Turnigy 9XR User manual

Turnigy 9XR
User Manual

Table of Contents
Disclaimer…………………………………………………………………………
Introduction………………………………………………………………………
How it works…………………………………………………………………
Nomenclature ……………………………………………………………………
Edit buttons ………………………………………………………………………
Navigation …………………………………………………………………………
Editing and Saving ………………………………………………………………
On Startup– Quick Model Select …………………………………………………
Transmitter Layout ………………………………………………………………
Main Screen………………………………………………………………………
General View………………………………………………………………………
Statistics Screens Statistics Screens……………………………………………
General Settings…………………………………………………………………
Radio Setup (1/5) ………………………………………………………………
Trainer (2/5) ……………………………………………………………………
Diagnostics (3/5) …………………………………………………………………
Analog Inputs (4/5) ……………………………………………………………
Calibration (5/5) ………………………………………………………………
Model Setup……………………………………………………………………
Model Select (1/11) ………………………………………………………………
Model Setup (2/11) ………………………………………………………………
Heli Setup (3/11) ………………………………………………………………
Expo/Dr (4/11) …………………………………………………………………
Triple Dr Example…………………………………………
Mixer (5/11) ……………………………………………………………………
Main Screen……………………………………………………………………
Edit Mix……………………………………………………………………
Limits (6/11) ……………………………………………………………………
Reverse (7/11) ………………………………………………………………
Curves (8/11) ……………………………………………………………………
Custom Switches (9/11) ………………………………………………………
Safety Switches (10/11) ………………………………………………………
Templates (11/11) ………………………………………………………………
Examples…………………………………………………………………………
Programming a throttle cut………………………………………………………
Build and Program Instructions …………………………………………………
Building from Source…………………………………………………………
Flashing…………………………………………………………………………
Make targets……………………………………………………………………
Make options……………………………………………………………………
Software/Firmware Acknoledgements...............................................................

Disclaimer
THIS FIRMWARE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND AND ANY
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT
SHALL THE DEVELOPER AND/OR AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
PERSONAL AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS FIRMWARE, EVEN IF THE DEVELOPER AND/OR
AUTHOR. HAS BEEN ADVISED BY USER OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH POTENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE.
USER AGREES TO HOLD THE DEVELOPER AND/OR AUTHOR. HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST ANY
AND ALL CLAIMS, LOSSES, LIABILITIES AND EXPENSES.

Introduction
The 9XR is a computerized radio from Turnigy.
The transmitter is outfitted with a 128x64 pixel monochrome LCD, two x 2 axis gimbals, three
variable potentiometers (pots), six 2-position switches, one 3-position switch and some funky
Digital trims.
How it works
Bear with me here–some flow charts coming up:

What the heck was that?
The system receives 4 types of inputs:
1. Main Sticks
2. Potentiometers
3. Trims
4. Switches
The analog inputs (sticks and pots) go through a calibration phase. The sticks can also go through
Expo and Dr filters before going to the mixer.
The mixer does it all. It directs each input to the desired output (CH1..CH16). It controls how the
inputs are added. It also controls the timing of each function.
After the inputs are processed by the mixer they are directed to the relevant output channels. The
limit procedure takes over and makes sure no output goes too far.
Finally the channels are encoded and sent to the RF module to take that nice little hike through the
air to your model.
Nomenclature
(just so we understand each other)
Inputs:
1. RUD – Rudder.
2. ELE – Elevator.
3. THR – Throttle.
4. AIL – Aileron.
5. P1/P2/P3 – Pots.
6. Switches:
i. THR – Throttle cut switch, don't confuse this with the THR stick. The TH switch is located on the
back left side.
ii. RUD – Rudder Dual Rate switch.
iii. ELE – Elevator Dual Rate switch.
7. ID0, ID1, ID2 – Three position switch (Flight Mode switch). These 3 define the 3-position
switch. ID0 is the top position, ID1–mid position and ID2–bottom position.
8. AIL – Aileron Dual Rate switch.
9. GEA – Gear switch.
10. TRN – Trainer switch. This switch is spring loaded.
11. SW1..SW6 – Custom switches. More on these later.
It should be stated that every function in this Radio is assignable. There are no fixed switches.
You can choose the TRN switch to be throttle cut and use the triple switch to control Dr. The names
are useful since they are labeled like that on the Tx.

