timer. If you like you can "AND" it with a throttle hold switch too.

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16 On Setup page you could more easily select THs instead of CS1 and timers will start and pause as throttle is moved above 0.

17 TRAINER FUNCTION SETUP I've included an attachment that shows how you use Custom Functions to set a switch to enable the trainer function. The function is set so that pulling the "F" switch to the down position will yield control to the student and activate a track that I've recorded "TRac" which says the words "Student has Control". When the "F" switch is released the transmitter regains control of the model and another sound is active "TRin" which says "Instructor has control". BTW: because of the limit of file name size I have to abbreviate such that I've used: TRac = TRainer ACtive TRIin =Trainer Inactive SOUNDS ADDING Regarding the recorded voices, it seems like you can select whatever wav file you want and then set up the conditions for when this plays. Could be a switch, alarm, etc. But is there a way to record a file with only the word "Battery Voltage" and have the software complete that sentence with whatever number the battery voltage is at the moment? Meaning, the actual numbers spoken are not pre-recorded, but text to speech on the fly? Yes of course. Play Value A1 for example will say "9.6 volts" if A1 measures 9.6V. If in the custom functions you set a line to: SFdown Play Track "batvolt" (batvolt.wav being a file that says "Battery Voltage" that you've recorded or downloaded and put in the SOUNDS/en directory on the card)

18 then a next line with: SFdown Play Value A1 Pressing the trainer switch will first say "Battery Voltage", then "9.6 Volts". Other The sound mixer will now lower the volume of the background music when an alarm or other sound is played, then raise it back to normal level afterwards. I used the "Play Value" custom function to read my RSSI value every 5 seconds when I was doing a distance check. The play value is amazing -- you have a number of increments you can choose from (for reporting) and you can have it read just about value from timer to elevator. Couple it to a custom switch and you can have it only read values when certain conditions are met. Play Track is easy for invoking voice such as "high rate elevator" or "student has control" -- with custom switches you can determine if certain condition must be met before the track is played. Such as.. only play when the throttle switch is in the active mode. P51 gear door open, gear down, gear door close (instead of leaving the doors open For others who might be interested this is the mix that Mike came up with (thank U, Mike!): CH06: +125FULL Switch(GEA) Delay (u2:d2) Slow(u2:d2) CH08: +125FULL Switch(SW2) Delay (u6:d0) Slow(u2:d2) CSwitch1: v>ofs CH6 123 CSwitch2: XOR GEA SW4 CSwitch31: v<ofs CH6-123 CSwitch4: OR SW1!SW5 CSwitch5 OR SW3!SW4 File downloaded Gea W Door.eepm(?) P51gear.eepe uses curves P51-FMS.eepe A selection of the different methods mentioned above to achieve landing gear and gear door sequencing using opentx. I tried to keep the same model channel assignment for ease of understanding LG_D_F_CS: SF switch activates the sequence. Gear doors (CH7) open, retracts move (CH6), Gear door close. The same applies for the inverse operation. CH8 is flaps and are deployed using the SB switch.

19 This brilliant setup was created by Mike Blandford on er9x viewtopic.php?f=38&t=487 LG_D_F_CRV_1: Same as above but using curves LG_D_F_MIX: This is a simpler sequence from the two models above but this is probably what you will want to use. The SF switch activates the sequence. Assume gear is extended with doors open. Retraction: Landing gear (CH6) retracts (moves up), Gear doors (CH7) close. Extension: Gear doors (CH7) open, Landing gear (CH6) extends (moves down). Note that the Gear door only close when the wheels are retracted. CH8 is flaps and are deployed using the SB switch. LG_D_F_CRV_1: Same as above but using curves 3P_2P_CS The mixes below work using 2P switches and on the Taranis we have a plethora of 3P switches but only one 2P and one toggle switch. If you use Throttle cut then you want to use the 2P switch which leaves you with a dilemma. Because these mixes use delay if you use a 3P switch to activate the sequence you might get in trouble and your gears engage with the LG doors of your model if you accidently place the 3P switch in the middle position. The solution is to use one of the paddle switches as a soft 2P switch. All you need to do is to add two CS the a<x V2= -1 and a>x V2 = 0 functions and assign the CS to the paddle switch you want to trigger the CS. Then replace the SF in the mixes below with your CS switch. SEE FILE LG_and_door_sequencing_Taranis.eepe these files are also in: ing-opentx

