OpenTX How To … Part 1

Open TX
2.2 How To … Part 1 Op

How to Flash the EU LBT Firmware Page 2

How to Create a Sound File Page 6

How to Create a Text File Page 9

How to Use the Trainer Function Page 11

How to Record Transmitter Settings Page 15

How to Set Up a Flybarless Helicopter Page 16

How to Set Up a CCPM Helicopter Page 23

How to Create a Kill Switch Page 33

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Open TX How to flash
Howthe EU1
To … Part

LBT Firmware Op
2.2
Warning: This method of flashing can only be undertaken if your transmitter uses the standard
battery. If you have replaced the standard NiMH battery with a LiPo battery, this can damage the
receiver.
1. On your computer find the copy of the SD Card (if not copy the SD card from the Taranis),
and check a sub-folder called FIRMWARES exists.
2. Go to the FrSky website http://www.frsky-rc.com/download/ and download the latest
firmware. This website screen is frequently changed, so do not assume it will look exactly
like this:

3. Above shows the XJT firmware (for the transmitter), the X4R, and the X6R/X8R. These are
the latest LBT (listen before talk) EU upgrades to meet EU regulations.
4. Go to your normal download folder, and with Windows 10, a right click on the appropriate
file will give the options to extract these files to a particular folder. Otherwise an unzip
program will be needed to unpack the files.
5. Select the FIRMWARES folder on your computer version of the SD card, and copy the XJT,
X4R and X6R/X8R to this folder.
6. These files will need to be copied to a similar folder on the actual SD card in the transmitter.
In OpenTX, with the transmitter in boot mode and connected to the computer, this can be
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achieved using the SD Card Synchronisation feature. Op

7. Next you will need to make a lead up to transfer the files. The easiest way is to use an
extension lead with plugs at one end and sockets at the other and swap the red and brown
pins at one end if using Spektrum colours, or the red and black for the Taranis telemetry
colours.
8. Connect the reversed end into the back of the Taranis with the cover removed. Note that
the signal lead is towards the bottom of the transmitter, the middle lead is the black lead.
The plug at the back has five pins, only the bottom 3 are used.
9. Connect the other end of the lead to a sensor lead already plugged into the Smart Port on
the receiver. Ensure that when flashing a receiver, there is no power source connected to
the receiver, except from this lead. If upgrading an X4R receiver, you will need to use the
special sensor lead that comes with the X4R, with the small JST plug at one end, and a
standard 3 pin servo connector fitted to the other end. (Ignore the 4th wire.)

10. Now switch on the transmitter, and with a long press of the menu button go into the Radio
Setup menu system.

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11. Page through to screen 2: Op
12. Then select FIRMWARES:
13. Select the appropriate file. XJT_LBT will flash the transmitter, the other two files flash the
appropriate receivers. Both the transmitter and receivers should be updated to this latest
version.

14. Finally, with the model secured, (and if electric, preferably with the propeller removed)
check that all the model functions perform as expected, and that failsafes are still working.
It should not be necessary to rebind the receiver.

Notes:
Why EU Firmware?
FrSky's X-type RF modules and D16 mode receivers were not compliant with the ETSI EN 300 328
v1.8.1 standard. They issued a number of firmware updates since January 2015 in order to sell on
the EU market.

What is an RF module and what's D16?

The RF module handles the communication to the receivers. The Taranis has an internal XJT RF
module (physically just a circuit board), and external XJT modules are available for use in other
radios. They are generally just referred to as the XJT module, whether they are the internal or
external modules.

The XJT module uses several protocols to talk to the receivers. D16 is one of them, and it's used
for the X-range of receivers, i.e. X4R, X4R-SB, X6R and X8R. There are two more protocols, D8 and
LR12. D8 is used for legacy (i.e. historic) receivers, those starting with D or V in their name, e.g.
D4R-II, D8R-II+, V8FR-II, VD5M, etc. Lastly, the LR12 protocol is for the long range receiver L9R.

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What is a firmware Op
The Taranis has two sets of firmware. One is the operating system OpenTX (OS), the other is for
the RF (XJT) module. These firmwares are independent of each other. Updating the OpenTX
operating system on your Taranis does not update the XJT module, and vice versa.
If you have a pre-2015 Taranis and buy new D16 mode receivers manufactured for sale in the EU,
you wouldn't be able to use them. You can't just update the OS to the latest version and expect it
to bind with your new receivers. It's important to understand the difference between the two
firmwares.

