ExpressLRS definitive getting started guide

[@redogg2749]

I dont think Joshua understands how many people wouldnt be flying without his content for these past years. Much Respect!"

[@a-wingsgaming9162]

I feel the same way. No way would I have survived starting this hobby. He’s definitely earned my Patreon sub 👍

[@0Ciju0]

Me being a prime example, haha. Joshua has been a life-saver; anything I search he comes up.

[@criptik--foxyyy4563]

i swear hes like the holy grail of fpv knowledge

[@jacksonliller7702]

I have a lot of jade built up over technology KZbinrs being such a pain to sit through, but thanks for the breath of fresh air. Everything I wanted to know, zero annoying character flair. Respect.

[@the_thunder_god]

As a computer guy (web developer, network nerd, general computer geek)...I love that RC stuff has moved into the realm of open source and interacting with Wifi and computers. To me, right now, looking through all your videos it seems like the obvious choices for me are ExpressLRS and HDZero due to their open source nature. Just building my knowledge right now and updating it after having been out of the RC hobby for a little while. Hopefully will be building my first drone in a few months and using this guide then.

[@stickboyfpv4742]

I like you! You sound like an awesome dude! Hope the planning / life is going welll!!

[@redditoACC]

hey, i see something i cant understand, if ELRS can go 30km and so , but video transmiters breaks after like 300-500 metters... whats the point?

[@F1v30h1]

@@redditoACC Penetration! It’s all about the penetration. 🫢

[@narbeha341]

@@redditoACC I think you would then upgrade your antennas, but generally with FPV drones, Long range is a territory you do not really want to explore. There are lots of liabilities, one of them being losing your drone and never find it, or god forbid you crash and cause damage to something else. I would most certainly upgrade the antennas, directional and Omni-directional antennas are widely available. Good Luck.

[@marcelpost4052]

Awesome video. The best part I like about your videos is that you never assume that the viewer knows all the jargon and so you add a bit of 'what is a ..' explanation before you dive further into it. Really good educational practice and a pleasure to watch. Definitely learned something today! :-)

[@uncleharley1]

haha he's talking plenty of things that I have no clue what he's talking about I'm so lost.

[@slowridefpv9668]

Yea, at first it’s over whelming, no worries, It even makes sense to me.

[@jackevans2386]

I'm an experienced electronics engineer (50 years at it) but, I have learnt over those years that you will never know everything. JB's sight is always my first port of call if I need to know about anything to do with RC stuff. He is such a valuable resource !

[@BergRD]

Wonderful! Been watching the last few months while HDZ Goggles on order, picked up parts for 5" freestyle, and got my TX16s MKII Max working in the simulator. Went through you guides for the radio and updating ELRS and had some issues with drivers (STM Drivers weren't installing but reading ELRS RM getting started; they gave me details I needed) but just now flashed v3.2 which worked great from this video. Became a Patreon from these types of guides my friend. This is quality A++ content and I thank you greatly. It has been a huge BOON in me getting into FPV at age 50. Thank you.

[@KillerWhale806]

I seriously don't think I could have built and setup a drone without your videos. Thank you!

[@pablofpv]

Stop it Bardwell, I will buy into Express LRS when I'm ready! Everytime you make a video I'm interested in, I end up spending lots of money.........😁

[@Infamousfpv1]

Thank you for this. I haven't flown in over two years and so much has changed. Your channel was a natural go-to for me. This answered a lot of questions

[@dhbfpv]

Joshua Bardwell is an absolute gem and should be protected at all cost

[@SunjunKim]

30:57 you actually don’t need to connect boot pad shorted for BFPassthrough flash when it’s running normally. That step is only for a recovery flash (aka unbricking). When you setup BF receiver port correctly, it will just work just by connecting a usb port of your fc.

[@cotillion1687]

Just built my first drone with ELRS and your guide was very very helpful! Awesome work!