20 BATTERY ALARM I am using a 2 cell LiFe battery connected to a D8RII-Plus receiver. Can anyone shed any light on how to set the low voltage telemetry alarm on the Taranis? Easy... D8R-II plus if you have a jumper set on a1 port has a maximum range for A1 of 3.3x4 = 13.2V Set low voltage to 9.3 for a 3-cell LiFE battery CONTROL STICK CENTERING PROBLEM My rudder axis also has the centering issue that if I let go the left stick, rudder value could stopup anywhere between 0 to -4%. Other 3 axis are fine with pretty precise centering though. Anyone else has this centering issue? For those who have the centering "problem": Might be worth having a try at adjusting stick tension. The gimbals have 3 different types of screws, pretty standard arrangement: - Y axis ratchet and/or "smooth braking" action strengths (blue) - Y axis spring disable, screw it in to disable spring (green) - X and Y spring tension (red), screw in for more tension, outer is Y of course. I don't know how tension is set out of the factory (red ones), but if they're set too low they will have a sloppy centering as the plastic piece won't be touching the 2 metal axles anymore when centered. I read several posts about people finding the springs not hard enough, I'm the opposite type and want them as light as possible - which means the limit for me was where I would get good centering and not a "double detent" effect and no more centering. Other people have reported a turn or so of the stick tension screw of the badly centering axes was all that was needed to bring it back to normal.

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22 CALIBRATION I loaded a new simple 4 channel eeprom on to it. but now my stick show way off center? Can I just hold them to center and recalibrate them? The eepe files contain calibration info from the creator's TX. The right way to enter them in the future is: 1. Download the eeprom from your TX. 2. With it open in Companion9x also open the example you want to copy. 3. Copy the example model and paste it into the eeprom data from your TX. 4. Write your data back to your TX. Yes, for now, just re-calibrate your TX and you should be fine. 2 - go to the general settings menu and calibrate the sticks and pots.. When you loaded a new eeprom you wiped the old settings 3 - You loaded a new eeprom, instead you should have copied a model onto the eeprom that was loaded from your calibrated taranis and then back to your taranis. You will now need to either recalibrate taranis or load another eeprom that was taken from the taranis back to taranis. FAIL SAFE Taranis Failsafe Using Taranis Failsafe All FrSky receivers have failsafe For X family receivers, set using model menu #2 For older receivers (e.g. D family), use the older failsafe method of pressing the button on the Rx. Taranis and X family receivers have three failsafe options: hold last input. Don't ever use this one, it's almost always the wrong thing to do. no pulse. Some autopilots can be configured to handle this as a signal to start processing their own failsafe logic. custom. This allows you to set the value of each servo channel. When the Rx loses contact, those values are set for each channel. When contact is resumed, control is turned back to the Tx. While Binding or doing anything with your Rx/Tx, be sure and disable your props. To set Taranis/X family Rx Failsafe

