Build help needed!

[CJK]

Hello guys, I'm new to the forum and I've just got myself a racing drone (see image).



I've ordered what I believe to be all the components I need to get going...
- Dominator V3 goggles
- FrSky XM+ receiver
- Matek 40CH VTX HV Video Transmitter
- Foxeer Falkor FPV camera
- Frsky taranis x lite transmitter
- batteries, chargers etc.

I've had a go at setting the drone up but it's beyond my technical capabilities unfortunately.

Does anybody know of any companies that would put it all together for me? Or would anyone on here be willing to set it up for me? I'm happy to pay someone for their time, I just want it set up correctly 

Thanks! Charlie

[shawdreamer]

tbh with you and please try not to take offense as its genuinely not my intent (which is a rarity in itself) but I generally follow the philosophy that if you dont understand how something works you really shouldn't be using it (at least on a fundamental level).

Id urge you to persevere with building it yourself as the lessons you can learn during the build process can often be almost as important as the one related directly to flying, there is literally thousands of sources of information related to building your own frame scattered all over the internet, from the very basic of basics all the way to the most minute fine tuning.

there are many step by step tutorials videos readily available on something as common place as youtube, to such an extent that someone with absolutely zero knowledge would be able to put together their first frame with almost minimal trouble.

IF nothing else the sense of achievement you can gain from building something from scratch and then seeing it lift into the air and actually fly is well worth the effort and learning process, plus you will appreciate your creation far more if youve built it yourself which inturn will encourage you to further your experiences and do so with a more safer and knowledge based approach.

[ched]

OK where to start??
Is that a KK2 Flight Controller (FC)? Sorry to say they are very old technology and won't make flying easy! Plus having it on the top means the first time you crash and you will you will probably kill the FC!!

The new bits you have look like decent current technology.
OK so I think the KK2 FC isn't compatible with the FrSky XM+ receiver. The FC needs PWM signal and the receiver gives out SBus! They are not compatible.

Really you need a F4 type flight controller. Something like Bardwell F4 AIO FC which runs BetaFlight. This connects directly to the battery, then the 4 esc you have mounted to a 'power distribution board'. This means that you don't need the power board and the FC can sit on the bottom deck. Then you solder the esc power and signal to the FC.
The camera mounts up front and is connected to the FC. The vtx is also mounted on lower deck and connected to the FC.
So you have the top deck left to fit the battery!

Have a look for Josh Bardwell on youtube as he has lots of guides to assist in connecting things.

Don't worry it is a steep learning curve and the transmitter, goggles, caera, vtx etc are good stuff. My recommendation is to have a look at FPVFreerider simulator, it has a free version and the full version is only about £8. Plug your transmitter into a laptop or PC and  follow Josh Bardwells series on learning to fly.

I hope this helps and doesn't put you off. Feel free to post back any questions.

[CJK]

tbh with you and please try not to take offense as its genuinely not my intent (which is a rarity in itself) but I generally follow the philosophy that if you dont understand how something works you really shouldn't be using it (at least on a fundamental level).

Id urge you to persevere with building it yourself as the lessons you can learn during the build process can often be almost as important as the one related directly to flying, there is literally thousands of sources of information related to building your own frame scattered all over the internet, from the very basic of basics all the way to the most minute fine tuning.

there are many step by step tutorials videos readily available on something as common place as youtube, to such an extent that someone with absolutely zero knowledge would be able to put together their first frame with almost minimal trouble.

IF nothing else the sense of achievement you can gain from building something from scratch and then seeing it lift into the air and actually fly is well worth the effort and learning process, plus you will appreciate your creation far more if youve built it yourself which inturn will encourage you to further your experiences and do so with a more safer and knowledge based approach.

Hey thanks for the reply, whilst I appreciate what you're saying, I have to ask you if you've considered this from my view point that I have little desire to learn how to build it from scratch. I do have a great desire to fly and record footage whilst doing so.

If your opinion remains that I shouldn't shouldn't be using it, I would say that I'd never tell someone not to ride a motorbike because they couldn't strip down an engine and rebuild it.. kinda the same message which isn't that constructive.

OK where to start??
Is that a KK2 Flight Controller (FC)? Sorry to say they are very old technology and won't make flying easy! Plus having it on the top means the first time you crash and you will you will probably kill the FC!!

The new bits you have look like decent current technology.
OK so I think the KK2 FC isn't compatible with the FrSky XM+ receiver. The FC needs PWM signal and the receiver gives out SBus! They are not compatible.