The Crucial Bit!

This is important, your XJT module and any D16 receivers must match. Either both have EU
firmwares, or both have non-EU firmwares. The D8 and LR12 mode receivers are not affected by

D8 Mode D16 Mode LR12 Mode

D4R-II X4R L9R
D6FR X4R-SB
D8R-II plus X6R
D8R-XP X8R
Delta-8
V8FR-II
V8R4-II
V8R7-II
V8R7-SP
VD5M

this choice. If you're sticking with EU firmwares, then make sure to upgrade both the XJT and D16
receivers to the LBT firmware. The latest LBT firmware (2016) fixes some issues present in older
EU firmwares.

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OpenTX How toHow
Create
To … Parta
1

Op
2.2 Sound File

My thanks go to Liam O'Hagan (CaffeineAU), not only for a super little program but also for
allowing me to include it in this documentation.

An important part of OpenTX is its ability to use speech to provide information of the status of the
model whilst it is flying and its telemetry together with such things as changes to switch positions
etc. Essentially, there are two facets to the speech function in OpenTX. The first uses in-built
functions to play values of particular parameters or telemetry, together with some system
announcements. On exploring the SD card in the transmitter, these can be found in the SYSTEM
subdirectory in the SOUNDS directory. The second facet is to simply play the speech file as
directed by a Special Function. This facet is clearly open ended and there can be as many speech
files as the user wishes. A popular file of speech announcements for the UK is the “Amber” file,
unfortunately this does not cover every conceivable need for users. It is possible to create extra
speech files and this used to be rather a laborious task as one needed to get it in the right format
to work. OpenTX requires mono “.wav” files saved in a particular format. However, recently an
excellent new program has been available to create these speech files especially for OpenTX. It is
called TTSAutomate. TTS stands for text-to-speech, and TTSAutomate will convert text into a
speech file and save it in the correct format for OpenTX. A quick search of the internet will find
where this program is available.

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Op
TTSAutomate is a superb little program where one simply types in all the extra messages required,
and at a press of a button these are saved in the appropriate format using the chosen voice. Not
only can the actual .wav files be saved, but the whole phrase file can be saved, so that it can be
added to or extended at a later time. There is a plethora of voices provided in numerous languages
and accents.

It is important to get the setup of this program right. First, in the Settings menu the filename must
be set to a limit of 6 characters. This is all that OpenTX 2.2 will allow. Earlier versions of OpenTX
would allow 7 characters. Also ensure the Encode MP3 to WAV box is clicked. You also need to set
an output directory both for where the phrase file will be stored, as well as each individual “.wav”
file will be stored. The only thing to be careful of is not to use any characters generally forbidden in
filenames such as: ~ " # % & * : < > ? / \ { | }.

Open Phrase File (or Ctrl-O) opens an existing “psv” or phrases file. Output Directory (Ctrl-P)
allows the user to choose where to save the audio files. The files will be saved under two
directories in the selected folder; one for “mp3”, one for “wav”. Remember, OpenTX requires
voice files in a “wav” format. A TTS provider must be selected and a voice selected using the drop
down boxes. If you want to modify any of the phrases, edit the phrase in the list, and preview
again to hear the change. You will note that the Play button changes to Preview after you edit the
line. If you have modified your phrases file, or created a new phrases file, you can save the file with
the Save Phrases File (Ctrl-S) button or save the file with a new name using the Save Phrases File
As... (Ctrl-A) button. You can move lines up and down, by selecting the lines (click on the row
header and using the buttons. You can add new rows above / below selected lines, or delete lines.
Subfolders in the Folders column are supported. For example: if you specify voice\user, then the
files will be generated in _\mp3\voice\user_ and _\wav\voice\user_.

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OpenTX How toHowCreate
To … Part 1a

2.2 Op
Text File

When the radio is turned on or the model is selected, display a check list text file and play an
audio file. Text files can also be called up with a long press of the Enter button and selecting the
View Notes option. These are examples of a text file:

Information that could be included in the text file:

 Switch operation, e.g. flight modes, timer control
 Slider operation, e.g. sound volume control
 Pot operation
 Telemetry data that is valid
 Trainer setup
 Pre-flight check list
 Battery size
 Reminders
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To Create a New Text File Op

Using a text editor, like Notepad in Microsoft Windows, create a text file with name
‘MyModel.txt”. MyModel must be exactly the same as the name of the model, without blanks.
The width of the Taranis X9 and Horus screens is 35 characters so each line must be limiter to 35
characters - this includes spaces, the X7 is 20 characters wide. The screen has 7 lines below the
heading but you can scroll down to more lines. Notice that on the Horus screen, the text does not
fill the width of the full screen. This may well be improved at a later date. The text file must be
saved in the MODELS directory on the SD card, and should also be copied to the SD card mirror on
the computer.

