Setting up and testing the Flex firmware on FrSky R9

[@MarkAngel86]

Dropping by to say hi! Love your R9 reviews, they are super thorough. Can't wait for the wireless update!

[@CurryKitten]

With a bit of new information arriving on the OTA stuff, it looks like you'll now need the new receivers for OTA, which is an annoyance to say the least!

[@MarkAngel86]

@@CurryKitten wutt? you mean we'll need to buy new receivers and r9mm will most likely not be compatible with wireless update? Thats a major bummer :(

[@702Wolfi]

Great video sir! The RSSI/signal dropping when you turn is because you mounted your antennas horizontally. When the tip of the RX antenna face you, the signal drops/null zone of the antenna. Mounting both, the RX and TX antenna vertically will give you much better overall signal consistency, especially when flying turns. A vertical antenna setup is easier said than done on a mini quad, unfortunately.

[@CurryKitten]

Yes, agreed. So easy to do a nice veritcal antenna on a wing or even a large quad, but you are really pushed for finding somewhere that the antenna isn't going to get murdered by a prop if you mount vertically. The null point in the RSSI on R9 vs Crossfire is much more pronounced, or it's just a lot neater using link quality on Crossfire.

[@FlyingFun.]

I have a r9 module donated a while back but have not Rx for it yet, good to see the flex fw seems to work ok. Might get one now to try out.

[@rl2769]

I’m glad you did this video. I’ll save all my comments or questions till the end of the video.

[@rl2769]

The r9 seems exciting. And you flew out way further than I will ever need to or would even consider. I order a 3” cygnets with r9 mm receiver. Which I have an r9 module that hasn’t been hooked up. My question is, how much trouble will it be to bind?? If it’s gonna be a headache, I also have spare xm+ receivers I could throw in their easily.

[@CurryKitten]

Binding itself it very similar to an XM+ it's hold a button and power on. The issue with the r9mm receiver is more probably knowing which firmware, and version of that firmware it has on it - as the module and rx have to line up. It's actually easier to flash it with what you want rather than have to second guess it.

[@Faith_Family_Firearms_Freedom]

I'm glad u made this video . I have 3 kwads setup nearly identical as your test rig. I've never used the 1W flex output setting. I just keep it on 500 mw. Perhaps I will feel confident enough to use it now. Unfortunately I have an R9mm RX go belly up today. It lost it's bind and would not rebind. I reflashed it and still wouldn't bind.

[@CurryKitten]

I would guess the 500mw output would be quite consistent, but I did like the fact that the Fex setting didn't up the power unless it needed it.

[@olegfpvberdsk.9670]

Проблема в перегреве приёмника. У меня сгорело шесть приёмников пока не установил теплоотвод на преобразователь напряжения который сильно греется и выходит из строя.

[@Tyecantfly]

After the Feb update one of my R9mm Receivers wouldn't bind anymore. All the others I did were fine.

[@mattiadibennardo3839]

Great video! If you try vertical polarisation you’ll notice the rssi will be way more stable especially when you turn the quad around. That small failsafe you had when turning around is because the polarisation is lost when turning and than came back again. Also 900mhz give you much more chance to recover a failsafe before crashing compared to 2.4ghz. The super 8 antenna is not bad but if you look to go far in one direction I find the mox antenna works better (signal is a bit more stable). I don’t really think there is never need to go over 100mw of power. Just mount the antennas right and vertical and you go as far as you need. I tried both lite and normal module and so far I almost only use the lite module at 100mw.

[@CurryKitten]

I do agree that vertical mounting is going to be best, but IMO it's just not practical in a 5" quad. A bigger quad sure, or a plane - easy. So I'm aware of the hit I take there, but it's worth it for the easy mounting. As far as 900mhz goes, it's used in the GSM phone network in Europe, so aside from probably picking up plenty of interference, I'm quite likely to get in trouble - so sticking to 868

[@Tsnafu]

That sudden drop-off of RSSI on the turn is because you have mounted your antenna horizontally, and as the quad swings around, you are either pointing the null point of the antenna towards your transmitter or your battery is blocking the LOS (or both) - I'd be interested to see the improvement if you mounted the antenna vertically as I've had no such problems with a flying wing and a vertical antenna at a considerably greater distance