23 bind the Tx/Rx if not already bound. on model menu 2, select Failsafe mode: custom click [SET] to proceed to the failsafe menu. For each channel, set the appropriate failsafe value. save the failsafe value which Long-Enter. To set Non-X family failsafe bind the Tx/Rx if not already bound. move the sticks into position. push the failsafe button on the Rx. You will see a double-blink of the LED. you can repeat this operation. each time sets the failsafe anew. To clear failsafe on any FrSky Rx rebind the Rx. Verify your Failsafe do all configuration with props off. bench test several times. test in the air under controlled conditions. do these enough times to build up confidence in the failsafe operation. GIMBEL PROBLEM My gimbals are showing a 1.1 on ailerons and.4 to.8 on rudder from left and both 0.0 from the right, not really noticeable in flight on most things but the 1.1 on ailerons is worse then when I 1st got it. I have raised a issue with hobby king to see if they can get some gimbals from frsky for this repair, they asked for a video and I uploaded to youtube and sent them a link. DO I need to contact frsky or should this be enough? Here is link to my problem the more people that view it the more likely hobby king will feel like fixing it! You should be looking at the analog screen, not the channel monitor. Long press menu then hit page a few times to find it. Look at the hex values next to the stick names. The reason is that the channel monitor is influenced by mixes and such, so can be inaccurate based on your chosen setup, the analog screen is the direct readout from the ADC. Have you tried adjusting the spring tension? See if that helps. It has for a few people. I guess some units are a little loose when then get sent out. I tightened mine all the way, I really like the feel now. Worth a try to see if you can dial it in yourself. Please notice, that even with centering issue, there is no drift of a channel output at all in that vid. i.e. numbers stay same when sticks/pots are still. In my case, numbers just jump around +/- 0.3 like crazy. But. I've just tried with a real model. And even if I mix all of my "drifting" pots to one channel, the servo stays perfectly still. So I feel a little more relaxed now. And luckily, I have little or no centering issues (drift always happens around same point)

24 LOOSE KEY POST I probably enjoyed too much with Taranis. My 'Enter Key' has issue. It is working, but feel it just pushing down without clicking. Would you please, teach me how to fix it. We have seen a few early radios where the plastic welds failed on the little buttons. The fix is very easy, but gaining access is a bit tricky. You have to open the radio up, pull out the LCD screen, then you will finally be able to see the plastic buttons. There are three buttons on a little plastic "tree" and at the top and bottom of the tree are posts that the tree mounts to. See photo below, I circled the posts. These should be plastic welded, but the welds may have failed on yours, and this lets the buttons get out of alignment. The fix is a drop of glue on the post. I use a bit of rubberized CA glue, and let it cure for a good long time before disturbing it. FrSky now pays close attention to these plastic welds and we have not had this issue pop up since the first batch. CUSTOM SWITCH FOR ALARM it would be really helpful to have an audible signal generated by the Tx when the throttle is cut off by an on-board altitude/time limiter (i.e. in ALES - altitude limited electric soaring). Knowing when the motor has cut out would tell you when to push the nose over to prevent a stall/dive situation at the end of the launch. At ~ 200 meters its really hard to notice the motor cut off and I usually end up recovering from a hairy, high speed dive. An audible signal should really help with this.

25 I would do this by using a Custom Switch to be true when the current is below.. say 2 amps (for example). Then use the audio track when that custom switch is true. See Below. The additional benefit to using telemetry to get this audio is that you'd get the feedback at the speed of light rather than at the speed of sound. INSTANT TRIM When activating the selected switch the current stick positions will be added to their respective trims. This is typically assigned to a momentary switch, and used on a maiden flight if you expect trims to be way off. Instead of frantically clicking the trim tabs, you would hold the sticks so that the model flies straight, and depress the switch once. It is best to remove that entry after the maiden flight, to avoid hitting it by mistake and bringing the model badly out of trim again MOMENTARY SWITCH FOR USE IN LANDING GEAR OR OTHER SITUATIONS Is it possible to create a mix, program etc, to take the momentary switch and make it a down/up gear switch in that it would toggle a servo to one end or the other one each click? I think the easiest way to do this would be to use the H - long press and H-short press to toggle a global variable So when you hold H for a "long time" gear goes up, and when you flick H it comes down. -- see attachments. WARNING: I have not tried this and don't have a Taranis handy to give it a whirl.