Once a text file has been created it must be enabled on the Setup screen for the model.

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Op
A new feature of OpenTX 2.2 is the ability to edit the text file from within OpenTX Companion, or
to import a text file from another model and then edit it.

Click on the Edit Checklist tab, and the following screen will appear:

Now a new text file can be created, imported from another model or edited. Do note the word of
caution here. If the model name is changed, the user must manually change the text file name
also.

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A Trainer System Using Two Taranis Transmitters. Op

Whether one uses just the two transmitters to set up the buddy system or presets some of the
functions first using the Companion does not matter.

1. Set up a new model on the Slave, taking note of the channel order, and setting the Trainer
Mode to Slave.

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OpenTX
How toHow To … Part 1
Use the
2.2 Trainer FunctionOp
OpenTX has much flexibility for use with a buddy box system. The Taranis normally needs a 3.5mm
mono jack lead to connect two transmitters together, however a stereo lead will work usually (see
note at the end). There are now some third party wireless modules available that fit in the module
bay of some transmitters, but not all. The Horus has Bluetooth available also.

The basic buddy box concept is simple. There is a Master transmitter, which actually transmits to
the receiver, and a Slave transmitter where, if possible the RF signal is switched off. The Slave
transmitter passes a copy of the output signal to the Master via the 2 core trainer cable. The
Master sees these inputs as Input Channels 1 – 16, if all are available on the Slave.
The inputs can be calibrated and scaled or multiplied. Each of the inputs is mapped to a joystick
and the mapping can include a weighting e.g. 125% and whether the signal is absolute (no master
input when the student is in control ) or additive where the Master and the trainer signals are
added together and the resulting sum applied to the model. The second option sounds very clever
but having thought about it doesn’t really seem that useful.

The Taranis will buddy with other makes of transmitter too. Most Spektrums work although a few
will only work with a mono buddy lead. Buddying a Futaba to Taranis you will need a JR to Futaba
plug trainer lead. The Horus X12S (but not the X10) has a Futaba style socket also.

Before Starting
Before you start you need to decide on some basic things:
 If your Slave has dual rates will you use these with your student or will you use the dual rates
on the Master for both instructor and student?
 You can configure the Master to take all of the flight control inputs from the buddy box or
just some of them. Initially control can be limited, with more control being added to the
program or via switches as the student progresses.
 What control will you want to hand control across to the student? An obvious and simple
choice would be to use the spring loaded switch SH but you could use any of the other
physical or logical switches.

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Note that the Internal Radio System should also be turned off. Op
2. Connect the Master to the Slave and go to the Trainer page on the Master.

3. Set the four Joystick controls to Replace :=. Alter the source as required to get the correct
control surfaces operating. The weight should not need altering unless this has been changed
on the Slave. (With another make of transmitter as the Slave, this weighting might well be
needed, or it may be simpler to use the Multiplier.)
4. Check the throws go roughly between -100 and +100. These are the right hand four numbers
on the bottom row of the screen.

5. Set all the Slave joysticks to their mid positions and click on the Cal function to calibrate them.

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6.
Op
Decide on how control will be passed to the student. For this example switch SH will be
used in the up position to give control of both joysticks to the student. Here also, voice
announcements are given.
Note, to disable any of the joysticks, simply unclick the
“enable” box on the right of the screen.

7. As always, check all the functions work as expected on

the model with it safely restrained, or the propeller
removed if it is electric.

Note 1:
Other slave channels can be used with OpenTX if they are
available from the Slave transmitter. TR1 to TR16 are available
on both Inputs and Mixers. An extension of this could be to
have two pilots using two transmitters to control an elaborate
16 channel model, with, say, one pilot handling all the auxiliary
functions through their slave transmitter. Thus a joystick on the slave could be used to rotate a
gun turret.

Note 2:
It has recently come to light that there is a discrepancy between the wiring of a Taranis X7 and a
Horus X10. Thus if you try to buddy these transmitters with a stereo lead, it will not work. A mono
lead should, however. This only affects a Taranis X7 to Horus X10 link, not a Taranis X9 or Horus
X12.