Really you need a F4 type flight controller. Something like Bardwell F4 AIO FC which runs BetaFlight. This connects directly to the battery, then the 4 esc you have mounted to a 'power distribution board'. This means that you don't need the power board and the FC can sit on the bottom deck. Then you solder the esc power and signal to the FC.
The camera mounts up front and is connected to the FC. The vtx is also mounted on lower deck and connected to the FC.
So you have the top deck left to fit the battery!

Have a look for Josh Bardwell on youtube as he has lots of guides to assist in connecting things.

Don't worry it is a steep learning curve and the transmitter, goggles, caera, vtx etc are good stuff. My recommendation is to have a look at FPVFreerider simulator, it has a free version and the full version is only about £8. Plug your transmitter into a laptop or PC and  follow Josh Bardwells series on learning to fly.

I hope this helps and doesn't put you off. Feel free to post back any questions.

Very useful, thank you so much. I think I'll order the FC in this case. Admittedly connecting everything up to the FC was where I was struggling. However, I also got stuck on binding the transmitter to the receiver. But having a new FC with a labelled diagram will certainly help.

In regards to simulators I've been using Lift Off for the past few months, I've found it to be great tbh, but thanks for the recommendation.   

[shawdreamer]

If your opinion remains that I shouldn't shouldn't be using it, I would say that I'd never tell someone not to ride a motorbike because they couldn't strip down an engine and rebuild it.. kinda the same message which isn't that constructive.

actually I did say "on a fundamental level" which would generally suggest Im not saying you need to have a exacting technical knowledge.

to place it in the same context as your example it'd be something along the lines of..... you shouldnt be riding a motorbike if you dont know how to use the brakes.

even something like a driving test for a car nowadays requires the person being tested to be able to point out the most basic of mechanical features on the car that will require maintenance (eg they must know were the brake reservoir is and how to check its fluid level is correct etc)

to stick with your example again you wouldnt walk up to random stranger and ask "hey do you know how to ride a motorbike?...... no???....... we ll heres the keys to my race bike..... go for it!"

what I was basically trying to impart is during your build process you'll inevitably gain a greater understanding of what your gonna be putting into the air and just that alone will increase your chances of successfully getting what your after in the whole experience.

If you were just after some form of camera platform (eg a phantom like setup) then thatd be a different story.....but your trying to build a "racing drone"..... thats a WHOOOOOOOOOLE different animal and requires a notably different skill set to a slow lumbering cam ship, a skill set that definitely benefits from an atleast basic knowledge of how your build works

[ched]

Very useful, thank you so much. I think I'll order the FC in this case. Admittedly connecting everything up to the FC was where I was struggling. However, I also got stuck on binding the transmitter to the receiver. But having a new FC with a labelled diagram will certainly help.

In regards to simulators I've been using Lift Off for the past few months, I've found it to be great tbh, but thanks for the recommendation. 

Simulators are a great tool. They do help with eye hand coordination. While they are not perfect flying replication they give you a sense of things. One thing they don't prepare you for is 'FEAR' when you first go to take off you really don't have much of a clue how much throttle is needed to get airborne or how much pitch forward is needed to move forward a bit.
I assume you have been using Liftoff in Acro/Rate mode not a stabilised mode? Rate/Acro mode is more difficult but will allow you full control to do all the stunts you see on youtube but be aware that flying is difficult and takes lots of practice.
I use Velocidrone as it runs on slower machines (my laptop) and has an interface very similar to the one in BetaFlight (FC Software) so you can play with 'rates'. Rates are the relationship between how far you move the transmitter stick to how fast the quad rotates.

As for the Bardwell FC I only suggested that one as it's whats called and AIO (All in One) so it includes connection points for each esc power and signal and should come with good instructions.

As for Binding the rx to tx. Well I don't use FrSky but I do know that the firmware on the rx needs to be compatible with the FW on the tx. I am sure Josh will have a good video on binding and FW flashing.

I think sometimes people come here for help and just want someone else to 'do the work' whereas because everyone crashes and breaks things it is best to learn to put things together and understand how things work.

So have a look at Josh Bardwell and Project Blue Falcon on youtube, and Oscar Laing on his site (search his name) not his Facebook. He has lots of great info and guides.

Don't be afraid to have a go and ask for help, we all started somewhere.