[@redditoACC]

hey, i see something i cant understand, if ELRS can go 30km and so , but video transmiters breaks after like 300-500 metters... whats the point?

[@cotillion1687]

@@redditoACCdepending on what you’re doing 500 meters is plenty. I don’t know how you arrive at these figures but ELRS also has good stability overall, which is as important at 500 meters as at 30km. But yes, you would need a very strong Transmitter and antenna for a video feed at 30km. Depending on where you live, it could be illegal as well.

[@shaneintegra]

Please help support the ELRS contributors! They are doing an absolutely amazing job!

[@scooby3133]

I decided to finally install and setup my elrs stuff, came to KZbin to find a tutorial and like magic..... there's JB! my man!

[@HandofTheQueenakaJesse]

I wish this video came out a month ago, before I lost 18 hours to BetaFPV and ELRS. Bardwell is KING (but late this time LOL). Thank you as usual Joshua.

[@muzicluvrable]

I have watched a lot of videos that claim to give you all the info you need but fall shot and leave me with more questions than answers…… it’s nice to watch a video where it’s clear that the person who recorded it is obviously very knowledgeable and is passionate about sharing what he knows, and Yes….. I Learned Something. I’m new in FPV and needed a place to go to get me on the right track, Thanks for the info.

[@andrewpatterson3139]

I have watched about 5 other videos on this topic and you are the first that I actually understand whats happening. Good work bud!

[@tucker173]

I don't understand......why there are not MILLIONS of views on your videos, you are seriously a huge help to the community. Thanks a bunch Now I just need to make my move to ELRS - internal or external module is my hardest decision right now :P

[@EqualibryumFilms]

just missed it, installed elrs in all my quads 3 days ago. the discord was a big help.

[@Greatdayforaswellbattle]

I almost ripped my hair out while switching from frsky to elrs but I got it. And it was thanks to you. Listening to you on repeat was helpful and irritating. I don’t know you but I think I may now love you. Lol

[@ddegn]

Make sure you *install the configurator on your C drive.* I initially installed the configurator on my D drive but one of my modules wouldn't compile correctly until I uninstalled the configurator and installed it on my C drive. Thanks for another excellent video JB.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I did not know that.

[@ddegn]

@@JoshuaBardwell The module was made by Happy Model. It was a 2.4GHz module. I don't remember if it was the TX or RX module. One compiled just fine but the other one would not compile until I reinstalled the configurator on my C drive.

[@faktionfpv3590]

It is not possible that act of just reinstlaling it fixed this issue?

[@ddegn]

@@faktionfpv3590 Yes, this is certainly possible. I've had other programs which didn't behave well when not installed on the C drive which is why I suspected this could be the issue this time. I haven't taken the time to replicate the issue.

[@Droneshots347]

1 year later from this videos date I get into fpv buy the boxer and all this information is what helped me flash and understand my new radio 💪🏻🙌🏼

[@davisauto8423]

Thank you, for all of us morons trying to use elrs. My hair line has receded about 3 inches since I bought this elrs drone.

[@JP-qq2kn]

I hear ya, I almost threw a brand new Radiomaster Zorro through the wall while attempting to try elrs. After 6 hours I still couldn't get it to work, sold it all, and now back with good ol' frsky. Hopefully they come up with a simple app or something in the future. Ps. Literally only took me 10 min to re-bind my 6 frsky xm+ quads to my new 4in1 Zorro when it arrived.

[@MykolaDolgalov]

This video saved me from buying and replacing my ELRS receiver. My receiver came with the flag Match Model set to On, and I could not bind the radio. This video explained it all. It is surprisingly difficult to find information on the Internet.