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OpenTX
HowHowtoto Record
Record
How Transmitter
To … PartSettings
1

Op
2.2 Transmitter Settings
Once one has set up a few models on the transmitter, the switches and sliders used for each model
can get quite confusing. Ideally, keeping the same switches for the same functions is best, but this
is not always possible. This chart provides a simple paper method of keeping track of the
transmitter settings.

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OpenTX How to Set
How
Up
to Set
How aa Helicopter
ToUp… Part 1

2.2 Flybarless HelicopterOp

First, to understand how a flybarless (FLB) system works one needs to know how and what a flybar
does. A very simple explanation of a flybar function is to add stabilization to the rotor disc by
automatically changing the cyclic pitch angles of the rotor blades to help improve cyclic stability
and make cyclic control much more manageable. As the name suggests, FBL does away with the
flybar and with the help of electronic stabilization systems, "virtually" replaces the flybar (why
they are also called “virtual” or "electronic flybars").
The FBL helicopter is much easier to program using OpenTX because it does not require the
specialist helicopter functions of OpenTX. The following example is taken from a FBL helicopter, a
Blade 300X fitted with a Spektrum AR7200BX AS3X® (Artificial Stabilization - 3aXis) flybarless
system with built in receiver.
The first problem comes with the built in Spektrum receiver. Obviously the normal Taranis
transmitter will not work with the Spektrum receiver, so an external XJT module is required. An
external module, such as one shown below fits in the opening at the back of the transmitter and
has its own aerial.
For those not familiar with Spektrum, the black plug at the bottom right is the bind plug. There is a
bind socket on the Spektrum receiver, and this plug is inserted before switching on the receiver to
bind it to the Orange module.

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Op
The first thing, therefore, on the helicopter setup is to tell the transmitter to use this external
module. On the Model Edit Setup screen, the radio needs configuring to switch off the internal
radio and switch on the external module.

The protocol needs to be set to PPM for this Orange module, not DSMX or DSM2 as one might
expect, and the polarity needs to be positive. The Frame Length, Channels and PPM delay are the
defaults that come up when PPM is selected.
Now one would think the Heli page needs setting, but actually the AS3X module does all the clever
manipulation instead, so the Heli page is not changed from the default settings:

The rest of the programming is simply a copy of the settings provided for a Spektrum transmitter.
The Blade 130X User Guide offers programming for a number of transmitters, it is better to copy
the settings from a mid to high end transmitter as OpenTX will be able to duplicate all the
functions. The Blade 300X User Guide can be downloaded on line to compare settings. Essentially
we are going to set up OpenTX to provide the same settings as those given for the Blade 130X.
However, changes can be made to suit individual preferences without moving away from these
basic settings. For instance, as the Taranis has mostly 3-way switches, we might as well use triple
rates rather than double.

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Blade 130X User Guide Settings Op
The transmitter is set to Mode 2.
The Blade User Guide for the Spektrum DX8 transmitter suggests:
1. Servo travel is 100. (Remember Spektrum servo travel is less than OpenTX. We will
compensate for this later.)
2. There are no sub-trims set.
3. Elevator, rudder and pitch channels are reversed.
4. There are three flight modes, Normal, Stunt 1, and Stunt 2. No expo is set for any
flight mode.
5. Dual rates are set at 100 for Normal mode, 85 for elevator, aileron and rudder in
stunt modes 1 and 2.
6. Throttle and pitch curves are shown later, and there are no tail curves.
7. Timer is set to 4 minutes.

OpenTX Settings
Flight Mode: SE↑ Normal
SE- Idle-Up 1
SE↓ Idle-Up 2
Obviously the choice of switch is down to personal preferences.

Throttle cut: SF↑ Throttle cut enabled

SF↓ Throttle cut disabled
Throttle joystick must be off before toggling the switch to enable the throttle.

Triple Rate: SD↑ High D/R

SD- Mid D/R
SD↓ Low D/R

Timer: Timer 1: Engine time. Count down starts once throttle opened and remains
above 25%.

Servos limit: Set to ±80% in order to match the Spektrum limits.

Curves: Curves are from the user guide.

Curve1 Normal throttle curve
Curve2 Idle-Up 1 throttle curve
Curve3 Idle-Up 2 throttle curve
Curve4 Normal pitch curve
Open TX Reference Section
Curve5 Idle-Up 14 & 2 pitch curve
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1. Setting timers etc. Op
Timer 1 is set to count down from 4 minutes once the throttle is opened more than 25%.