A few important points.
Don't connect a battery up to something unless you are 100% sure everything is connected correctly. Check wiring 3 times and don't rely on colour codes.
NEVER plug the battery in when your quad is on the bench without removing Props first.
If you power a video transmitter up without the antenna you will destroy it!

[CJK]

Simulators are a great tool. They do help with eye hand coordination. While they are not perfect flying replication they give you a sense of things. One thing they don't prepare you for is 'FEAR' when you first go to take off you really don't have much of a clue how much throttle is needed to get airborne or how much pitch forward is needed to move forward a bit.
I assume you have been using Liftoff in Acro/Rate mode not a stabilised mode? Rate/Acro mode is more difficult but will allow you full control to do all the stunts you see on youtube but be aware that flying is difficult and takes lots of practice.
I use Velocidrone as it runs on slower machines (my laptop) and has an interface very similar to the one in BetaFlight (FC Software) so you can play with 'rates'. Rates are the relationship between how far you move the transmitter stick to how fast the quad rotates.

As for the Bardwell FC I only suggested that one as it's whats called and AIO (All in One) so it includes connection points for each esc power and signal and should come with good instructions.

As for Binding the rx to tx. Well I don't use FrSky but I do know that the firmware on the rx needs to be compatible with the FW on the tx. I am sure Josh will have a good video on binding and FW flashing.

I think sometimes people come here for help and just want someone else to 'do the work' whereas because everyone crashes and breaks things it is best to learn to put things together and understand how things work.

So have a look at Josh Bardwell and Project Blue Falcon on youtube, and Oscar Laing on his site (search his name) not his Facebook. He has lots of great info and guides.

Don't be afraid to have a go and ask for help, we all started somewhere.

A few important points.
Don't connect a battery up to something unless you are 100% sure everything is connected correctly. Check wiring 3 times and don't rely on colour codes.
NEVER plug the battery in when your quad is on the bench without removing Props first.
If you power a video transmitter up without the antenna you will destroy it!

Yeah I've been using ACRO mode, aside from the other modes feeling too "restrictive" I believe it's the best way to fly! Even if it does take some getting used to.

That's a good point in regards to crashing and putting things back together, I suppose I'm going to have to fix it myself at some point! (lets be honest, probably right off the bat!!).

I've downloaded the right firmware and added it to my tx, I just worry that I've fried it by doing something I shouldn't have.

I watched a few of Josh Bradwell's videos last night and have already learnt so much, which is quite relieving! He's a great teacher.

One last question, if I get an AIO FC, like the one you recommended or another lets say, will the ESC be built in? Because on my current set up, the ESC is built into the Power Distribution Board. And if it's not built in, how do I know which ESC will be compatible with my set up?

Thanks!

[ched]

Yeah I've been using ACRO mode, aside from the other modes feeling too "restrictive" I believe it's the best way to fly! Even if it does take some getting used to.

That's a good point in regards to crashing and putting things back together, I suppose I'm going to have to fix it myself at some point! (lets be honest, probably right off the bat!!).

I've downloaded the right firmware and added it to my tx, I just worry that I've fried it by doing something I shouldn't have.

I watched a few of Josh Bradwell's videos last night and have already learnt so much, which is quite relieving! He's a great teacher.

One last question, if I get an AIO FC, like the one you recommended or another lets say, will the ESC be built in? Because on my current set up, the ESC is built into the Power Distribution Board. And if it's not built in, how do I know which ESC will be compatible with my set up?

Thanks!

It's great that you are learning acro, well done.
Josh does have some great videos.

There are a few FC with built in esc but I don't think it's a good idea. As if an esc is damaged you have to replace the whole FC. So either a 4in1 esc or 4 separate esc like you have is best.

The esc you have, do you have any info on them like max voltage, current the communication protocol like Dshot, PWM, Oneshot, multishot or firmware like BLheli or simonK etc?

While everyone does things differently, traditionally each arm had a motor and an esc on it. Then we started to see more reliable esc so they started coming out as a 4in1 esc the circuit board is the same size as the FC and they 'stack' inside the frame for protection.
The esc and power distribution board you have is a little unusual and doesn't seem to fit in your frame very well. If you can find out the specs we should be able to see if they will work with a new FC.
One thing to note is that a new FC will need to be mounted firmly to the frame with probably 3mm standoffs. As with everything on a quad it needs to be secured down very well as when you crash you don't want bits flying out and ripping cables for other things.