[@AirKhanFPV]

I fly elrs now with rc smoothing turned off since 1 month, and it flies great! But i have to turn off telemetry ratio and check the NO_SYNCH_ON_ARM box. I had no failsafes, since i use ELRS even not with the no synch on arm checked. I freaking f love ELRS!!! 500Hz FF smoothing 65 and Jitter red at 7, averaging 2-Point

[@amathma]

First I bought the TX16S JS edition and used it with TBS crossfire. I was very happy with this controller. But I ordered a ELRS quad by accident instead of Nano RX a couple of days ago. I did not know until today that this controller had an intern TX which absolutely amazing. Thanks for this clear video you made my day !

[@DoktrDub]

I didn’t absorb half of this because I was falling sleep half way through the video, not an insult! Great video! so now I need to go back and listen again :’)

[@davidvantuyl2602]

VERY nicely done! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I haven’t received my drone or radio yet but when I do I will definitely use this video as a guide. Well worth the 45 minutes!

[@hubba002123]

You are truly the FPV KnowItAll! Thank you! I put my Happy Model ELRS Module in my TX16S (OpenTx) and it the module had firmware version 1 and it didn't like it. So I took the ELRS module apart, connected via USB and used the ExpressLRS Configurator to flash the module with ... TX16S (the wrong thing). When I tried to access the LUA script it hung on "Loading". I was convinced that since I was putting the module in my TX16S that was the right Device Category.. but it wasn't. It wasn't until I watched this video that I realized I should have been flashing the module with HappyModel 2.4 and ES24TX 2400 TX AND using the Happy Model LUA script. Works like a champ in my TX16S now! Thank you! Spent a whole day trying to figure this out before your video.

[@wesley4713]

Yay - thanks Bardwell! Just got a Ranger ELRS module today (new to elrs) and had it up and running in no time flat thanks to your tips / help. This is why Im a patreon

[@JoshuaBardwell]

I'm really glad to hear it helped!

[@ryankdeboer]

I’m trying to setup the Ranger module but unable to bind to a BETAFPV Nano receiver. Did u have any issues u could share??

[@ryankdeboer]

@@wesley4713 thanks for the reply. I just got it to work on one quad. Seems I wasn’t flashing the receiver correctly. The other one I can’t get the Wi-Fi to work but I’m not worried and can use the internal module to fly that one. Thanks again!

[@johndd8186]

This video is great. JB has a real talent for explaining things.

[@synapticstudio]

Good timing. I ordered my first eLRS radio and receiver LAST NIGHT.

[@stevehaynes2857]

I am just starting out into drone flying. I am about to build a 5” FPV drone and intend to use it for videography. I am finding your channel so useful, you explain everything clearly. Thank you Joshua.

[@SkinnyAndFast]

Today was the day I joined your Patreon/Discord. Thanks a ton for everything you do sir.

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Thank you

[@johnsanders6057]

This video is a life saver! You're a legend Joshua. This is not an easy hobby to break into. I've managed to sort my transmitter (Tx16S Max ELRS) following the guide but have been hitting a brick wall with the receiver. I bought a GEPRC Thinking P16 from GEPRC direct. Their customer support told me to choose the TBS nanoRX option and ask them to wire it for 2.4Ghz ELRS when I ordered. I have no idea if they have done this. After 2 days of messing around with it and finding a bind button, I've come to the conclusion this vid doesn't apply to my receiver and my elrs radio won't bind to the drone unless I buy a crossfire external module. If I'm wrong please let me know and save me 70 quid xD

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Just swap the crossfire receiver for an elrs one?