2. The Flight Modes Screen

Three flight modes need setting, Normal, Idle-up 1 and Idle-up 2. Switch SE is used here. The
Blade User Guide advises that no trims must be used as the AS3X receiver interprets those as
signal inputs. These will need to be disabled in each of the Flight Modes screens.

One can alter the fade in times to suit personal preference.

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3. The Inputs Screen Op

1. One must follow the Spektrum channel order, not, perhaps the one you normally use.
Spektrum is TAER. This does not have to be set on the Radio Edit Setup screen however.
2. The recommended Blade setup does not have expo, however this is down to personal
preference, and experimentation.
3. While these rates do not match the Blade User Guide, medium rates match the suggested
rates for Sport 1 and Sport 2. For normal mode, low rates provide a better setting for the
beginner. High rates matches the User Guide settings. Indeed, low rates could be changed
down to 50% for learning to hover.
4. While no expo is recommended in the Blade User Guide, this is very much down to personal
preference.

4. The Mixes Screen

The first three throttle settings are for the three flight modes. The last throttle setting links to a
logical switch, L2 to disable the throttle. Notice the Multiplex setting is set to Replace. This is very
important for the throttle cut to work correctly. Channel 5, the gyro, and channel 6, the pitch are
the standard channels for the Spektrum AS3X. Switch SC switches between heading hold and rate
mode for the gyro.
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5. The Outputs screen Op

Spektrum systems normally work from -80 to +80, so the weighting needs to be reduced here.
Aileron, elevator and pitch are reversed as in the settings provided in the Blade user guide.

6. The Curves screen

In OpenTX curves go from -100 to +100. Many curves are listed in helicopter manuals using a 0 to
100 notation. Thus it is necessary to convert these to OpenTX curve format.

To convert 0 to 100 to OpenTX notation, multiply the 0 to 100 figure by 2 and

take away 100.
E.g. 60 in 0/100 becomes 20 in OpenTX format
(60 * 2 = 120, 120 minus 100 = 20).

Throttle Curve
Curve Function Suggested Setting OpenTX Setting
Curve 1 N 0, 25, 50, 60, 70 -100, -50, 0, 20, 40
Curve 2 1 100, 70, 60, 70, 100 100, 40, 20, 40, 100
Curve 3 2 75, 75, 75, 75, 75 50, 50, 50, 50, 50

Pitch Curve
Curve Function Suggested Settings OpenTX Settings

Curve 4 N 30, 40, 50, 75, 100 -40, -20, 0, 50, 100

Curve 5 1, 2, H 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 -100, -50, 0, 50, 100

Note that curves 3 and 5 are straight lines, therefore a two-point curve could be used for each,
simply using the endpoints, or even simply using weightings instead of curves. However, curves
Openfor
allow TXlater refinement
Reference Section
of the flying 4
characteristics.
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7. Logical Switches and Special Functions Op
Having completed most of the basic setting up to match the Blade User Guide, logical switches
and special functions are used to provide a throttle cut and switch verbal feedback.

These logical switches provide a simple method of providing a throttle cut which cannot be
accidentally enabled when the throttle is not at a minimum.

SF1 puts a volume control on pot S2.

SF2 to SF4 give a voice alert for the three modes, though now sport 1 and sport 2 are called by
their more normal names, Idle Up 1 and Idle Up 2.
SF5 and SF6 give a voice alert for the motor arm/disarm.
SF7 to SF9 give a voice alert for the rates.
SF10 and SF11 give voice alerts for the gyro mode.

Finally, now the switches have been assigned, back on

the Setup screen the switch warnings can be set. It is
obviously very important to set SF, the motor disable
Open TX
switch warning. Reference Section 4
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How ToUp…
a Helicopter
Part 1
Open TX How to Set Up a
Op
2.2 CCPM Helicopter

This “How To” deals with setting up a CCPM electric helicopter. This example will be based on a
450 sized electric flybar helicopter with a 120° swash plate, and a mode 2 transmitter.

CCPM is an acronym that stands for Cyclic - Collective - Pitch - Mixing. This feature is only found on
RC helicopters with collective pitch (as the name suggests), it doesn’t apply to fixed pitch
helicopters. In the previous “How to”, the mixing for the three servos that control the collective
were handled within the specialised gyro stabilized control system and combined receiver. This
system handles all the clever mixing required to get the (usually) three servos linked to the swash
plate to function correctly.

