taranis e-soar plus User manual

Copyright © Michael Shellim
E-Soar Plus for Taranis
Version 1.0
Setup Guide
Mike Shellim
28 November 2015

Page 2 rev 1.00.03
1Introduction
E-Soar Plus is full-feature setup for electric-powered gliders with four wing servos. Suitable models include the
Radian Pro, MPX Cularis, MPX Heron, Pulsar Pro etc.
The interface provides simple and direct control of spoiler and motor. Key mixers may be adjusted during flight,
allowing models to be trimmed out rapidly.
Special attention has been paid to motor safety, by means of a simple and secure arming/kill system.
Application
For electric gliders with 4 wing servos
Versions for X/T and V tails
Supports all stick modes
Flight modes
Power, Thermal, Cruise, Speed, Landing
Voice confirmation
Motor
Variable motor control
Simple arming and kill system
Motor/elevator compensation
In-flight adjustments
adjuster for aileron diff
adjuster for spoiler compensation
adjuster for motor compensation
Spoiler
Aileron differential suppression
Spoiler/elevator compensation
Reverse differential for better roll response
Adjustable deadband
Camber (flap) functions
Variable camber (Thermal mode)
Reflex in (Speed mode)
Control surface calibration
Special 'CAL' flight mode for easy calibration
5-point balancing curve for flaps
Full rotation on flap servos
Misc
Combi mix
Channels 8-9 free for other functions
Please read through the instructions once carefully before starting.
Make sure the motor is disconnected during setup.
1.1 Requirements
The following are required:
FrSky Taranis transmitter flashed with OpenTx 2.x (see E-Soar-plus web page for recommended versions)
OpenTx Companion software + USB cable.
A good familiarity with OpenTx’s menu navigation and data entry.
1.2 Package contents
E-Soar Plus is provided as a compressed ZIP archive.
Filename
Description
esoarplus_10_SetupGuide.pdf
Setup guide
esoarplus_10_SettingsRef.xls
Settings reference
esoarplus_10x.eepe
EEPROM image with 2 setups:
ESOARPxxx_V –for V-tail
ESOARPxxx_X –for X- and T- tail
esr_xxxx.wav
Sound files
1.3 OpenTx 2.0 versus 2.1
There are some minor differences in naming and menu layout between OTX versions 2.0 and 2.1, chief of which is
the Servos menu which has been renamed ‘Outputs’. This document will use the 2.1 naming.

Page 3 rev 1.00.03
2Overview
2.1 Stick and switch assignments
Rudder, Elevator, Aileron and Throttle controls are as specified in MODEL SETUP STICK MODE.
Other controls assignments as follows:
Control
Function
Throttle stick
Spoiler
Throttle trim
Spoiler compensation adjust (Landing mode)
Motor compensation adjust (Power mode)
Rudder trim
Aileron diff adjust
SA
Flight mode selector
LS
Motor control
RS
Flap adjust (Thermal mode)
SH
Cancel calibration mode
Kill motor
SF
Backlight
2.2 Flight modes
There are four flight modes Power, Landing, Thermal, Cruise and Speed. In the event of clashes, Power has highest
priority, then Landing, then Cruise/Thermal/Speed. A change in flight mode is accompanied by a voice alert.
Flight Mode
OpenTx ID
Activated by
Priority
Power
FM2
LS ↑
High
Landing
FM3
Throttle stick ↓
Mid
Speed
FM5
SA ↑
Low
Cruise
FM4
SA --
Low
Thermal
FM0
SA ↓
Low
A special Calibration flight mode is also provided for calibrating the control surfaces.
2.3 Flight mode/ function matrix
Flight Mode
Motor
Camber
Spoiler
Combi
Power
X
X
Landing
X
X
Cruise
X
Thermal
variable flap
X
Speed
fixed reflex
X
2.4 Channel assignments
Channel #
Function
1
Right aileron
2
Left aileron
3
Right flap
4
Left flap
5
Elevator
RtVee
6
Rudder
LtVee
7
Motor
8
[free]
9
[free]

