Documentation for OpenTX 2.2 Taranis and Horus

openTx has introduced a range of new features, ideas and bling. It is fast becoming the firmware of choice for many users. openTx will run on ALL current hardware platforms, including the gruvin9x and sky9x boards. Work has already started to support the new FrSky X9D radio!
thebriars0
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Documentation for OpenTX 2.2 Taranis and Horus

Post by thebriars0 »

This is about the 4th update of this documentation and now is (hopefully) up-to-date for OpenTX version 2.2.3. Sadly it doesn't cover the X-lite for the simple reason that I don't have one! Looking at the various issues still outstanding for this version of OpenTX, few, if any will require a change to the documentation. This documentation is based around using the OpenTX Companion as the main programming tool. Once one is familiar with how the Companion works, using the on-screen editing system is then easy to learn for when changes are made down at the field. If you are new to OpenTX it is worth going through section 2 first to get a feel of the program.

For those that have already downloaded the documentation for 2.2.1, the following sections have since been updated: Sections 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10. The documentation covers 250 pages which can be downloaded and printed out or viewed on-screen. 20th March 2019, correct version of section 5 now included.

Section 1, Introduction & Contents.pdf
(312.11 KiB) Downloaded 7897 times
Section 2, Getting Started.pdf
(3.68 MiB) Downloaded 7214 times
Section 3, The OpenTX Companion.pdf
(3.62 MiB) Downloaded 6859 times
Section 4, The Radio Settings Menu.pdf
(1.83 MiB) Downloaded 6766 times
Section 5, The Model Editor.pdf
(9.45 MiB) Downloaded 6491 times
Section 6, Telemetry.pdf
(3.17 MiB) Downloaded 6305 times
Section 7, The Taranis Transmitters.pdf
(4.18 MiB) Downloaded 6227 times
Section 8, The Horus Transmitters.pdf
(4.49 MiB) Downloaded 6083 times
Section 9, How-To Part 1.pdf
(2.78 MiB) Downloaded 7871 times
Section 10, How-To Part 2.pdf
(3.19 MiB) Downloaded 6727 times
Last edited by thebriars0 on Wed Mar 20, 2019 5:51 pm, edited 7 times in total.

chuckstarck
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

on page...
General Edit, The Setup Screen
On the radio, the setup screen is called Radio Setup. On the OpenTX Companion it is called simply Setup. Apart from the functions already mentioned, the functions on both are the same.


Twas me having problems finding the "THIRD" setup screen.
On mine it's called as you mention in the beginning: General Settings, followed by General Edit. I can find no where "Setup" as you mention in the header.

Just reading through your 2.1 manual, which is also a THANK YOU.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

Adjust RTC
RTC = Real time clock. Ticking is box will update the RTC with the GPS time. (Needs GPS telemetry to be installed in a model.)

I think you mean Ticking THIS box...
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

The above were from General Settings Section two... sorry
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by thebriars0 »

Thanks for the comments. Corrected the RTC, and the Settings one. You are right, the latter needed to be more clearly written, it was confusing.

Keep the red pen handy and please post anything else which is unclear or wrong.

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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

page 35 section 3b

L2 will flash (i.e. signify true) when SH has been held down for one second, L1 will then flash after SH is released. Nether will flash if Sh is held down for a

end of sentence is missing? Doesn't seem to flow with the next page.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

page 38, here's that darn Setup again, which setup??

SECTION 3
Martin Phillips April 2016
38
Open TX The Model Editor
The Special Functions Screen
The Special Functions screen gives the option of adding all sorts of exciting features to a model program. For every model, there are up to 64 Special Functions available. In addition there are a further 64 Global Functions available. These are accessed from the Setup screen and are the same as the Special Functions expect that they operate on all model settings. Thus for a function one
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

This is a little off center but you might lead some light on it for me.

SWR: I've been an electronic tech for 60 years and it always meant Standing Wave Ratio of the RF output to the antenna. So I see it's a telemetry option, and / or it comes from the receiver, some result there.
My first stumble across this SWR on Taranis Plus was an earlier version of 2.0, perhaps 2.0.12 or something like that where I did a telemetry reset for altitude (moved the model down to the field, about 10 ft below the start up stand) and up came the SWR warning "bad antenna or the like". Now it dawns on me that the reset interrupted the telemetry and so the warning.