[@CurryKitten]

It's very natural to mount a dipole vertically on a wing, but it's a challenge on a 5" quad, so I generally go with taking the hit on the null point. I do have a 7" to build, so will be interesting to see if that will fit vertically easier

[@jibbajabba4597]

Stick the antenna out the front like a tounge, upside is the quad rarely blocks the signal and it doesn't drop when you turn back towards yourself, downside is it's very easy to break them off and then this is where GPS rescue saves you.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic, Wayne! Thanks a lot! 😃 In my case I probably should use the FCC version of the firmware, but I guess it's basically the same. 😃

[@CurryKitten]

All the same - but Flex lets you move between 868 and 915, so you don't need a specific version as such.

[@imager09tube]

great effort! I would like to see in detail how to download R9 and how to flash and wiring. Try no to bother you to much! I hope!

[@edouardmalot51]

Thanks for theses tests

[@manuelfalcon334]

What up man... I need your help with something..... I got a R9m lite pro on an x lite pro and I’m trying to use one model for the 2 quads that I have but it won’t let me... it says bind successfully and then immediately the red light starts to flash and it un binds. Please please help there is 0 info on this in the internet and Frsky won’t answer my emails. Thank you in advance

[@EnglishTurbines]

I have the December 2018 Flex Firmware in mine. It definitely stabilised the RSSI numbers, and I used it on a Fixed Wing with iNAV. Worked fine, but you are never quite sure what TX power level its switching to at any one time during the flight. On a Quad, an XM Plus seems more appropriate TBH, it has better signal propagation. The Dipole of the R9MM is a problem to arrange on a quad, as it really needs to be set vertically for best results. Not sure why you would not just leave it set on Flex RF power permanently..?...Nice test, enjoyed it....:)

[@CurryKitten]

I think I would leave this on the flex power - seems most appropriate. Shame it doesn't tell you what it's set to in the telemetry though.

[@bisarowood]

I believe you can change the power output in the radio on older firmware as well 9 without rebinding) , I do anyways on the 20181228 and it works fine , I guess I should upgrade but what a pain when you have 4 quads on R9 ...

[@CurryKitten]

Hey, if everything is working for you and doing what you want it to - then don't force yourself into upgrading. It is a pain to do all the rx's if they're already installed.

[@bisarowood]

@@CurryKitten you right , the only thing I did notice is a sharp decline in RSSI below 45 ... someone posted some micro alligator clips that can be used for update without de soldering...I have to find that again

[@asurasfpv9458]

Great Video thank you. Did you ever tried r9mm flex using fport on a F4 flight controller? I couldn't get it to work. The stick inputs were not in Betaflight but radio binds correctly. I used the inverter Sport on a spare uart. After flashing (via serialpassthrough) back to non-flex everything was working.

[@CurryKitten]

I didn't try fport at all on these r9mm's I had. I've got a few of the new r9mm-ota's - I've just stuck one on SBUS, but I want to try fport on an upcoming build where it makes more sense to get the telemetry... so I'll hopefully be able to see if it works for me

[@asurasfpv9458]

@@CurryKitten r9mm with fport worked for me with the standard firmware for FCC or LBT, but not for flex... have fun with your upcoming build! Thanks for your reply.

[@DanielSingerX]

I've been testing this system for a long time but on the xlite andy findings are exact like yours with the spotty rssi that doesn't leave you feeling very confident. I bought a bunch of these r9m receivers in hope that they will eventually do the OTA thing but I see now the OTA will only work on special new recievers but the access will work on these old ones just without OTA. That was a let down :(

[@CurryKitten]

I've just heard about the OTA only working on these new rx's. What a pain - really shortsighted from FrSkys point of view.

[@rammyfpv7035]

Great vid m8 Very helpful 😇👍

[@QuadDamageFPV]

Very interesting, I'm also running on flex, but have stuck to 200mw and have been very cautious with my range. Just a quick question, did you say you don't need to rebind if you increase/change power levels? Or is that on the new (access) firmware? Cheers geezer 👍

[@CurryKitten]

No - on r9 you can change the power levels without rebinding (which is nice) I much just stick on using the adaptive option for now

[@kingnothingfpv]

My R9MM receiver does not bind to my R9M... Using Tried OpenTX 2.2.3 and latest flex firmwares... No luck :(((

[@CurryKitten]

Same firmware version on rx and tx ?

