Jump to content

Flashing receivers, not for the faint hearted?


Stephen Belshaw
 Share

Recommended Posts

Having posted recently about the potential pitfalls of upgrading OTX and deciding to stay with what works I now find myself with anther dilemma thanks to my lack of awareness regarding FrSky ACCST moving to V2.

 

I've just taken delivery of two X8R receivers, same as I have previously used, or so I thought. Tried to bind with my X9D+ and neither would have it. Digging around a little it seems the problem is new Rx's are shipped with V2, whereas I'm running everything on V1 and wasn't intending to update.

 

Can I "flash" these X8R's back to V1 without updating the Tx and without too much difficulty?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, no need to do anything to OpenTX - just watch a Painless360 video or similar on receiver flashing, download the relevant firmware from the Frsky site and you are good to go…

 


Ps - There is an archive of older Frsky firmware online here if you can’t find what you need for your RX for any reason; Frsky have removed some from their site over the years…

Edited by MattyB
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks MattyB, that's reassuring and the video was very helpful. 

 

I've gone to the FrSky website to find the appropriate firmware, the X8R download is offered as V2 which obviously I don't want:

 

V2.thumb.jpeg.15d561125651cd3c8899b468e4ce5ea8.jpeg

Then below that in "History Firmware" I find these files (two of each kind):

 

History.jpeg.3928dfb9902cf14802265861ef7dfd75.jpeg

 

 

So I'm a little confused as to what I need, presumably one of the "files" (listed as documents} in the above screenshot??

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Stephen Belshaw said:

Thanks MattyB, that's reassuring and the video was very helpful. 

 

I've gone to the FrSky website to find the appropriate firmware, the X8R download is offered as V2 which obviously I don't want...

 

How many receivers do you have? If it's not many you may want to consider updating all of them and your TX to the v2 ACCST RF firmware; it is now well sorted and will mean you should never encounter the uncommanded servo movement that was part of the D16 v1 implementation. Having said that I have flown for ~8 years on v1 and never knowingly experienced the issue, it is an incredibly rare phenomena if you fly in a relatively uncongested 2.4GHz environement but is apparently more prevalent in busier RF areas...

 

PS - Here is the monster RCGroups thread on the issue, all the key content and links are on page 1.

 

Edited by MattyB
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, MattyB said:

 

How many receivers do you have? If it's not many you may want to consider updating all of them and your TX to the v2 ACCST RF firmware; it is now well sorted and will mean you should never encounter the uncommanded servo movement that was part of the D16 v1 implementation. Having said that I have flown for ~8 years on v1 and never knowingly experienced the issue, it is an incredibly rare phenomena if you fly in a relatively uncongested 2.4GHz environement but is apparently more prevalent in busier RF areas...

 

PS - Here is the monster RCGroups thread on the issue, all the key content and links are on page 1.

 

I think twelve receivers in total, one of those runs on D8 which I guess I would lose in a switch to V2? It's not a large amount to process, it's more the hassle of digging them out of models and also updating the Taranis, whereas converting the two new ones should be quick and simple.

 

I fly mostly alone so I never considered the rogue servo command issue a problem for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A year or so ago I bought an FrSky simulator dongle, which I concluded was flashed with V2 as it wouldn't bind to my V1 QX7. I re-flashed the Tx to V2, but this didn't fix it. I spoke to Richard at T9 and he recommended flashing them both to V1, which I did, and all was well. No idea what was happening,  but it seems you are safer just re-flashing your new Rx's to V1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A year or so ago I bought an FrSky simulator dongle, which I concluded was flashed with V2 as it wouldn't bind to my V1 QX7. I re-flashed the Tx to V2, but this didn't fix it. I spoke to Richard at T9 and he recommended flashing them both to V1, which I did, and all was well. No idea what was happening,  but it seems you are safer just re-flashing your new Rx's to V1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Trevor Crook said:

A year or so ago I bought an FrSky simulator dongle, which I concluded was flashed with V2 as it wouldn't bind to my V1 QX7. I re-flashed the Tx to V2, but this didn't fix it. I spoke to Richard at T9 and he recommended flashing them both to V1, which I did, and all was well. No idea what was happening,  but it seems you are safer just re-flashing your new Rx's to V1.