26 GLOBAL VARIABLES Global variables are values that can be substituted to the usual number on every Weight, Offset, Differential or Expo setting. Their main use is to group the adjustment of several parameters that should have the same value. For example, aileron differential on a glider with 4 surfaces responding to the aileron function. When trying to find the sweet spot for the differential value, instead of having to repeatedly edit the differential value in 4 mixers, all 4 can be set to use a global variable (e.g. GV1 resp. -GV1, selected by a LONG press of the ENTER key on the Differential field). Then adjusting GV1 on this page is all it takes for all

27 differentials to be updated. Global variables are also flight mode specific, so instead of having to create separate mixer lines with different values depending on the flight mode one can simply use a global variable with different values for each flight mode. This can significantly help simplifying the mixer screen by avoiding many duplicate entries. Global variables can also be adjusted in flight thanks to the Adjust GVx Custom Function that will be described later, and help adjusting those parameters that are easier to tweak in flight like D/R ratios, expos or again differential. The Global variables screen allows setting a name for each of the 5 available variables for conveniency, and seeing/setting the value each of them will have in each of the 9 flight modes. Global Variable - When setting up models, sometimes we want to use the same setting for multiple channels. Lets say we have 2 aileron servos, we can set the plane up without any global variables without an issue. We go out and fly the plane and realize that we do not like the differential for the ailerons. So now we have to go in and edit all the differential settings for both channels. Depending on how fancy we were with our programing, this can actually be a lot of changes we have to make, and can be easy to make an error in the process. Now if we had used a global variable for differential, we just need to edit the one setting, and and it will be applied everywhere we set it. A very handy feature that makes tuning in a plane easier. The above would have been fine, but they can do even more! We can make it so our global variables can be adjusted in flight. There are different ways to do this, but ehe basic method is using a custom function. (Adjust GV#) I like to use things like the rudder and throttle trims for adjusting my GVs as I rarely use those trims for their intended applications. This allows me to dial in differential and elevator- flap mixes all on the first flight. Playing with Companion 9X, it seems to me that Global Variables are simply a shortcut way to change multiple values with fewer keystrokes. A silly example: Let s say you ve assigned a switch to give three rates (or expo or whatever) on each of aileron, elevator and rudder. You want them to be the same for each of the three BUT you don t know exactly what throw (weight) you want. You ve set up the appropriate mixes (three) for each of aileron, elevator and rudder - nine in total. Instead of putting a value for high, mid and low rate in each of the nine places you put GV1, GV2 and GV3 to represent the values. Then in Global Variables you set, for example, GV1=90, GV2=60 and GV3=30. This will give you 90, 60, and 30

28 weights (throws) in each of the three switch positions. After a test flight you find you want 100, 75 and 50 so you simply change GV1=100, GV2=75 and GV3=50. You only had to change 3 values instead of NINE. VARIO SOUND

29 TELEMETRY SCREENS Telemetry screens are a breeze. Telemetry on voice is really wonderful. Telemetry with custom switches in phenomenal. For example. Custom Switches CS1 if lowest cell < 3.5 CS2 if ams used > 2400 CS3 IF CS1 OR CS2 Custom Function CF1 CS3=play track ''out of juice, it's time to land" CF2 CS2=play track "80% amperage used" CF3 CS1=Play track "lowest cell is 3.5 volts"

30 GEAR DOOR SEQUENCING Has anyone here programmed gear door sequencing yet on Taranis? If so how'd you do it!??? Yes! Use a 5 point curve shaped like a Bucket. Point 1. X = = 100 Point 2. X = - 50, Y = -100 Point 3. X = 0, Y = -100 Point 4. X = 50, Y = -100 Point 5. X = 100, Y 100 Set the slow at about 8 seconds and that will give you 2 seconds for the doors to open, 4 seconds window for the wheels to come down and 2 seconds for the doors to close. Use the same switch for the wheels and give them a 2 second delay. Set the same delay/slows for the wheels up. If you use a custom 5 position curve you can play about with the positions and delays. ANALOG TELEMETRY WITH TARANIS Speaking of the *widget*... Here's where I am... Details on availability will come separate. I'm sure there will be no-where near the availability to match demand, but I'm working on a more commercial production run to get some volume, but that won't happen immediately Anyway enough of that... Here's the widget. X8R2Analog - Analog voltage interface to X8R receivers and Telemetry This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x768.

