Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

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Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby Evan » Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:32 pm

Hello

I recently bought the Flytron Frsky Telemetry display unit and I need some advice on how to configure it.

I have the Frsky D8R receiver version 1 but the firmware has been upgraded to version 2. Version 1 does not have an internal AN1 port. Can someone tell me what divider rate should be set on the display unit? I am powering the model with a 3 cell Lipo battery at 11.1v. Because the voltage sensor can measure between 0 to 36 volts is the divider rate set to tell the sensor the voltage of the battery?

Could somone also tell me what I am reading off the display unit? Can you explain to me the difference between the big and small voltage display readings on the screen as I am a bit confused. Is the big voltage reading the voltage of the BEC and the small one the voltage of the lipo?

This is all a bit confusing if you are not an electrician and the Flytron display unit is lacking in documentation for newbies like me.

Many thanks and regards.
Evan
 
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby RCModelReviews » Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:20 am

Unfortunately I don't have a FlyTron unit (maybe I should review one) but I'll do some research and see if I can answer your questions.
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby ProLine » Wed Mar 09, 2011 11:18 pm

The Flytron site has this posted so look for the info you need there as far as the display settings for their resistor pack. They say to use a divder of 11 to make it all display right. You hold the button on the back of the display and can step it to the correct ratio. I don't have the file on front of me to quote it exactaly.
The frsky setting in the FDD program is another thing!
An1 is the rx voltage and an2 for another input like your lipo on my v2 jr system.
I found that a starting point is to multiply the voltage you want the alarm to sound is 19.11 times the desired voltage. In my case to set the low voltage 3 cell lipo alarm to sound below 10v on an2 is 191. So set an2 to less than 191 and it should sound below 10 v. I made a chart using a variable ps for 9 to 11 volts that I'll post if others agree with my findings. But start with 19.11 and fine tune it.
I didn't like the Flytron hard connector on their circuit board because it may break off of the board. I instead removed the connector and soldered a servo type cable to the board, both I'm and out and put the board in shrink tubing. I carried the + and - wires through, but only use a single + wire to the lipo pack as recommended in other posts. The - is already common and an extra one can cause reading errors.
I use Dean connectors so I made up a male female adapter to go between the normal bec and lipp pack to connect the single + wire from the resistor pack to. I can move this all to another plane now without any resoldering, plug and play!
I have over 3 hours on time in the air and the readings and alarm work as planed.
I do have the Flytron readout not always come on, or show reversed text with power. I just unplug and replug the readout and it fixes it. I hope Flytron will reply to me emails requesting a better fix, but this works for now. I hope to dig into it more as time permits.
Hope this gets you going.
Let me know if you still need a few more details as I use my setup a lot and my dx7 less!
ProLine
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby Evan » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:13 am

Nice one, thanks for the response.

Should I connect the Flytron board to AN2 then? I have only connected the + on the board to the live cable on the Lipo as they both share the same ground as the receiver.

You say that AN1 is for the receiver voltage. How is that acheived? What do I connect to AN1? When you say receiver voltage is that the voltage it gets from the BEC?

What is the difference in the two voltage readings on the display? What does the big and the small reading tell me?

Thanks for your time in answering my silly questions.
Regards.
Evan
 
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby ProLine » Thu Mar 10, 2011 3:52 pm

Since you asked,

(Should I connect the Flytron board to AN2 then? I have only connected the + on the board to the live cable on the Lipo as they both share the same ground as the receiver.)

Long explanation but it should hit the facts.

From what I can find on the V1 RX it seems that both AN 1&2 ports can be used for analog voltage measurements. My V2 has AN1 tied to the RX power rail full time so it measures what ever the RX sees for power, BEC or battery. My Flytron Display shows the RX, AN1 voltage on top, the big numbers, and AN2 in the middle, and the RSSI (Receiver Signal Strength Indication(I think it's called that) at the bottom shown in %.
My V2 RX only allows me to send one extra voltage back on AN2 and I use that to read my main Lipo using a single red wire from the Lipo pack to the Flytron resistor pack into AN2. I read my BEC on the top larger display numbers, and the Lipo on the middle smaller display. The RSSI is at the bottom.


