FrSky Horus Teardown

This is a teardown and description of what I found inside my beta-test version of the FrSky Horus RC transmitter. The production units will almost certainly differ from this to some degree.
Overall the quality was excellent but there were a few rather strange design choices made by FrSky in the development of this radio.

[@jvon811]

Yes! Love your teardown's Bruce. I've learned so much about electronics and RF from your teardowns. Thank you.

[@Nightsd01]

Awesome video Bruce! I've been waiting for this teardown for MONTHS! Amazing job

[@jeffrowilliams6388]

Great work Bruce, informative as always. That was a great edxplanation and I learned a thing or two. Keep it up.

[@RcReviewsLt]

State of art that inside of Horus, Mmmm nice looking radio controller.

[@donwood7700]

Great job Bruce! Keep up the great work.

[@rcaddict2.0]

Nice review Bruce. I have the Horus and love it.

[@IFlyMillennium]

Thanks Bruce for another great review, as usual in this channel :) I've been using the Horus for about 4 months now and I can attest that is a very good radio. While OpenTx is a great radio firmware, it still needs to catch up to make use of all features available in the hardware (gps, bluetooth and radio sensors), but given the accelerated pace of development that's just a temporary aspect. If someone designs/produces/kits a charger board for LiPo/LiFePo, I would immediately buy it too! Cheers, -Sergio

[@AllanMain]

The NiMh battery choice is 100% for shipping reasons. Some mail forwarders won't ship a wrist watch with a LiPo in it so a 2000 MaH battery would be like a barn door to their shipping plans.

[@alancruickshank9286]

Great video as you say though the production unit has new main board and at least two others. Also gps module seems different. The switch cover has been redesigned and the sticks are shorter. Also as mentioned below you can now use the internal and external aerials together. I have both the beta radio and the production version, the improvements are noticeable. Finally the software has come a long way since the early days and provides a fairly intuitive menu driven alternative for those who can't or don't want to tackle opentx. I am a fan of opentx have been using it since the Taranis first came out. Given that it has been under development for several years it is somewhat unfair to compare the relatively new FrSky operating system, especially if you have the original version shipped with the pre beta units you have. Beta testing identified a lot of the bugs and improvements needed and FrSky have continued to improve it. I really like my Horus it feels really grown up but I won't be selling my Taranis any time soon as Iuse it to fly helicopters and multirotors. Sorry about the long winded comment I really only wanted to say keep up the good work hopefully FrSky will start taking to you again soon and you can do a review of the production Horus.

[@tramsgar]

Thanks, Bruce! Amusing to see that some heat shrink in there had the infamous "Turnigy" print on it =).

[@RcBuddy]

Range test from this pre release radio would be nice. Even better, do a live flight with osd on a plane with auto return feature. (fixed wings Friday) Thumbs up if there are more people that like to see this?

[@PaulTichonczuk]

One advantage of having multiple boards that you didn't mention, is that if one of the board fails they can replace just one, instead of the whole board. They went the same way with the X7.

[@MrSUSHI]

As partially stated in the video - Modding, repair and upgrades are always easier with separate components/boards.

[@PaulTichonczuk]

Maybe I missed it then. He did talk about it being easier to revision the board on FrSky's part.

[@kabturek]

agree. also the cost doesn't have to go that much - they are made on a panel.

[@kabturek]

also the bluetooth board is a ready to buy module. +1 for all boards - it would be great if one could design an internal lipo charger for the taranis (i personally like the nimh/eneloop option on mine but have friends that would love that)

[@bryandepaepe5984]

The best thing about plastic posts would be the ease of repair using a variety of methods for example filling the hole with epoxy let it set and then drill a smaller hole than the screw to be used. Using a heat gun to carefully soften the plastic and slightly pinch the plastic smaller. Use a small piece of electrical wrapped tightly around screw once for a quick semi-permanent fix.

[@TheMiggins]

Great Review Bruce. as usual.

