E-flite Convergence

General Help and support for the Taranis Radio.
JohnWay
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E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Hi there,

Anyone successfully set-up and used their FrSky Taranis radio with this new VTOL craft ? I would be very interested to know how.

Regards,
John.

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Kilrah
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Kilrah »

Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

JohnWay wrote:Hi there,

Anyone successfully set-up and used their FrSky Taranis radio with this new VTOL craft ? I would be very interested to know how.

Regards,
John.
Several on the RCGroups Convergence VTOL forum are using FrSky equipment with the PNP version. All reports I've seen are positive (at least as far as the radio is concerned).

The basic programming required is very simple and easy to do in OpenTX. Just set up two-position switch on channels 5 and 6 to control the modes. Also reduce limits to 80% for compatibility with Spektrum.

The link above has ideas for improving the functioning.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Yes it seems there are successful Taranis users out there on this VTOL model. On a basic level, I would like to know if FrSky receivers can be used with the Convergence PNP version or is it necessary to use an Orange DSMX module in the Taranis with a compatible DSMX receiver? Horizon state ANY radio & receiver can be used so has anyone hooked up their FrSky gear to the e-flite Flight Controller and flown with it :?:
mmilan
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by mmilan »

I gave up trying to get the BNF version to bind to any of my dsmx, dsm2 or orange multi. I removed the Spectrum Rx replaced it with a X8R Rx. I used pwm jumpers to the FC. It works well. Guess I wasted the extra money for the BNF (Spectrum Rx). Actually Santa wasted his money. I did not tell my wife about that.

Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

JohnWay wrote:Yes it seems there are successful Taranis users out there on this VTOL model. On a basic level, I would like to know if FrSky receivers can be used with the Convergence PNP version or is it necessary to use an Orange DSMX module in the Taranis with a compatible DSMX receiver? Horizon state ANY radio & receiver can be used so has anyone hooked up their FrSky gear to the e-flite Flight Controller and flown with it :?:
Yes, several people use FrSky receivers with a Taranis in the Convergence. There's nothing special about the setup.

There are lots of known incompatibilities between Orange modules and certain Spektrum and other receivers. Some of the modules don't work with UMX models, for example. In this case, the problem is the serial receiver used in the Convergence BNF. But it doesn't work with a genuine Spektrum DSM2 transmitter either.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

So if I have got this right and buy the Convergence PNP version, I can use my Taranis Plus tx as is (no additional modules req'd), connect pwm jumpers between the e-flite FC and my V8FR-11 rx, bind, program the model & the set up on the tx, test, and go fly !!! ???? Sounds too good to be true, but I am willing to give it a go. Confirmations and any guidance most welcome.
Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

All you are doing is substitute an FrSky transmitter and receiver for the usual Spektrum components. Make sure you use TAER channel order.

Set limits for channels 1-6 at 80% to match Spektrum throws.

Program channel 5 to give 100 (back) and -100 (forward) on the SF switch. This is stabilization mode.

Program channel 6 to give 100 in the up position on a suitable switch and -100 on the mid and down positions. This is MR vs AP flight.

Set up D/R and expo as usual.

This gets you the basics. Take a look at the link provided by Kilrah for more advanced ideas.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Nearly there but, before ordering the PNP version, can anyone confirm any extra hardware req'd to complete the convergence please? e.g EC3 connectors, jumper leads etc. Many thanks and Happy New Year everyone.
Daedalus66
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

Strong, new batteries.

If you look at the thread on RCGroups you'll see this addressed again and again. This is a model for high C batteries in excellent condition. Some find 30C is enough but many are using 40c and more.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

40C+ holy moly!! - what is the max. current drain of this VTOL? I am putting in a low voltage alarm for sure !! Before buying yet more LiPo's I intend using my existing 2200mah 3S 20-30C packs for testing/early flights. I note that the specs. say 2200 - 3000mah 3s but what is the battery compartment size, anyone ???
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

BTW last question asked as I expect reply/replies way before my Convergence actually arrives !! Thanks & Regards. John.
Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

JohnWay wrote:40C+ holy moly!! - what is the max. current drain of this VTOL? I am putting in a low voltage alarm for sure !! Before buying yet more LiPo's I intend using my existing 2200mah 3S 20-30C packs for testing/early flights. I note that the specs. say 2200 - 3000mah 3s but what is the battery compartment size, anyone ???
About 35A during transition to AP (Air Plane) flight.