[@johnsanders101]

@@JoshuaBardwell I’m too scared to try that 😂 This is my first drone and haven’t bought the kit to be able to build yet (soldering iron etc). I’ll just order a crossfire transmitter chalk it up to being a noob. I’ve learnt such a lot from the error though! Your vids really are so good mate, thank you. I know I’ll be building in no time 💪

[@TheConstitutionState]

I just ordered his remote, and it seems so confusing, and i dont even have it yet

[@itsallsobothersome4537]

I always find it fascinating how different some people's opinion on the supposed advantages of open source/libre software are. Someone like RMS would probably argue user freedom and individual's rights, whereas more practical-minded people would probably cite the freedom to tinker with, modify and learn from open source software. Others might even point out that elrs is essentially a complete communication stack that could be implemented on many different LoRa chips and provides programmers with the groundwork for future innovation (much like MultiWii did back in its day). I guess for Joshua it's free work and companies ability to profit off of voluntary work. And that's fine, everyone benefits from this project and its the best thing since sliced bread. Thanks for making this video :)

[@soursham]

I got some new gear. Decided to upgrade to the new version. So I’m back watching your videos. 🤟

[@ibrudiiv]

For anyone that bought the TX16S Mark 2 with internal ELRS and are having trouble with the lua script stuck on "loading" and/or no internal module of CRSF available, the fix is to press SYS then go into hardware then internal module set to CRSF. After doing that you will be able to select internal CRSF in your models.

[@SpacelionsOdysssey]

Dude your the best i thought it was just me. Every vid i watch never touched on that.

[@ibrudiiv]

@deanrandazzo600 Which exact model of the TX16S Mark 2 did you buy?

[@rohansully584]

Another excellent Video Bardwell, thank you. I donated a while back. Currently unemployed, but will lend my support again once I return to work Keep up the great work!

[@rogerbivins9144]

Just getting back into fpv, updating my equipment and bought the Boxer tx with built in 4 in 1 for compatability with most of my old quads. Now adding the ELRS module for future builds and while waiting on delivery I'm checking out the activation/ install procedures and just realized why I quit flying the first time. 5 mins of JB tickling keys equates to 4 hours of me rewinding his video, trying to expand the screen to get a little better view what he's doing and just praying I don't accidentally wipe out critical programming that would cause me to just repurchase another tx rather than waste another 1/2 day troubleshooting. I'm an old, originally fixed wing builder / pilot, crossed over to building fpv quads and tho I absolutely love & enjoy the quad build processes, I loathe the non-intuitive programming aspects of the hobby. I had trouble with the simplest tasks in the beginning, even flashing betaflight was a hassle at times when other times it worked flawlessly. I suppose I will need to reflash BF on every quad when binding them all to my new tx, since the currently installed version is 4-5 yrs old and I'm even dreading that. I'm really not entirely ignorant, I work with modern gps surveying / grade control equipment almost daily, built a beautiful hobby workshop at home, service my own touring bike, even build wooden geared, mechanical clocks and custom furniture for fun, but some parts of this hobby have me pulling on those last 7 hairs. Please wish me luck lol Cheers. Edit; BTW, I owe a lot to JB. But for his uplifting, positive and genuine personality and unparalleled teaching ability, it is not likely that I would have been successful in my first build effort, let alone get to build and enjoy an arsenal of them for a fraction of the costs of similar BnF machines. I expect to make many contributions to his Vinmo before I can ever get all of my equipment up to date.

[@Hoss8676]

After your answer to my question last week on live stream about elrs vs mambo I now have the beta module and rx otw. Thank you for posting this today!!

[@spikester]

I've finally added ELRS to two of my smaller quads and I can't for the life of me understand what TBS's business model is anymore. They gone completely quiet and I have a bunch of CSRF nano's sitting on the bench, was going to throw a nano pro (telemetry amplifier) in one of my LR rigs but seems like a ELRS betafpv with the same amplifier will be a better choice. TBS could just make 150hz LoRA & have a usable system that isn't stuck at 50hz for LR but I am not holding my breath if thats even possible; if not due to the Tracer business model thing. Thank you as usual for your stellar job for our community Mr. Bardwell.

[@thomasnewton9818]

I'm 63. It's getting harder to keep up with all the changes. Thanks for the video.

