FrskyX Smartport telemetry supported on Ersky9x9xt?

[120pilot]

New to the forums and I guess the subject line pretty much states my question. I am trying to get Smartport telemetry from my XSR4SB and Naze32 Rev6. I am using a turnigy 9x with the 9Xtreme board. I am also using Midelic's multiprotocal module with Fryskyx protocol. Midelic reports that Sport telemetry works for him on his 9Xpro running Ersky9x and the DIY multiproto module. I have read a lot and watched a lot of videos explaining how to make this work. I have tried everything I can think of and so far I've only gone backwards. My 9Xtreme and the multiproto module are modified and work well with telemetry from a D4R-2. I wish I would have gone with a D4R-2 on this build but I wanted to try SBUS for its lower latency which is funny because I doubt I'll notice the difference.

So does Ersky9x9xt support smartport telemetry?
If it does is there a specific version I should load?

Thanks

[MikeB]

It should be supported now, but it wasn't with the original firmware shipped on the board.
What revision of firmware are you running? (Go to the "Version" menu and let me know the SVN line and the date).
For the SPORT telemetry, do you have the sub-protocol set to "FRSKYX" under MULTI?

Mike.

[120pilot]

OK Mike,

VERS: V. 5026-Mike
DATE: 22.05.2016
SVN: ersky9x-pr219
MOD: 9XT

I just flashed the ersky9x-pr219 a few days ago trying to get this working. I have FryskyX with Type CH_16 set in multi. I also just reflashed the latest multi or at least I think it's the latest. Today I soldered up a voltage divider to see if I could use that to monitor battery voltage through the X4Rs analog in pin. I was hoping to see something on A2. Ive tried A2s range or offset? but so far all I have is zero. I'm starting to wonder if my X4R doesnt have a problem. Shouldn't i be seeing some telemetry values from the receiver even without smartport working? Like A2 and RSSI ?

[MikeB]

Yes, you should see RSSi from the receiver. I'll try to run some tests, but I don't have a MULTI module that supports FrSky so there are limits to exactly what I can test.

Mike.

[jhsa]

And I have the multi module with FrSky but not an "X" receiver, so I cannot test as well..

João

[120pilot]

Thanks guys, like I said I'm starting to suspect my X4R. It works fine otherwise, I've tried it in both SBUS and CPPM modes but still no telemetry. I mostly needed to confirm that it should work and that I am running the correct software. Mike I hate to have you waste your time on something that is probably wrong at my end. I have access to a scope though I'm not sure what the telemetry pulse would look like. If I have time I will explore that today. I wish I could try it with a known good setup but unfortunately I have the Multi and a DJT but no XJT. Like I said my 9X, DJT and Multi are all modded and working with the old Telemetry. Are there any hardware changes I need to get Smartport telemetry working? I haven't found reference to any other mods I would need.

[MikeB]

I recently added a bit of debug on telemetry, I think it is in the version you are running.
From the main screen go UP LONG, the RIGHT until you get to the "Debug" display. On the bottom line should be the text "TelRxCount", followed by a 4 digit number. This is just a continuous count of the number of telemetry bytes received. If telemetry is being received it should be counting up. This is a good test of both the hardware and firmware to see if it look slike something is being received.
Of course, if I have firmware is wrong, the data may not be valid!

Mike.

[120pilot]

I was wondering about that. I noticed it earlier and I am looking at it now. It looks like Hex and it is indeed counting up. So I am receiving telemetry but for some reason its not displaying it?

[120pilot]

Mike does it make sense that TelRxCount is counting up with the 9Xtreme turned on while the X4R and the tricopter it is in is not connected to power?

[MikeB]

It may well be correct, I'll need to check what the MULTI module is sending and when. A XJT module sends a SWR frame even when the Rx is off.
Perhaps you could tell if the rate of counting changes when you switch the Rx on.
It is in hex.

Mike.