[@SuspendedVFX]

Thank you Sir! Great stuff, as always

[@gamerpaddy]

the good thing on linear hall sensors used in this gimbals is, they take 5V and output 0-5V which means you could replace the most other remotes gimbals with these if you can make them fit in it.

[@malelonewolf80]

Love this kind of teardown videoes. Would love to be able to identify and assess circuitboards like these for myself on my electronics. RcModelReviews Tutorial on that topic please!!!

[@GerarddeVries]

I love the tech jargon. "shiny bits and twirly whirlies"

[@triggermovies]

Regarding antennas, Frsky added diversity with a software update if you plug an external one in. So if you point the external antenna down (you can't point it up because if the screen), you get polarization this way. Also, I don't mind the NiMH battery. As far as my experience goes, it has enough juice to run the radio for my typical day of flying, and it retains charge even when it sits unused for a while. And I don't worry letting it charge overnight (like I would with a lipo).

[@princefpv1]

So I did the 1a board and battery upgrade what should I set my battery meter to

[@ChaddRainsFPV]

Hey Bruce- I would have liked to see more on the external antenna! Is it only connected to the module bay or will the Horus detect an antenna and transmit through that? Great tear down by the way, happy to see it for the Horus !

[@alistairsutherland3006]

I have flown my Horus now for around 2-3hrs with no signal problems---or any other problems, I like it !

[@andrewwilson8317]

It would be nice to see some haptic feedback on the gimbals? Perhaps a variable synthetic magnetic feedback and dampening? Guess we going to have to wait for the aftermarket to pick up on this combining it with a computer app to set things up?

[@11537]

competent review :) keep it up!

[@alistairsutherland3006]

Hi Bruce, yes a great video! I got a Horus a couple of days back and have done around 1hour flying with it now with great range, feels great to fly with. How do I know when the battery is charged, also how long should I charge it for???

[@these.are.my.things]

Hi Bruce. Can you do me a favour and find out the part number for the hall effect IC? i want to see if i can covert these sticks from 0-3v to 0-5v for use in other radio's

[@marcocruz6859]

do you think that this radio would be user friendly for those of us that use UHF??

[@andrewwilson8317]

The apparent lack of ESD precautions is a bit of a concern Bruce. It is an area that really needs respecting and perhaps consider an alternative pointer to a screwdriver! I know you may think it does not matter but as a 30+ years experienced licensed avionics engineer and designer I can testify for the damage static discharge can do. I have seen many very very expensive avionic LRUs ruined by poor ESD handling precautions. You don't want problems to manifest later down the line,watching your expensive model plunge down to the ground!

[@davidfalgout7304]

Thanks for the review. I will keep my Jeti DC 24. Sub'd and t-up!

[@nikolaosstavrou5327]

Bruce you are right about the nimi battery its for international shipping.they cant ship lipos via air only nimi or nicd.

[@nsschmid]

Bruce, you mentioned the old FlySky 9X. Do you know if the Horus or new Taranis hall effect gimbals will fit/work in the old 9X? I'll probably need to replace my gimbals early next flying season and those look like they'd be the way to go, if they'll work.

[@HBS981]

id love to know that as well

[@MerinKumar]

HBS981 you will need to do some mods mechanically to fit, but electrically I know 9xr pro works on 3.3v so it will work, not sure on 9x if it's 5v the we might need to voltage divider.. etc

[@arshishmaneckji9547]

@RCModelReviews - When do we see a teardown of the X18/ X20 Tandem Radios

[@barrycole8378]

A good quality NiMh battery is by far the best. They ill work for as long as a Lipo, stay charged, and don't burst into flames. Bruce is allowed his point of view but maybe wrong in this case. Good review though.

[@jackdaniels7913]

Dose anyone know if there is a lipo charge board yet?

