RC Model Reviews

Woop Woop, the king ain't dead, and all that, welcome back !! I am sure that post will make a lot of people happy.

And, the FrSky telemetry system looks okay -- but I think most people will find that once they try a system with voice output, the concept of having to look away from your model to find information on an LCD screen becomes unattractive

Agree entirely with Bruce. We made our own system using PIC chips in the meantime. Having voice is great. Even better when coupled with logging of data (onto an SD card) received back at the Tx. This has enhanced ability to enjoy the flight and analyse how to do it better next time, without the need to pull the model down and plug it into a computer at the end of the flight / day.

Didn't think I would use telemetry for gliders, but it has been a very useful addition to the toolbox.

The beautiful thing about voice is that the vario doesn't have to be an annoying beeping but can deliver numbers like "up 4, down 12" around a threshold set by expected min sink values (rates Ft/sec), and you get altitude (ft) every 20 secs as the integral of the rates so you can know how much stored energy you have for the trip home.

So I await Bruce's products with interest and thank him for taking so long .

We have learned a lot in the meantime, that we would never have known if Bruce had solved all our problems for us.

RCModelReviews wrote:I've been uber-busy but I'm here

Few people with Bruce's level of knowledge and ability's are anything but...

RCModelReviews wrote:I hope to get the documentation finished this week and start uploading all the details to the site next week.

Fingers crossed!

And, the FrSky telemetry system looks okay -- but I think most people will find that once they try a system with voice output, the concept of having to look away from your model to find information on an LCD screen becomes unattractive

U-beaut, and I still hadn't found that body to sacrifice... tho I'm still looking

re voice output; I believe that it's the no. 1 feedback option-of-choice for telemetry. I'd deduced this as well, based on all the expert comments I've read, mostly here... with the LCD screen the cream on top; With all parameters being recordable (time & date stamped maybe?) within the same portable unit (not requiring constant connection to a host e.g PC), well that would be the cherry on top,
I already have an on-ear stereo headphone that mounts across the back of the head and over the ears for this voice telemetry. You see this keeps the solar dome clear & free to continue generating power to charge the sex machine (below it)

Re the LCD I've been wondering if a large proportional bar-graph for remaining fuel (primary battery or liquid) for a (very) quick glance would have merit? (This of course is much easier with a graphical screen.) Especially for longer flights... this could be in addition to or instead of the numerical read-out. Resolution and contrast in the great outdoors of course feeds into this. This would be better for people like me that need reading glasses to resolve critical info on-the-fly. (did he really write that?!)

My entire RC model collection is still only a couple of coaxial helis! (umm... err ok, 6) Wisdom from Bruce and others from this forum (and some elsewhere) is saving me a veritable bucket of money! The free exchange of good advice on RC models in general is quite heartening.

Hi

I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this but here goes..

I am currently running the Frsky two way system. The transmitter module is plugged into a Turnigy 9X
transmitter which has been reflashed. I am using the ER9x firmware with the Frsky option.

The telemetry is working great. tx & rx rssi display and receiver pack voltage displays. The alarms
work but its a shame they are all the same tone but with different speeds.

My only problem occurs if everything is running and i disconnect the receiver supply battery.
the transmitter continues to assume the link is up and running with the receiver voltage and
RSSI readings staying at the last received values. I would have expected them all to return to zero
in the absence of any valid telemetry being received. This means alarms cannot be set.

I know if the battery goes you loose everything but i was more concerned about a momentary loss
of supply due to vibration or a switch problem or something. If this happen whilst flying i would want
to know with an alarm so that i could attempt to retrieve the model.

Any thoughts.

regards

Steve

Think I would file a bug report on the ER9X Google code page.

Hi and thanks for the reply

Unfortunately i dont think it is a problem with the ER9X firmware because you get the
same effect if you use the Frsky config application which i think they lisy as third party
software.

Yesterday i did have a problem whic gave the same result.

I connected a 4 cell nimh pack as the receiver supply. I left the system up all day and
i was able to see the nimh pack voltage drop. It got to a point where the reciever could
no longer function and it shutdown. The telemetry reading remained at the last recieved
level and i couldn't tell the reciever wasn't there any more. Made me wonder what would
happen if i was flying and had a reciever that perhaps stalled. Excessive current consumption
by the servo could pull the pack voltage down and cause a brownout situation. The transmitter
wouldn't even know it had happened.

regards

Steve

Except that you would get a few battery voltage readings on the way down and the Tx module beeper would let you know you had lost the link.

I would check to see if the module keeps spewing out the old readings after the link is lost (eavesdrop on the serial link lines). If it does the only place you can correct it is in the module, and that's an FRSky job. If not then ER9X can correct it. Arguable to call it a bug, I would suggest the RSSI changes straight away on a link loss, but the voltages and other data remain, especially GPS coords (I know not implemented yet) to help you find the model in that corn field !

FrSky have officially released their LCD display

suchislife wrote:FrSky have officially released their LCD display

tnx - http://www.frsky-rc.com/ShowNews.asp?id=57

Und mit dem nicea big dipole on top for lOOkin pEEpers!