Just had a thought, if you need FC and esc then there might be a cheaper way, well maybe not cheaper but alternative. There is a budget kit available Tyro109 at about £89 delivered. That would give you all the components you need that will work together. You would then have spare motors, camera, and vtx. Have a look on youtube as I think Josh, AndyRC and UAVFutures all did built videos of the Tyro99 (the tyro109 is just a sightly better version of the tyro99 at about £4 more). The builds are very similar.

Hope that helps?

[CJK]

Thank you!

So underneath the board on the lower deck of my drone there seems to be a 4in1 board which has 4 of these.

But because the board is so big, and like you say - doesn't really fit, I think what I'll do is get the Bardwell 4in1 esc and the Bardwell F4 V2 FC like you recommended and have them both on my lower deck..



That way I can keep the cables I have coming from the motors and have the top deck free, it might be a fairly costly option ~£75 but at least it'll be a decent set up. ..

Sound like a good plan? Is there anything else you'd recommend I purchase at the same time that will be useful?

[ched]

Your old esc are using SimonK fw and can only use PWM control signals. They are very out of date. You could use them but they are a bit more complex to setup.
While Josh's stuff is good it's not cheap at all.

Have a look at this Mamba F405 stack. It's £35 to £40 depending on which warehouse it comes from (Chin about 2 weeks, UK a few days). It has a good F4 Flight controller and 40Amp esc and it has a good wiring diagram. I think you might need some m3 nylon mounting bolts but you can buy them off ebay as the Mamba stack comes with some standoff bits as you can see in images the 2 parts are connected together.

I can't think of anything else you need other than maybe a proper Battery strap not cable ties    Oh and cable tie the battery cables to one of the posts on the frame or the frame. If you have a crash and the battery flies out of the strap, as it does sometimes, you don't want it ripping the pads off the FC/ESC.

[DroneCartel]

Ched, how come you recommend f4 FC's rather than f7? My presumption was f7 would be better because it's newer tech? And the price difference is negligible. Just wondering if Iv made a mistake using an f7 in my build.

[ched]

Ched, how come you recommend f4 FC's rather than f7? My presumption was f7 would be better because it's newer tech? And the price difference is negligible. Just wondering if Iv made a mistake using an f7 in my build.

You are right that F7 is newer and more powerful tech. You will be fine with the F7. Only reason I suggested the F4 stack was it is a reliable one that works well and is good value.

I think that BetaFlight currently doesn't need the extra processing power that the F7 gives you over the F4 but future proofing F7 is way to go.

I am normally on a tight budget so I look for budget but reasonable quality stuff.   

[CJK]

Build update! I hope everyone is keeping well and staying positive.

So after struggling with the build for a while, I received some very kind help from a friend of mine and this is how the quad is currently looking...



Receiver: R-XSR by FrSky.
Transmitter: FrSky Taranis X-Lite
Goggles: Dominator V3 goggles
Camera: Foxeer Falkor FPV camera & Matek 40CH VTX HV Video Transmitter
FC: MAMBA F405 MK2 Betaflight Flight Controller

The camera works and connects to the goggles, everything else is wired up and ready to go, however, we're having trouble binding the transmitter to the receiver. My friend put his Hitec transmitter and receiver on the quad to test it and the props turn as they should.

The receiver...


I'm informed it should be a relatively simple process of binding the two.

Does anyone with experience of binding a FrSky Taranis X-Lite transmitter and R-XSR have any tips or suggestions I could try?

Any help is appreciated :)

[garbfink]

the bind process is normally pretty simple, put the transmitter into bind mode (you'll get the annoying beeps) then hold down the tiny button on the rxs-r and plug the battery into the quad while holding the button (it's a pain to do) There should then be a green light pop up on the rxs-r which means it has been bound.

check in betaflight and make sure that under the settings section the receiver is set to seriel based protocol and below that select sbus (probably)

You should then be able to check trhough betaflight whether they are talking to each other. You might then need to change the channel map. on the transmitter secion of betaflight to make sure that all chanels are being read correctly.

If you're having trouble binding then it might be a hardware issue between the receiver and the transmitter. I note that the reciever is EU-LBT which is fine but you need ot make sure that the firmware on the x-lite is also EU-LBT as well. You can do modify this through the open tx program which you can download. I'd recommend checking youtube for tutorials on that.

Hopefully should fix your problem.

Good Luck!