What are we really measuring...
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

Pg 40 section 3b

SetFailsafe Int. Module
This feature allows the failsafe to be set dynamically, either on the ground or in the air. Assign a switch to this and with the control surfaces set as required for failsafe, simply pressing this switch will store their values. This particular feature if for the internal XJT module in a Taranis.

I think you mean IS
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

PG 41: This is better than sliced bread! I knew there should be a way to do that. BUT it might be mentioned that this is only one line at a time OR, if possible the old Click/Shift to grab a bunch of them all at once. I don't know if that's possible, just got excited with cut and past from another model.

A useful short cut when editing the Special Functions screen is right-clicking on the special function number in the left hand column to obtain the following menu box. This enables special function lines to be cut copied or moved not only within the same model functions screen, but between models too.
OpenTX Companion
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

PG 42 section 3b

"Calculated" virtual sensors can be manually created to combine values or extract extra data. Values can be added, averaged or multiplied, the minimum or maximum of a set of up to 4 values van be extracted.

can?
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

It's probably okay or correct, I just stumbled when I read

section 3b pg 46

Although sensors will appear, the values might not appear straight away. GPS data takes several minutes

right away or immediately
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

somewhere back, back back, I read another similar description of RSSI, perhaps you could do a search for it. I think you didn't describe the "I".

This one is right

RSSI
RSSI stands for Received Signal Strength Indicator
from pg 47
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

pg 48 section 3b

This drop down box offers a range of units. Conversion is carried out automatically if the unit is acceptable alternative for the default unit. i.e. mph can be changed to km/h, but not volts, although the units shown appear to have changed.

Now the truth comes out. I was really interested in the telemetry from the beginning but your doc is so well done, looks so good, and now we're in great pictures of telemetry stuff and I'm excited.
I just don't understand the comment in bold above.

I have a sensor that simply reads the voltage of my ignition battery, but it reads it all wrong and if you disconnect it from the receiver it continues to read it wrong for about a minute till then it starts to blink on the telemetry screen. None of all that makes any sense to me.
There are some weird things that happen to the main screen of the TX if you don't define A2, it just comes up with some representation of "something" an none of it makes sense. Now defining the telemetry screen RXbt makes the main tx screen correct. Interesting too.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

pg 52 section 3b

This data can be stored on the transmitters SD card, and downloaded to a computer using a USB cable and Bootlogger mode

I think BootLoader mode
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

pg 53 section 3b

Not sure if this matters.
I think most of the US guys think "antenna" not aerial.

I just halted when I read it. Antennas are packed with xXR's so that might be a consideration. Not my call.

The data logging also logs the joystick, slider and switch positions on the transmitter. Even if no sensors are fitted it will also log the RSSI and receiver battery voltage. This latter ability is very useful with a new model to fully test that the receiver aerials are functioning well in all flight conditions.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

That's it for me today.

I'll try to go through:
OpenTX Getting Started Part1.pdf
(1.45 MiB) Downloaded 103 times
Reference Section 1, The Basics.pdf
(1.12 MiB) Downloaded 68 times
Reference Section 2, General Edit.pdf
(2.7 MiB) Downloaded 59 times
in the next few days if I have time. and the

and How TO's
It's been fun and you taught me a lot! Thanks to you.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

Back to that telemetry and SWR issue.

Just seems wrong that it requires telemetry from the RX to tell me about my TX. Just makes no sense period.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by MikeB »

The XJT module sends telemetry data to the main processor. One of the items it sends is the SWR of the XJT, so it is handled as a telemetry item, and is always present, even if you don't have a receiver powered.

Mike.
erskyTx/er9x developer
The difficult we do immediately,
The impossible takes a little longer!
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

Thanks for the flow on that Mike. Mentally I tied it to the telemetry from the RX.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

pg 7 how to's

errors highlighted

Sound files can be created for a variety of purposes. The can be used as warnings, for information or to play background music. Spoken files can be created using a microphone on the computer or a computer text-to-speech generator that will save the files. Sound files can also be spoken timed commands.

Either go on line a select a text to speech program, or download one. Balabolka if it available is quite a good program and has the added benefit that it will save in the right format for OpenTX without having to use Audacity to convert it.
Here is a phrase to be used when the timer countdown gets to zero. It does produce the odd wry smile down at the flying field.


