openrcforums

A couple of do's and dont's for the newcomer to 9x:

DO take it apart and look at every joint. Go over with a soldering iron if you're not happy.
DO clean the pads with a Q-tip soaked with alcohol or with an electrical contact cleaner.
DO take off the plastic film off the LCD. It's there. Trust me
DO NOT use the original battery holder.
DO NOT use alkeline batteries.
DO use a good Lipo/Nimh/LiFE/Trustfire battery with a good connector.
DO make absolutely sure you plug it in the correct way!
DO NOT use the original FW (going to get flamed on this probably - but, seriously, why would you want to anyway?).
DO NOT expect super high workmanship.
DO get pleasently surprised when you see decent materials and operation.
DO participate in the forums. Read, ask questions, make suggestions. This is USER OWNED FREE OPEN SOURCE. It's yours. Make a difference!
DO NOT get discouraged. It may take a little while to learn everything. It's worth it.
DO Spread the word. Tell people about this. They won't belive you but everyonce in a while you may actually help someone!
Finally, DO NOT freak out! It's just a hobby and it's just a $60 (or less) radio. Take it easy

Hi,

I just found this forum after ACCIDENTALLY pluging my battery in to my 9x backwards! Its currently in pieces on my work bench and non of the visible parts have exploded or burnt but it still doesn't work! Is there any fix or has the main chip been ruined? (with out exploding? Never seen that before!)

I had a look around while I was at it and could not find one diode! Just one would have prevented this! Is it like this so an idiot destroys his remote and they get more money? Shame on them (I won't buy another but will buy the 9xr which comes out soon, so back to the Spektrum DX5e for now)!

Thanks any way,

Darcy

In defense of the design, yes a diode would be a great addition, but...
As the battery and connector comes its not easy to do that. Usually it happens when a modification to the battery source is made and a substitute connector is used, or the stock connector it rewired reversed. Most TXs will suffer a failure if this happens.
But now that it's happened and tx is dead it's show time!
The common failure is the 5 volt regulator and the cap next to it, that's well documented. Another failure can be the rf module regulator.
The best way to fix your board is with a meter (DVM) and a correctly wired battery pack. Measuring form a common ground and for your pack voltage on the input of the 5v regulatir and +5 on the output. Next measure the 3.3v regulator next to it for 3.3v out.
If you have that the tx should do something. If not that part has failed as it usually does.
If you don't see any battery voltage at the 5v regulator input then your trouble is between the battery connector and through the switch and the larger white connector at the board top.
If you didn't hear a laud pop or smell anything maybe it just a bad battery connection or reseat the connectors.
Usually however a reversed battery kills the 5v reg and cap. Some have had the circuit trace above the LCD connector burn open.
Pictures of your board would help a lot since many here know what to look for.
Get that meter working and post some measurements and you may get lucky.





ShowMaster
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

DO take it apart and look at every joint. Go over with a soldering iron if you're not happy.

And I am bloody glad I did too.

Received my 9x last week from HK. While waiting in anticipation I perused these and RCModelReviews forums for gotchas, mods and other fun things.

So I cracked open my unit and was not surprised to find many suspect looking joints. I even discovered that my rudder pot had been wired inversely. So after a couple of hours resoldering nearly all the joints and fixing the inverted pot wiring, I am the happy owner of a TX unit that is going to be as good as, if not better, than my DX6i.

Thanks Forum Contributors!

I am new to 9X, is on the way to me and I looked for this topic what to do when arrive. Thnaks

Wow, first time for a reversed wired pot? Not a menu option but wired wrong. Good to know, thanks.


ShowMaster
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

At least three radios from the module less HK batch, I got in my hands had pot wired reversed...

Can someone maybe post a picture of the incorrect wired pot or a link to it...

Hmm, there are 3 wires on the pot, and the outer 2 are swapped.

why are you not to use the regular battery holder and why no alkaline batteries?

No reason other than they don't last long; and have a habit of not working due to poor contacts!

Rob Thomson wrote:No reason other than they don't last long; and have a habit of not working due to poor contacts!

yep, replace that NiMH battery holder to lipo/liFe. many have reported bad contact, in mid air - not too pretty.

firstadam2k wrote:why are you not to use the regular battery holder and why no alkaline batteries?

If you change battery type " be very careful of wiring polarity. Do not use a 2 wire plug, reuse the 3 wire on dry pack or a servo type 3 pin plug"



ShowMaster
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

firstadam2k wrote:why are you not to use the regular battery holder and why no alkaline batteries?

My battery holder was a bit tight, and would actually squeeze the batteries enough so that they wouldn't touch the contacts in the holder. I used an exacto knife to trim part of the holder away so the batteries wouldn't bind, and then all was well.

As soon as I figured out the instructions for using LiPo or LiFe batteries I switched and have been quite pleased. I use lots of 500mAh 3S cells for my planes, so that's what I use. of course, be careful setting up your connection so you don't do a Reverse Polarity Upgrade!

