9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Hardware Support for the 9XR Pro
Daedalus66
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9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by Daedalus66 »

The trouble is that will tempt you to charge in the transmitter, instead of removing it and charging safely.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by Weselyn »

Luckilly, I have charger that require both main port and balance port to be attached that is imposible to chare "in transmiter" and i do not have charger that would use DC port on transmiter
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by DaveD »

I would like to connect a Turnigy RF module in my nice new 9XR Pro and, if possible, use the neat little antenna connector in the base of the module bay. Does anyone have a fix for that?
Daedalus66
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9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by Daedalus66 »

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... tion_.html

This one works with the 9x stock receiver and uses the built-in antenna.

By the way, I have been flying with an Orange DSMX/DSM2 module using the internal antenna for over two years with good results.
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

MikeB wrote:Not widely advertised (yet), but on the RF board in the back of the 'PRO, you will find a 3-pin connector labelled PPM2. This has power, ground and a second PPM output. This PPM output is in addition to the PPM on the main 5-pin module connector. The firmware allows you to select which channels are sent to this.
If you connect the DHT to this, then you can still use the module bay.
Alternatively, you can pick up the power and ground from this, and find the main PPM signal on the main board labelled TP18.

Mike.
Mike,

I am a newbie to the 9xr pro, so be patient with me. I have a 9xr pro on order and have a Taranis right now. It is going to be my back up and perhaps my everyday radio. Most of the stuff I fly is dsm2 protocol and I have several spectrum transmitter modules lying around. In anticipation of the arrival of the 9x pro I wired up a X1tnx with a 3.3v regulator and made a little module for the new radio. (I did this for my Taranis without any issues at all). Several questions for you, can I wire a plug and use the three pin ppm2 port to drive it? And is the voltage at that plug 3.3, 5 or battery voltage? I see I could use the module pins on the j2 header but it looks like, from what I see I could add a frysky module latter if I didn't use those pins and I could also just plug it in and not have to solder anything to install the hack............

I have also read the internal antenna in the handle is worthless but I would love your take on that since you know this thing inside out.

I saw the resistor value change for the backlight and it will be interesting to see if they corrected that flaw on the current production.

And last, I would love your take on the best firmware to upgrade to.

Thank you for your help!

Freddy

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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

The PPM2 is just that PPM, it doesn't support the DSM protocol to a 'hack' DSM module, so it depends on what your module requires whether you can use the PPM2 connector. The voltage is battery voltage on the PPM2 connector.

Provided you have a module that connects to the internal (handle) antenna, it works fine, the problem is finding such a module.

Since I maintain ersky9x, I'm probably biased in recommending firmware. The 'PRO comes with ersky9x installed. If you update to the latest, you get, for example, options to allow some of the 2-position switches to be upgraded to 3-position ones. (ersky9x will run on the Taranis).

Regarding DSM modules, there is a thread on RCGroups regarding the DIY MULTI module, that supports DSM2/X amoung other protocols. I've just finished porting the firmware to the Orange module, so this enables DSM to be used, using the MULTI protocol, including telemetry, without needing any hardware hacking.

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Daedalus66
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by Daedalus66 »

Just to confirm that the antenna in the handle works fine. I've been using it constantly for over two years with one of the pre-2015 Orange modules adapted to fit and there has never been an issue.
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

MikeB wrote:T
Regarding DSM modules, there is a thread on RCGroups regarding the DIY MULTI module, that supports DSM2/X amoung other protocols. I've just finished porting the firmware to the Orange module, so this enables DSM to be used, using the MULTI protocol, including telemetry, without needing any hardware hacking.

Mike.
Well, we will use the pins on the module port then. It should work, we will see. Thanks for your help!

Freddy99
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

Mike,

i got my radio, hard wired a dx5e transmitter module with the appropriate power regulator and input resistors and diodes to the module pins, and put the antenna in the handle. All is good. Overall I am impressed both with the radio itself and your programming. I added a few custom voices tied to switches and a light blinking and control routine tied to P1 which I will likely change out to either a switch or a six way.

I found the programming in R218 quite versatile and had no problem with any of the soft switches and simple logic required. You have done a H3LL of a job!

The only issue I have is after a period of time some of the models I put in, for some reason (and I have tried a lot of things to no avail), start "chirping" every 10 seconds exactly. The sound is system generated obviously intentionally through the speaker and with P3 acting as a volume control the chirp responds to the control. I have the trim beeps set to normal this the center beep tied to haptic. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why some do it this time and not the next, or when I change models it may or may not go away for one session. Do you have any idea what is causing it?

