Taranis Gimals in a 9X

aerostarter · Post by **aerostarter** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:29 pm

Afternoon all,
reading all posts interesting stuff on taranis gimbals. Question my th9x elev pot has just given up.
What replacement taranis or aurora gimbals...
Don't mind bit of cutting gluing etc Is there out of the 2 options a better gimbal that works better with er9x.

Kev

Post by **jhsa** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:38 pm

Taranis.. They are cheaper, precise, and easier to install..

João

aerostarter · Post by **aerostarter** » Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:49 pm

Thanks João

Was kind off swaying towards the taranis gimbals.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 11:48 am

Hello everyone,

I'm just considering upgrading my 9X gimbals with the Taranis'.

Here's what alofthobbies page https://alofthobbies.com/frsky-taranis- ... imbal.html says about the item: "January 2016 - FrSky has updated their gimbals, they now include metal cross arms and better wire management."

Anyone knows what that is/means? I can't find any mention of that anywhere else.

I was about to place my order from Banggood, whose shipping is way quicker and cheaper, but all of a sudden I wonder which 'version' the gimbals will be shipped in... if there IS such a thing like different versions, of course (apart from the amplifier thing, but as far as I saw they are now all without amplifier, so it must be something different).

bob195558 · Post by **bob195558** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:19 pm

It is good to upgrade to Taranis Gimbals, more reliable and yes there are NO more amplifier pots in the Taranis Gimbals,
though that is not a problem if they were. You will like them a lot !

Bob B.

Post by **jhsa** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 1:25 pm

Didn't know they shipped with metal crossbars now

That is an improvement I guess

João

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 6:35 pm

Those who have tried them say so.

I believe the parts are plastic with metal inserts, but I haven't actually seen them.

bob195558 · Post by **bob195558** » Tue Feb 23, 2016 6:47 pm

Could someone who has the new Taranis Gimbals with the metal crossbars post a photo with them ?

Bob B.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:31 am

Wow, thank you for your kind reply

I think I'll have mine from Banggood, and if they are this new 'metal crossbars' version, I'll post pics of them as soon as I'll get them.

In order to be sure that they have metal crossbars, it's probably better to have them from alofthobbies, but the page says out of stock and it doesn't say an expected date for restocking

I am looking forward to feel the difference in quality!

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:15 am

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yxx7iBEfpE

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Wed Feb 24, 2016 4:24 am

Now that I checked, it seems that Banggood is also selling two kinds of gimbals.

http://www.banggood.com/Frsky-Taranis-X ... 22093.html

http://www.banggood.com/Frsky-Taranis-X ... 12055.html

Problem is that it's kinda hard to tell which is which... they look almost the same (only the shape of the stick end is slightly different), and there's nothing in the description that explains it...

bob195558 · Post by **bob195558** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 11:55 pm

Alloy Crossbar for FrSky Taranis Gimbals here: (https://alofthobbies.com/alloy-crossbar ... mbals.html).

: Taranis Gimbal Crossbar

Bob B.

OctavioS · Post by **OctavioS** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 1:13 am

@Bob
FYI, more recent gimbals already come with this part in metal. The difference is that the metal is coated with a transparent plastic, so in this cases i dont think its necessary for this upgrade.
Tomorrow ill update this post with the pic.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:33 am

So if I get it right the metal cross bars from aloft hobbies are meant only for old gimbals? Or is that a different component?

Still, I wonder if there is a way to tell if the gimbal is of the old type or of the new type before purchasing it.

I'm asking Banggood now but I feel their customer service is not that acquainted with such subtle technical knowledge and can tell them apart...

OctavioS · Post by **OctavioS** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:17 pm

These are meant mostly for the old ones because it makes no sense to swap with the new ones, they are metal also. The best option is to buy from aloft hobbies because they state that the ones they sell are the upgraded ones. Also the price is not so different.

Post by **jhsa** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:29 pm

No, but the postage to Europe makes them much more expensive

That is why I bought my last ones from HK. Big difference.
João

OctavioS · Post by **OctavioS** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:03 pm

The problem is that hobbyking might not send you the upgraded ones.
Try and ask to their customer support about the difference and rejoice with the answers.

Post by **jhsa** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 8:14 pm

Correct. If I was going to buy, and if it wasn't an emergency, i would wait till they are available everywhere, and then get them where is cheaper..

But that's me

João

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:46 pm

I had already asked hobbyking, and they said the following:

1. They didn't know about the upgraded gimbals.
2. The one currently being sold (well actually it's out of stock now) is NOT the upgraded one.
3. They don't know when the new one will be available.

The problem with alofthobbies, apart from shipping cost, is that the gimbals are out of stock without a restock date.

The only one that has them at the moment seems Banggood, and they told me that it has metal arm cross, but honestly I am not sure if the operator was really sure about what she/he was saying...

EDIT: looking closely at the pictures here http://www.banggood.com/Frsky-Taranis-X ... 22093.html it does really seem that the cross arms are made of metal... Banggood said the two gimbal they list separately (check the links from my previous message) are the same, if that's to be believed.

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 12:05 am

Aloft Hobbies (Wayne) are very approachable. You want to know when they'll have something, just ask by phone or email. And generally, as long as the item is being made, the wait is not long.