[@kingnothingfpv]

CurryKitten I flashed latest firmwares... Latest flex firmware numbers for R9M and R9MM are different... But they seem to be released on same date... Installed 190201 for R9MM and 190117 for R9M... They are both released on 2019-02-13

[@biggfpv2721]

I'm in the US and I don't have those rssi dips mine stay around 100 pretty much all the time unless I get a a few miles out but never below 80

[@CurryKitten]

The difference between 915 and 868 perhaps or are you using a widely different setup in terms of your model, and antenna placement

[@biggfpv2721]

@@CurryKitten no just just a 5 in with a immortal t on the oarm but when I go way out I have a immortal t that is vertical on my 7inch

[@pablofpv]

I did have a super 8 antenna that did not quite completely tighten down,so the antenna would freely rotate (probably poor build tolerance) I bought another and this one fitted tight with no play and also I use the Frysky dipol T antenna's fitted to the rear of my quads and this seamed to make a noticeable improvement. (sorry, accidentally deleted this, so reposted in case it helps anyone out)

[@CurryKitten]

Yeah - a loose antenna isn't great if it's going to move without you wanting it too. Glad the new one sorted it out

[@Dronitoni]

Thanks a lot for your informative vids. You have a very good picture in 1000m. Which equipment you are using?

[@CurryKitten]

There's a link in the description, it's an HGLRC Batman 220 quad. I can't remember what the VTX is, but it's the stock on - gives a nice noise free picture.

[@GeneralDynamickx]

Hi there! Good work! I purchased the R9M/R9 too. But I can't seem to find any REAL (technical) information on it. Like What EXACTLY is the difference with the FLEX firmware? Is it correct to assume that with the FLEX firmware installed the 2 dip switches of the R9M are obsolete? Do you have some specific info about these kind of things? Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@CurryKitten]

I don't think the dip switches are designed to be used with Flex - to be fair, all the buttons on the module are fairly obsolete as long as you are running OpenTX and it knows how to "speak" R9. The switches/bind buttons are designed to be able to use the module independently of the software on the radio. Flex essentially lets you run any power with either frequency with or without telemetry, and doesn't make you rebind everytime you change something. It's also, of course, got the adaptive power mode which will up the rf power only when it's needed

[@GeneralDynamickx]

Thanks for your response! I set it up on 868Mhz, 8ch+telemetry and power up to 1W with the dips witches both off. Everything seems to work fine. I only hear no humming when I disconnect the receiver, as I hear on some channels happening. So I cannot verify if the power really goes up or not. Guess the field test will have to show then. Cheers!

[@onclefly8450]

Hi, yes uigrade you module and radion is better ! 👍

[@Faith_Family_Firearms_Freedom]

Wayne , I know this is an older vid, but I was curious if you remember having to set serialrx_inverted = ON for the R9MM to communicate ? I had 4 quads running R9, all with F4 FCs and I had to do that with all of them. I recently switched over to crossfire and completely ditched R9 but at first I couldn't get crossfire rxs to communicate and remembered that I had the serialrx_inverted = ON and had to set all four of them back off . I've never been able to get R9 working without setting serialrx inv to on. They were all flashed with the flex firmware using Fport . I hope you can remember and help me understand why that was necessary for me to do. Thx.

