Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

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Rad
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Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

Hi guys, I have to modify a 9x radio for a friend, and I wonder if it is possible to replace 2 position switches with the 3 position ones to the plain 9x, and how to do it. Of course it will have er9x flashed.

The more 3 pos switches the better, but two should do the job. My first idea is to replace AIL and ELE, but if they need to be together (For example ELE+RUD or AIL + GEAR) is OK for me too.

Sorry if this has been answered to death, but I have been searching and I found info of to do it in the 9xtreme, in the 9xpro or programming logic switches, but nope with the plain 9x, the newer version.

Thanks!
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by jhsa »

It has been a while, so I am not 100% sure, but you "might" be able to modify 1 of the switches...
But might also deep nd on which processor the radio has.
I have it done on my 9x radio, changed the ELE switch to 3 position, and also placed 2 push buttons on the back.
These two are connected to the ArduSound voice board.
The 3 position switch uses a free pin of the processor.
But the original processor on this radio was replaced with an Atmega2561.

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MikeB
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

If this is a completely unmodified 9X, the there are 3 "spare" processor inputs available, so you should be able to change 3 switches.
The spare inputs are:
PC0 Pin 35
PB7 Pin 17
PG2 Pin 43

It should be a case of swapping a switch, connecting the existing ground and signal connections (ground to centre pin), then adding a wire from the remaining connection to one of these three processor pins.
If the 9X has a M64 processor, you will then need to use eepe to set the hardware settings to indicate the switches have been changed.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Sun Jun 07, 2020 12:04 pm If this is a completely unmodified 9X, the there are 3 "spare" processor inputs available, so you should be able to change 3 switches.
The spare inputs are:
PC0 Pin 35
PB7 Pin 17
PG2 Pin 43

It should be a case of swapping a switch, connecting the existing ground and signal connections (ground to centre pin), then adding a wire from the remaining connection to one of these three processor pins.
If the 9X has a M64 processor, you will then need to use eepe to set the hardware settings to indicate the switches have been changed.

Mike
Thanks, guys!
Hi, yep, it will be an unmodified radio, but with er9x flashed. I am pretty sure it comes with the M64 processor, because is one of those new radios that hobbyking is selling today. I did not know I had to use eepe for that, and I am very afraid of soldering directly to the processor, but I guess it is worth a try.

I will try fitting only two of 3 pos switches. Which ones are the spare inputs? Where do I start counting them?
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

To connect to the processor pins I use a small piece of stripboard glued to the main board. I then wire to the processor using single strand "kynar" wire, then use normal, stranded wire to the switch. A picture of this is on this post: https://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1525.

Also on that post is a picture of part of the processor. With the bottom of the radio downwards, this is the "top" of the processor. The top row of pins are 33 (at the right) to 48 (at the left), there are wires soldered to pins 41, 41, 44, 45 and 46.

I think recent versions of the 9X radio have a '128 processor. er9x for these include the hardware menu to allow setting the switch changes on the radio.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:40 pm To connect to the processor pins I use a small piece of stripboard glued to the main board. I then wire to the processor using single strand "kynar" wire, then use normal, stranded wire to the switch. A picture of this is on this post: https://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1525.

Also on that post is a picture of part of the processor. With the bottom of the radio downwards, this is the "top" of the processor. The top row of pins are 33 (at the right) to 48 (at the left), there are wires soldered to pins 41, 41, 44, 45 and 46.

I think recent versions of the 9X radio have a '128 processor. er9x for these include the hardware menu to allow setting the switch changes on the radio.

Mike
Hi, I think I am going to try to solder the processor. I have some single strand wire AWG24 Would it be OK?
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by HuWo »

You need a solder tip as small or as pointed as these tiny processor legs. And you need thin electronic solder wire, too. Be careful not to get solder between two adjacent pins. It happens easily and then it's rather fiddly to get it out again. I know what I'm talking about in this case.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

Could be OK, although the wire diameter is a bit larger than the width of the pins. If you have something just a bit smaller in diameter if would be better.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

Well, the radio just arrived. I fitted the blue screen and flashed 9x. I tried with the 128 version and surprisingly seemed to work well! Maybe turnigy is fitting the 128 processor again?

I am decided to try to solder the main processor for adding two switches. I attached one pic. are the ports I marked the right ones?
Processor.jpg
2.jpg
About the switches themselves, I guess it is just the third switch leg that goes to the processor, right?

Thank you!
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

Yes to the pins, and yes to just the third switch leg to those pins.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Wed Jun 17, 2020 10:17 pm Yes to the pins, and yes to just the third switch leg to those pins.

Mike
Hi Mike, I managed to solder to the processor pins! Pfew! I think it looks ok, but the first 3 pos switch I am testing is not working.