OctavioS · Post by **OctavioS** » Thu Mar 03, 2016 1:20 am

Nadim wrote:I had already asked hobbyking, and they said the following:

1. They didn't know about the upgraded gimbals.

Exactly...they dont know squat.
Try making more specific questions and they will get confused to the point that will ask you what are you talking about.
When i purchased my 9xr pro, i contacted custumer support and spoke with a product specialist, because when plugging the trainer with the futaba port it wouldnt switch on the radio. They imediatly told me to send it to RMA.
I later found out by myself that in order to use the simulator through the futaba port the radio has to be switched on and not off like with the 3.5mm JR port. This is an example to show their level of knowledge of the products they produce and sell. Not reliable at all.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:33 am

Just a note:

I just received my gimbal from Banggood (http://www.banggood.com/Frsky-Taranis-X ... 22093.html) and just wanted to say that I am pissed off 'cause... it's NOT the version with the metal crossbar.

Right now, this item is sold out on Banggood (but they have an apparently identical one here: http://www.banggood.com/Frsky-Taranis-X ... 12055.html), but I managed to get one before it went sold off and I was kinda hoping it was the metal crossbar version. Well, no it's not. I'm glad I only got one... Oh, and btw Banggood online assistance has proven once again to be as incompetent as HK one: "yes they have metal crossbars, as you can see in the pic".

Anyway, it actually feels quite good, much better than the 9X original gimbal, and now there's something I wonder about. Despite the fact that I am a pincher, and I do love relatively long sticks, I am not a big fan of hard springs. With this gimbal I just got, namely with the stock springs, I am now experimenting and I'm seeing that I like them just in the middle, far from the screws to be fully tighten. Now the question is this: would I really feel any difference with the metal crossbar or not? As far as I can see and imagine, metal crossbars would only help when the springs are so strong that cause the arms to bend, but I am not sure...

Also, the stick kinda gets harder when it gets close to the edges, and feel softer in the middle. I wonder whether a metal crossbar would help reduce this issue.

I need another gimbal anyway, so if the metal crossbars thing is really making a difference, I'd try make sure that I get this version on my next order, and somehow upgrade the one I have now. Otherwise it wouldn't really make a difference...

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:08 am

I replaced the plastic crossbars on my Taranis with the metal replacements (shown a little earlier in this thread). The difference in feel is quite subtle and I'm not sure it's worth doing unless you use extra strong springs. I consider the Taranis sticks to to be very good even without metal crossbars and plan to use them in my 9Xtreme radio.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:59 am

Thank you Daedalus66 for your feedback. Yes thinking about it again it does seem that you only need alloy crossbars if your springs are strong. I didn't even set the stock springs to the maximum strength, so...

...so I decided to get the second one from Banggood and when I'll got it then I'll install them.

Well actually I could start installing the first one I got, but actually there's something I am wondering, and I'd like to ask here.

I am a Mode 4 flyer, and so I set my TX configuration in OpenTX: assuming that I got the non-amplified gimbal, can I just install them following the instructions described here: http://openrcforums.com/wiki/index.php/ ... ls_in_a_9X and everything will be fine? Or is there another source that I should look at to have a neater install?

P.S. I use OpenTX 2.0

Thank you very much ^^

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:36 am

You need to check whether OpenTX will support the necessary reversing of two stick axes. It appears that only certain versions do (specifically a recent exchange confirms that the Taranis version doesn't). Stick Reverse is required to ensure that the sticks operate in the same direction as their associated trims.

Don't confuse stick reverse with either stick mode or channel invert. It's an entirely different matter that avoids having to change the sticks physically. My recommendation would be to use ErSky9x, which is generally more supportive of hardware modifications than OpenTX.

Post by **Kilrah** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:54 am

OpenTX on the 9X does of course support stick reversal, there's an option to tick to enable it.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 12:42 pm

Thank you both for your explanations.

What I still don't properly get is why I'd have to change anything via software in the first place, since the instructions say that if you have the amplifier-free version of the gimbal, you don't need any change at all in the software.

If one's going to have to reverse the stick, wouldn't this be the case regardless of the mode he/she is using?

bob195558 · Post by **bob195558** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 1:08 pm

You would need to unsolder and swap wire around, re-soldering them until you have them correctly connected.
Changing this in the firmware saves a lot of work.
Use a multimeter and check which wire is + 5 volts, Ground and Signal wire connection (9x radio).
Do not think the 9x radio's red wires will be the + 5 volts, color of a wire means nothing to the Chines.

Bob B.

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 4:17 pm

Nadim wrote:Thank you both for your explanations.

What I still don't properly get is why I'd have to change anything via software in the first place, since the instructions say that if you have the amplifier-free version of the gimbal, you don't need any change at all in the software.

If one's going to have to reverse the stick, wouldn't this be the case regardless of the mode he/she is using?

The point is that the instructions assume you are using Er9x or ErSky9x, which provide the necessary stick reverse capability. Stick reversal is discussed there.

It appears that some versions of OpenTX provide the capability, but others don't.

You are correct that this has nothing to do with stick mode, as I pointed out previously.

As Bob points out, you can fix the problem by swapping wires even if your version of OpenTX doesn't support stick reverse.

Nadim · Post by **Nadim** » Thu Mar 17, 2016 11:51 pm

Daedalus66 wrote: The point is that the instructions assume you are using Er9x or ErSky9x, which provide the necessary stick reverse capability.

My version of OpenTX does have the stick reverse function, so I assume that if some control turns out to be reversed after installing the gimbals, I will just use this function to fix it, instead of messing up with wires etc.

But this was not my point: what I didn't and still don't understand is why not having the stick reverse function in the OS is supposed to be a problem, since as I get it the non amplified gimbals don't usually require a software stick reverse.

And again, this is true regardless of which OS the writer of the wiki page had in mind when he wrote the guide.

So either the wiki page is wrong, or it's me missing something. It's probably the second one, I am sorry

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