[garbfink]

the bind process is normally pretty simple, put the transmitter into bind mode (you'll get the annoying beeps) then hold down the tiny button on the rxs-r and plug the battery into the quad while holding the button (it's a pain to do) There should then be a green light pop up on the rxs-r which means it has been bound.

check in betaflight and make sure that under the settings section the receiver is set to seriel based protocol and below that select sbus (probably)

You should then be able to check trhough betaflight whether they are talking to each other. You might then need to change the channel map. on the transmitter secion of betaflight to make sure that all chanels are being read correctly.

If you're having trouble binding then it might be a hardware issue between the receiver and the transmitter. I note that the reciever is EU-LBT which is fine but you need ot make sure that the firmware on the x-lite is also EU-LBT as well. You can do modify this through the open tx program which you can download. I'd recommend checking youtube for tutorials on that.

Hopefully should fix your problem.

Good Luck!

[ched]

As garbfink said, both x-lite and rx need to be running eu-lbt firmware.
When you say you have difficulty binding what colour leds on the rx are flashing?
Make 100% sure that the signal from the rx, I am assuming you are using sBus out, is actually the correct pin and not sPort.
On your r-xsr you should have gnd, 5v, not connected, this one to sBus rx pad on fc, then not connected.

Let us know how you get on.

[CJK]

Thanks guys for your responses and advice.. so I've been working on this for a fair few hours now and unfortunately haven't resolved the problem 

check in betaflight and make sure that under the settings section the receiver is set to seriel based protocol and below that select sbus (probably)

Checked this and it was already on serial based protocol and sbus.

If you're having trouble binding then it might be a hardware issue between the receiver and the transmitter. I note that the reciever is EU-LBT which is fine but you need ot make sure that the firmware on the x-lite is also EU-LBT as well. You can do modify this through the open tx program which you can download. I'd recommend checking youtube for tutorials on that.

So I've downloaded the ACCST D16 firmware (LBT version) and put it into the Firmware folder on the SD card, flashed it to the receiver.


My X-lite is flashed with XJT D16 (used to be just D16 but changed to XJT D16 when I updated to latest version of OpenTX (2.3)... something to do with telemetry? Not sure.


These are my settings in OpenTX.. I selected eu - is that right?

As garbfink said, both x-lite and rx need to be running eu-lbt firmware.
When you say you have difficulty binding what colour leds on the rx are flashing?
Make 100% sure that the signal from the rx, I am assuming you are using sBus out, is actually the correct pin and not sPort.
On your r-xsr you should have gnd, 5v, not connected, this one to sBus rx pad on fc, then not connected.

So.. when I fire up the receiver the blue light is solid with the red light flashing (so it's in sbus and not PPM), when I hold the bind button and try to connect the transmitter, all three lights - green, blue and red remain on...



Ched your hunch was right, I did have the S.Port connected instead of the sbus_out so I quickly rectified this before going any further, and reflashed everything after doing so - thank you for the tip on this.

Not sure on what else to try, I've gone through all of Joshua Bardwell's videos on this and followed his guides closely but to no avail 

Any more suggestions?  One comment I've seen is to: "change your fine freq to -40, the red light should go off and your green light should start blinking". Not sure where I would find this setting though?

Thanks!

[ched]

Any more suggestions?  One comment I've seen is to: "change your fine freq to -40, the red light should go off and your green light should start blinking". Not sure where I would find this setting though?

The above, I think is for tx with multi protocol tx modules whose frequencies can be tweeked. As far as I know FrSky stuff is set correctly and can't be tweeked.

It's a bit weird that you have all 3 lights on. I think the green should flash after a power cycle indicating that it is receiving info from tx. So my guess is it's not bound.

Just to clarify, to flash fw you need the 3 pin socket that plugs into the x-lite connected to 0v, 5v and sPORT (NOT sBUS). Then flash the fw via the x-lite.
Then you need to bind by holding the bind button on r-xsr and then connecting 5v power. Then put tx in bind mode and tx should indicate bind OK, I think it stops beeping, can't remember. Now power cycle r-xsr. With tx on you should have the green light flashing.

I have a x-lite S running :
fw: opentx-xlites
vers: 2.3.2 (a97962c5)
date: 2019-11-16 20:25:48
eepr 219

fw options: crossfire,noheli, multimodule, lua, luac
module: isrm-s
        1.1.0/1.1.3eu

FROM https://www.frsky-rc.com/taranis-x-lite-s/

r-xsr rxsr_access_191107.frsk
FROM https://www.frsky-rc.com/r-xsr/ - ACCESS NOT ACCESS D16
NOT THE ACCESS D16 version as that is ACCESS V2 which is BAD!!!!!!!!

