Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

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Hippo
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Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

Hi,

I've been happily running some old version of OpenTX on my Sky9X board since mid last-year. I got the bright idea of upgrading to the latest version, so I downloaded CompanionTX, and V2.0.12 for Sky9X board, and sent it via SAM-BA.

Well, that bricked the radio. So, I opened it up, jumpered the erase, and managed to bring it back to life. (There was a lot more sweating involved than that sentence implies.)

Repeat, and same result. I restored my original firmware, everything was working. I updated Companion9x to the last version, and using that installed r2940. Then I tried v2.0.12 again. Bricked again. A couple repeats later, and I'm still stuck on r2940. All is well, but I still want to know how to install v2.0.12.

Is there something special I should do? Some intermediate version I missed out on?

Any help would be appreciated.
Dan

Orphee
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Orphee »

Hello,

I'm facing the same issue.
My last FW is 2.0.5 and it works well.

I tried to update to 2.0.12 and it brick the TX.

I had to use the jumper to flash back 2.0.5.
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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

Does the bootloader get installed OK (power on with both horizontal trims held inwards)?

Mike.
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Hippo
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

For me, no.
Nothing gets installed, blank screen even with boatloader switches held.

In fact, the computer doesn't even recognize it as a USB device until after the reset.
Orphee
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Orphee »

Hello, I'm not sure the power on with trims inwards works on opentx for sky9x.

On my RevB I just need to plug USB while powered off and USB appears on the screen.

Same as Hippo.

Edit : My bad, I have the bootloader menu with trims inwards on 2.0.5 FW
but blank screen with 2.0.12

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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

I suspect that openTx is currently mainly tested on the Taranis, probably due to lack of time to test on all platforms.
I'm using ersky9x on my SKY board.

Mike.
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Clark06000
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Clark06000 »

Just adding another confirmed issue after flashing it on a Turnigy 9x V1!
In teaching mode with one Turnigy 9x V2 as master, the V1 tx being student, this new version 2.0.12 causes the throttle channel can't be controlled by the student: the brusless motor can't go under a 50% rate, so can't be stopped (dangerous...).
Reflashing version r2940 on this student Tx eliminates this issue. Any confirmation of that problem, solution?
Have a nice day.
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Kilrah
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Kilrah »

Unrelated, this thread is about something specific to the sky9x board. You should probably redo the calibration on the trainer setup page making sure the student stick is at center.

Regarding the original problem, an issue has been opened so that a developer who still has a sky9x board can look at it...
Clark06000
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Clark06000 »

Hi, Kilrah,
Being an senior electronician and on RC systems for decades, I tried many adjustments and checks but... with the new firmware, the issue is rock solid! I have spent many hours to investigate, measure signals with a 250mhz scope on board places... Pulses arrives at 1msec from student and go out at about 1.4msec at RX output???
Then I decided to step back. Returning to r2940 on student Tx and this throttle issue has gone away! So much the best...
I know this is not easy to work on new firmwares and covering all cases due to complexity!
Thanks to all programmers doing a so nice open firmware.
Hippo
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

Clark,

I'm sure he didn't mean to belittle your problem. He just meant that you're posting it in the wrong place.

This thread is specifically about trouble getting 2.0.12 installed on a sky9x board in the first place. We haven't had a chance yet to worry about how it behaves once installed...
Clark06000
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Clark06000 »

Sorry for confusing... Thanks for your message.
Bye!
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Kilrah
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Kilrah »

Hippo wrote: I'm sure he didn't mean to belittle your problem. He just meant that you're posting it in the wrong place.
Exact.

There is no known issue about trainer on the 9x, but we can have a look. It would help if you posted the EEPROM file of the master radio. Maybe open a new thread for that.
bertrand35
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by bertrand35 »

I am not sure I tested the bootloader on the sky9x board, I only tested on 9XR-PRO.
bertrand35
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by bertrand35 »

Someone with a SKY9X board and ready to test a correction would send me a PM or an email? I will send him a bin.
Orphee
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Orphee »

Pm sent :)
Orphee
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Orphee »

Hi again :)

We had some exchanges with Bertrand, and he fixed the 2.0.12 boot, and fixed CoProcessor access too (clock saved !)

With Mike's new bootloader we loose access to DFU mode (USB plug with power OFF)

Bertrand told me he will revert back the BL on sky9x (not 9XR-PRO) to have DFU access like I have it on 2.0.5 FW :

Power off : Plug USB -> "USB" appears on the screen and you can flash FW (with associated bootloader)
Power ON with trim inwards : Bootloader mode ON (access to SDcard)

I'm currently on 2.0.5 bootloader (V1.1 Ready) with latest OpenTX 2.0.12 test FW and it works great
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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

Orphee wrote:With Mike's new bootloader we loose access to DFU mode (USB plug with power OFF)
Not really. The whole idea of the bootloader is you shouldn't need the "DFU" mode (SAM-BA on the SKY board). You can flash the main firmware via the bootloader, and, by copying the .bin file to the SD card, you can update the bootloader. Since the bootloader shouldn't need updating very often, this shouldn't cause any real extra operations normally.
If you need to revert to SAM-BA, something serious must be wrong. In that case you use the ERASE operation on the processor, then using the USB with power off will start in SAM-BA mode.