[@juanjosemunera]

Hello, could you activate the subtitles in the video please? Thanks

[@tommyjakobsen5504]

Is it possible to move the GPS for a better signal

[@williamdecker3989]

FrSky owes you! I bought my Taranis because of your review, as did many others! NiMh battery kills the Horus for me.

[@ReubenHorner]

Would a LIFE battery be a better suit for this? 9.9V

[@samik83]

NiMh's are safer. They can take a lot of abuse, low discharge wont damage them easily and they work well in cold weather. Atleast in good quality cells the self discharge rate is much lower than with lipos. The self discharge rate is pretty amazing in something like Eneloops batteries. You can have them a few years on the shelf and still have around 80% charge left. NiMh technology is old, but they have kept improving it to this day.

[@Glofilter]

Have you torn apart a production one? Have the issues you've talked about been addressed? Thanks!

[@bobbylana]

Hello, I made the terrible mistake of erasing some of the data on my Horus somehow while I was trying to make a backup file of the FrOs firmware! Now I`m locked out of the radio, no USB connection Icon on the screen and the drivers are not recognized on the computer. Where can I find help to send it to for reprogramming FrOs firmware? I love you Video of the teardown.

[@Ozzy3333333]

Can you give me the part number of the hall sensor? tia!

[@naim19711]

So, the Horus is a plastic radio with metal covering on the front?. From looking at the pics I got the impression this was all metal like the Jeti radios.

[@bostoner4029]

Lol @ Mr DJ

[@short5stick]

nice radio

[@spud3607]

Turnigy heat shrink at 23.10? Just asking!

[@rumidom]

could you teardown the QX7 ?

[@johnnoble01]

Nothing wrong with Nickle metal hydride. Who in their right mind is going to be taking the back of the radio every time they want charge if they put in a LiPo???😄 I get loads of use from my Taranis on these batts. Just because Bruce says HE doesn't like them doesn't mean that there is any thing wrong with them.

[@psydafke]

johnnoble01 I agree there isn't a reason to replace it immediately after you buy it. I replaced the battery in my DX7s (wich supports LiPo in the software), but still use the factory-supplied one in the Taranis. Bruce suggested that FrSky or an after market supplier could sell another chargingboard/battery-kit, so you don't have to open it each time...

[@HarryBunnGRVOTV]

i use a futaba 14sg with. 6v nimh 1800mah, and it works fine, i've found no need to change it for a lipo or a life even though the radio supports other options.

[@PaulTichonczuk]

Nothing wrong sure, but I much prefer Lipos. longer run times and far lighter.

[@uselesscommentrary6960]

Smack on right. I've heard the same complaint about the Taranis, yet the two I use for work last 8+ hours on the stock battery, and higher capacity batteries can be built. I sympathize with those who really want the option, but the stock batteries are quality and work fine.

[@melissapeterson4745]

*29% discount* on the horus www.banggood.com/Frsky-Horus-X12S-Texture-Version-16-Channels-Inbuilt-GPS-Module-Transmitter-p-1041413.html?p=B0221338596320131216

[@rcwck]

Is there some sort of relation to Hobby King? I spy Turnigy heat shrink. LSD NiMh isn't all that bad. Good shelf life and several years of life when charged at a conservative rate. I'm on the third year for my Taranis NiMh and still going strong.

[@katanamd]

I know you're not a fan of Spektrum's 2.4 modulation. Let's put that aside as I've never had issues (And have with FrSky). My concern here is with servo draw. While I'm currently only flying 30%ers, I do plan to go bigger one day. I am also flying with WAY overkill servos as I hope to move them over to a bigger plane later on. I do want to switch to FrSky, but as far as I have seen they don't offer any high current options at all. The only reason I'd be switching over to FrSky is for reliabilty (I DO have a problem with Spektrums pots in the DX18 I fly with.) How would you go about running 10+ servos that draw nearing an amp each constant with peaks over 2A? Does FrSky plan to release a powersafe receiver soon? I am a fan of the KISS (Keep it simple and stupid) theory and don't want all the extra complexity and failure points of power boxes.