31 X8R2Analog: Analog voltage detector for FrSky X8R telemetry This device can be used to report voltages via telemetry with the X8R receiver and the FrSky Taranis transmitter. It utilizes a small 8 pin microprocessor to sense a voltage via an analog to digital converter and a voltage divider circuit. This board has its own 3v3 power supply and is fully self contained. There is a blue power indicating LED that will light when connected to the s.port interface on the X8R receiver. Voltage Range: v (will support higher voltage, but will only report the ranges listed e.g. will report 18.2v until battery voltage drops below 18.2) NOTE: DO NOT exceed 25v or you will damage the microprocessor. Hi-Resolution jumper: Selects the resolution that the X8R2Analog uses to report voltage. Jumper installed: Improves accuracy (useful for 3S and smaller batteries) Jumper not installed: Normal accuracy Note: Make sure you enter the correct MAX voltage in the Taranis telemetry setup so the scaling of the values are correct.

32 X8R Connection: Use a standard servo extension cable to connect to the s.port connection on the X8R (not the s.bus connection). This device must be the only or last device in the s.port chain as it does not support pass through. Please verify the pinout prior to connection with specific interest on matching the positive and negative wires. Serial to Signal, positive to +, negative to - Analog-in: Connect to the voltage source being monitored. Please maintain the correct polarity. One of the terminals is labeled Analog-In, this is where the + or positive terminal of the battery you are monitoring attaches. The other terminal is labeled GND, this is where the ground of the battery you are monitoring attaches... See the diagrams and notes below. Note: if you are using the FBVS-01, you can connect that to the Ground and Voltage In connections. You will also need to remove the left most through hole resistor, the one closest to the microprocessor, and replace it with a jumper wire. Notes: These do not provide pass-through of the s-port connections so this must be the only or the last device in the chain. If you are using an FBVS-01 external voltage divider, you will need to remove and jumper the resistor highlighted above. Just clip its leads and pull heat the pin and pull them out and replace it with a wire jumper. This resistor is a 15k 1/6watt resistor if you need to replace it in the future. Installation Instructions: Connect a servo extension cable between the s.port on the X8R and the s.port connector on the X8R2Analog board. Be sure and maintain the proper connections. Serial to S)ignal, positive to +, negative to -. If you will be using this to monitor the voltage of a 3S or smaller LIPO battery, you may jumper the high resolution jumper to gain a little more accuracy in the voltage readings. Be sure you adhere to the Voltage Range warning if applicable. For 4S batteries up to the max voltage limit, you may leave this jumper off. Connect the voltage source that is to be monitor to the Analog-in pin location. If you use multiple ESC's or BEC's and your X8R receiver shares a common ground with them, you do not need to connect the ground on the analog-in pins. Only connect the analog-in connection to the positive lead on your LIPO battery. If your X8R receiver is powered from a separate battery or does not share a single point ground with the LIPO battery being monitored, there is a 47 ohm resistor that should be installed in series with the ground of the battery you are monitoring. This will act as a fuse in case your primary ground fails and will protect your receiver and the X8R2Analog interface. Common single point shared ground setup

33 RX with separate battery or no shared ground video of programming using the transmitter only. In this video I ll introduce simple flight modes, one for normal flight, one for take off, and one for landing. Then the sticks menu will be utilized. This is the menu where rates are set for the various 4 basic control surfaces as well as expo. I can t say it enough the order of the controls in the sticks does not matter. The next menu, the Mixer, is where the channel assignment for the receiver is made. I ll start with setting up a basic 6 channel airplane with two channels controlling two elevators, and two channels controlling two ailerons. Then I ll revisit the mixer and introduce the addition of a second line for the ailerons so they have differential to facilitate axial rolling. Following this chapter I ll visit the ailerons in the mixer again, this time to set up half flaperons for takeoff they will be deployed in flight mode 1 (Launch). Then full flaps will be added and mapped to deploy in flight mode 2 (landing mode) In order to counter the planes tendency to rise quickly upward when flaperons (or flaps) are deployed I ll add a bit of down at the same time as the flaps in landing mode. First I ll set a linear curve to constrain the correction to between 0 and 25 then map this to the flight mode 2 with adjustments made by the right nob, P2. Finally I ll set up a throttle safety switch for Channel 1, a repeating reminder when take off mode is active, and a non repeating verbal notification when landing mode is switched on. Finally, I ll set up the volume knob on P1 to be active only when the motor safety is turned off.