So if you use the same versions as I have above you know the combination works.


JUST had a thought, isn't XJT an external module on the x9b?
Looking at setup page 2 like your image mine says ACCESS D16 not xjt!!!!!
I think you have wrong FW on x-lite or maybe internal module (ISRM).
So check your tx with ref to my config above and see what is different.
REMEMBER I HAVE THE X-LITE S version not X-LITE. So FW will be a little different but should not use the XJT stuff without external module.

[CJK]

r-xsr rxsr_access_191107.frsk
FROM https://www.frsky-rc.com/r-xsr/ - ACCESS NOT ACCESS D16
NOT THE ACCESS D16 version as that is ACCESS V2 which is BAD!!!!!!!!

The "ACCESS FIRMWARE" on FrSky website has the .frsk file format, I can't read this on my x-lite... the "ACCST D16 FIRMWARE" has the file format of .frk which I can read on my radio. Are you saying the ACCSST D16 V2 FW is bad? Why? Surely if it's no good it wouldn't be on the website to download? And also I thought I needed D16 as my radio is D16.

JUST had a thought, isn't XJT an external module on the x9b?
Looking at setup page 2 like your image mine says ACCESS D16 not xjt!!!!!
I think you have wrong FW on x-lite or maybe internal module (ISRM).
So check your tx with ref to my config above and see what is different.
REMEMBER I HAVE THE X-LITE S version not X-LITE. So FW will be a little different but should not use the XJT stuff without external module.

You're right, XJT would be for external module but I am not selecting anything to do with XJT when I download firmware through OpenTX.. I am so confused with this. The file name I download from OpenTX when selecting Taranis X-lite is called: opentx-xlite-eu-lua-noheli-en-2.3.7. .

I have no idea why my I have XJT in internal module.

 

[ched]

ACCESS V2 is FrSky's way of locking you to their receivers. So any quad that comes with a spi rx will not work with ACCESS V2. Avoid it at all costs!!! ACCESS V2 just limits what you can do with no benefits that I can see. Have a look on Youtube for 'frsky access v2'!!!

I wonder if somehow your tx profile on OpenTX is wrong. I think the profile dictates which FW OpenTX downloads to install, again I'm not 100% sure on that.

I think, I manually downloaded the firmware from FrSky for my tx and put it on the sd card under FW then ran the update from the tx directly. That's the way I remember doing it but I could be wrong. I think I remember having to use bootloader mode - hold down the 4 way direction pad then power up.
This is for x-lite pro but procedure should be same:-
https://youtu.be/OAeqYmKmLko

I have not really played with OpenTX much other than to back things up. I should learn a bit more.

I do suspect you have xjt D16 FW on your tx and you need the standard x-lite EU FW. Maybe manually downloading it from FrSky onto the sd card and installing it would help?

[CJK]

ACCESS V2 is FrSky's way of locking you to their receivers. So any quad that comes with a spi rx will not work with ACCESS V2. Avoid it at all costs!!! ACCESS V2 just limits what you can do with no benefits that I can see. Have a look on Youtube for 'frsky access v2'!!!

I wonder if somehow your tx profile on OpenTX is wrong. I think the profile dictates which FW OpenTX downloads to install, again I'm not 100% sure on that.

I think, I manually downloaded the firmware from FrSky for my tx and put it on the sd card under FW then ran the update from the tx directly. That's the way I remember doing it but I could be wrong. I think I remember having to use bootloader mode - hold down the 4 way direction pad then power up.
This is for x-lite pro but procedure should be same:-

I have not really played with OpenTX much other than to back things up. I should learn a bit more.

I do suspect you have xjt D16 FW on your tx and you need the standard x-lite EU FW. Maybe manually downloading it from FrSky onto the sd card and installing it would help?

Thanks Ched, you're a real trooper for helping me with this but still not working for me. I've tried the following...

XLITE FW (downloaded from FrSky website):

Version 190905 - (displays as XJT on Xlite)
Version 180622
Version 180528

R-XSR ACCST FW:

ACCST D16 v2.1.0 - RXSR_ACCST_2.1.0_LBT - didn't work
ACCST D16 v2.0.1 - RXSR_ACCST_V2.0.1_LBT.frk

R-XSR ACCESS FW

ACCESS_v1.1.4 - RXSR_ACCESS_191107.frsk - Doesn't work because of frsk. file format.
ACCESS-V1.1.3 2 - RXSR_ACCESS_190805.frk

COMBOS TRIED

Version 180528 with ACCST all versions - didn't work
Version 190905 with ACCST all versions - didn't work
Version 180622 with ACCST all versions - didn't work
Version 180622 with ACCESS all versions - didn't work

-------------

I've checked all wiring and everything is correct.