[@CurryKitten]

There's one thing weird about using s.port on the r9mm and it's the fact that FrSky has a different opinion of what inverted means to everyone else. So to use it on a regular uninverted UART on an FC, you'd use the "Inverted S.port" so it you are using the regular solder point which just says S.port/F.port its where you'd need to invert. It's interesting that serialrc_inverted is working for you. In most cases on F4 board, you can't run this as the UARTs can't be inverted (but can on F3/F7s)

[@Faith_Family_Firearms_Freedom]

@@CurryKitten we actually had this conversation once before about installing an XM+ on TinyHawk FC and having to set serialrx_inverted to ON . I certainly can't explain it. So ..I am using the S.port/ F.port pad on R9MM connected to sbus pad on FC . I followed a vid I watched to the tee and everything worked this way. To be clear, you advise soldering to uninverted uart RX pad instead of sbus pad ? I am going to give all my R9 stuff to a friend and I want to be sure he connects everything properly, or at least the way it was intended to be used. Is it possible that the low RSSI values I was getting could have been related to the way I had it connected. Thx again for the feedback. It's really hard to get info on R9 since most everyone has abandoned it (including myself)

[@Faith_Family_Firearms_Freedom]

@@CurryKitten btw, have you done a vid on getting pwm outputs from a crossfire nano RX for use in a plane or RC car . Very hard to find info on as well. I see "adaptors" for sale with no explaination of how they work. Very leary of buying an item without some understanding of how it works. Thx

[@CurryKitten]

If you are just using Fport for control, then what you are doing is correct... and should have just worked. There are a few FC's out there with non-inverted SBUS inputs, but they are rare... so not sure why yours always needed it. I'd only bother with using an uninverted UART if you are also using telemetry in conjunction with F.port. Again, it's possibly different on different FC's, but for me the SBUS connection wasn't bi-drectional, so although F.port control worked, I didn't get all the telemetry I was expecting until I moved it to a regular UART

[@jordannovek2911]

Great information , did you need to make a special wire to update the firmware on the RX when you plug into the back of your Taranis ?

[@CurryKitten]

You can use a standard servo wire to connect to the back of your Taranis, but you do need to rearrange the cables slightly. Take a look at this video for more details kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX-yk4Npqs2Ul9E

[@pierstaylor7780]

oh my goodness! so frustrating. ive spent hours trying to bind an r9mm with a t18. it driving me mad! there is nothing to help. ive just watched your video here so i hope it helps. its like its one big secret that frsky will not tell. think ill stick to another provider in the future.

[@CurryKitten]

As you can't check exactly what firmware you have on the module and the rx, your best bet is to flash them both at the same level so you known you are at a place that should work before you start

[@pierstaylor7780]

@@CurryKitten thank you for the reply. But I’ve no idea how to do that. I’m just guessing from here on

[@quadzillafpv1123]

im new to the r9 system and i was wondering im on 2.3.4 open tx is that ok or do i have to downgrade to 2.2.3 ive been working on this for days. i need help!! when i first got my receiver it worked but no rssi so i thought upgrade firmware on rx well then i finally got it to rebind again but now no stick input. so im frusterated... i tried flex and i cant get it to bind

[@CurryKitten]

You don't need to downgrade. Are you getting RSSI from the telemetry, or video ch16. If you upgrade firmware on the RX, don't forget you'll need to do the same on the module as well - it it possible you've gone out of sync with version between your RX/TX ?

[@quadzillafpv1123]

@@CurryKitten I got it binded and stick inputs again. I have rssi in my radio just not in goggles. Hmmm

[@outboxfpv4360]

Hi sir if i update to OpenTX 2.3.5 on frsky qx7 ACCT. can i use flex firmware on R9M ACCT without any issue? will i lose old TX models? when updating

[@CurryKitten]

I've not had to rebind anything by updating OpenTX - and all your settings should still be there (although it's always safer to backup first) the only thing that might make you have to rebind is if you had to flash your R9 module to install the flex firmware (and then you'd also have to do it on your rx's as well)

[@outboxfpv4360]

@@CurryKitten Thanks sir. Is the flex firmware stable now? Cam we use it without any issues

[@CurryKitten]

@@outboxfpv4360 It feels pretty good to me, I've also have 2 quads using it on the new R9 access and that seems fine as well.

[@zoltanmeszaros8001]

Man did you ever fly with flysky system? :D That 10mW looked like a dream for flysky fliers.

[@CurryKitten]

Yes - way way back I had a Tunigy 9X and used the FlySky rx's for a while before I got a FrSky module. I had issues with not knowing my signal strength and losing signal on that earlier FlySky stuff

[@ti2phol]

If I attach my r9m module on my QX7, do I need to have my QX7 battery to only be 2s, right now I am running my QX7 on 3 18650 battery?