34 Introduction: 00:00 Flight Modes 00:28:00 Sticks (rates and expo) 02:00:00 Basic Mixes 04:51:00 Mixing Differential 06:33:00 Mixing Half Flaps 09:02:00 Mixing Full Flaps 11:44:25 Setting curve 13:45:00 Elevator correction for flaps using curve 14:32:00 Custom Functions 16:05 Voice final timer count down: Solved! I have been frustrated by the countdown timer saying 10 Seconds, 10 Seconds, 10 Seconds... I just disabled the countdown announcement. I figured that there should be a way to work around this and I finally got around to giving it a go. I borrowed an idea from Scott Page's setup for announcing a sequence of tracks incremented by a switch. After that it was not too hard, just took a little fiddling. It didn't take much in the way of resources. You set Timer1 for count down from whatever total flight time you want the way you normally would. The final count uses: 1 Global Variable 2 Custom Switches 4 Custom Functions GV1 is the number to announce the count down from. I would suggest less than 60 seconds, but more will work. I say this because I normally use the timer Minute Call announcement which conflicts with the second count announcement when it announces the minute mark. Try it and see.. CS1 Timer1 > 0 : Stops countdown announce after 1. Taranis beeps every second from 0. CS2 GV1 = Timer1 AND CS1 : Trigger to announce the seconds remaining CF1 SH L Adjust GV1 value 10 : Resets the count down value with long SH pull. CF2 SH L Reset Timer1 : Resets Timer1 with long SH pull. CF3 CS2 Play Value GV1 0 : Announce value of GV1 when seconds remaining match GV1. CF4 CS2 Adjust GV1 Increment -1 : After announce is triggered decrement GV1 to next second. If you ignore the reset function that is really only two CS and two CF to announce a seconds countdown from your choice of time. Change the value set in CF1 to however many seconds you want to announce. As I remember, GordySoar wanted 25 seconds announced. No problem.

35 How to tell the version of your Taranis There is a silver sticker on the module cover on the back of Taranis with the serial number like X9DxxxxxxA01 or X9DxxxxxxB01. The third to the last letter A or B refers to the version of the Taranis. There is also a small white decal in the module bay after you remove the module cover. It contains the dealer s info. For example, A01 US AH 28/10/ A01 refers to the continent of North America rather than the version, US refers to the country of United States, AH is short for Aloft Hobbies, and 28/10/2013 is the production date. BREAKING NEWS!!! frsky just announce they will release X9D + within two months Radio: Taranis X9D+ Estimate available within two months. (Announced 12/2013) The Taranis X9D+ will have some new features and functions over the Taranis X9D, including haptic, upgraded sliders, dual-color LED backlight grey-scale display, 6-position replaceable encoder, etc. * Current Taranis X9D radio can obtain new X9D+ features via components replacement and firmware upgrade. and other announcement S.PORT Support Sensors: 1. FAS-40S (FrSky Ampere Sensor-40A for S.Port) Already released at early of November! Dimension: mm Weight: 17g Measurement range: 0~40A Current consumption: 25mA@5V Maximum safe current: 40A Compatibility: FrSky Smart Port enabled receivers, such as X8R, X6R, X4R, etc. 2. FLVSS (FrSky Lipo voltage sensor for S.PORT) Already released! Compatibility: FrSky Smart Port enabled receivers, such as X8R, X6R, X4R, etc. Supporting 2pcs+ FLVSS sensor connection on S.PORT bus to detecting total 12cells + voltages, which is max. Support 16pcs same sensors connect on S.PORT bus. The PC

