9Xtreme Upgrade Board for 9x Radios

[bob195558]

Hi jacks23,
I speculate you have a 9x radio using er9x-FrSky firmware installed on it and you may or not be using
the older Smartieparts Programmer Board and maybe the TelemetrEZ board with it.
I am not sure if the new 9xtreme Board is coming with the first firmware version of erSky9x-9xt preinstalled on it,
but if you have not used erSky9x yet, it is much like er9x.
With erSky9x radio setting you are able select more personal options and setting needed for your hardware
and upgraded mods that you may have done to it.
Instead of using eePe, you will use eePSkye on your computer to connect and manage your 9xtreme Radio.
I use erSky9x on my Taranis and Sky9x radios and er9x on my 9x radios.

Bob B.

[MikeB]

ersky9x should be pre-loaded.

Mike.

[jhsa]

Thank you SO much for your patience while we finished up the development and production of the 9Xtreme! I know you're as excited as I am about this project, and I'm happy to inform you the time has finally arrived! Your order has been processed for shipping. In the next 24 hours, the distribution service will pack it and send it from China directly to your door.

It seems they are shipping folks!!
Just got a mail saying that

João

[s_mack]

Yep! Whew... just finished. My fingers are sore.

All pre-orders have been shipped!

I'm taking a little break and then I'll start working on documentation.

[jhsa]

Steven, there is something on the email that I don't quite understand.. What do we have to do to get a tracking number? You say something about "AFTER 3 DAYS". Should we send you an email in 3 days??
Sorry for being dumb.. I'm probably having one of those moments
It starts happening quite often as the age increases

João

[bob195558]

Hi,
Good News from Steven at SmartieParts.com
9Xtreme Upgrade Board Shipping Status: they are being prepared to be Shipped Out !

Thank you SO much for your patience while we finished up the development and production of the 9Xtreme!
I know you're as excited as I am about this project, and I'm happy to inform you the time has finally arrived!
Your order has been processed for shipping.
In the next 24 hours, the distribution service will pack it and send it from China directly to your door.
The time in transit depends on a lot of factors, and they give me a wide '5 to 20 days' estimate,
although I'm assured typical time is 6 to 10 days to most destinations.
All pre-orders are being upgraded to a tracked service at no extra charge, except in some cases where untracked services offer faster delivery times
(this is most notably the case to Australia and some rural US destinations).
In those cases, I've still got you covered if anything goes wrong.
Please understand I have no method yet for automatically sending tracking numbers and I have hundreds of pre-orders to fill,
so I'm only providing tracking numbers to those that follow up AFTER 3 DAYS asking for one.
I've never shipped using a Chinese distribution service before, so I'm especially looking for feedback from customers
and I hope you don't mind letting me know as soon as it arrives and whether there were any problems.
If it is not too inconvenient, I'd appreciate if you can take a picture of the packaging it arrives in and any labels and marks on the
outside of the package and if anything is inserted in the packaging besides the clearly marked SmartieParts box.
I am sending using a variety of services to try to get an idea of which are the best to use going forward
(for example, some customers will receive via Hong Kong post, others China Mail, while others will be routed through Swiss Post, Deutche Post, etc).
Of course, I'd also like your feedback on my packaging such as the box, the foam, and contents to get your opinion on how well it is presented and protected.
I worked very hard getting the kits built, but I am behind on documentation.
Currently there are no installation instructions, and I'll be hard at work on that in the coming weeks.
I have to receive my own kit before I can effectively produce properly illustrated documentation.
Those of you familiar with my previous boards will already have an idea on how to install the new kits, as they borrow heavily on those designs.
I pride myself on the quality of my documentation, but it is also something I am admittedly slow at producing... I'll do my best.

Steven Morehouse
SmartieParts.com

[mishadude]

Great news! I have a sd card ready to go. Other than the card, a screwdriver, and a cr1220 battery it should be plug and play with firmware loaded at the factory correct?

[s_mack]

I suppose a complete list would include 2 optional items and 3 required items.

Required: micro USB cable; small phillips screw driver; a 9X
Optiional: MicroSD card; CR1220 battery

Everything else is included.