The complex collective cyclic pitch mixing for these three (or occasionally four) servos can also be
handled by an appropriate transmitter. OpenTX offers excellent features to allow CCPM
helicopters to be programmed, and thus a simple 6 channel receiver with a separate tail gyro can
be utilised in the helicopter. The downside is that one needs to have a greater understanding of
how such CCPM helicopters work, though maybe that is not really a downside, just a steeper
learning curve. The positive side is, of course, the greater flexibility offered by OpenTX together
with a better understanding of how that system works to be able to tune the helicopter more
effectively.

The reader is advised to use this section in conjunction with Part 3 of the Reference Guide where
the Heli page is covered in the Model Editor.

For collective pitch RC helicopters, the direction the helicopter will travel and the amount of lift is
governed by the swashplate. The bottom part of
the swash plate stays aligned with the helicopter
body and does not rotate, the top part of the
swash plate turns with the helicopter blades.
The top part of the swashplates determines the
angle of the blades as they rotate. To tilt
forward and back or sideways requires that the
controls alter the angle of attack of the main
rotor blades cyclically during rotation, creating
differing amounts of lift at different points in the
cycle. This is called the cyclic pitch or just cyclic.
Strictly speaking, cyclic is the combination of
aileron and elevator. To increase or decrease
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Op
overall lift requires that the controls alter the angle of attack (collective pitch, or just collective) for
all blades collectively by equal amounts at the same time, resulting in ascent, descent,
acceleration and deceleration. The cyclic pitch control changes the angle of selective rotor blades
as they spin, so if the blade on one side
produces slightly more lift the opposite blade
always produces slightly less lift, thus steering
the helicopter left or right. Similarly if the
blade tilts forward it will produce more lift
making it move forward.
Three servos vary the height and angle of the
swash plate. The group of 3 servos that
change the swashplate height and angle are
called cyclic servos. This causes a problem
with raw signals. For example, with a single
elevator signal one cyclic servo must go up
and another must go down. This changing of
the control signals to cyclic signals is called
CCPM. This photo shows a typical 120°
helicopter swashplate. The round device on the main rotor shaft is the swashplate. The three links
connecting the swashplate to the three servos can be clearly seen though the servos themselves
are not visible.

1. The Inputs Screen

The first part of setting up the helicopter is quite straightforward as we set up the Model Editor
Inputs screen and allow for triple rates and expo. These should be adjusted for personal
preference.

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2. The Heli Screen Op
The complex mixing that is going to take place to convert the basic aileron and elevator inputs into
the cyclics is set up in the Heli screen. That is further complicated by the collective. The transmitter
only has four joysticks to control five functions, engine speed, collective, rudder (yaw), aileron
(lateral cyclic) and elevator (longitudinal cyclic). Thus the throttle controls both the collective and
the motor speed using curves to enable both to function correctly.

1. The swash type is set to 120.

2. The swash ring is used to limit the swash movement commanded by cyclics alone (effectively
roll rate or swash tilt). The range is from 0 to 100. The maths behind Swash Ring is a cubic
function, not linear. This means with a swash ring 60, the max defection of a cyclic channel is
about 50. This will not impact pitch movement up and down. You can still hit servo limits at
extremes of pitch and cyclic. If you need to prevent this, adjust the mix weights of the pitch
control mixes (i.e. +60% instead of +100%).
3. Now the cyclics and collective are identified, and weightings are added. Once all the OpenTX
settings are entered, the direction of each servo can be checked. Any reversal can be carried
out here (e.g. Long. cyc) or on the Outputs screen.
4. The collective is set to channel 9. This will be explained in the Mixes screen below.

3. The Mixes Screen.

It is on this Mixes screen is where the process really becomes clear. First, we need to delve into
the problem of the one control handling two functions, motor speed and the collective. A
phantom channel is created to handle this. As was seen above, channel 9 was used. Why channel
9? We could actually use any unused channel, and in OpenTX there are 32. If one assumes an 8
channel receiver, and allows for all channels being used, then channel 9 is the logical choice, and
when using the Companion, it will still be visible on the screen with the other channels being used.
Thus one can see the complete picture on the screen at the same time. Channel 9 is then the
collective source for the swash, as defined on the Heli screen.