[@ChaddRainsFPV]

Weese - hey there - I would recommend using a separate SBEC. It's really common to find a reliable 5v 3 amp switching BEC for less than $10. As far as protocol goes- DSMX is honestly one of the better. ACCST (FrSky) is great as well. The difference is, many of the receivers from Spektrum are not very sensitive compared to the newer receivers that have come out from FrSky. I have modified a DX6 and gone out just over a mile (only higher gain antenna for the mod) - As for FrSky, I regularly go out a mile on a stock Taranis and still have >70% RSSI. I use an L9R and an OSD for even longer range. I trust my most expensive models to FrSky and always will. Stay safe Weese, hope I helped!

[@katanamd]

Thanks for the reply! I'm not so much worried about regulators here as I'm running straight 2s 7.4 LiPo to HV servos. I'm worried about the power traces on the receiver. Spektrum makes power safe receivers that are meant to handle the high current needed for big models. I've seen normal "full sized" receivers burn through the power traces driving servos like that. Edit: I somehow replied to my own comment by accident. Durp.

[@halflife82]

Run a PowerBox, a SmartFly, an XPS 10+, or even FrSky's new power expander. I do in all my planes, even my 42%'ers.

[@johnsauren4730]

Don't wanna have ....

[@prototype3a]

Heh. I expected to see a Taoglas ceramic patch antenna and a Ublox m8n in there. I should have known better.

[@patrickcol]

Thanks for that Bruce, very educational. Can you tell me if it is possible to connect more than one antenna to the same RF input? Or more than one on a Rx?

[@wokafloka7192]

could you replace with the lithium 18650

[@atomicskull6405]

I ended up returning my Taranis because I just couldn't wrap my head around Open TX.

[@stedenvideos3825]

Thats a shame. Open TX gives you so many choices - which I guess can also make it a pain to learn (but worth it).

[@psydafke]

Steden Videos Not a shame, but it's a pitty. Certainly w/ version 2.2 around the corner, with a lot more wizards to simplify things, and nice features added. I also ❤️❣️ my Taranises 😁 (but I can understand not everybody can wrap their head around them) Don't mean to plug other channels, but Lee (Painless360) has an excellent Taranis-playlist!

[@DirkaDirka07]

estimated price?

[@towers3372]

DirkaDirka07 The Horus has been out for sometime already... I believe the price is just under 500 dollars

[@nikolaosstavrou5327]

they didnt remove the flux from the board! even its a pre production model they should removed it.

[@koggism]

Nice kit - modular for ease of maintenance and repair. Unlike the cheap all in one rubbish.

[@interman7715]

Stick with nimhs ,no balancing required never had one problem with them.

[@jbx907]

ive seen alot of radio even branded expensive one that have worn out pots due to 3d flying helis, i really wish they had magnetic or optical pots like in dj mixers where djs used to scratch with, now branded radio will get this idea from frsky. why to go frsky for being first.

[@prototype3a]

Jeti had hall effect gimbals long before FrSky. But then again, FrSky has stolen quite a lot over the years from Jeti.

[@atomicskull6405]

I had a high end flightstick back in the 90's that used hall effect sensors, this is nothing new.

[@jbx907]

prototype3a what modern radio has this non pot stick.

[@jbx907]

Atomicskull probably. i dont see it in modern radios thou. i have opened alot of modeen radios end expensive ones. alot have pot problems specially 3d heli pilots

[@jbx907]

im not familiar with jeti, but you cant find this on modern branded radios, magnetic and optical faders for mixers were just a must on dj mixers, i wanted them to have it on radios too, you just cant say stolen, because it is a need in our radios, even the latest expensive radio will not last long with a 3d heli pilot.