36 program for sensors ID configuration will supplied, also the new telemetry display screen FSD is supporting the ID configuration. 3. GPS (FrSky GPS V2 for S.PORT) Estimate available at early of Dec FSD (FrSky Smart Dashboard) Estimate available at the end of DECEMBER. This product will integrate many new features, such as voice, SD card data logger, usb interface, SMART Port etc., the main screen will apply 2.4 OLED 5. SPORT adapter- SP2UART Estimate available at end of Nov Functions: 1, support date-transmission between serial analog ports at S.PORT BUS. 2, support two analog signal input vis S.PORT 6. FAS-100S ((FrSky Ampere Sensor-40A for S.Port) Estimate available at end 2013 or early January 7. Air Speed sensor & RPM Estimate available at January or February of X-series Receiver: X6R Estimate available at middle of December. - Six physical channel - S.PORT, SBUS, RSSI support - Built in external analog AD port. Servo: Three modes SBUS support servo estimate available at December! TIMER ALERT When I flip the switch back and forth, it gives the updated timer value. (I left out the center position simply because it is just as easy to flip all the way up or down, but you could include the center position as well.)

37 You could use just one line with "!SD -" Yeah...totally. I was originally thinking of him using a 2 pos switch for this...but it turns out there really aren't any of those on the Taranis (other than F), but yeah...for the 3 pos switches the one liner is much more elegant, and does the same thing if you don't want it to toggle in the middle position. REAL FLIGHT 7 Originally Posted by Herrsavage I'm thinking of asking for Real Flight 6.5 Airplanes for X-mas. 1.) Can you hook that up to a TV, or just your computer, and 2.) can you use the Taranis with it instead of the included TX? Thanks.. Realflight7 has an option that works great with the Taranis. There is no bulky Interlink to mess with. see for the RealFlight 7 w/transmitter Interface Once the idea is clear that to function with the sim, the transmitter must be in "slave" mode, the rest is pretty simple. Set up a simple four channel model (using the template) called "Phoenix" or "RF" or whatever. No mixes, rates, expo. Select "Slave" in the Model Setup menu. Select OFF for both modules. Check that the output screens show normal operation when the sticks are moved. Plug the sim cable into the left jack when looking at the back of the transmitter. Do whatever the sim requires by way of calibration, channel assignment, and channel reversing. Fly Note that unlike Spektrum and JR, Taranis requires the transmitter power switch to be ON. Once you've proved that it works, you can make the model in the Taranis as complicated as you like with rates, expo, mixes etc. and you can set up channels 5-8 with appropriate switch, knob or mix control. You will probably want to have more than one model set up for Phoenix in the Taranis. Or you can just set up a generic model and let the sim do the customizing.

38 RSSI Sound Reading Originally Posted by IntheTubeDeep Ok, next question is it possible to have Taranis speak the Rx or RSSI value say every 10 or 15 seconds? I know how to make the.wav file, however I have no clue as to how to accomplish this! (or at least have an audible warning if RSSI or Rx goes near danger level?) In the example below I set it so it would only read RSSI value every 15 seconds IF A is active. The really cool thing is you don't need to make any file. It will read the value for you.

39 REPLACEMENT OF SPEAKER TO IMPROVE SOUND QUALITY You want the front of the speaker sealed off from the back. I have been meaning to post pictures of my "enclosure" for a while. This is one of the "10 for $5" ebay speakers. The enclosure is made from a CA accelerator bottle. The grey/brown thing is a chunk of insulation I used to stuff the box. This does two things: reduces sounds bouncing off the back of the enclosure and (believe it or not) makes the enclosure acoustically larger. The ring on the front adapts the larger speaker to the Taranis case, and stands the speaker away and at an angle to clear the existing speaker mount. (I didn't feel like grinding it all out) The whole thing is Goop-ed together, then Goop-ed into the transmitter. I also has some measurements made for this driver and the stock one. The acoustic guys said the stock one was a much better driver. There is some very nasty distortion in the ebay one at about 4K, almost 100%. I will look for the plots and add them to the post. The ebay one is a lot louder and has more extended low end, particularly once you put the enclosure in. So perhaps better for our application.