[s_mack]

Steven, there is something on the email that I don't quite understand.. What do we have to do to get a tracking number? You say something about "AFTER 3 DAYS". Should we send you an email in 3 days??
Sorry for being dumb.. I'm probably having one of those moments
It starts happening quite often as the age increases

João

yeah, given the number of inquiries I've received, it is obvious that I could have worded that better.

I send the order information to a distribution centre. At that point, on my system, I mark it as "shipped" and the order is complete from my system's perspective. But physically, the goods have gone nowhere. The distribution centre needs to receive the order, process my payment, physically pick the items and assemble the order, pack them into a box/envelope, print a label and finally send it on its way. SOMEWHERE in that mess, a tracking number is generated and posted to the order. I currently have no automated way of grabbing those and importing them into my system. If it were available immediately, I could do it. But as it is, I have to wait some unknown amount of time before looking for them.

Three days was just a guess on my part. I looked this morning and a few orders have tracking numbers but most don't. Some of the ones that do have tracking numbers are still physically at the centre while some of the ones that have left still don't have numbers.

This is all new to me so it will take some time for me to see how it all works.

The *intent* of my message was for the customers who need a tracking number to wait 3 days before asking me for one. Hopefully by that time it is there and I can manually retrieve it for them.

At some point I'll figure out a way to do it automatically. The distribution service as an API and there's probably something in there but I haven't had time to look through it.

[jhsa]

Thanks Steven, so I should email you in a few days with my order number, correct?

João

[s_mack]

That is correct.

[MikeB]

Since this is an upgrade board for the 9X we now have a specific sub-forum for it under "Upgrade Boards" (thank you Rob), see: viewforum.php?f=126.

We should be able to organise things there rather than just having a single thread.

Mike.

[jhsa]

Good idea..

João

[maz]

So when I originally planned to upgrade my radio (last year) the programmer and telemetryEZ were the best options, now I've just ordered the 9xtreme board (and it's shipped!)

I would like to add a FrSky XJT/X8R along with the 9xtreme for the telemetry, it looks like the 9xtreme is pretty close to plug and play.
Will the module work straight up If I cut the hardwired module off and drop the new module in the back with the 9xtreme installed, or is there some additional work to be done?

[ShowMaster]

So when I originally planned to upgrade my radio (last year) the programmer and telemetryEZ were the best options, now I've just ordered the 9xtreme board (and it's shipped!)

I would like to add a FrSky XJT/X8R along with the 9xtreme for the telemetry, it looks like the 9xtreme is pretty close to plug and play.
Will the module work straight up If I cut the hardwired module off and drop the new module in the back with the 9xtreme installed, or is there some additional work to be done?

The answer should be yes! Either hold off on the xjt for full confirmation or buy it to be ready. It will work, but maybe a backplane pin reassignment may be required?
I have a XJT ready to install from another project, the HK 9XR Pro. The Pro cane with the module bay pins pre wired to use the xjt S port input pin. Ersky9x supports the xjt already. I'm just not sure what may be required, if anything, to let the stock 9X module bay pins support the XJT Sport hardware wise?
This all will be answered quickly when the boards arrive.
I'm sure after reading this, Mike will jump in with the details. He and Steven are way ahead of us.
SM

[bob195558]

Shipping update from Steven at smartieparts.com for the 9Xtreme Upgrade Boards.