 

I don't think that's really true, not at this point. Based on your post your issue was during the period when there were some inital problems with the v2 RF firmware, and they had to iterate it a couple of times to to address the problems. That would explain why your initial v2 TX update didn't work with your v2 simulator dongle.

 

Thankfully that is all over now, so any ACCST v2 TX/module firmware on the Frsky site should work with any v2 RX shipped now or updated with the latest v2 RX firmware. Short summary - they made a complete horlicks of this when the issue was originally spotted and effectively got the community to do their testing for them (this is Frsky after all... ?), but that is all over now and v2 is fully stable.

Edited by MattyB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Stephen Belshaw said:

I think twelve receivers in total, one of those runs on D8 which I guess I would lose in a switch to V2? It's not a large amount to process, it's more the hassle of digging them out of models and also updating the Taranis, whereas converting the two new ones should be quick and simple.

 

I fly mostly alone so I never considered the rogue servo command issue a problem for me.

 

No, you wouldn't lose D8 if you moved to ACCST v2 - whether that is an allowed selection is just dependent on a software setting in OpenTX, so if the region is set to Global it will still be there and usable; set it to EU and it disappears. Even so, I would tend to agree with Ron that going to v2 probably isn't necessary in your case as long as you are comfortable flashing any new RX purchases to v1 when you get them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Stephen Belshaw said:

Flashed both receivers successfully this morning. I needn't have worried, it was a far quicker and simpler process than I feared and of course gives me options for future Rx purchases.

 

Many thanks to all who chipped in, especially MattyB!

 

NP at all. As you now realise it is one of those things that is intimidating the first time, but once you've done it successfully once you realise it is super straightforward. With Frsky's excellent comms skills ? the hardest bit (as per @Trevor Crook's post above) is normally finding the correct pairing of TX and RX firmwares that work together! ?

Edited by MattyB
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

 

This thread may well have answered a question I had around the X8R and it’s use with the new FRSky X20. My original Taranis bit the dust after taking a swim in a flood. 
 

I was looking to move to the new X20, but wondered if I would need to flash or replace my X8R and X4R receivers. Looks like from this thread I can just flash them to V2 and they will be supported by the X20, is this correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Well having just acquired a new RX8R pro I foolishly asked for the old LBT SW to be flashed by T9. So now stuck on trying to update the Rx SW using Open Tx on my Horus X10S.

 

Had lost my Rx programming lead so quickly modified a new one swapping the power and gnd leads at one end.

 

Plugged the lead into the Smart bus on the Rx and the back on the Horus noting correct orientation of both.

 

Went into SYS menu and found on the SD HC Card menu firmware and selected the correct Rx SW.

 

Then selected flash external module.

 

But when I proceed the system fails by saying no connection. Testing the supply to the Rx appears dead so how do you enable the power on the rear connection of a X10S?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well managed to solve part of the problem. On the Horus the output connections are not reversed as detailed in the video.

 

Second issue is to select the Flash S Port rather than the external memory.

 

Rx now programmes with 2.1.1 LBT     but it still will not bind with the Tx.  On attempting to bind both red and green leds illuminate but do not flash.  Any suggestions?

 

Tx was upgraded to the latest FRSKy SW before then changing to Open Tx. Could this be the issue??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well still lost as to how to resolve this issue with the RX8R Pro Software.  Receiver appears to programme correctly with the green and red leds flashing as the SW uploads but then refuses to bind to the Tx.

 

Have tried all the current SW versions on the FRSky web site plus and even older version on the archive.

 

Tx is running Open Tx Ver 2.3.14.

 

Rx Sw was RX8R_Pro_ACCST_2.1.1_LVT.frk (also tried 2.1.0 as well as LBT170224.frk).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well things appears to be going bad to worse with no receivers now working so I must have inadvertently flashed the Tx. So what SW do I now need to get the Tx working again. Is that Open Tx or do I have to update the Rf side of the system? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well thanks to Richard @ T9 solved the issue.

 

Apparently I must have flashed the internal Tx module with the Rx SW so I needed to download iXJT Open Tx software to the Tx internal module.

 

Once this was done all worked again.

 

So if reading this thread and you are about to update the Rx SW be 1) very careful as the supply connections to the Rx and 2) be very careful what module is being updated.

 

No everything in that video is correct!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...