[@CurryKitten]

According to FrSky's website, the voltage via the JR connector is up to 12.6v, it's only the external power that's limited to 12v (which is why they recommend a 2S lipo) I run internally in my Taranis via a 3S liFe battery at 10.8v.

[@ti2phol]

I could not get my R9MM to bind. Flashed it with flex F.PORT firmware and flashed also the R9M module with flex FCC firmware. But I was able ti bind it using F.PORT FCC and FCC firmware for the module.

[@blackmennewstyle]

What a mess though with the "Access" hardware/firmware. I don't understand why they can not just come up with a full X9D+ with upgraded hardware instead of all the cheap X9 Lite which is just a huge step down compare to a X9D+ :/ Have a great weekend super daddy and keep on flying :)

[@CurryKitten]

The X9 lite is cheap though, and does do d16 now. I've got one to test, so I'll see soon ! It is a mess though - giving what others have said - is that the OTA update will require a new revision of the R9MM !

[@blackmennewstyle]

@@CurryKitten They seem to have aknowledged their mistake. I just got an email about the release of a full X9D+. They called it X9D+ 2019 lol If it was planned since beginning, that's some crazy greedy marketing.

[@robmalan7137]

I just started using the R9 and Im using the latest FCC non flex version cause I heard the flex is only necessary for EU. But the highest rssi reading I get is 49 do I need to do some kind of calibration to get it up to 99?

[@CurryKitten]

Are you using f.port as well by any chance, I had heard that reads exactly half what the RSSI should be so you have to scale it 200%

[@robmalan7137]

CurryKitten yes I am, do I do that in beta flight or in the transmitter? thank you

[@CurryKitten]

it's a betaflight thing. In the cli if you type set rssi_scale it should give you 100, so you then need to do a set rssi_scale = 200 and then save and retest

[@jandomingo9806]

I had the same thing happen wen coming back n failsafe n lost it. Keep you mobile phone on airmode n keep 2 metres away from you. No issues after that. I use 1w auto non flex. 180329 and also 1st release for r9mm.

[@CurryKitten]

Interesting - I've never had an issue with my phone being in my pocket on this. It shouldn't go near the 868Mhz frequency in the UK at least.

[@bobsterit]

Do you know if I flash the Flex Fw on the r9 module will it still work with kwads that are not flashed with Flex?

[@CurryKitten]

It won't, no. You'd need to flash the rx's and the module to the same firmware

[@smoodshaft]

Am running f port witch fix all RSSI problem ,night and day difference.

[@CurryKitten]

As long as you scale the RSSI to 200% :) Yes, I was going to use f.port, but I thought the video about using softserial might be useful on it's own so went the regular flex version instead.

[@daslolo]

Very informative video, R9 is quirky but alright. A few extra info gleaned over the months: -The wireless firmware update doesn't work on the old mm, only the new r9mm OTA, yeah another product to keep us on our toes :D -Auto is from 100mW to 1W. Why not 10mW? There could be a valid reason but no one at frsky gave one. -Super 8 antenna is to be oriented vertical.

[@CurryKitten]

Grrr, that's typical of FrSky isn't it. Making promises and not delivering. I have no idea why FrSky aren't a bit more forthcoming with information - why leave us all guessing !?

[@daslolo]

@@CurryKitten To their defense, their explanation of why there is no OTA on the normal r9mm is sound: flashing over the air requires double the memory as the new firmware needs to be stored in flash and with all the stuff they keep adding to the firmware they ran out. (or money) The lack of information is annoying but that seems typical of Chinese companies. From my experience they may seem large but are in fact made up of very few people, in contrast, a US startups look like an over bloated multi nationals. For example, in the company Sipeed, the finance person is also doing marketing and knows the in and out of the electronics, one of the engineer also does social media and marketing and the software guy also does the blueprints, everything gets built by the many factories in Shengzen. (or it's a marketing ploy to have us run around like headless chicken trying to figure out their mess, a clever way to build up the google ranking.) I like the first possibility better :D

[@joshkertcher]

daslolo should the super 8 be vertical even if the T is horizontal ?