Be aware that when the voltage under load gets low, the machine automatically goes into MR stability mode and must be landed within 60 seconds. Lots of reports of crashes caused by people who try to keep flying in MR mode at that point.

This can happen within a few seconds with weak batteries. It's not safe to test unless you are reasonable confident of your batteries.

Note that a 2200 20C battery is only rated at 44A at the best of times, and these ratings are notoriously unreliable. An older one may have trouble sustaining half its rating. From the reports, I would consider a decent 25C the minimum for this model.

For more detail, see the Convergence VTOL thread on RCGroups.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Hopefully I am playing it safe and have 2 new 2200mah 3S 40C LiPo's on order, as well as an on-board low voltage alarm. Looking forward to the ordered PNP version arriving at my home later this month (finger's crossed). While waiting, setting up/play time with the Taranis & VTOL instruction manual !!.
Daedalus66
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

It seems that a low voltage alarm is not helpful in AP flight as the built-in low voltage detection which causes the model to go into MR/Stability mode triggers first. But for just hovering in MR it could be useful.

In principle, of course, you should never hear the alarm because you are religiously keeping track of time. You are, aren't you? :)
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

One of the beauties of the Taranis is the audible timer countdowns and alarms so yes, tracking time is not a problem. I am not expecting to rely too heavily on the cheap Chinese low voltage alarms - they just seemed a good idea when I was watching a youtube video. They will come in handy on some of my other models though. Thanks for your interesting replies. All the best, John.
Daedalus66
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

Best of success.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Well the beauty has arrived, assembled, new Frsky RX installed and bound to my Taranis Plus, supplied jumper leads connected between flight controller & RX, new & fully charged 3S LiPo installed, switched on and hey presto........no response to transmitter sticks or switches. Now not being a novice, the first thought was radio problem so out came the RX & installed it into my Twin Jet (which I had copied the Convergence model from) and this model worked fine. RX back into the Convergence, switched on and there was a twitch. Waggled aileron/elevator stick and the front motors went up and down !!. Had the Chinese assembler got his wires crossed? Checked all wires to the servos and motors, they all seem to be as labelled. Tried moving all switches & sticks but still nothing other than motors going up and down. Unplugged the aileron R wire from the left hand side of the controller and plugged it directly into the RX ch 1 and same with the aileron L wire into the RX ch 2 : elevons now worked as they should. Put L & R aileron wires back where they came from, unplugged all jumpers and then connected flight controller jumpers to RX ch 1 and ch 2 only. Again the front motors went up and down in response to transmitter aileron and elevator stick. I noticed that the flight controller has a distinct odour - new plastic or burn out? I have written to the supplier about this for resolution & guidance but in the meantime can someone offer some pearls of wisdom please? All the best, John.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

One other thing for you Convergence owners : when connecting the 'planes LiPo and with the TX on are there any indications (i.e. beeps etc) that the 'plane is now live ?
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Update on last post : set throttle trim to low and have got the ESC's arming now and motors moved to the upright position. Had throttle response once, still no elevons and motors won't switch to the horizontal position - what the hell is going on with this 'plane?

My Taranis Tx is mode 2 : aileron (CH1 on Rx) Right stick left/right , elevator (CH2 on Rx) Right stick up/down, throttle (CH3 on Rx) Left stick u/d, rudder (CH4 on Rx) Left stick l/r. I have assigned Tx switch A as CH5 : up for stabilization, down for acro, Tx switch D as CH6 : up for hover, down for normal flight. Aileron and elevator are mixed for elevons as per my other models, all trims except the throttle are set to mid points.