[@greekfpvgeek]

I watched UAV Tech's video where after three powering circles, the receiver would go to binding mode and pushing the binding button in the LUA of the transmitter would get the rx to take automatically the binding frase! 😯

[@benjaminhobbs2623]

I’ve benefitted from your videos, thank you for all the content! I recently bought an entire setup and am still a bit of a noob! Tried to find the answer first but can’t find it anywhere, sadly. Recently crashed, snapped an arm off my Evoque F5X (lost connection mid flight, maybe bad antenna - kids might have messed with it the night before - or just wind interference, there was a huge gust before I lost control and fell). Anywho, replaced the arm, and took off two motor bells to clean them thoroughly (the other two won’t come off no matter how hard I pull, don’t know what to do there). But that said, one of the motors I seem to have lost the itty bitty washer that sits between the bell housing, on the shaft below the rubber gasket and rests on the motor bearing. I’ve looked for these everywhere online, even ordered some from a hobby store but ended up being the washers for under the motor for mounting. Any idea on 1) if I even need it (I assume it’s just supposed to help with friction) and 2) where the heck i’d even buy one rather than buy a whole new motor. Thanks again for your content man! Great stuff.

[@Fly_High_FPV]

Usually get a few spares when you buy motors. You can also call motor manufacturer and ask for replacements

[@BarbarisII]

Super helpful, I think! I'm getting my elrs drone tomorrow and have been trying to prep my tx16s for its arrival. I got my module for this controller today. Your videos have helped me through every step of the process, I'll be watching more tomorrow when my quad gets here. Thanks for making this all so easy so far!

[@helenovsky]

Which module did you but? Could you share the link?

[@sg1trogdor]

been out of flying for a few years. Come back and things have definitely changed. Great video.

[@kevinmulholland4563]

You're a wizard JB. I finally upgraded my X9d to a lovely pink JB Tx16s. Can't wait to change all my Rx's and try elrs. This vid will solve hrs of future troubleshooting. Cheers! from Dublin IRl. 👍

[@sixtofive]

Great info and it's much appreciated! One item that maybe should have been mentioned is dealing with flight controllers with onboard spi elrs receivers. For everybody flying whoops and micros this will be a very common use case. Hopefully there will continue to be more in depth videos coming in the future.

[@robertreitz5554]

I hope you feel our collective appreciation for your efforts! Butn on! Excellent video!

[@ilan8465]

One of the most important and complete guids on elrs. Thank you Joshua.

[@scu-dub]

I had to go back and watch this several times lol being that I just got a mobula7 1s elrs and the gyro stopped working I have to get another FC so knowing this is a BIG HELP!!!! Definitely going into my saves 👍🏽 I did have to replay 36:31 I know JB meant to say that dynamic doesn't work with telemetry "disabled" not enabled 😁 after all that great info I'm not as mad about my first whoop taking a crap after 4 packs😑 I'm ready for a new FC now great stuff J🤌🏽✌🏽

[@Bogey_Media]

been getting back into the hobby in recent months and as always you are a wizard! Thanks for making such kickass content!

[@FiddlingwithmyWhistle]

OK, so my flight controlllor is listed as only Supporting Frsky XM/XM+ Receiver/ Futaba Receiver/ Flysky Receiver/ TBS Crossfire Receiver/DSMX Receiver but can I install a ExpressLRS Receiver, and just wire it up as a Crossfire Receiver, and it will work ?? or not ?

[@qwerty883]

it will definitely work if it supports crossfire, because express lrs uses the same protocol

[@AerialWaviator]

ELRS uses crossfire protocol between Tx and Rx. Over-the-air communication protocol with ELRS differs from crossfire. ELRS receiver hardware will have similar Tx, Rx, 5V and Gnd connections as TBS Crossfire receiver hardware, so just wire up in similar matter to your flight controller. Configuration and setup of an ELRS receiver will differ (see video ^)

[@squnxfisher9831]

I switched really early to ELRS as I started with FPV last year don't regret it a bit, even though I had crossfire before

[@Jim_Mundy]

Very timely as I wade into not just FPV but also ELRS. Thanks for making this video and for your support of the hobby. And by the way I think you should pop a little window up during your videos that says “The shirt Joshua’s wearing today can be found at…” You rock some cool shirts man!