First of all I am working in the AIL switch, which goes to pin 43. I tried with all options in the hardware menu. Which is the option I should select? Am I missing something?
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by bob195558 »

I have not done a 3 position switch upgrade to the 9x: 64,128, 2561 chip radios (er9x).
Most of the 3 position switch upgrade of how-to info has been with the Sky9x, 9Xtreme, 9XR-pro and even the Taranis 9xd (erSky9x).
I think Mike had to do some different things so to be able to set up the firmware.
MikeB wrote: Tue Jul 30, 2019 3:57 pm I've just posted test versions of er9x (V1). The total flash space saving on the M64 is 604 bytes now (12 bytes of RAM saved)!
Support for converting the RUD, AIL and GEA switches to 3-position switches is included. The .zip file also includes an updated eepe.exe (needs to be copied to your eepe directory) that supports setting these switches to 3-position. This is needed for the M64 version as the hardware menu doesn't include the settings.

Technical details of space saving.
When adding the 3-pos switch support I re-wrote the code to display the current switch positions allowing several areas to be merged to subroutines.
Each menu had a C++ object that stored the current vertical position in the menu. I've removed this object and put the data on a stack. Now we only need 5 bytes of RAM instead of nearly 20. This change than allows the simplification of detecting whether any particular menu line needs highlighting, removing a test from many lines.

Mike
May be you could show a picture of your wiring ?

Not sure this will be a help, but here is info with the 9Xtreme radio (erSky9x), Switch Upgrades and some other info.
https://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopi ... 126&t=8443
https://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopi ... ion+switch
https://openrcforums.com/forum/viewtopi ... ion+switch
Last edited by bob195558 on Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

Hi, I took some pics. I also added the diode for reverse polarity protection.
photo_2020-06-18_09-00-10.jpg
photo_2020-06-18_11-36-51.jpg
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

For pin 43 (PG2) there are two settings in the hardware menu:
1. Tick the box beside "PG2 as input"
2. Change the setting by the "AIL Switch" to be PG2.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:35 am For pin 43 (PG2) there are two settings in the hardware menu:
1. Tick the box beside "PG2 as input"
2. Change the setting by the "AIL Switch" to be PG2.

Mike
That was it! Thanks! I am very happy I got it working.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

Hi Mike, this time I need to add two buttons in the back of the radio. On-off buttons. How should I add them?
So far I soldered a wire to the pin processor 35 and 43, as stated above, to one of the legs of that switch, and the other leg to ground (to the back of the radio)

In the hardware menu I selected PB1 switch PG2, PB2 Switch PB7, and then I clicked on PG2 and PB7 input. So far it does not work, am I missing something?

THanks!
Last edited by Rad on Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

Check that without the switch pressed you have 5V between the switch connections (one is ground and the other should be pulled up by a resistor internal to the processor). If you don't see 5V, check the ground connection really is ground (perhaps measure the voltage on both sides of the switch to a known ground).
If you do see 5V, then press the switch and see if the voltage across the switch drops to zero.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 4:02 pm Check that without the switch pressed you have 5V between the switch connections (one is ground and the other should be pulled up by a resistor internal to the processor). If you don't see 5V, check the ground connection really is ground (perhaps measure the voltage on both sides of the switch to a known ground).
If you do see 5V, then press the switch and see if the voltage across the switch drops to zero.

Mike
Hi Mike, yes, this worked exactly as you said with the wire in the pin 35 and 43. Please tell me if it is correct

But none of them work on the diag screen, neither in the mixes.

Processor is a 128, green.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

Pin 35 is PC0, not PB7! (PB7 is on pin 17)
What voltages do you see on pin 43?

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:57 pm Pin 35 is PC0, not PB7! (PB7 is on pin 17)
What voltages do you see on pin 43?

Mike
I see 4,80v
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

IMG_20201022_201346.jpg
The buttons are round on/off buttons, not self springed, if it helps.
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

I attached pics of the provisional setup. Buttons are not installed yet
IMG_20201022_201751.jpg
IMG_20201022_201844.jpg
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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

Does the PB1 switch on PC0 now work?
I'll check through the code to make sure it should be working!

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by MikeB »

It looks like I did a change to allow an extra switch to be converted to 3-position, and this has upset the detection of PB1 and PB2.
I've just posted a test version, for the '128, that should fix this. I don't have a '128 radio any more, but I found my '2561 wasn't detecting PB1 and PB2, but with this fix they now work.

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Re: Add 3 pos switches to plain 9x.

Post by Rad »

MikeB wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 10:52 pm It looks like I did a change to allow an extra switch to be converted to 3-position, and this has upset the detection of PB1 and PB2.
I've just posted a test version, for the '128, that should fix this. I don't have a '128 radio any more, but I found my '2561 wasn't detecting PB1 and PB2, but with this fix they now work.

Mike
Hi Mike, you corrected it, now it does work. Thank you very much!
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