Could it be that I am confused by the instruction manual showing aileron as CH2,elevator as CH3 & throttle as CH1 on the flight controller? I have jumped the controller pins as named to my Rx as I think logical i.e. controller aileron CH2 to Rx CH1, controller elevator CH3 to Rx CH2, controller throttle CH1 to Rx CH3, controller rudder CH4 to Rx CH4, controller gear CH5 to Rx CH5, controller Aux1 CH6 to Rx CH6. Any help appreciated .
Krash
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Krash »

Hi John, thanks for your feedback. My Convergence PNP is set to arrive tomorrow and I also have questions about connecting the E-flite FC board with my FrSky RX (X8R or X4R) and Taranis X9D Plus. Let us know how you fixed your problem. I'm a noob when it comes to OpenTX & FrSky programming. Can we use the SBUS connection with the fc board serial rx slot and just forget the other pins? Do we need to jump any pins or just use 3-wire connectors to each channel? Thanks for any light you can shed on this.

Krash
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Hi Krash,
I believe you can use the SBUS connection and if so, then you can ignore the other FC pins. Myself, I use V7FR-11 & V8FR-11 Rx's so I have to use the supplied jumper wires and FC pins. Programming the Taranis can be challenging but I usually get there in the end with help, research, trial and error etc. !! Daedalus66 has been a great help so far and has offered some very good advice which I had forgotten about when trying to set up my Taranis. I have now revisited his posts and will try the Tx setup again. Hopefully I will post good news later. Hope your PNP version arrives safely. Mine was OK except for the FC needing a bit of trimming around the pins to get the plugs on!! All the best,

John.
Krash
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by Krash »

Thanks John,
My Convergence just arrived and I'm getting ready to open it up and set it up. Thanks for the help and I'll let you know how it works out.

Krash
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

No problem Krash, glad it arrived OK. Having re-read the instruction book in peace today (empty house for a change!) I soon realised that I had made a complete hash of the Taranis/Convergence set-up first time around. Being the PNP version, I had overlooked the transmitter set-up section completely and relied on my experience for setting up elevons : big mistake!! Follow the book & all should be well. As has been mentioned set up TAER (this order in Mixer) and use the other settings also as mentioned by Daedalus66. Look forward to sharing good news with you later.
Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

Mode and Channel Order are different concepts and different settings. Why not use the standard Spektrum channel order: TAER? Keep things simple.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Hi again Daedalus66 !! I agree with you but as I had copied an existing model to the Convergence model on my Tx my INPUTS are as per Futaba. Never mind, I think I have grasped the Channel Order now so should be OK - hopefully ! If not, then back to the drawing board and start again from scratch. As for limiting the throws, am I correct in changing the 100 < to 80 < on the OUTPUT screen for CH1 - 6 but leaving INPUTS and MIXER at 100 ? OPEN Tx University has not been written for the Taranis Plus unfortunately - the screen differences with the plus model is why I struggle sometimes with the programming of my Tx.
Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

For anything Spektrum-related, I start by selecting TAER as the channel order (only affects new models created AFTER it's selected). Then I set channels 1-6 to 80% limits to match Spektrum pulse lengths. Finally, I invert channels 2 (Ail) and 4 (Rud) to match Spektrum control directions.

That gives me the base on which to do the necessary programming.

EDIT: I always set channels 5 and 6 to 80%. It may not matter in most cases, but there were reports that for some models going much beyond the Spektrum standard (I.e., beyond 100% Spektrum, 80% OpenTX) could result in strange behavior. So why not stick with the equivalent of Spektrum standard?

By the way, Taranis and Taranis Plus share the same programming. The difference is at the hardware level.
Daedalus66
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E-flite Convergence

Post by Daedalus66 »

My understanding is that S-bus is not compatible with Spektrum. You'll need male-to-male connectors (that's what HobbyKing calls them, though the gender logic is questionable).
EDIT: Correction -- apparently the PNP version comes with the necessary jumper cables.
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

PNP comes with necessary jumper cables ? Yes - mine certainly did anyway !!
JohnWay
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Re: E-flite Convergence

Post by JohnWay »

Good News, Bad News !!

I have at last got the Convergence working as it should using a FrSky RX. The bad news is that I used my trusty Futaba FF9 Super with a FrSky module to do it !! No telemetry and no rates, just basic operation of throttle, elevator, ailerons, rudder, stabilization and flight modes. Why I cannot achieve the same result using my Taranis Plus is still a programming mystery. I think I have set everything as advised.

Krash / Daedalus66 : if you read this please be aware that I have private messaged both of you but not sure if they got through : neither showing as sent.
Krash : have you had any joy with your PNP ?
Daedalus66 : HELP PLEASE !!!.

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