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Op

At first sight this looks complicated. There are three modes, switched using SE. There is normal
mode, Idle 1 or sport flight, and idle 2 or 3D flight. Here, actual Flight Modes have not been
programmed. On the throttle, each flight mode has a different curve. The weight is left at 100%.
For the throttle, the weight is varied using the curves. Switch SF disables the motor, and the
Multiplex is set to Replace (:=). Similarly channel 9 is programmed for the pitch. Each flight mode
will also have its own associated pitch. Next, instead of assigning aileron, elevator and pitch to
channel outputs 2, 3 and 4 which will control the three servos round the swash plate, assign CYC1,
CYC2 and CYC3. OpenTX will do all the clever maths to ensure that each servo moves in the right
proportions. What these do is mix aileron, elevator and pitch together and output signals for the
servos on channels 2, 3 and 4. For 120° swash type, CYC1 is the servo in line with the helicopter
from nose to tail.

Channel 6 controls the gyro function, either rate mode or heading hold. The handbook for the gyro
will give appropriate weightings for this, though they will probably be in 1-100 format rather than
the -100,to 100 OpenTX format.

Ensure CYC1 is the servo in line with the helicopter travel. CYC2 is CCW round from
CYC1 and CYC3 is the matching pair to CYC3. If your swash points are the other way
around (ie. CYC1 is South, not North), then reverse the aileron and elevator in the
Heli-setup page. This way the pitch will still work correctly on the mix, just you have
told the TX that the swash is backwards to the TX's expected swash orientation.

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4. The Curves Screen. Op
The starting point for the curves are the curve guidelines given in the helicopter handbook. Thus:

Throttle Curve
Curve Function Suggested Setting OpenTX Setting
Curve 1 N 0, 40, 60, 85, 100 -100, -20, 30, 70, 100
Curve 2 Idle 1 90, 85, 80, 85, 100 80, 70, 60, 70, 100
Curve 3 Idle 2 100, 80, 100 100, 60, 100

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Op

Clearly with having the option of 17 point curves, one could develop these curves to give a much
more gradual transition. The whole idea behind a throttle curve is to keep the head speed of a
collective pitch helicopter as consistent as possible throughout the collective pitch range. The
helicopter handbook makes a good starting guide, but the later process of setting up and testing
will allow this curve to be much refined. Notice Idle-up curve 1 and Idle-up curve 2 are almost
straight lines. IC engines tend to have a more pronounced curve. This is because electric motors
produce very linear torque, the torque is instantaneous, and their speed is directly relative to the
voltage they get, not by the load placed on them. More load simply means they will draw more
current but the RPM will remain the same (more or less). By their very nature, electric motors are
self governing and this is why flat-line, or almost flat-line throttle curves work so well.

Pitch Curve
Curve Function Suggested Settings OpenTX Settings

Curve 4 N 0⁰, +5⁰, +9⁰ to +11⁰ 0, 50, 100

Curve 5 Idle 1 -5⁰, +5⁰, +9⁰ to +11⁰ -50, 50, 100

Curve 6 Idle 2 -9⁰ to -11⁰, 0⁰, +9⁰ to +11⁰ -100, 0, 100

The pitch curves are determined in a similar way.

This is not quite so simple, as the settings are given in angles. Assuming 10⁰ is full servo travel in
one direction, each degree equates to about a weighting of 10. Once the settings can be tried on
the helicopter, then either weightings here can be adjusted, or more simply the CYC weightings
Open
can TX
be altered. Reference
Again the Section
three point curves4 can be improved by using a larger number of points to
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Op

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4. The Outputs Screen. Op

For now the Outputs screen is left blank. It may be needed once the actual helicopter is set up.

6. The Logical Switches Screen.

Sticky and SF are used here to create a motor arm switch that will only arm if the throttle is at less
than -95%. This is mixed on the Mixes screen.

7. The Special Functions Screen.

This screen is mostly composed of announced switch warnings.

Apart from remembering to set the switch warnings on the Edit Model Settings page, that is all the
pre-setup required.

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Op
The following basic steps are to ensure CCPM works for the heli. The assumption is that the
receiver is mounted on the heli and connected to the cyclic servos. The transmitter must be able
to move the servos and you should be able to see the swash move. (i.e. receiver and servos must
be powered on, servo horns attached and links to swash on).