I have timer No. 1 running for a fight time countdown and a second timer running (0.5 sec on, 0.5 sec off) on a soft switch for the light strobe. But if I take them out it seems to still happen. Radio is set dsm / dsm2 only and all looks good there. telemetering is off and I thought it might have been connected to that but I have not touched any of that as the dx5e module does not have that capacity. I am stumped!

I've given you the short form of the whole story to help you know what I have running. It must be tough to answer questions with so many possible configurations you have made possible with your documentation.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Freddy99
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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

I can't think of anything that would cause this every 10 seconds, and I just checked through the code quickly for anything.

Do you have eepskye loaded on you PC? If so, perhaps you could read the EEPROM from the radio, zip it up, and post it here for us to look at.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

I am at the office right now but I will do that this evening when I get home. It struck me as strange too.

Thanks for your help!

Freddy
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

bin.zip
(153.26 KiB) Downloaded 367 times
Mike,
Here are copies of all three files. Let me know what you find!

Thanks,
Freddy
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by freddy99 »

As just a side note, I wiped the transmitter clean and reloaded the latest firmware, and recreated the model profiles and it no longer chirps. I have no idea what caused it but it is now gone.
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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

I did look but didn't find anything obvious.
Anyway, good it is sorted.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes> Orange Module Firmware Flash for Multi DSM2/DSMX

Post by Magilla007 »

Mike B.
I found your post with the firmware update for the 9XRPro Orange DSMX Module so the throttle will work with the popular BNF park flers (Carbon Cub etc.). I was able to flash the module, but now I can't get it to bind at all to my plane? Before, it would bind but no throttle! I am a handy DIYer, but pretty new to electronics/circuits etc. Is there sort of board mod I need to make before the module will bind? I see your reference to R1 and R13. I have a green board, which looks just like your picture (its' Walkera Switchable w/ 8dip switches.) Can you assist? Many thanks!
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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

If R1 and R13 are missing then you do need to short across their pads.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by Magilla007 »

Thanks for the quick reply, Mike....all done & she's binding and... hallelujah, i have throttle!!! A huge thank you for your work & contribution to this hobby and site!
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by xirion »

Hi Mike,

I've been using the standard firmware r204 for a while in combination with a dx5e module from a dx4e transmitter. I've been able to bind several different receivers (Nano QX FC, Micro Scisky FC and Orange R110X receivers) and all is working well. I'm a happy user :-)

After upgrading to ersky9x r218 however, I have issues with the connection. Binding works, but the right channel values only appear for a short time. Most of the time, the channel values I see in CleanFlight are set to some default (throttle low and AER channels at about 1500). For short sub-second periods, the right channel values come by, but reset very quickly to mentioned defaults. These flashing values are the right values and I can change them by moving the sticks. It's like the connection tx to rx is on/off/on/off and mostly off.

On Nano QX I can't troubleshoot on the receiving side, but I see this behaviour with both Micro Scisky (with built-in DSM2 receiver) and Orange R110X (bound DSMX). Also the R110X reports problems with the connection with a flashing red light.

Reverting back to r204 makes it all work again. I also tested with opentx 2.1.9 and it works, but I'd preferably stay with ersky9x.

Do you have any idea how this could happen or do you have any testing suggestions to further troubleshoot this?

Any help appreciated!
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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

Please go here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4676#p65894, download "ersky9xProvR219w_multiDSM-2.zip", extract ersky9xr_rom.bin and flash that to your radio to see if the problem still exists.

I've never had a "hack" DSM module so I'm unable to test for your problem.

For information, you may be interested in this: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2709034, as it provides full DSM (2 and X) support.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by xirion »

Thanks for the quick response. I'll test with that r219 firmware.

I already came across the multi protocol module and I really like the idea of having all protocols in a single package. Support for multiprotocol is one of the reasons I want to upgrade to the r218 firmware. Only thing is, I don't know yet whether it's comparable to a spektrum DX5E and/or Frsky DHT module with respect to stability/responsiveness/range. I need to read up some more on that :-) Thanks for the link!
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

If you use the serial connection to the MULTI module, servo position data is updated to the module every 7mS.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by xirion »

I tested with ersky9xProvR219w_multiDSM-2, but I get the same connection drop outs as with r218.

In another thread I found a r212 firmware ("Test version of ersky9xr rev 212 08-Sep-2014 11:40 Intended next release") and using this firmware I see no problems. I couldn't find any firmware version between r212 and r218 to further pin point where this issue emerged. Can these be found somewhere?
If you use the serial connection to the MULTI module, servo position data is updated to the module every 7mS.
Updates every 7ms should be fast enough, but I can imagine the multimodule itself introduces some delay as it has to convert multi protocol to whatever the selected tx module expects. This is just guess work though - I have some reading to do..
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

I've sent a copy of r217 in a PM to you.