Mike.
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Orphee
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Orphee »

Currently, how do you update the bootloader ? is it the Maintenance mode ?
On OpenTX there is no maintenance mode, only bootloader mode, maybe I'm wrong but in bootloader mode it doesn't update bootloader.
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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

In ersky9x you use maintenance mode, where you also have options to update the coprocessor and SPort devices. I believe in openTx you can update the bootloader from the SD card file display.
I have passed the code for maintenance mode, to allow SPort device update, to Bertrand. I built a version of openTx r2940 with this in to test it, so it all works.
Since it might be useful, I've just tested a version of my bootloader that start in bootloader mode if you plug in the USB, then switch on UNLESS you are holding the trainer switch at power on with the USB plugged in, when it starts in SAM-BA mode, so all possibilities are available again.

Mike.
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Hippo
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

Can somebody share a version of 2.0.5 or the new bootloader so I can get working? I ended up installing ersky9x, and then using bootloader mode from there to flash 2.0.12, and it's working, but I seem to have lost mass storage mode? Is there something different I should be doing? Or should I just hang tight for 2.0.13?

Thanks so much,
Dan
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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

Mass storage mode should work in the bootloader, I don't think it is in the main openTx, and isn't in the main ersky9x.

Mike.
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Hippo
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

Aha! Thank you!

Yes, mass storage works in the bootloader. I was coming from versions so old they didn't have the bootloader mode, and OpenTX had previously had mass storage mode in the main section after bootup.

Works perfectly now. I should be able to cope nicely until the next openTX update. For now I guess I'll continue t use SAM-BA to update the eeprom.

Thanks again,
Dan
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MikeB
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by MikeB »

The EEPROM is mapped to the second mass storage drive. Does Companion not access this using the bootloader? It maybe it is looking for a file of a different name to "ERSKY9X.BIN". I tried to have the bootloader(s) common across all hardware platforms, by having a single set of sources, but openTx chose to build the bootloader themselves, and then change some things.

Mike.
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Hippo
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Hippo »

That's great. I'l give it a try later today. Either way, I'm just happy to have a working solution right now.

I may switch back to ersky9x at some point. I needed a lot of the extra features, but ersky9x has really caught up, and surpassed in some areas. But, I think I've messed with the radio enough for now, good weather tomorrow, gotta fly!

Thanks,
Dan
andrewwl
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by andrewwl »

Hi, I registered to ask about this very problem, but found this discussion before creating a thread.

I want to report also that 2.0.12 variant 216 does exactly what Hippo/Dan described: The flash process appears to succeed, but upon powering up, nothing shows up on the LCD, and the radio will no longer communicate thru USB until the jumper is used. My board is a Sky9X Revision B1.
andrewwl
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by andrewwl »

Same issue here: Sky9x Rev B1, companion hooked up with SAM-BA...

Any link to OpenTX bin for sky9x 2.0.5?

EDIT: compiled 2.0.5, see attached, uploads to radio and runs fine, but there are other (possibly unrelated) issues that are off-topic for this thread, using ersky9x now
Attachments
opentx-sky9x-en-2.0.5.zip
OpenTX for sky9x, english, default setting (no Makfile changes), version 2.0.5
(125.93 KiB) Downloaded 146 times
opentx-sky9x-en-2.0.5.tar.gz
OpenTX for sky9x, english, default setting (no Makfile changes), version 2.0.5
(125.93 KiB) Downloaded 147 times
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Kilrah
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Kilrah »

You should be able to compile "master" instead, which will be 2.0.13 where the issue is fixed.
andrewwl
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by andrewwl »

Master is still at 2.0.12 it seems. After pulling, it's at commit 2230fbaa..., and compilation produces a bin which companion reports as 2.0.12. I can see Songis's early morning sacrifices:
commit b89e16e6271e2dda2e78720f75ea4335f6050557
Author: bsongis <[email protected]>
Date:   Mon Oct 6 00:03:19 2014 +0200

    Sky9x Coprocessor bug fix

commit 9e4e990d33d01e1cc563810154d357c6fded62e0
Author: bsongis <[email protected]>
Date:   Mon Oct 6 00:02:40 2014 +0200

    Sky9x binary was built with the bootloader present on disk (was not
    removed by make clean). So 99% it was a Taranis bootloader.
But after flashing this, a few pixels start fading in upon bootup, and then it just stops. Other screwups of my own may be at play. Flashing ersky9x back now...
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Kilrah
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Re: Installing OpenTX 2.0+ on Sky9X board

Post by Kilrah »

Yeah we usually bump the version number just before release. People who compile themselves are typically able to understand how it works ;)

The pixel thing, does it happen both in the bootloader and in the firmware?

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