[@daslolo]

@@joshkertcher that's a good question and I don't know. I'm sure it's fine, I was just parroting what I saw. Horizontal is way more convenient.

[@daslolo]

@@joshkertcher I just remembered why I mount my antenna vertically. When your craft turns 90 degrees to you, you get in the lobe of the quad's antenna which might cause you to failsafe during a turning maneuvers. Maybe that's what he's experiencing in the video?

[@thomatofpv3546]

Are you going to try this on the X lite as well?

[@CurryKitten]

I got fed up in rebinding the quad between the R9 and the R9-lite, but I'm sure I'll use that on another quad. I think the R9-Lite has a max output of only 100mw though, so flex isn't as useful

[@thomatofpv3546]

CurryKitten I have it installed on my 7 inch rig but have not had the chance to test it yet. I'm really excited about the 100mw WITH telemetry! Also, if you open up your module you can actually just remove the RP-SMA connector and install one of the t style antennes. I installed an 868mhz T style on my module with a 3D printed piece, do you think these matching antennas would perform better then let's say, a super8 antenna?

[@CurryKitten]

I don't know if they'll do better, but they'll do pretty good I think. I'm basing that on my earlier tests using the TBS TX T-antenna which I tried on both the R9 versions and it performed well. It was on par with the super-8 but there was no clear winner on the range I was flying

[@thomatofpv3546]

CurryKitten at the moment I have the antenna mounted horizontally on my tx and vertical on my rx. Do you think this can impact performance? Otherwise I might have to bend the 3D printed piece. Edit: when I test it I will post my results, see if it's better :)

[@fpvlive]

The current R9 hardware does not support the new OTA functionality. You need to buy The R9M Pro module and R9MM-OTA receiver

[@CurryKitten]

Yes - that's what I'm hearing now. Not enough memory on the original rx's. Didn't know you'd need a different module as well (I've been away the last 2 weeks and haven't kept up to date)

[@ADMIND3R]

u mean the r9m lite pro? that looks like the only module right now that will support the acess firmware along with the 3 ota recievers.... i literally just bought a 2019 r9m full size module and 2 r9 receivers... im not too concerned wit wireless firmware updates as its not that hard in the first place but what else would i miss out on? think i should return it and wait for a full size module that will fit in my nirvanna?

[@335ifnx101]

Maybe my Super 8 is damaged, but after a couple of split second failsafes in difficult situations I went back to the TBS Diamond and while it is hard to measure signal strength seems to be better with it.

[@CurryKitten]

It might be damaged. I didn't have a diamond to test, but I compared the Super-8 against the regular T transmitter antenna and they performed pretty much identically.

[@TheEviling]

1km distance on 10mw is kinda amazing :)

[@CurryKitten]

It's all good unless you want to turn around to come back, and then it's a bit sketchy with the null point :D

[@elxero2189]

@@CurryKitten do an immelmann to come back

[@Wastelessplague]

the drop happens when u are turning into the antenna dead zone

[@CurryKitten]

Yes indeed - you'll always enter a dead zone when turning, unless you go vertical... which isn't easy on a 5"

[@philthayer4087]

Odd, at 10mw you have rssi of 50 at 1000m. At 100mw you have rssi of 35 at 1000m ?.

[@CurryKitten]

Yep - I noticed as well. The only thing to note about the 100mw flight is that I did it on the previous day, so I can't be sure if my position in the field, my orientation and my TX antenna positioning is all exactly the same

[@philthayer4087]

@@CurryKitten Yeah but 10X the power?? Not sure why but my Slim+ has much more stable RSSI then my R9MM. I bought another R9MM to compare.

[@Carlovfx]

How many troubles, I have R9 module and receiver and never used them, just bought Crossfire to not fiddle with strange firmwares and other bullshits. It just works...

[@CurryKitten]

Crossfire is absolutely way way better and much nicer to use with it's excellent LUA scripts

[@FPVSE]

This is part of a conspiracy ... This video was actually made on the 1st of Jan 1970 ... 3:33 Totally true fact!

[@CurryKitten]

:D

[@ror-ys3qp]

you are skipping a lot of steps for the uneducated