MULTI does need to convert the data, but, for example, DSM only sends data over the RF link every 22 or 11mS.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by xirion »

Firmware r217 shows the same problem as r218.

In addition to that, most buttons don't work. For example, after pressing long cursor right, the model selection menu appears for a short time, but then the speaker ticks, screen flashes off shortly and I'm back in main screen where I see that the voltage dips and recovers. Are these known issues in the r217 version you sent or is my radio somehow broken (in a subtle way)?

My transmitter is stock apart from the installed dx5e module. Furthermore I've had an issue while connecting a prototype pcb to the external module bay. I didn't realize some tracks on the pcb were preconnected so I created a short circuit. I repaired it by shorting R9 on the RF board as described here:

viewtopic.php?t=8729

However, this should not have any impact on the transmitter as you state in that thread.
MikeB wrote:MULTI does need to convert the data, but, for example, DSM only sends data over the RF link every 22 or 11mS.
Ok, so responsiveness is probably on par with my current setup. Good to know.
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

I've sent another PM with a possible fix in it.
I noticed I was sending the data to the hack module every 11mS, instead of every 22mS as previously.
This came about due to merging the code for several serial outputs (DSM hack, DSM-9XR, MULTI).

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by xirion »

That firmware works with all three receivers! Many thanks :-)

I'll have a further look at MULTI to add some more protocols.

Thanks again for the super fast support!
(found and hit the yellow button on github ;))
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by jhsa »

Mike, is it possible that if the RTC battery is discharged, the PRO won't enter bootloader mode?
I am having some problems with my 9XR PRO. Need to fix it and build one of my main switch board for it as the power switch gone bad :( I should have done this long ago..
The problem is that suddenly doesn't want to enter bootloader mode. It gives me a blue screen. It enters maintenance mode without problems, It also doesn't want to connect to the PC. When a drive show up is only the virtual drive. The SD card doesn't want to show up on the desktop, and when it does it says that the card needs formatting. But if I insert the card in a card reader, it works fine.
I have just noticed that the date and time are stopped, and I know this can cause some weird problems, hence the question..

Thank you

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MikeB
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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by MikeB »

I'm not aware a stopped RTC will cause the bootloader not to run. I assume you have tried both trim switches inwards as well as just plug in the USB and power on.

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by jhsa »

Yes I did, same result.. Most of the times, blue (blank) screen.. I know the power switch is not working properly, but it should work if powering the radio with the trainer cable?

No it doesn't, I have just tried it with the Ar9x radio.. It seems the radio needs the RF power to be working for entering bootloader mode.. Will open the radio tomorrow. As I can't probably source a power switch for this radio, I will have to build a custom soft power switch for it ;) :) will see..

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Re: 9XR-PRO Hacks and Fixes

Post by jhsa »

Well, I definitely need to find a source of power switches for the PRO.
Switch_Contacts_0.jpg
This is the state my radio's switch was...
Switch_Contacts_1.jpg
Switch_Contacts_2.jpg
Switch_Contacts_3.jpg
I have managed to clean it but I don't know how long it will take for it to get back to the same state.
I have used WD40 and contact cleaner afterwards. Contact cleaner on it's own didn't do much. Forgot to take pictures of the result but the contacts were all shiny again. Don't know if there will be any secondary effects because of the WD40, but I wouldn't think so?? After assembly and installed in the radio, the switch is now working again.
I can also connect to the PC and the drives will show up on the screen.
I wonder what caused the switch to get to that state? To much current? Too much use? I used this radio a lot. The switch is perhaps not adequate for the radio current consumption?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another problem that I solved was with the rotary encoder that I've installed a while ago.. after a while, the encoder didn't work very well anymore. It would act strange if I moved it too fast. Sometimes it would actually move on the wrong direction :) At first I thought the encoder just got broken. But after some googling and also because of similar problem with another project that uses an encoder, I found out that the problem could actually be "Noise", probably because of the wires being a bit too long.

So, I think I solved the problem with the following filter circuit.
Encoder Noise Filter.jpg
Encoder Noise Filter.jpg (19.37 KiB) Viewed 15382 times
Now it works very well. I think this circuit is a must when installing a rotary encoder on this radio, specially if the wires are a bit longer.
20140811_123630.jpg
20140811_123816.jpg
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