Cyclic 1 Nose
Channel 2

Cyclic 2 Cyclic 3
Channel 3 Channel 4

1. Ensure the horns are near 90 degrees when at mid stick. (TH has linear pitch curve and you
can use the monitor screen to ensure the transmitter is putting out 0 on Aileron, Elevator
and Pitch channels). We can sub-trim them after mix correction is finished.
2. Next is "Find the odd one out". This is where you raise and lower the swash with pitch only
and find which servo (if any) goes a different way. The servo that moves different to the
others, invert/reverse in the servos screen. You will only need to reverse 1 servo. It does not
matter if the swash goes up at lowest collective. This will be changed later if needed.
3. Ensure the elevator (nose-up/down) works the correct way. Centre the collective (swash
middle) and pull back on the stick. If the front of the swash plate goes up good. If not,
change the long. cyc. direction to INV in the swash menu on the Heli screen.
4. Now ensure the aileron (roll left/right) works the correct way. Centre the collective (swash
middle) and roll to the right. If the swash tilts right good. If not, change the lateral cyc.
direction to INV in the swash menu.
5. Next check the pitch. If up goes down, change the Coll. pitch direction to INV.
6. The swash ring setting on the screen is to ensure the servos are not sent beyond the limits
and can be used to set a max swash tilt. This also has the effect of reducing the agility of the
helicopter (as the swash cannot tilt as far).
7. Now that all the servos go in the correct direction you can use PPM centre on the 3 cyclic
channels in the Servos screen to get the servo horns dead middle without limiting the end
points. (Zero out cyc1, cyc2 and cyc3 temporarily to assist with this.)
8. Mechanically adjust the swash height to mid-travel by altering servo/swash pushrod lengths.
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9. Mechanically adjust the mid-collective pitch by altering swash/grip pushrod lengths.Op
10. Use the Servo page to adjust min and max servo values for cyclic servos to obtain desired
min and max collective pitch (remove the zeroing out of cyc1, cyc2 and cyc3 first).
11. Test the cyclic pitch is as expected at min, mid and max collective pitch. Adjust by changing
the collective weight and the cyclic weights.
12. Finally check the head speed to see if
it is within the manufacturer’s
suggested range. This can be done
with a hand-held RPM sensor, but far
more elegant is to use the FrSky RPM
and temperature sensor, and then log
the sensor during the first few flights.
Remember, the aim is to keep the
rotor speed as constant as possible in
normal mode. The motor speed can
be adjusted using the appropriate
curve, developing it from the simple
starting curve given earlier. If the
speed is much too high or low to
adjust using curves, then consider
changing the gearing, or in extreme cases, using a battery with a higher or lower cell count.
13. On the subject of monitoring, the cell voltage and current consumption can also be
monitored to check both current usage and to find the reasonable flying time.

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Open TX How toHowCreate
To … Part 1
a
How to Set up a CCPM Helicopter

2.2 Op
Kill Switch
It is often useful to have a switch to disable the electric motor on a model. Simple disable switches
are readily created, but are not foolproof. The aim here is to have a kill switch that is almost
foolproof. The system starts off disabled, requires a switch (SE) to enable, and crucially cannot be
accidently disabled whilst in flight. However, this last requirement does mean that an audible
warning must to be used to notify whether the system is armed or not. Switch SE in the mid
position is used for the “on” state, and has to be moved to the SE↓ position for more than 2
seconds but less than 5. Similarly SE↓ is switched again for the same time to disarm. In both arm
and disarm, the throttle has to be at -100.

The core of this kill switch is in the Logical Switches.

L1 tests that the throttle is off, and that switch E is not off. L3 provides the function to test that
SE↓ has been moved for between 2 and 5 seconds, and L2 uses a sticky to switch between the
“on” state and the “off” state. L2 is used as the control for the motor to be on or off.
This control is seen on the Mixes page where the throttle is set to minimum, and then replaced
( := ) with an active throttle when switch L2 becomes active.

Finally, audible warnings are set up in the Special Functions screen.

SF3 creates a bleep every second as a guide as to how long to hold the switch down. SF1 and SF2
are very necessary, as the motor will not disarm until the throttle is at a minimum and the switch
sequence has been completed. The switch position cannot be relied on as a guide as to whether
the motor is enabled. The physical switch SE can be moved to any position but will have no effect
without the other conditions being true. (The Amber voice pack is shown.)
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Op
As an alternative, some might prefer to use the momentary switch, SH and toggle that for at least
2 seconds, but no more than 5. Personally I think this version is more elegant, however as a mode
2 flier I much prefer to have the throttle cut on the same side as the throttle, and that single
momentary action switch is very much in demand for other functions.

There is no change in the Mixes screen from the version show on the previous page:

Note:
Although a good idea to still do so, it is not necessary to have a switch warning for the kill switch.

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