[@EQINOX187]

2 Problems with this tear down, first is with the antenna you comment that it only has one at the top but this is not the case it actually has 2, the one at the top that you pointed out and also a second one in the left hand side of the radio ( right side in the video ) if you pause at 27:03 it can be clearly seen Second is the battery sure it is old tech but then so is the combustion engine that does not mean it is bad, the reason they most likely went with that type of batters is 1: Its does the job 2: It's a far more stable and trusted form of battery tech and is more shipper friendly

[@RCModelReviews]

Do you mean the BlueTooth antenna? That's not handling the RC link.

[@EQINOX187]

BlueTooth? The FrSky Horus X12S does not have BlueTooth

[@EQINOX187]

Psychosis5150 That is the X12D but it is the X12S in this video, the X12D has blue tooth where as the X12S does not, If you are going to post a link to try and disprove someone at least make sure you are posting a link to the right product or at least reading the web page rather than just looking at the picture.

[@alancruickshank9286]

EQUINOX see my comment above

[@EQINOX187]

Alan you are incorrect stop posting missleading rubbish if you actually did some research for the facts rather than looking at one non official website you might not look like so much of a plank, The retail X12S model does not have bluetooth, that website that says it does have bluetooth is not the official FrSky website and is actually maintained by t9hobbysport and contains many errors. Have a look at the official website and you will find no mention of bluetooth in fact have a look at places that sell it and you will not find any mention of blue tooth and there is a reason ... that's right it does not have bluetooth. Official website= www.frsky-rc.com/product/pro.php?pro_id=144

[@DavidTelesPortugal]

26:15 Am I the only one seeing a vertical polarized antena on my right?

[@marko5766]

You are not, he pointed that out, it's the BT antenna.

[@EQINOX187]

You are correct David that is a vertical polarised antenna, I pointed it out earlier when the video first came out then RCModelReviews responded by saying it was BlueTooth, However both Mark O and RCModelReviews are wrong because the X12S in this video does not have a Bluetooth function, they are confusing it with the model X12D that does have BlueTooth.

[@alancruickshank9286]

EQUINOX sorry but there is only one Horus model despite the confusing naming

[@DennisKrger]

EQUINOX Not true. While there isn't a general purpose Bluetooth, it uses Bluetooth for the wireless trainer.

[@TheTwistieShape]

you sure know your FrSky dj gear Bruce, don't suppose your a raver baby from back in the day? all that Kraftwerk and Daft Punk.

[@bobuk5722]

Hi. A shielded GPS? Ok, how many satellites could it pick up compared with another type at the same time? On the face of it, it's a very poor design. I doubt any GPS receiver works very well with a sheet of metal placed between it and the satellites. If it does, my undrrstanding of rf shielding shadow is in need of a rethink. If someone knows better (rather than just pontificating) do chip in. Bob UK.

[@FLYBYMEable]

That GPS is not even pointing up. Its pointing down.

[@EQINOX187]

Its a non-issue for GPS as much as i like this guys videos he often has no clue about electronics and makes assumptions, the reality is the orientation of the module is irreverent as is the metal plate as both will have next to no effect on the performance, The reality is this type of configuration has been use for many years now in phones, GPS devices like Garmin, Tomtom and they all have the screen a metal plate and then the GPS device and they all function perfectly fine

[@FLYBYMEable]

So you have no idea how a patch antenna works, you dont point a patch antenna at the ground. You say " they all function perfectly fine" but you dont consider a difference between 6 satellites and 20 satellites.

[@DroneMesh]

Lol is that a turnigy heatshrink inside the horus kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHW2iZibapuDi5o

[@tommorton66]

'Mr dj'

[@deanbeach1828]

this costs like 5000 dollars!!!!

[@pokies100]

If nessasary reply please.

[@rizkyp]

23:10 turnigy brand heatshrink?

[@pkbosss]

FrSky radio and Turnigy heat-shrink! Bleh!

[@atomicskull6405]

Polyolefin tubing is polyolefin tubing. I spotted Turnigy shrink tubing in the SAB Goblin 700 manual too.