[@ИгорьКоптелов-р1х]

This video helps so much. It helped to teach a number of people and Joshua, you have sincere gratitude of Ukraine Army UAV pilots, Unfortunately in current ECM environment only ELRS are proven way to fly and engage targets especially due to ability to "jump" to custom frequencies. You saving lives. Thank you one more time. Fly safe

[@smidge321]

perfect timing thanks jb 🙏 i have elrs arriving tommorow after my frsky xm+ failsafed above a lake

[@windwalkerproductions]

Thanks, lol. Been flying ELRS for 8 months and hadn't updated a single rx. All my quads were on different versions from 1.0 to 3.0. Thankfully no issues but managed to update everything to 3.3 via recommended wifi method. Also, I wish the tx update had all rx updates in it. Would be great if the tx could detect the rx its connected to and update via the module and/or lua scripts. The only pain with the current method is finding each rx fw, building it, and making sure you update with the right one.

[@joelfarrelly725]

This was perfect timing for me, I just bought a tx16s and Elrs module

[@charlesrubano4161]

Hello, Joshua and anyone else who may be able to help, I am having trouble with setting up my New TX16s with ExpressLRS. I am getting an error on ExpressLRS configurator, I am at the part in the video 18:08, and on my configurator, the option to "Build & Flash" is not there only the option to Flash, is this the same thing or am I missing something? Also under Actions, there is a drop-down menu with the options "COM1 (Standard port types)" and "COM4 Microsoft" Which option should I select? And final question under Actions there are flashing options " Erase before flash" or Force Flash" Which option should I select? I am hoping that this will solve the issue since these are the only differences I see. Thank you all in advance.

[@BBFPV]

I like the moment you flash with same phrase and in won't bind. How send back to chinesium? Wait, you can enter a phrase in the webui. oh it works... nice... but why?

[@SkyCandyVisuals]

Whitefoxxfpv just told me at castle crash that the elrs can run on my tbs tango OG protocol. I'm tired of the expensive, large antennas and recievers I'm ready for the new new 15:30 is why I'm switch to elrs...💯 26:47 crsf does suck. I fail safe occasionally

[@Mt_Dew_aholic]

I just got my happy model module in the mail today, perfect timing! Keep up the good content

[@juanvanstaden7084]

Based on what i have seen from your videos i just ordered the mk2 radiomaster with elrs. This is all new to me after being out of fpv for about 6 years (alot has changed) but i wanted to have up to date equipment and from what i have seen elrs is the way to go. So hopefully i will be up and running in a few days. Thanks for all your hard work and invaluable info you put out. Next step is getting into hd, probably on the next build.

[@Steve-hd2wm]

Brilliant! I've watched a couple of other "ultimate" and "total" beginners guides by other content creators. After all these years I don't why I bother! The bald, bearded, bespectacled yoda of all things quadcopter and RC does it again! What a great guide and resource on this topic. Also thanks for the serial based receiver expressLrs guide, that particular topic had been driving me nuts for weeks. The only video I have seen on this BTW. Keep up the amazing work Joshua, I know I would have given up on many different aspects of the hobby without the channel. Your next level knowledge and how you make complex topics understandable, giving me a foundation to build on. Merry Xmas to you and your family, and keep it coming in 2024!

[@Marcus-xl9kr]

First time having to flash an elrs reciever or transmitter or controller was super confusing for me! I ended up building another drone going through the process again and it got easier. Ive now had to bind 1 controller 1 module and 3 drones. Sometimes the passthrough doesnt work so id have to build and flash wifi which at first was alien but seems to be successful more often than flashing with betaflight.

[@nitrogen057]

I couldn't find it anywhere, but here! Thank you so much!