Edit buttons
There are 6 edit buttons on the Tx. In this manual they are noted with square brackets ([MENU]).
Some functions need the button to be pressed and held for a second or so. The are noted as
“long”presses like so: [MENU LONG]
The “!” sign. Whenever you see the “!” sign you can read that as “not” or “inverted”. Switches can
be“normal” or “inverted”. So when choosing the elevator d/r switch ELE is normal operation and
!ELE denotes inverted operation.
Navigation
As a general rule the [UP]/[DOWN]/[LEFT]/[RIGHT] move the cursor appropriately The [MENU] key
is used for selection and for editing. The [EXIT] key is used for exiting (surprise). Pressing [EXIT] will
generally bring the cursor to the top of the screen. Another press will exit the menu to the main
screen.
Pressing [EXIT LONG] will exit immediately to the main screen.
Pressing [MENU] from the main screen will take you back to the last menu.
From the main screen you can press [RIGHT LONG] to enter the model setup pages. Pressing [LEFT
LONG] will enter the general setup menus.
Once in the menus you can navigate between different screens using the [LEFT]/[RIGHT] keys as
long as the cursor is at the top right position of the screen.

Editing and Saving
As a rule once a value is changed it is saved. You can turn off your Tx and turn it back on and the
values will be saved. The values are saved internally in the MCU's eeprom. However there is a
slight delay sometimes so it's probably a good idea to wait a couple of seconds before turning off.
There is no undo functionality. Once something is erased/changed it's changed for good.
Generally, when a value is highlighted and you cannot move left or right then pressing
[UP]/[DOWN] will change that value.
When moving left or right is possible you need to press [MENU] to edit that value. Edit-mode is
displayed by the cursor blinking.
To exit edit-mode press either [MENU] or [EXIT].
Also, it is possible to change values with the P3 pot (the one at the front of the Tx called PIT.
TRIM/AUX 2).
On Startup- Quick Model Select
On startup holding a certain key will load an associated model memory. This is useful for quickly
changing between model memories:
• Holding [MENU] Will load Model memory #1
• Holding [EXIT] Will load Model memory #2
• Holding [DOWN] Will load Model memory #3
• Holding [UP] Will load Model memory #4
• Holding [RIGHT] Will load Model memory #5
• Holding [LEFT] Will load Model memory #6

Transmitter Layout

Main Screen
General view
The main view is split into top and bottom. The top contains the following:
•The current model's name. (GOOFI in this case and yes, it's a real airplane)
•The battery voltage.
•Trim increment information.
•Timer and timer trigger information. Pressing [EXIT LONG] resets the timer.
•Throttle trim activation information.
The bottom consists of three screens. You can flip between these with the [UP]/[DOWN] keys.
The 3 screens are:
Value bars – these show the output values for the first 8 channels.
Input values – Stick position and switch indicators.
Elapsed timer – Timer that may be started, stopped [MENU] or reset to zero [MENU LONG].

Statistics Screens
From the main screen pressing [UP LONG]/[DOWN LONG] will enter the statistics screen.
The first shows some available timers and traces the throttle stick as well.
The second shows general timing of the Tx. The value “tmain” shows how long the math takes. This
will increase as you add more mixers. It can be very large sometimes depending on eeprom writes.
The Stack value shows the unused space, in hexadecimal, between the end of used Ram memory
and the lowest point the stack has reached. You can reset the timers by pressing [MENU].
STAT 08:02 TOT
TME 08:02 00:00 TSW
STK 00:00 00:00 ST%
STAT2
tmr 1Lat max 5 us
tmr 1Lat min 5 us
tmr 1 Jitter 0 us
tmain 6,31 ms
Stack 0123 b
[MENU] to refr
esh

General Settings
From the main screen pressing [LEFT LONG] will enter the general settings menus. Here you can
set up settings that will be the same regardless of chosen model.
The menus are as follows:
• Radio Setup
• Trainer settings and PPM In Calibration
• Diagnostics
• Analog Inputs
• Calibration