40 Another member suggested: If you're going to replace the speaker, I suggest get a better one. I got one of these Used the top section of a polycarbonate (Coke) bottle. Installed with hot glue. Didn't seal the back, I think it gets enough front loading from the grille and front chamber. Sealed all around the sides though. It speaks VERY loudly and clearly now. I've had to reduce the volume of the startup file. SPEAKER MODIFICATION Can't tell for sure from your photo, but it looks like there are two important components missing. 1. The reverb chamber in front of the speaker, and 2. sealing the speaker so the air in the front of the speaker can't "leak" to the back of the speaker. If you think of a megaphone -- this is what you're trying to do with the reverb chamber in front of the speaker. The seal is the red circle around my black speaker.

41 I took three steps in improving the sound and each step had a marked improvement. I really wish I'd done a recording so I could show a comparison. 1st step: Replaced the speaker with 36mm speaker mounted on pill bottle neck. 2nd step: Put bottom of pill bottle over the back of the speaker to create a mini resonance chamber. 3rd step: Removed the plastic in front of the speaker and covered with speaker cloth. The one you see is temporary. I just wrapped some around a rubber o-ring and used a few spots of hot melt to mount it. I'm gonna make a new one out of a garden hose washer with the inside trimmed out a bit. That will be much slicker install. I probably saw the biggest change with this third step.

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43 Another Speaker Upgrade With the threaded ring removed, the inner diameter of the bottleneck was just a tiny bit narrow (<1mm) and this was fixed with sandpaper. It now is press fit on the thing were the original speaker is glued The speaker needed some rounds with electrical tape to fit tight in the wider part. Sounds quite good.

44

45 Activity starts at certain throttle position If you want a mix line activated at a certain throttle position then set up a custom switch to turn on at that position. No curve required. CS4 a<x Thr -99 then the mix line would use CS4 to activate it. How to adjust sliders I've got flaps set up using LS but the slider is effective only after movement goes beyond 1/2. Set up a curve to use for LS in CH11 and CH12: And also delete the offset in CH11 and CH12:

46 More on Slider Functioning Movement On ch11 and 12 the offset of -100 is doing something similar. If you change the weight of those mixes to 50% then the channels will respond over the whole range of motion of LS and never go positive. (I think each line in a mix is "clipped" at +/-100, so with an offset of -100 and a weight of 100 any value of LS below 0 becomes If you need the full -200 for some reason then double up on those mix lines.) Generates the same result as the curve (with offset removal). Two ways to skin the same cat. Use the simplest solution: Source: RS Offset: 100 Weight: 50 This gives you a value varying from 0 to +100 for the full move of the slider.

47 VARIO SOUND My first post here on the Tranis forum. I have a problem with the new vario not talking to the tranis, I have used the vario as a bridge for the FAS-100, so use the setup explained in post 6822 After connecting up as per the pics, I found the Volts, Amps and Mah all displayed in the telemetry screen. I also set it to display Alt, hoping this is the vario output. I have set the page 13 telemetry to vario, but not allocated a switch as yet, mainly as I haven't worked out how to do that yet). But obviously the vario is talking via the smart port because I can see V, A, and Mah. I suppose the vario can also output its own data (alt) as well as the FAS data, or am I missing something. Has anyone had problems with these new smart port vario devices, appearing to work ( the led flashes when powered), yet not outputting altitude readings. I have tried blowing over the device to get it to register some change, but still no o/p. I wonder if there is any way to check if the vario is outputting data, or whether I have the tranis set wrongly. I don't really use the telemetry screen (I have all my telemetry audible) but I don't think there is a vario option on the screen, you have to make a CF. Vario Connection,just a quick question ive got an8xr receiver with S Port and want to connect it to the high precision variometer sensor do i just conect it to one of the back set of pins which one please top or bottom and then to the smart port,marty You can use either set of pins on the sensor, just be sure the polarity is correct. Telemetry with 4.8v A quick question regarding flight pack telemetry. I'm using a 4.8v NiMH pack in a glider and a d8-11 plus receiver. Everything is bound and working fine, there is a jumper between A1 and X on the receiver. When I set up the voltage on A1 on the Taranis I get messages about A2 voltage low and, if I try setting voltage on A2 I don't see the voltage on the telemetry screen. In both cases I am setting the voltage to 13.2v. Assume you have 4.8v pack only, no motor.