THEY can be used, and, Either go on line AND.
Wry isn't used in American English. I had to look it up to find what it meant.
Perhaps "It does produce a good smile down at the flying field." That might be more universal.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

how to pg 9

When the radio is turned on or the model is selected, display a check list text file and play an audio file. This is an example of a text file:
Audio files at model selection time may contain music, reminder to do a range check, reminder to orientate the antenna appropriately, other pre-flight checks or anything else you can imagine.
To Create The Text File
Using a text editor, like Notepad in Microsoft Windows, create a text file with name ‘MyModel.txt”. MyModel must be exactly the same as the name of the model, without blanks. The width of the Taranis screen is 35 characters so each line must be limiter to 35 characters - this includes spaces. The screen has 7 lines below the heading but you can scroll down to more lines.


When the radio is turned on or the model is selected, the radio can display a check list text file and play an audio file.
must be limited to
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

how to's pg 3

6. These files will need to be copied to a similar folder on the actual SD card in the transmitter. In OpenTX, with the transmitter in boot mode and connected to the computer, this can be


Bootloader
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

pg 13 Section 1

The next screen now shows the position of the joysticks and the TRIM switch positions.

The third screen shows the toggle switches and the state of the 32 Logical Switches. Each logical

sentence ends abruptly
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by chuckstarck »

Pg 13 of getting started

The very end. Adding a last line of %100 travel, no switch will resolve a defective switch. I see this often in tutorials.


I"ve looked through it all now.

You've done a marvelous job.
I'd like to see the top of this thread edited each time you make a change in that section. That way a person can download all the manual and if there is a change, they can see what section that's in and just print that section or perhaps some way to update a page and print that page would even be neater.

Smiles to you for all you have done. Some will not want this because they already know and new people will have an anchored place to start from. We need a link on opentx-u for this work.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by thebriars0 »

Wow! Thanks for all the hard work, ought to call you ChuckStar! I shall work my way through them in the next few days, and make the changes you've suggested.

Have had a flurry of emails, and it looks like the OpenTX team would like to include it on their website which is undergoing a rewrite at the moment. I'll do all the updates, and any more that come in and produce revised versions for the beginning of May hopefully. If it goes on the OpenTX website, then I shall remove these copies and put a link instead.

At the moment we have 3 fine days with sunshine but no RAIN and low winds, so flying takes priority. Our field is still flooded and too wet to cut the grass. Been quite mild all winter but wet.
Last edited by thebriars0 on Tue Apr 19, 2016 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by RCAdik »

Good to hear about the OpenTX team!
2.1.x specific documentation will be helpful to many.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by freddan6 »

Great Job.
I have a number of small comments

Reference Section 1. The Basics
Page 2) Configure communication. Please rephrase this, When I am using alternate radios, in my case 9XR and Taranis I need to go in to this menu and change communication when I change radio. I suspect it is automatically correct when using Taranis, and I need to change it when I plug in my 9XR.
Page 6) Fia Choice => FAI Choice, FIA Mode => FAI Mode.
Page 10) Please check this with someone native English speaking but the "for" looks wrong "This can be changed for one’s own screen." My gut feeling says "This can be changed to one’s own screen" But I am not 100% sure.
Page 13) Last sentence is cut. "Each logical" .... something should follow

regards //Fredrik
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by Kilrah »

freddan6 wrote: Page 2) Configure communication. Please rephrase this, When I am using alternate radios, in my case 9XR and Taranis I need to go in to this menu and change communication when I change radio. I suspect it is automatically correct when using Taranis, and I need to change it when I plug in my 9XR.
You should not need to.
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Re: Draft Documentation for OpenTX 2.1

Post by thebriars0 »

freddan6 wrote:Great Job.
I have a number of small comments

Reference Section 1. The Basics
Page 2) Configure communication. Please rephrase this, When I am using alternate radios, in my case 9XR and Taranis I need to go in to this menu and change communication when I change radio. I suspect it is automatically correct when using Taranis, and I need to change it when I plug in my 9XR.
Thanks for the response Kilrah

Page 6) Fia Choice => FAI Choice, FIA Mode => FAI Mode.
Done

Page 10) Please check this with someone native English speaking but the "for" looks wrong "This can be changed for one’s own screen." My gut feeling says "This can be changed to one’s own screen" But I am not 100% sure.
I am a native English speaker (British English I hasten to add.) Actually both are equally correct.
Page 13) Last sentence is cut. "Each logical" .... something should follow
Oops, formatting error hid the rest.

regards //Fredrik
Thanks for the feedback.

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