Radio Setup (1/5)
Use this screen to set up general functions for the Tx:
1. Owner Name: The radio owner's name. You... Unless.... (hmmm...)
This will also be displayed on the splash screen.
2. Beeper: Sets Beeping levels
i. Quiet. No beeping at all. No warning – nada. If the kids are sleeping and you must setup the
model in your living room this is the mode to use. Just remember that the Tx will not even warn
you when the battery is low. If you're using a Lipo watch out!
ii. No keys. The beeps are normal but edit keys are silent.
iii. Normal. Normal beeping.
iv. Long beeps. For those who want to annoy other people.
v. Extra long beeps....
3. Contrast: The LCD's contrast. The values can be 20..45.
The higher the value the darker the screen.
4. Battery warning: Battery voltage warning. When the connected battery's voltage drops below
this voltage the Tx will beep.
Though the Tx will continue to function normally it's really advisable to land as soon as possible.
5. Inactivity alarm: This will set up a warning that will beep if the Tx is left unattended for the
specified amount of time. The default value is 10 minutes. To turn off the Inactivity timer – set
the value to zero. Also, when running on USB power, the alarm is inactive. Values can be from 1
to 250 minutes. To reset the timer simply move one of the sticks.
6. Filter ADC:
i. SING: Single conversion. This is the fastest conversion but base resolution is 1024.
ii. OSMP: Oversampling. This uses extra samples to increase resolution to 2048. Just slightly slower
than SING.
iii. FILT: Filtered. This is in case you have excessive noise from the conversion (servo jitters).This will
filter the input and prevent that noise. It will, however, increase latency by~30msec.
7. Throttle reverse: This is for all you wacky people who fly with the throttle backwards (e.i. idle is
far from you and full is close to you). Though I personally don't understand how you fly like that
RADIO SETUP 1/5
Owner Name ME OF COURSE
Beeper
Quiet
Contrast
25
BAT Warning
9.0v
Inactivity Alarm
0m
Mode ↔☼ ↕☼
☼↕ ☼↔
2 RUD THR ELE AIL

it's a nice feature. The reverse will also reverse the throttle warning on startup and some other
throttle related functions.
8. Minute beep: Beeps every full minute while the timer is running.
9. Countdown beep: Beeps at 30, 20, 10, 3, 2 and 1 seconds before the timer ends.
10. Flash on beep: Flashes the backlight on timer beeps.
11. Light switch: This chooses a switch which can be used to turn on the backlight.
12. Light off after: When this is not OFF any keypress will turn on the backlight and turn it off after
the specified number of seconds.
13. Splash screen: Show the logo on radio startup.
Btw, you might not know this but the splash screen can be skipped on startup by pressing any
key.
14. Throttle warning: If ON will show a warning when throttle is not at idle when the Tx is turned
on. The Tx will not output a signal until the alert is cleared.
15. Switch warning: If ON will show a warning when the switches are not at the default position
when the Tx is turned on. The Tx will not output a signal until the alert is cleared.
16. Memory warning: If ON will show a warning when the available eeprom memory is less than
200 bytes when the Tx is turned on. The Tx will not output a signal until the alert is cleared.
17. Alarm warning: This will give you a “heads up” if your beeper is silent.
If on and the beeper is set to '0' (Quiet) you will receive a warning on startup. This has been
added after a programing session left a user flying on silent. I find it really useful!
18. Mode: Choose between stick modes: MODE1, MODE2, MODE3 and MODE4.