Edit, it looks like MULTI may be sending SWR, RSSI and RxBAT values at all times.
Please configure a custom telemetry screen to show these, together with "TmOK" and let me know what values you see.

[120pilot]

I will setup the screen once I'm at work a little later today and report back. Heres a copy and paste from RCGroups Multi thread regarding what I've been seeing:

"@ Midelic, If i select "HubRaw" under Ersky9x telemetry menu I get TmOk=2. Whenever I switch off of HubRaw I get voice warning "No Telemetry". But so far A1, A2 and RSSI all display 0. Anyother UsrProto selected under telemetry makes TmOK =0."

I went ahead and ordered a XJT module from Aloft Hobbies. They said if I don't end up needing it I can send it back. Very nice people with very good service.

[120pilot]

OK I set up 2 custom telemerty pages. I dont have RxBat but I assume RxV is the same thing. I also don't see SWR among the options to display. RSSI, and RxV display solid zeroes. I have a few other options selected and they all show zero. Just like before the only one that changes is TmOK which will show a 2 if I select HubRaw on the telemetry page. With anything other than HubRaw TmOk is at zero.

Just to be clear I don't have SmartPort connected right now. I figured I'd try to get basic telemetry sorted then revisit S-port. I do have a voltage divider connected to battery voltage and the Ain pin on the X4R. i thought I read that this pin corresponds to A2. But A1 and A2 still show zero. I did verify that power to the receiver is 5.01vdc.

Aloft Hobbies shipped the XJT today. I will probably receive it by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. If it works with the XJT then i will know it's something wrong with my 9x/multi. If it doesnt work I will send it and my X4R back to them. They will check the X4R and either replace it if it checks bad or return it to me if it works for them.

Oh and I did try watching the TelRxCount while powering and unpowering the tricopter. I could not detect any counting rate change just by looking at it.

[MikeB]

Checking the code, TmOK showing 2 when set to HUBRAW just indicates bytes are being received, even if they are rubbish! So that is the same as TelRxCount.

I'll see what testing I can do tomorrow, maybe add some debug and post special test version of the firmware for you to try.

Mike.

[120pilot]

Ok thanks Mike, I will wait for the XJT or anything you might like me to try. At this point I really don't know what else to try.

[MikeB]

I can see a couple of problems in ersky9x on the 9XT, partly related to it having support for both internal and external modules.
Please try:
Set the INTERNAL protocol ON and to MULTI - FRSKYX, you may then set the INTERNAL to OFF.
Now power the radio off and ON.
Check the telemetry display now shows SWR and not TX= for the TSSI value.
You may now find the telemetry work correctly.

Mike.

[120pilot]

Ok Mike I'll give that a try. I wasn't thinking and left the model at work. If I can get past a few of the Honey-dos I'll try to get up there later today to get it and give it a try. Also USPS says the XJT should arrive Monday.

[midelic]

I'm thinking now maybe you problem is on telemetry menu screen where are configured COM ports.
Should be:
FRSKy COM PORT 1
INVERT COM1 ON
COM2 FUNC TELEMETRY

This is what I have set on my 9X pro.

[120pilot]

I don't see a "INVERT COM1" option on my telemetry menu. Is there another menu for com port settings? The other settings I have tried every which way but at least now I know what they should be set to. I think they were defaulted to the settings you list before I played with them. In a bit I will go get the tricopter so I can try Mike's suggestion. I have the radio and my ZMR with me just in case I get a chance to do some FPV over the weekend but I forget to grab the tricopter.

[120pilot]

BTW on the telemetry menu I have Com 1 & 2 baudrate set to auto. BT Telemetry is off ( does BT stand for Bluetooth?). And FAS offset is set to 0.0. There are two other pages under telemetry. 1 for A1 and A2 which is the same page where you select USRProto which I have on FrSky and one which deals with Vario settings which I haven't messed with.

[MikeB]

The 9XR-PRO has a software configured, hardware inverter, has the "INVERT COM1" option, other hardware doesn't have this hardware, so the option is not present.