Page 4 rev 1.00.03
3Motor Operation
This section describes operation of the motor and the arming system.
3.1 Arming the motor system
The system is initially disarmed i.e. motor forced off. To arm the system:
1Set motor control to ‘off’ (LS↓)
2Apply full right-aileron & full up-elevator, and hold
3Pull SH and hold for 2 seconds, until startup sound
4Release SH
5Release stick(s)
A warning beep sounds every 6 seconds to indicate that the system is active. It’s recommended not to disable the
beep, until you get into the habit of disarming after each flight.
3.2 Operating the motor
Moving LS upwards (↑) automatically selects POWER mode.
If the system is armed, the motor will operate.
If the system is disarmed, an alert is sounded (“motor control disabled”); POWER mode will still be active, but
the motor will not operate.
NOTE: the idle end of LS incorporates some deadband, to help prevent accidental operation of the motor.
3.3 Killing the motor
To kill the motor and disarm the system, pull briefly on SH.
The arming system will not protect against loss of signal. It’s therefore imperative to set the failsafe
on your transmitter, so the motor is commanded to ‘off’on loss of signal!
To minimise the chance of accidental spin-ups, arm the system immediately before launching, and
kill immediately after landing.
4Calibration’mode
A special CAL flight mode is provided for calibrating the control surfaces. All mixers and trims are disabled in this
mode.
To enable CAL mode:
1. Apply full left aileron and full up elevator, and hold
2. Pull SH
3. Release SH
4. Release stick(s)
When CAL mode is enabled, the transmitter emits a beep every 5 secs and a voice alert every 15 secs.
To exit CAL mode, pull SH.
In Calibrate mode, the response of the throttle stick is stepped at 25% increments. This is to aid calibration of the
flaps.

Page 5 rev 1.00.03
5Setting up your transmitter
Adjustments should be made in the sequence shown. Use the tick boxes to record your progress.
Make sure that the motor is disconnected before proceeding beyond this point.
5.1 Preparing your transmitter
The first task is to prepare your transmitter’s EEPROM and file system.
Using a suitable USB lead, connect the Taranis to the computer. To establish communication, switch on the
transmitter whilst pressing inwards on the horizontal trim levers (the so-called ‘three fingered salute’).
Copy the sound files to the /SOUNDS/{language} folder on the Taranis’ SD card.
Using OpenTx Companion
oOpen the esoarplus .eepe file (FILE OPEN).
If you’re using OpenTx 2.1, ignore the alert “Your EEPROM is from an old version of OpenTx”.
oOpen your transmitters EEPROM (READ MODELS AND SETTINGS FROM RADIO).
oDrag an ESOARP variant (‘X’ or ‘V’) into an empty slot in your EEPROM.
oClose the esoarplus.eepe window.
oIn your working EEPROM, right click your model, then choose “Use as Default”
oUpload your working EEPROM back to the tx (WRITE MODELS AND SETTINGS TO RADIO).
oClose down OpenTx Companion
Important: do a hardware stick calibration on your tx now - [MENU long], [PAGE x n].
X9E Users only: Open the Mixers menu, and using the mixer editor:
oChange the source of CH18 to ‘LS’
oChange the source of CH20 to ‘RS’
Using the transmitter on its own, familiarise with the flight modes and motor arming. Use the voice alerts to
guide you. At the end of this step, you should be confident with:
oTHERMAL, CRUISE, POWER, SPEED and LANDING modes
oCAL mode
oArming and killing the motor
5.2 Calibrating the control surfaces
The goal of this step is
Set absolute travel limits for the control surfaces
Equalise travel between left/right sides.
You’ll use CAL flight mode for most of the steps.
NOTE: the travel limits you set in this section are limited only by servo/linkage geometry. The operating travels will
be adjusted in a later step.