[@zawidzki1]

Dziękujemy.

[@BR-my3su]

Love this video, it took me a long time to get everything working right but I couldn't have done it without this video!

[@theflyingsandalrc]

Aux1, more than a limitation, is an optimization, since for flying quads, you always need an arming channel, and you only need it to be on or off. I see that as a decision someone made because of the type of use and absolutely minimizing the data sent over the air to get that range and low latency

[@nearyou7232]

I have watched this video already a few times.. Always coming back for something else, this time to understand the ELRS settings in the RM Zorro. Thanks! You are the best!

[@Happy_FPV]

the part where you said "and that is everything you could possibly wanna know about express LRS.......no there's more" man i got excited but now im all DAMN IT NOW I HAVE TO LEARN MORE AND MY MODULE AND RECEIVERS AREN'T EVEN HERE YET! hahaha see ya at rampage and thanks for posting this i learned SO much more than i expected from this.. keep up the good work friend..

[@Sav_FPV]

Flashed my r9m and the receivers on my whole fleet! Thank you Joshua.

[@OldManCassius]

Great timing! I'm just starting my transition from xfire to elrs.

[@thompaulson5152]

Listen and listen to him and watch the video as many times as u can. It is intimidating but just watch and watch it's free ur anger is not. I did the r9 cause it was a challenge but it's rewarding.

[@JP-qq2kn]

For me, This hobby is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Not a challenge just to get it in the air.

[@VinydFPV]

How freaking cool!! I absolutely love new tech! Only thing better than me getting geeked over all this is watching you getting geeked over all this first then me getting all super geeked out! I think we had a moment there Joshua! Going to go have a smoke!

[@manuelneumann]

Unbelievably helpful - just got my ELRS set up following this vid

[@stst8301]

Yesterday as I was flying my quad with an Ep1 happymodel receiver,it decided to disconnect at about 100 meters los,before hitting the ground reconected and managed to save it... Totally lost trust with this kind of hardware. Allready I m thinking what to do with the rest quads with ep1 receivers I have installed.Huge disapoitment!

[@tehllama42]

I'm still a much bigger fan of using a phone for the WiFi flashing - phone OS tends to be much better behaved when connecting to non-internet 802.11 networks, and it's as simple as compiling the .bin file for the targets as needed, and just transferring those files to the phone. Ends up being a great experience for me, so much so that I consider that a preferred method.

[@PkwyDrive13]

Yeah I just save the bin files to my one drive and flash from my phone! So much easier

[@Nkkdxn45j]

Very interesting as I am getting a Tx module and couple of receivers. I must say though, I think the SPI receiver code being baked into betaflight is a big flaw. I note that ELRS only guarantee tx/rx compatibility between modules with the same major version number. The problem is the tx will probably be used with a lot of rx's. So you have a tx on version X. You buy something with an X+1 SPI rx. So you need to upgrade the tx to X+1. Only thing is you have another quad with a version X SPI receiver and a new betaflight is not available for it. Now what? You need two tx's. Seems to me that even with whoops one is best off trying to get FCs with no rx and putting on a UART rx. At least with an FrSky D8 SPI rx they were all compatible with a D8 configured tx.

[@vizzieizzy-Benjamin]

Man i could not agree more with your comment. I fly whoops and 3.5 to 5 inch freestyle quads. So obviously with the bigger boys I just install an external ELRS. But then with my whoops it's a whole different story. I think if this isn't addressed soon it's only going to cause more issues in the future. So for now I'm just going to install the EP2s on the whoops and bypass spi rx. But very good point this needs addressed for on-board ELRS.

[@Nkkdxn45j]

@@vizzieizzy-Benjamin yes. I guess it works for D8 FrSky because the protocol never changes now? But, both betaflight and ELRS are independently fast moving. I'm looking to build a 2s brushless 75mm whoop this winter, and am only looking at FCs without Rx for the same reason as you.