Mike.

[120pilot]

SUCCESS!!!! Mike that was it. Setting up FrskyX on internal did it. You guys are geniuses. I have RSSI=106(with the Rx sitting right next to the Tx),TmOK =1, A2=17.9(which should be my voltage divider going from battery to Rx Ain pin, I will have to adjust that), SWR =32 and there is now a SWR bar, RxV still = 0.

Thank-you so much for helping me on this. I would have never gotten that myself. I will now re-attempt to get S-port working but it might be Monday before I can really dig into it. Again thank-you!!

[120pilot]

Oh and let me know if there is any test firmware version you would like me to try. I will try to help anyway I can.

[120pilot]

Mike I bet you are in bed right now. It must be about 2 am your time so you will probably see this in the morning. Just wanted to convey a few more symptoms of the current firmware. After I got the X4R basic telemetry to display I went and flew my ZMR 250 equipped with the D4R-2. I'm betting you saw this coming. You guessed it, no telemetry. At first I thought I needed to go in and change the protocol on the internal whenever I switched between my X4R and D4R-2. But after trying to pin down what is really going on, here is what I have found. My normal sequence is to power on the TX and select the model I will be flying. Then I power up the model. As it is now if I am switching from X4R model to D4R-2 model or vice versa, when I power up the Tx and then the Rx I will have no telemetry. It will show the telemetry options selected for the previously bound model but the values are static. If I then cycle power on the TX with power still on the Rx it will switch to the correct telemetry display options and display live data. Not really a problem since there seems to be an easy work-around. Not sure though if that's the way you intend it to work. Keep in mind the whole Telemetry deal is still quite new and still quite awesome to me. Until now the only telemetry Rx I owned was the D4R-2 so never tried this scenario before. Maybe this behavior is totally normal?

[120pilot]

Thought i posted this earlier but I was looking before i headed to bed and I didn't see my last post. Hopefully this doesn't get posted twice. Anyways, I messed with it some more and found that you just have to cycle Tx power after you select the other FrSky Rx/model. The Rx you intend to fly does not need to be powered. So you don't have to turn off the Tx with the Rx still on. So select other Frsky model, cycle Tx power then power up model/Rx and it seems to be working fine. Maybe this is normal?

[MikeB]

Yes I am aware of that need. It is to do with using the MULTI module. The main protocol (MULTI) doesn't change when you change sub-protocols (e.g. FRSKY to FRSKYX), but the telemetry processing does need to change.
With all the different possibilities (Tx hardware, Tx module, protocols) I haven't got everything automatic.
I think If you set the "Usrproto" to FRSKY when using the X4R and set it to FRHUB for the D4R then it will switch to the correct processing when you change models.

Mike.

[MikeB]

I've just posted a new test version. This should NOT need the internal module to be configured, but you do still need to set the "UsrProto" to either FRSKY or FRHUB as required.

Mike.

[120pilot]

Sorry just saw this Mike. Just so I get the right one can you give me the name of the file you modified.? I'll load it tomorrow and let you how it goes.
BTW S-port does work although VFas gives alot of invalid data which is making my battery low voice warning a little annoying.

[MikeB]

"ersky9xProvR219q_music.zip"

Mike.

[120pilot]

Hi Mike, I finally got around to loading "ersky9xProvR219q_music.zip". It seems to work well. After flashing I did not turn the internal modules on and was able to get S-port from the X4R. I also was able to get telem from the D4R-2. As expected I did have to cycle power after switching from one model to the other to get the correct telem values displayed. The telltale is Swr vs TX=. After i was sure they both worked with internal off I looked at each one with internal on to see what was selected. Proto for both was PPM, 7 channel, 300 usec which I presume is default. Let me know if there is anything else I can check for you. Thanks again,

James

[MikeB]

Do you have "UsrProto" to FRHUB for the D4R and to FRSKY for the X4R?

Mike.