Page 6 rev 1.00.03
5.2.1 Calibrate flaps (CHs 3,4)
Start by calibrating the flaps.
In CAL mode, the response of the throttle stick is stepped at 25% increments, to aid calibration of the
right flap.
5.2.1.1 Set rotation of flap servos
First, set the direction of rotation of the flap servos:
Switch on the transmitter (don’t switch on the receiver just yet).
Enable CAL mode. The tx will chirp every five seconds.
Move throttle stick to centre.
Switch on the receiver.
Go to the OUTPUTS menu.
Check direction of the flap servos: As you move the throttle stick forwards, both flaps should move upwards.
If either flap moves down, then reverse the servo - highlight the Direction arrow and press [Enter]. Be careful
not to press twice otherwise the setting will revert. NOTE: Ignore any “INVERT THROTTLE” warning.
With the stick in the centre, note the position of the flaps. They will probably be between neutral and
approximately 30 degrees down. If not, don’t worry unduly, any problems will become apparent in the next
couple of steps.
5.2.1.2 Calibrate left flap
The goal of this step is (a) to set the operating range of the left flap surface, and (b) to make the response
approximately linear with respect to stick movement.
NOTE: We are not concerned with setting the flap neutral position –that will be set later.
Check you’re still in CAL mode, re-enter CAL mode if not.
In the OUTPUTS menu, select ‘LtFlap’servo
Move the throttle stick fully forward. The left flap will move upwards. NOTE: the flap will move in a series of
steps, this is to aid calibration of the right flap in the following step.
Adjust Max until the linkage just starts to bind (i.e. hits a mechanical limit), then back off a little.
Move the throttle stick fully back. The left flap will move down.
Adjust Min until the linkage just starts to bind, then back off a little.
Move the throttle stick forwards and check again for free movement.
The response of the left flap will probably be non-linear so we’ll do a first-cut fix now. Without visualising,
set Subtrim midway between Min and Max, i.e. Subtrim = (Min + Max)/2.
Example: if Min = ─80 and Max=20, then set Subtrim = (─80 + 20)/2 = ─60/2 = ─30
Compare the travel of the flaps as you move the stick either side of stick-centre. If the travel is severely
unequal, readjust Subtrim towards the ‘long’ side. Extreme accuracy is not required here, what we’re aiming
for is an approximately linear response.

Page 7 rev 1.00.03
5.2.1.3 Calibrate the Right flap.
Now calibrate the right flap. The goal is to match the response with the left flap, using a 5-point curve.
Check that you’re still in CAL mode, re-enter CAL mode if not.
In the OUTPUTS menu, select the RtFlap servo.
Leave Subtrim, Min, and Max at the defaults values (0, -150, 150).
Go to the curve column (CV5) and press [ENTER long]. The curve dialog will open. Adjust as follows:
- move throttle back, adjust point 1to match left flap exactly:
- move throttle to 25%, adjust point 2
- move throttle to centre, adjust point 3
- move throttle to 75% pos, adjust points 4.
- move throttle forward, adjust point 5
NOTE: to get flaps to match at extremes (points 1& 5), it may be necessary to reduce one or both end points
for the left flap.
The flaps should now match perfectly at each increment. Check now. Don’t worry that the flap neutral is
floating, you’ll fix that in the next section.
Exit CAL mode
5.2.1.4 Set flap neutral and spoiler (crow) travel
In this step, you’ll (a) set the flap neutral position, and (b) set flap travel for crow brakes. For these adjustments
you’ll leave CAL mode and make some adjustments to the mixers.
Activate the CRUISE flight mode (LS↓, throttle stick↑, SA in middle).
Enter the MIXER menu
Adjust flap neutral:
oScroll down to CH11 (FlapCm)
oSelect the ‘Neutral’ mix line (displayed in the right-most column), and open the mixer editor.
oMake sure that the spoiler stick is fully forward
oAdjust Weight so that the flaps line up with the wing profile.
oExit the mixer editor.
Adjust flap travel:
oStill in CH11 (FlapCm), select the ‘Splr’mix (displayed in the right-most column)
oPull back fully on the spoiler stick. The flaps will move downwards.
oIn the mixer editor, adjust Weight until you achieve the correct travel. (Don’t worry about over-
driving the flap servos - you’ve already calibrated the servos so they’ll stop dead before doing any
damage.)
oExit the mixer editor.

