Audio Mod - Silent Squirrel?

LukeZ · Post by **LukeZ** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:38 am

Hey guys,

I've modded the tar out of my 9X and it is now the most beautiful and perfect machine in the whole world, except one thing - the audio mod didn't quite work out.

I used exactly this procedure (using the first photo).

The speaker I used is a piezo element from this cheapo kit.

Firmware is er9x rev819 (M64-FrSky)

But instead of a glorious beep or boop, what I get is a very silent clicking like a shy squirrel nibbling a nut over in the corner, behind a pillow.

Now I've also done backlight, telemetry, haptic, multi-module, alien-probe, kitchen-sink mods and they all work beautifully. I only say that to illustrate that I know my way around a soldering iron and I'm certain I have the hardware installed as instructed.

But that is not to say I didn't fry something inadvertently in the process. The thing is, if I fried the ATmega pin, would I even hear anything at all? I'd think if the output pin were blown, I wouldn't even get the silent gerbil sound. But if I didn't fry the pin, what else is there between the micro and the speaker that could have gone wrong?

I'm sure something did go wrong... I'm just not sure what, or if it can be fixed. Any brilliant (or half-decent) ideas most welcome.

Post by **ShowMaster** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:08 am

I did this piezo mod many years ago and to be honest, I wasn't happy either. It was one of the few options before the real voice mods came along. I actually in later mods just left the original buzzer in. It sounded better to me.
The best DIY add on audio/voice/sound track SD card mod, is the mega sound board for your setup.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/111289428379?_mwBanner=1

http://www.rc-miskolc.emiter.hu/rc-misk ... Itemid=150

However, being its current day, there's another super upgrade you can still do to make your 9x close to a Taranis! It even adds a 3 color led backlight. There's a topic in this forum on it. One of several
viewtopic.php?t=7182
$69
Smartiparts 9Xtreme

http://smartieparts.com/shop/index.php? ... cts_id=378

Post by **Kilrah** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 8:22 am

Clicking sounds like you didn't set the firmware accordingly to your mod and it's just turning the output on or off (like needed with the stock buzzer) instead of generating a waveform.

Post by **jhsa** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 10:20 am

Go to radio setup/audioHaptic menu and change the sound source to PiSpkr. I think that is how is called

João

Post by **ShowMaster** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 4:57 pm

Yes, I forgot, PiSpkr is the setting you want. I still personally liked the original buzzer instead of the piezoelectric recommended speaker of the time.
I still have a few never installed in future updates.
Thanks everyone for that missing setting.
Been several years since this mod days. After voice was available thanks to Jsha and MikeB and others at the time, that was a must have.
I still have a unused Megasound kit and several unused MP3 SD card players if anyone's interested?
So many stockpiled parts from this er9x adventure trail over the years.

LukeZ · Post by **LukeZ** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:40 pm

Wheee! It was just the wrong setting in the menu, I was still on Beeper instead of PiSpkr. I'd been through that menu several times adjusting the volume and everything else, but totally missed I could change the speaker type. How can someone so smart be so dumb?

Now I am in bee-boop heaven!

ShowMaster I do know about the SmartieParts board, and I am thinking of getting one for a second Tx. But this one I wanted to do the hard way and it has been a very enjoyable project.

Thanks guys so much for your help. It's great when the fix is so easy. It rarely is!

LukeZ · Post by **LukeZ** » Thu Dec 31, 2015 6:41 pm

And - my apologies for not reading the manual more closely!

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