(You say that AN1 is for the receiver voltage. How is that achieved? What do I connect to AN1? When you say receiver voltage is that the voltage it gets from the BEC?)

As explained above for my V2 RX AN1 is tied into the RX voltage full time. In your case If I'm correct, you will use a Flytron resistor pack into AN1 and only the red wire from it tied into any unused RX servo channel + or with a Y cable if all the channels are in use. Others have done this I'm sure and hopefully will comment on this being the correct way to wire it, or suggest how to do it. I have no first hand knowledge as my order came with a newer V2 RX and I had no options there.


(What is the difference in the two voltage readings on the display? What does the big and the small reading tell me?)
Answered above I think but in my setup,
AN1 is the top larger display, (RX voltage) in your case you can make it anything.
AN2 is the middle smaller display (can be anything, I use it for onboard LIPO voltage.
Bottom RSSI in % is RX signal strength. I find this to rest at 57% while flying and goes lower at times. I get a warning beep when it hits 5% but never loose control and only a single beep. I've flown up and out to where the plane is a small dot and never have lost control, only an occasional beep. I hope more readers will comment on what, if anything, I should be concerned about? I'll never fly that far out in normal flying.

I strongly suggest that if the voltage alarms are important to you, then you should make or buy a variable power supply 3-12 volts let's say. It's a great tool for checking the auto Lipo cut off on the BEC's(Some cut off much lower than you think!) as well as setting the threshold alarms in your Frsky TX module. There are some simple DIY circuits on the internet. Also a Digital Volt Meter that you can trust the reading is the best tool for all electrical circuits.
Maybe Bruce or others will elaborate more on these "tools". If I have time in the future I may give it a try. Bruce's DIY on Utube is the best for this sort of thing.

OK then,
Get all this going and do some flying and let me/us know how it all works for you. It's a flying hobby first, right? Feel free to ask more questions.
ProLine
I may not always be correct, but it's never stopped me from giving free advice. Remember what you paid for it!
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby Evan » Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:32 pm

Hello Proline

Thanks for your very detailed reply. I finally sorted out the Flytron display and both of my sensors. The display now shows the BEC voltage supplied to the rx in the big display and the voltage of the lipo in the smaller display. The lipo sensor is quite accurate to within 0.1 volt compared to my dedicated lipo battery voltage reader.

I found a very usful program on rcgroups that completey replaces the Frsky supplied FDD-lite program with did not look very user friendly at all. If you read from about page 55 onwards the developer and other contributers fine-tune the program even further and is very user friendly:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1200443&page=55

The developers homepage has the program listed here but unfortunalty if you do not read Hungarian then this will be a problem. Fortunatly the program is written in English (for me anyway).

http://rc-miskolc.emiter.hu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114:frsky-setup-program&catid=35:tech&Itemid=113

With your transmitter connected to your PC via the RS232 lead and your receiver providing a telemetry feed to the tranmitter you can see the information coming through in real time on your PC with the program plus you can set the alarms levels with a single button. A very useful and easy program to use and hopefully the developer will continue with the project and continue to provide it for free.
Evan
 
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Re: Flytron Frsky telemetry display unit help

Postby ProLine » Tue Mar 15, 2011 3:50 pm

Good work! I'll try it all first chance I get.
I just received a DHT kit and 2 D6FR Rx.
I think the D6FR's are defective. One reads 2.5v for an2 with the Flytron resistor pack, and the other reads ok but 1 volt less, 11v when 12v is applied? Also I don't get a beep from the DJR module when failsafe is set? The D8R Rx does?
An1 and RSSI seem ok.
Anyone using the D6FR Rx comments please. I don't think it's the Flytron that's not working with the D6FR but who knows?
I'm waiting for a reply from Frsky on all this but first hand knowledge would be great.
I'm thinking of starting a D6FR thread as well as a DHT one if ther's not one to sort all this out.
Comments please.
ProLine
 
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