Hello everyone! I hate to put a damper on peoples' excitement, but I've been getting a lot of emails from customers
asking where their packages are and I want to clarify some things so people have realistic expectations.
Note that I am sending this message to everyone that purchased these products,
and I apologize if this is duplicated, irrelevant or contradictory information to some of you.
I sent out over 400 pre-orders around Friday the 9th and in the message I send I used words such as,
"In the next 24 hours, the distribution service will pack it and send it from China directly to your door.
I jumped the gun a bit with that wording, and several things I didn't consider made that statement untrue.
First, it was a Friday so "24 hours" meant the whole of Monday (yesterday) meaning today is only "Day 1" at best.
Second, their standard of 24 hours is to just get the package ready for pickup by the various shipping services.
It seems that can take another 24 hours or more to happen.
Finally, China was just finishing their week long National Holiday and the distribution center had a large backlog
because of that. I didn't know it at the time, but I've since read that they expected a 3-day delay.
With that said, I can see that MOST packages have been sent as of this morning.
So please re-start your clocks!
Realistically it could still be 2 or even 3 weeks to many destinations, but I imagine most of you will begin seeing them by the middle of next week.
A reminder about tracking numbers: Unless you upgraded to DHL or UPS, postal tracking numbers are not intended for watching the progress of a shipment.
They are there to track something down in case something goes wrong.
Often it is the case that the package will arrive before the tracking information is ever updated with anything informative.
You can ask me for one and I'll certainly provide it if they've updated the system with one.
The availability of a tracking number seems to depend on the service it was shipped with.
For example, many US customers were shipped with their "USA/Canada Express Line" which is supposed to be quite fast,
but I have very few tracking numbers for those (they are starting to trickle in).
For those that shipped via Swiss Post, on the other hand, I had tracking numbers before the shipment ever left the building... but
as far as I know, NONE of them are actually usable yet. And that is quite normal.
From my own experience, other than couriers, tracking numbers are relatively useless during a shipment
and are really nothing more than proof of sending should a dispute arise.
Thanks for your continued patience!

ps. I upgraded my own shipment to UPS "3 to 5 day" service... and the tracking states it will be here on the 19th. That's 10 days!
That seems really long and I admit I was shocked (and even complained) but again, because of the weekends, 5 business days
becomes 9 calendar days plus the 24 hour processing and really it will be right on time. Sometimes math sucks, but it is hard to argue with.

Steven Morehouse
SmartieParts.com

[s_mack]

I got confirmation that a customer in Singapore and a customer in North Carolina have received their kits today! Both upgraded to DHL service. A third that upgraded to DHL shows it is well on its way. The two that used UPS (including mine) are not expected until the 19th. Lesson of the day: DHL > UPS. That pains me to say, because I have a personal hate-on for DHL. Then again, I have no particular love for UPS.


Over 400 kits were shipped out between Friday and today, so things are going to get hot and heavy quickly! This should be fun.

[maz]

Thanks SM,

I noted that Mike did say XJT / Sport was supported on the 9xtreme (about 5 pages back), and I've seen an video who has the XJT in a 9x but I'm not sure what modifications he made to the x9 before installing the XJT module, or if the telemetry even worked :p)

Based on that I ordered the XJT + X8R but I'm sure I'll have the 9xtreme long before they arrive from HK's international warehouse.

[MikeB]

I believe the 9Xtreme will be delivered with a 2-wire cable ready for connection to the telemetry. For the XJT, this just needs to connect to the SPort connection. There are two ways to do this. One is to plug it in the Sport connector on the back of the module. The other is to solder the correct wire to pin 5 (the bottom pin) of the module connector, which is what I've done on the prototype.

Mike.

[s_mack]

Attached are the contents. The twisted black/white wire is the one Mike is referring to.

[maz]

Thanks for the clarification, now I can't wait!!

[s_mack]

I just realized a "mistake" they made! But I like it The 12 and 4 wire cables shown in the photo are supposed to have white wires, not red ones. But it kinda looks nice in red.

[bob195558]

Hi Mike,

With the external XJT module and wanting to use the D-series telemetry with some models and other models to use
the S.Port telemetry, what will be needed (wiring and firmware settings) when changing between S.Port and D-series telemetry ?

Added: My thinking from using Sky9x radio if I remember correctly I change between comport 1
and comport 2 or is there a need for two different external wire cables.
When using D-series telemetry with ErSky9x on Taranis using external XJT, DJT module setups
(viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4582&start=360#p99116).

Bob B.

[don9f]

Thanks SM,

I noted that Mike did say XJT / Sport was supported on the 9xtreme (about 5 pages back), and I've seen an video who has the XJT in a 9x but I'm not sure what modifications he made to the x9 before installing the XJT module, or if the telemetry even worked :p)

Based on that I ordered the XJT + X8R but I'm sure I'll have the 9xtreme long before they arrive from HK's international warehouse.