Page 8 rev 1.00.03
Check the transition between LANDING and CRUISE modes as follows:
oMove the spoiler stick forward and back. The transition between LANDING and CRUISE modes will be
indicated by a voice alert –the flaps should transition smoothly at this point.
oIf there is a sudden jump, then almost certainly you skipped the stick calibration, or did not complete
it correctly - calibrate the sticks now, and the re-start the setup procedure.
5.2.2 Calibrate ailerons (CHs 1, 2)
The goal of this step is to set the end points and centre of the ailerons.
NOTE: in CAL mode, both ailerons move together up and down. This makes it easy to match the ailerons, simply by
sighting down the fuselage.
Enable CAL flight mode. The tx should chirp every five seconds.
Go to the OUTPUTS menu
Move the aileron stick to the right and check that both ailerons move upwards together. Reverse servo(s) as
necessary by skipping to the Direction column and pressing [ENTER] (make sure to press once only).
For each servo, leave stick at centre and adjust Subtrim so that the ailerons line up with the trailing edge.
Adjust the aileron servos for maximum possible travel as limited only by the linkage geometry. For each
servo:
Hold the aileron stick fully to the right. Increase Max until the linkage just start to bind in the up
position. Back off slightly.
Hold the aileron stick fully to the left. Decrease Min until the linkage just start to bind in the down
position, then back off slightly.
Re-adjust Min or Max, so that the travel is the same either side of the centre.
Finally, equalise the travel on both ailerons, while still maintaining the equal up/down travel on each. Again,
this may require backing off some adjustments.
Check, and check again: equal up/down on each aileron, and left and right ailerons match!!
NOTE: On some models, the aileron hinge design may limit the available down-travel. If so, it may not be
possible to complete the calibration procedure as described, without restricting overall movement.
If this is a problem, then modify the calibration procedure as follows:
1. Specify Diff = +50% in the ‘CAL’mixer line for each aileron.
2. In CAL mode, adjust the aileron so that down-travel is 50% of up-travel.
The adjustment points for Diff are as follows:
MIXERCH01 (RtAil) CALdiff = 50
MIXERCH02 (LtAil) CALdiff = 50
NOTE: The 50% diff you set above applies in CAL mode only. In the regular flight modes diff will be in the
range 0 –70%. In order to prevent binding of the downgoing aileron in these flight modes, you may need to
observe a minimum value of diff (obtained by trial and error using the rudder trim)
Exit CAL mode
Enter CRUISE mode
Check the ailerons move in the correct sense.
NOTE: The down-going movement will be affected by the value of Diff, adjustable using the rudder trim.
We’ll adjust travel and diff in a later step.