I've seen a few people mention a full chip erase having worked for them, not sure what this is or how to perform it..

Otherwise, it seems I've tried everything. I'm now considering getting a new radio transmitter and receiver, especially after my friends Hitec transmitter and receiver worked on my quad - If I were to do this, can you make any suggestions for what TX/RX to go for?

Thanks!

[ched]

You have been busy, well done for all the trying. I am sure we can get this working.
So I just downloaded the x-lite FW dated 20190905 from FrSky. I unzipped it and there are 2 sets of files.
First question, is your tx a LBT-EU or an FCC one? Mine has a little round sticker on back saying EU LBT.
IF yours is EU-LBT then copy the firmware_xlite_lbt_en_190905.bin file onto your sd card in the Firmware folder. Flash the FW (Hold 4 way pad down, power on etc....) That is the OpenTX bit of the tx.
Now we need to flash the internal radio module. Download the FW-iXJT-XLITE-v2.1.0.zip file and unzip. For EU-LBT us this file: IXJT-XLITE_ACCST_2.1.0_FCC.frk

I think I have just worked out the issue. The current internal radio module FW download is ACCESS V2!!!!! So to 'talk' to r-xsr you also need them to have ACCESS V2 EU-LBT fw!!!


It might take me a little while but I will try and find ACCESS V1 files or work out the implications of ACCESS V2.

Basically there are 3 FW and all must be compatible. There is the FW the radio runs on OpenTX, the firmware the internal radio module runs on isrm (iXJT_Lite), then the receiver fw. You have just been flashing 2 types (OpenTX and receiver FW).

[ched]

Update:
So here we go, hopefully.
First off download the x-lite FW dated 20190905 from FrSky( https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/X-Lite/FW-Xlite-20190905.zip
). I unzipped it and there are 2 sets of files.
First question, is your tx a LBT-EU or an FCC one? Mine has a little round sticker on back saying EU LBT.
IF yours is EU-LBT then copy the firmware_xlite_lbt_en_190905.bin file onto your sd card in the Firmware folder. Flash the FW (Hold 4 way pad down, power on etc....) That is the OpenTX bit of the tx.

Now the internal radio module: Files from this link:
https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/X-Lite/FW-iXJT_Lite_20180416.zip File you need after unzipping: iXJT_EU_20180416.frk again copy to firmware folder on sd, hold 4 way pad down and power on, select frk file and then 'Flash internal module'.

Now flash r-xsr as before from https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/R-XSR/FW-RXSR-ACCST_v191128.zip using file RXSR_LBT_ACCST_191112.frk.

Now bind r-xsr to tx and you should be all good.

Fingers crossed.

[CJK]

Update:
So here we go, hopefully.
First off download the x-lite FW dated 20190905 from FrSky( https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/X-Lite/FW-Xlite-20190905.zip
). I unzipped it and there are 2 sets of files.
First question, is your tx a LBT-EU or an FCC one? Mine has a little round sticker on back saying EU LBT.
IF yours is EU-LBT then copy the firmware_xlite_lbt_en_190905.bin file onto your sd card in the Firmware folder. Flash the FW (Hold 4 way pad down, power on etc....) That is the OpenTX bit of the tx.

Now the internal radio module: Files from this link:
https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/X-Lite/FW-iXJT_Lite_20180416.zip File you need after unzipping: iXJT_EU_20180416.frk again copy to firmware folder on sd, hold 4 way pad down and power on, select frk file and then 'Flash internal module'.

Now flash r-xsr as before from https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/R-XSR/FW-RXSR-ACCST_v191128.zip using file RXSR_LBT_ACCST_191112.frk.

Now bind r-xsr to tx and you should be all good.

Fingers crossed.

You legend, thank you for keeping this alive for me! I'm going to try all of the above and let you know how I get on.. in the meantime, I've just discovered something about my transmitter..



The FCC on the back might be a good hint about where I've been going wrong! I just assumed my tx was EU LBT. Hopefully this works...

[ched]

Did you buy from UK supplier if so it should be EU-LBT. If from Banggood etc it should be FCC!!!
Here is a picy of the back of my x-lite S



Mine came from Quadcopters.co.uk.