Trainer (2/5)
This menu allows the PPMin (trainer) inputs to be configured. It enables the RAW PPM inputs to be
selected to replace the sticks for training purposes. The student transmitter does not need to have
the same model setup as the instructor. All the mixes on the instructors Tx will be applied to the
student inputs. If, for example, you have expo on your sticks, this will be applied to the raw trainer
inputs when they are selected.
The mode entry selects how the PPMin value is used:
Off unused
+= add to instructor stick value
:= replace instructor stick value
The % entry applies a weighting to the PPMin value -100 to 100, Use -100 to reverse the input. Use
values closer to 0 to reduce the students control sensitivity.
The src entry selects the PPMin channel for the function.
The sw entry selects the switch used to action the trainer operation.
Multiplier 1,0 to 5,0 scale for PPMin values
The multiplier does as it's name suggests. It multiplies the ppm Input by a set amount. Great for
dealing with different tx's whose makers don't know how to encode PPM :-P.
CAL Center calibration for first 4 PPMin values
This entry allows you to calibrate the mid point for the first 4 input PPM channels.
Highlighting “Cal” and pressing [MENU] will calibrate the mid point for all PPM IN channels.
PPM IN is read from the signal at the trainer port of the Tx.
There is an option for each model to enable or disable the trainer input function. If you do not
need the trainer function you may disable it, and use the selected switch for something else. All
the PPMin values are available to the mixer.
TRAINER 2/5
mode % src sw
RUD := 100 ch4 TRN
THR := 100 ch3 TRN
ELE := 100 ch2 TRN
AIL := 100 ch1 TRN
Multiplier 1.0

Diagnostics (3/5)
This menu will help you visualize the current state of the trims, keys and physical switches. Each
Key/Switch/Trim is represented. When pressing a key or switch they are highlighted.
Analog Inputs (4/5)
Here you can see the analog inputs in hexadecimal format to save space and annoy you at the same
time. Values range between 0..0x7FF (0..2047).
A1..A4 are the gimbals (sticks).
A5..A7 are the pots.
A8 is battery voltage. You can press [DOWN] and highlight the battery voltage. Pressing [LEFT]/
[RIGHT] will increase and decrease the value and so enable you to calibrate the battery voltage
monitor.
DIAG
THR 0 3/5
RUD 0
Left 0
ELE 0
Right 0
ID1 1 Trim- +
Up 0
ID2 0 ↔☼ 0 0
Down 0
AIL 0 ↕☼ 0 0
Exit 0 GEA 0 ☼↕ 0 0
ANA A1 0422
0 4/5
A2 0347 63
A3 0466 0
A4 0414 0
A5 07EE -30
A6 0345 -30 BG
A7 06AE 80 244

Calibration (5/5)
This screen allows you to calibrate the analog channels (A1..A7).
The calibration method goes like this:
1. Press [MENU] → (SetMid)
2. Set Sticks to center. (Including throttle and pots)
3. Press [MENU] → (SetSpan)
4. Move sticks and pots through full range.
5. Press [MENU] → (Done) – Values are saved here.
6. Press [MENU] (Back to top)
The values are calculated when you press [MENU].
They are saved when you press [MENU] to (Done).
CALIBRATION 5/5
START CALIBRATION
[MENU] TO START

Model Setup
From the main screen pressing [LEFT RIGHT] will enter the model select/settings menus. Here you
can set up settings that model specific.
The menus are as follows:
1. Model Select
2. Model Setup
3. Heli Setup
4. Expo/Dr
5. Mixer (This is the important one)
6. Limits
7. Reverse
8. Curves
9. Custom Switches
10. Safety Switches
11. Templates

Model Select (1/11)
In this screen you can see, select, copy and move models between different memory “slots”. I
quote the word “slots” because memory management is dynamic. The available memory is
displayed at the top of the screen.
Memory usage for each model is displayed on the right. The more complex your model
(mixes/curves/options/limits/etc) the more memory it'll take.
The “*” on the left shows the currently loaded model memory.
Pressing [UP]/[DOWN] will move the cursor between different models.
Pressing [MENU] will highlight the model. Pressing [UP]/[DOWN] with the model highlighted will
move it up/down. Pressing [EXIT] will un-highlight the model.
Pressing [EXIT] will load the highlighted model.
Pressing [EXIT LONG] will load and exit to the main screen.
Pressing [RIGHT LONG] will load the model and go to the next screen (Model Setup).
Pressing [LEFT LONG] will load the model and go to the last screen.
Pressing [MENU LONG] will duplicate the selected model. A confirmation screen will be displayed
requiring you to confirm the duplication of the selected model.
MODELSEL free 1560 1/11
*01 GOOFI
114
02 YAK 55 60
03
04
05
06