Page 9 rev 1.00.03
5.2.3 [V-TAIL only] Calibrate V-tail (CHs 5,6)
Enable CAL mode. The tx should chirp every five seconds.
Calibrate the V-tail servos, following the same steps as above for the aileron servos (see §5.2.2), but please
note: when in CAL mode, pushing up on the elevator stick should cause both surfaces should move upwards.
Note that this is the opposite of normal operation, and is for calibration only.
Reverse one or both servos if necessary, by toggling the Direction column with the ENTER key (take care to
press ENTER once only).
Exit CAL mode
Check that the V-tail surfaces respond correctly to rudder and elevator inputs.
5.2.4 [X/T tail only] Calibrate rudder (CH 6)
Enable CAL mode. The tx will chirp every five seconds.
Go to the OUTPUTS menu, select Rudder servo
Move the rudder stick to the right;the rudder should move to the right. If not, then reverse the servo by
toggling the Direction parameter.
Adjust Subtrim to centre the rudder.
Set the servo end points. These will correspond to the ‘never exceed’ positions of the rudder, i.e. the
furthest the rudder can travel before damaging the linkage. These are the steps:
Hold the rudder stick fully right, and increase Max until the linkage just start to bind, and then back
off slightly.
Hold the rudder stick fully left, and adjust Min so linkage just starts to bind, then back off slightly.
Finally, equalise rudder movement left and right. You may need to back off either Min or Max.
Exit CAL mode.
5.2.5 [X/T tail only] Calibrate elevator (CH 5)
Enable CAL mode. The tx should chirp every five seconds.
Calibrate the Elevator servo. The steps are the same as rudder (§5.2.4), but with the following difference:
Pushing forwards on the elevator stick should cause the elevator to move upward. NOTE: this is the
opposite of normal operation, and is only for calibration. If the elevator moves downwards, toggle the
Direction parameter.
Exit CAL mode
Check the elevator works in the correct direction for normal flight.
5.3 Backup the EEPROM
Well done, the calibration phase is complete. This is a good time to back up your EEPROM.
Go to the main info menu
Press [MENU long], then [PAGE] till the Version menu appears, then press [ENTER long].
There may be a short delay while the EEPROM is written.

Page 10 rev 1.00.03
5.4 Adjust control travel and mixing
In the final section, you’ll adjust the control travel and mixing. Most of the adjustments will affect more than one
control surface. As they have been calibrated, they will track correctly!
Control / mix
Adjustment point
Adjustment notes
Aileron travel, and expo
INPUTSAil
The adjustments are made in the INPUTS menu. Each line
defines Travel and Expo for one or more flight modes.
Starting with the top, OpenTx searches for the first line with
the active flight mode ticked, and uses that line.
NOTE: If no matching line is found, the ailerons will not
operate! It’s good practice therefore for the last line to be a
‘catchall’ with all flight modes ticked in case a flight mode is
missed in the lines above.
Example:
Key to flight mode numbers:
FM0 = THERMAL
FM2 = POWER
FM3 = LANDING
FM4 = CRUISE
FM5 = SPEED
NOTE: make sure that the Diff parameter is zero in all lines
(Diff in the INPUTS affects stick diff, not control surface
diff!!).
Elevator travel
INPUTSEle
As above
Rudder travel
INPUTSRud
As above
SpoilerAileron
MIXERSCH10 (AilCm) Spoilr
Adjust upward aileron movement due to spoiler:
1. Enable LANDING mode
2. Move throttle stick fully back (max spoiler)
3. Open MIXER menu and scroll down to CH10
4. Select the ‘Spoilr’ line (as shown in right column)
5. Adjust Weight for required up-aileron movement
Aileronflap
GLOBALVARSGV5(“Ail2FL”)
Adjust aileron to flap (“flapperon”) mixing for each flight
mode.
1. Open GLOBALVARS menu, highlight GV5(“Ail2FL”).
2. Adjust aileron to flap mix as follows:
-Enable POWER mode, adjust GV5/FM2
-Enable THERMAL mode, adjust GV5/FM0
-Enable LANDING mode, adjust GV5/FM3
-Enable CRUISE mode, adjust GV5/FM4
- Enable SPEED mode, adjust GV5/FM5
Note: movement of down-going flap will be affected by Diff
setting (adjusted via rudder trim, see later).
Camber (flaps)
GLOBALVARSGV1(“Cm2Ail”)
GLOBALVARSGV2(“Cm2Fl”)
Camber is adjustable +/- 50% using lever RS. For example if
the nominal camber is 4 degrees (RS at centre), the total
range will be 2 –6 degrees (RS at end points).
In this step, you will set the nominal camber.
Start with flaps:
1. Enable THERMAL mode
2. Move RS to centre position.
3. Open GLOBALVARS menu, scroll down to GV2/FM0
4. Adjust value for desired camber
For ailerons, repeat 2-4 above using GV1/FM0.
Finally, check camber range by moving RS up and down.