You can switch modes via lua script!!!

Here is a link to my post on FCC to EU-LBT lua changing via lua script.
https://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=24219.0

One thing that I notice is that when you execute the script (link in youtube description) it shows you 2 boxes. One FCC the other EU-LBT. The one that is a black box is the current setting. You select which one you want then power cycle the transmitter. If you don't power cycle then it doesn't change between modes.

So maybe install the lua script then you will know which mode you are currently running. Then you can decide which way to go. Obviously we all should be running EU-LBT in UK but sometimes FCC mode allows you to connect to spi RX that don't have EU BetaFlight FW. I use this to connect to my Mobula6! 


Don't worry we will get you up and running with your x-lite and R-xsr 
I like a challenge and I am learning as well 

[CJK]

I followed your steps Ched, but again no joy 

Update:
Now the internal radio module: Files from this link:
https://www.frsky-rc.com/wp-content/uploads/Downloads/Firmware/X-Lite/FW-iXJT_Lite_20180416.zip File you need after unzipping: iXJT_EU_20180416.frk again copy to firmware folder on sd, hold 4 way pad down and power on, select frk file and then 'Flash internal module'.

It won't let me flash the internal module, it comes up with the error message of: FW update error not responding. Any ideas on this?

So to summarise:

firmware_xlite_fcc_en_190905 - successfully flashed in boot menu
iXJT_NonEU_20180416.frk - [FIRMWARE] - FW update error not responding.
RXSR_ACCST_V2.0.1_FCC.frk - successfully flashed in [FIRMWARE]

Above didn't work
—————

firmware_xlite_fcc_en_190905 - successfully flashed in boot menu
iXJT_NonEU_20180416.frk - [FIRMWARE] - FW update error not responding.
RXSR_ACCST_2.1.0_FCC.frk - successfully flashed in [FIRMWARE]

Above didn't work

----------

firmware_xlite_fcc_en_190905 - successfully flashed in boot menu
RXSR_ACCESS_191107.frsk - successfully flashed in [FIRMWARE]

Above didn't work


It's strange how all three lights (red,green,blue) remain on through all of these different combinations.

Did you buy from UK supplier if so it should be EU-LBT. If from Banggood etc it should be FCC!!!

It was an Amazon purchase, from BETAFPV store (https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?i=merchant-items&me=A22TWKWJXC2EMW&dc&qid=1587398367&swrs=E6FF887ED9EA448643B7D1153694020E&ref=sr_hi_1). The X-lite is no longer listed in the store but there's nothing in the description to say whether it's FCC or LBT, they do sell some LBT stuff so we could assume it's LBT.

I had a look at the video to switch modes with the Lua script, I dropped the LUA script into SCRIPTS, was that right? I then was able to find the script through the tx and select execute, however, it stays stuck on "Reading mode..." and neither LBT/EU or FCC are selected. Did I install the script incorrectly?

[CJK]

UPDATE: We're alive!!

I downloaded opentx-xlite-eu-lua-noheli-en from OpenTX, flashed the tx with it. With this,  I was able to flash to internal module with the iXJT_EU_20180416.frk.

After this I made sure FW-RXSR-ACCST_v191128 was on the receiver, then I tried to bind and it bound successfully!   

I'll do some checked and update this thread with any progress! Thank you again Ched for all your help, really appreciate it!

[ched]

That's great, well done.
I was just looking into the lua script issue as a starting point but looks like you have a EU-LBT radio 

You can copy the lua script directly into the tools folder of the scripts then access it with Radio Setup menu (joystick left for 2 sec) then page 3 'TOOLS' then scroll to bottom and press joystick. It should then show the isrm mode switch script.

The thing about FrSky is although it's very powerful that makes it a bit complex at the beginning. i.e. Flash OpenTX version to run tx than you have other firmware on internal radio, then fw on receivers... If any 1 of the 3 parts is wrong you can have difficulties.

As always that's a bit simplistic as there are many r-xsr fw that will work with the isrm but only if they are the same (Fcc or EU) and then ACCESS V1 or V2(don't use v2 unless you have to...) plus (older radios, maybe yours, also have ACCST in D8 or D16 mode).

Actually looking at this it is stupidly complex..........
PS I only switched to FrSky about 6 months ago just so I could get small reliable receivers          So lots of new stuff for me as well......


Fingers crossed you have it now.