Model Setup (2/10)
Lots of options here:
1. Name: Unsurprisingly here you edit the model's name. To edit: scroll down until the name is
highlighted and press [MENU].
Once your press [MENU] only one letter will remain highlighted. To change the letter you
press [UP]/[DOWN]. To move the cursor press [RIGHT]/[LEFT]. Once done, press
[MENU]/[EXIT] to exit the edit.
2. Timer: Here you set the value for the timer.
Press [RIGHT]/[LEFT] to choose between minutes and seconds.
Press [MENU] and the cursor will blink. To edit use the [UP]/[DOWN]/[RIGHT]/[LEFT] buttons
and [MENU]/[EXIT] when done.
3. Trigger: Choose what triggers the timer → (remember – by pressing [LEFT] you'll see the same
values with the “!” sign. This means that the usage is inverted)
1. OFF – timer is off.
2. ABS – timer is on.
4. RUs/RU%/ELs/EL%/THs/TH%/ALs/AL% - chooses to activate the timer based on stick position.
When a XXs is selected (THs for example) The timer starts whenever the stick is not at
zero.
The XX% sign is the same except the timer speed is determined by stick position.
When at zero, the timer is stopped. When at full the timer goes at normal speed.
When midway the timer's speed reflects the sticks position.
5. Switches – You can specify a switch so whenever that switch is activated the timer counts.
6. Momentary switches. A switch denoted with “m” (like TRNm) means “ momentary”. That
means that moving the switch once to the on position and back turns the timer on.
Moving it on and off again turns the timer off. (difficult I know, take a sip from your
coffee, relax a bit, take a break – it's not difficult once you try it out :) )
7. TriggerB: You can choose a second source to trigger the timer, but switches only.
8. Timer: Here you can choose whether the timer counts up or down.
SETUP 01
2/11
Name
GOOFI
Timer
15:00
Trigger
Ths
TriggerB
---
Timer
Count Down
T-Trim ON

9. T-Trim: Throttle trim. This is a nifty feature for power fliers. When activated a couple of things
happen. First off the center detent for the throttle trim is removed. Also the throttle's trim
will now only affect the “low” side. That means you can use the trim for setting idle while
full throttle remains unchanged.
10. T-Expo: another throttle related function. This one makes the throttle stick's expo go from
zero to full instead of having a center like all the others. Always the odd kid out this throttle
is.
11. Trim Inc: Trim increments:
i. Exp – Exponential. With this the trims are fine near the center.
ii. ExFine – Extra fine – 1 step per click.
iii. Fine – 2 steps per click.
iv. Medium (my personal favorite) – 4 steps per click.
v. Coarse – 8 steps per click.
12. Trim Sw: Neat little function this is. When in flight if this key is activated it reads the current
position of the sticks and trims and copies that into the subtrims. After that it zeros the
trims.
This is really neat for new models when you might have a hard time taking your hands off
the stick and pressing the trims. Simply hold the plane level with the sticks and press the
selected trim switch. The plane is trimmed.
13. Beep Cnt: Beep Center. Here you set center warnings. The string RETA123 corresponds to:
RUD, ELE, THR, AIL, P1, P2, P3.
When the letter corresponding to the analog channel is highlighted the system checks for
center.
When the input is at center a short beep will sound enabling you to hear when the input is
centered. This is useful for checking the center of the pots without looking.
14. Proto: encoding protocol
i. PPM – with ppm you can choose how many channels to encode. Anything from 4 to 16
channels. You can also change the pulse spacing. This is useful for systems which
might experience jitter. On the whole it might be a good idea to leave it alone.
ii. Other protocols include Silver A/B/C and TRAC09.
15. Shift Sel: Shift select. POS/NEG. Select signal shift. POSitive or NEGative.
16. E. Limits: Extended limits. Allows limits to go to ±125%. Please test first and make sure this
does not cause unwanted mixing between channels.
17. Trainer: Trainer enabled. This allows you to select if the trainer inputs are used on this model.
18. T2thtrig: If t2thtrig is ON, then the second timer will be started when the throttle stick is
moved above about 5%.
This allows the original timer to be used to measure throttle on time (TH%) and the
second timer to give elapsed time, both triggered from the throttle stick.
15. DELETE MODEL [MENU]: Guess....