To prevent reverse battery pack: Convert the original plug to use only the outer two pins, in the configuration of a two cell lipo battery balance lead. So any two cell lipo pack will work without modification, and at least for all the packs I have the balance leads are standard and polarized.

Look at the back circuit board, I think it has ground on both sides and hot in center originally.
1: Remove the center pin, cut it off so doesn't go into battery plug, and remove the pin from the plastic socket. Leave the plastic socket, that's what keeps its polarized.
2: cut the one outer pin copper around the pin (so not connected to ground anymore), and bridge with solder from that pin to the center pin. Looking at the back of the radio, from inside the radio, this is the right hand pin.

Must be a mod listed elsewhere, probably read it here somewhere..... I don't think I dreamed that up.

Please do not change the plug for the batteries. Use a three way plug as suggested. The reverse polarity protection is built in to the design of the plug. Always use a three position plug with the center positive, that way it does not matter if you reverse the plug.

I agree. The 3 reversed battery 9x's I've repaired were all new owners the frankly didn't have a technical clue of what they were doing. Having them actually rewire their boards battery connector and circuit trace connections will never happen.
Cutting off the 3 pin dry battery cable and making an adapter out of it has a better chance to be done correctly.
Someone here should be making and selling an adapter from a lipo balance plug or life battery to a 3 pin that fits the 9x power connector.
In fact why doesn't HK think of it and sell it among with the 9x as an accessory mush have?
Some of the TXs I fixed were only out of the box they came it for 30 min before they were burned up by the owners. So sad to get the call from a club member. They sound so defeated and depressed.
My vote is a correctly wired adapter, pre made if I had a granted wish for new 9x owners.
SM


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk.

Thanks for the detailed information, hoping for some tips, just post it please,,,

I soldered a JST pigtail to the factory pcb at the battery connector and looped around into the battery compartment next to the smartie progmmr. The connecter is for the Turnigy 2.2 tx pack. Now cover closes, no battery mod and original socket still in place. Cannot easily reverse polarity

I noticed that no entries have been made here for a while.
Please take this advice: use original (stock) battery plug.
Remember that a Taranis battery as well as others are wired differently.
Using separate cells in battery will lead to crash, this has been known for more than 50 years.
And no, we can't just get along.

SET THE FAIL SAFE IT WORKS AND AT STOCK THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dESQ-Iz3WW0

I'm new here and I'm sorry if my post may sound inappropriate, but...

Isn't this fix: http://openrcforums.com/wiki/index.php/ ... Ground_Fix

as crucial as all the other points made?

You don't really want end up with a self-reflashing TX during flight...

That fix is very likely to be needed if you have a '128 processor. The original '64 processor didn't suffer from the problem.

Mike.

There was one 9x 64 processor that was suffering from this problem in my RC group
and after doing the Horizontal Trims Ground Fix the problem was corrected.
This maybe the only 9x 64 processor documented with this same problem and corrected with this fix.

Bob B.

bob195558 wrote:There was one 9x 64 processor that was suffering from this problem in my RC group
and after doing the Horizontal Trims Ground Fix the problem was corrected.
This maybe the only 9x 64 processor documented with this same problem and corrected with this fix.

Bob B.

I see. I said that because who made the wikihow had stated in the forums that regardless of the CPU, any 9X would potentially be at risk.

Personally, I also noted the bug only when I got my second '128' 9x, but then I operated the fix on my 64 as well.

Thank you^^

"DO take off the plastic film off the LCD. It's there. Trust me " Thanks very much for this one! Clear LCD now!

"DO clean the pads with a Q-tip soaked with alcohol or with an electrical contact cleaner." pads? I have no clues?,..

Thanks for your post, very helpful


Chris

Does anyone have a clue which version of the 9x is now on sale at HK? It seems its the original ATmega64? The 9XR Pro seems not available. Which Radio should I get in this price range, capable to run er9x/erskytx? the 9X or is it no more recommend? Sorry am bit confused

dj2u, if you looking most cheapest radio under Ersky at today - i think look to Jumper T12 (without PRO suffix)

CatRovacer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:28 am dj2u, if you looking most cheapest radio under Ersky at today - i think look to Jumper T12 (without PRO suffix)

Thanks for this recommendation, do you know anything about CE certification of the Jumper? Flysky is usually quite a role model when it comes to proper approvals.

dj2u wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 4:46 pm

CatRovacer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:28 am dj2u, if you looking most cheapest radio under Ersky at today - i think look to Jumper T12 (without PRO suffix)

Thanks for this recommendation, do you know anything about CE certification of the Jumper? Flysky is usually quite a role model when it comes to proper approvals.

Just had a nice conversation with a rep of my national OFCOM, the Jumper T16 is banned due to spurious emissions. That means no sales, no operating, no giving away permitted.

As the problems are spurious emissions, I'd expect most if not all multi modules of the Jumper series are at least questionable.

But hey I'm letting myself getting carried more and more off-topic...