[@softstart100]

The very best explanation on the internet.

[@rockman1811]

Holy crap Literally just bought some ELRS stuff

[@M24Tom]

Thank you so much for your content. Maybe an couple of additions for next time you discuss this topic. Windows did not install the correct drivers to talk to my radio out of the box. And the COM port to the radio would stop. This could be seen in the Device Manager. After much digging, I noticed that one of the youtubes showed the COM port with the additional label of STMicroelectronics the manufacturer of the microcontroller in the radio. I went to that website, and downloaded the STM32 Virtual COM Port Driver, installed. Once this was done, the radio showed up as "COM STMicroelectronics" in the Configurator and I was off to the races. Another 'duh' moment maybe to highlight. If your MODEL has the internal radio turned off (eg Joystick) and you have that model active and you try to load the ExpressLRS Lua script...it will hang. Took me like an hour and half to figure that one out!

[@ivanmartelanc479]

thank you Joshua, your are the father of fpv!

[@Rhoads6257]

Thanks!

[@alienghost1605]

Pretty good manual, the best I've seen about ELRS. Many thanks!

[@Bill_Bo]

I am just getting back into RC after 10 years. This video was very helpful. I got my first ELRS quad and the wifi unit is flaky so I had to flash it directly. It was messy. The TARGET didn't match with the device. Well if the device knows what TARGET it wants why doesn't it tell me or just take the one it wants? Why do I have to go, oh, I think it is this one and offer it up for it to then tell me it is wrong? Will it flash the wrong one? Why? This should be more automatic. Seems wifi is only way to see what target is on the RX previously and mine isn't working. I got it to flash and it seems to be working but it was not a pleasant first time experience. I will go now to try and fly it.

[@GuitarMania12345]

This is why your the best!! This thing was giving me a heck of a time untill I watched this!!! Your amazing Bardwell!

[@gr1zzlymack]

Thanks a bunch, got my first drone built this evening with ELRS and everything is working great!

[@Gzz..]

Been waiting for this before I made the jump thanks jb

[@IonRoux]

Fantastic guide but one part you missed mentioning is how to set the binding phrase on the RX. I had to hunt around online to find out that you connect to the wifi network that it broadcasts to get to the setup page.

[@CalleyyyC]

Yes! I’ve been wondering when you were going to do this. Just went through setting up elrs and was wishing for this video!

[@Eazidosit]

I did everything you said to flash my elrs radio with bind phrase and my air unit with expresslrs. Hglrc sector d5. I can't get my DJI goggles to bind after updating in through dji assistant. I updated the air unit as well. Everything was successful. Still can't bind to my air unit with my DJI goggles or iflight commando 8 radio. I'm new to this. Just got the drone today and need help getting it in the air

[@fordboyzzzz]

I got the tx16s and purchased the ranger micro & ER8GV receiver - new to all this, done the updates bound, servo's were skittery, and sort of worked but they all burnt out and don't work anymore, not too worried, but not sure what settings are wrong, also want to run sbus pwm for my flight module. so complicated. got sbus working now all is good.

[@allam.16]

I should have watched until the end, but I was to excited to bind my module. I watched until the end after 4 months into flying.

[@kenhaupt1865]

Starting my switch from crossfire tonight! This is a very helpful video

[@funkynerd_com]

Even more keen to get my ELRS gear that I've ordered. Decided to finally upgrade after I fail-safed my old Frsky XM+ when it was only 50 metres away due to a (not even very) damaged antenna. Binned the kwad into a bushy field and had to use RSSI to try and find it. lol.

[@Couldntellya]

Thank you for everything and all the videos, they help alot. That being said I could use your help. My elrs ep1 only binds when plugged into betaflight first. Than I plug in the battery disconnect from betaflight and I can arm. If I just plug the battery in and try to arm the ep1 goes into a solid bricked mode and doesn't bind.