Hi, I have two 9x's and to fit FrSky modules into their module bays, I had to trim away some plastic that surrounds and helps support the 5 pins. The stock 9X module has a recess that accommodates this, but the FrSky ones don't. It will be obvious what needs doing when you get your XJT. "Somewhere" in the myriad of forums, there's pictures and guides on how to do it.

Cheers Don

[s_mack]

I had to trim away some plastic that surrounds and helps support the 5 pins. The stock 9X module has a recess that accommodates this, but the FrSky ones don't. It will be obvious what needs doing when you get your XJT. "Somewhere" in the myriad of forums, there's pictures and guides on how to do it.

I read that and was thinking, "what is he talking about? I didn't have to do that". LOL, shows the ol' memory is failing. I looked at my 9X and there is certainly evidence I performed the surgery you describe. Damned if I can remember doing it though.

[don9f]

I remember it well, as I used a scalpel and broke several blades in the process ! Probably should have used a Dremel.....

Don

[s_mack]

I can tell from my result that I used a soldering iron with a knife tip. Obviously it was uneventful if I can't remember doing it, so I recommend it!

[ShowMaster]

Attached are the contents. The twisted black/white wire is the one Mike is referring to.

One tip if you use the black and white wire assembly to connect from inside to outside the case. Push the pins out of the servo type connector, make a hole in the case back next to where it'll connect to the module, just big enough to clear the wires. Push one pin and wire through the hole at a time, then push the pins (correct order) back into the connector.
I see over the years, many super large holes to pass the whole connector through that isn't needed and looks less professional.

About slow shipping. In a way I'm ok with it. By the time mine gets to LA, all the field mods or tweaks will already be happening if needed. I've got other projects in the works and this spaces them out. Great news is it's on it's way. Seems like only yesterday it was being proposed. Probably not how Steven and Mike sees it!
Let the fun begin!

[kaznad]

Hi,

I joined this forum just to discuss on the 9xtreme board.

Installed the board on my x9, works great. Some things I notice is, the wires are really good quality, the connectors are little tight but that is good as it wun come off easily. And remember to get the CR1220 batt and install it before installing the board. The backlight works great, although I din like the "light blue" default color on it, switched it to green looks great for me. One thing to note for the speaker, it goes to the same place as the stock speaker, but we need to secure it using some glue or something. I used tape but I think overtime it wun hold, I'm gonna hot glue it later on. The micro USB board doesn't stay in place, a little loose, I think a little double sided tape might do the trick.

Steven said I'm the first one to get it so that's my "mini-review" of the board. Not that I know much about these things, but I think it's a really good buy for me.

So now a few questions, the SDcard that holds the voice files, how big of a capacity would be good enough? I have a spare 4GB and 1GB card but which card would be good enough?

And the FrSky wire, I dun feel comfortable drilling holes in my 9x and at the same time I am afraid I might screw up cutting the PCB board and if I use another module besides FrSky say a OrangeRx etc would cutting the board mess anything up? If I end up drilling the hole what would be a good way to stow the wire away when I'm not using the FrSky module?

I know the board is already pre-loaded with ErSky9x but is there a way to use my PC to setup models etc. Also can we upload voice files to the SD card via USB or we would have to open up the 9x retrieve the sd card and upload files to it.

A big thanks to Steven, Mike and everyone who was involved in making this project a success.

[MikeB]

Good to know it all works!
We have a dedicated sub-forum for this board: viewforum.php?f=126, so future questions would probably be more useful there.

SD card size: 1Gb is quite adequate, even for many log files.

What FrSky module are you using? If an XJT, this sends telemetry data via pin-5 of the module connector. This pin doesn't actually need any track cuts to use, it only goes to the old (35/72 MHz) antenna connector.

USB access is available to the SD card and model memory.
Switch the radio on while holding the two horizontal trims towards the centre. This starts the firmware in "bootloader" mode. Now plug the USB cable in. You should get to storage devices on the PC. One is the SD card, the other has files that map to the formware and the EEPROM.

eepskye runs on the PC and provides the ability to edit models on there. I hope to post an updated version of eepskye later today that supports the 9Xtreme better.

Mike.