Mixing basics

[sgofferj]

I think, I'm again missing something.
I have been tinkering with mixing, but I don't grasp the concept fully.
If I want to use a switch to e.g. put the flaperons down, I have to use a receiver channel up only for the switch?
Like I can't just use the switch - I have to assign the switch, e.g. the gear switch, to a channel and then set up a mix that when the switch is hit, puts the flaperons down.
How about the alternate firmwares? Can I just use one of the switches for e.g. flaps, without having to sacrifice a receiver channel just for the switch?

Next question... What does "offset" do? I have been tinkering a lot but I couldn't figure it out.

[Crucial]

The alternate FW's have a setting in each mix to set a switch for that mix.

[sgofferj]

Yes, the original firmware kinda has this too...
My point is - in the stock firmware if I want to use the gear switch to lower flaps, I have to configure the gear switch to channel 5 (AUX-CH), then define the mix GEAR as master and flaps as slave. So this receiver channel 5 is practically lost for me, unless I find something to connect that always should operate when the flaps go down.
It would be much more practical to have the option to assign a switch directly to a function without having to go through a receiver channel and mixes, e.g. a menu where all switches are listed and when I select a switch, I get into a submenu which allows me to set values for channels and maybe additionally a delay. A little bit like the SNAP ROLL function in the stock fw, if you get my idea...

[Rob Thomson]

You are missing the fact that you can assign multiple mixes per channel.

So... Assuming you have ailerons on channel 2 & 3, you can insert another mix to assign flaps in the same channel; that only applies when the switch is active.

So you don't loose channel 5 at all!

Under the custom firmware; things are far less tied to receiver channels than stock.

[jhsa]

I never used the stock firmware, flashed the radios with er9x as soon as I got them.. only turned them on to see if they were working. that was all..
But concerning flaperon, it should have a mix called flaperon or something similar.. and it would use the aileron channel and an auxiliary channel. the aileron servo from one of the wings connects to the aileron channel, and the aileron servo from the other wing connects to the auxiliary channel.. to be able to have flaperon you must use 2 channels. Can't do it with both ailerons connected to only one channel..

João

[Kilrah]

You are missing the fact that you can assign multiple mixes per channel.

He's on stock fw!

sgofferj:
There IS a function for flaperons on stock FW. This might help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJIklG35 ... r_embedded

[Rob Thomson]

Oh... What a pity.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[sgofferj]

Yes, there is a flaperon function but the point is that you always have to use a receiver channel in mixes. If you want to use one of the turning buttons, you have to assign it to a radio channel in AUX-CH and then you can use this in a mix. You can NOT use the switch or turning button as source (master) in a mix DIRECTLY.

@Kilrah: Look at the end of the video - the guy is mixing everything by hand, not using the flaperon function . I use the flaperon function. I just find the whole setup very unintuitive and it's annoying that I have to sacrifice channels for nothing.

[Kilrah]

The stock firmware is a (very bad) attempt at copying the menus from a Futaba radio. Normally on that Futaba you'd have flap = CH6, to which you'd assign a control, and then this would be mixed with the aileron (CH1) by the flaperon mix. So yes you use a channel, but that is the one you connect your 2nd servo to, so you don't lose one. AFAIK the stock firmware tries to do that with mixed results, I don't know enough about it to evaluate.

But yes, as long as you stay on stock firmware, take the 9x as what it is - a $50 radio with firmware that just makes it barely useable. If you want it to do more than a $1000 radio, you'll need to go through that flashing step

[sgofferj]

I'm going through the simulator, but I think, a good deal of my problems come from the fact that I don't have any R/C background. I find the whole concept of using "mixing" to assign functions to switches rather counter-intuitive. I guess, those are remnants from the analogue times and every R/C-person is just so used to this way of thinking .
The way you describe it is also the way how the stock firmware works but this has a big disadvantage that you never can be sure, what the current setting is. So I assigned a rotary to the gear channel and used the gear channel as master in 2 mixes, activated by the 3-pos switch. N is "flaps" (rotary turns ailerons downwards), ID1 is "nothing" (flap function guaranteed zero) and ID2 is "brakes" (rotary turns ailerons upwards). It would have been nice to be able to just select the rotary itself as "master" instead of having to assign it to a channel and use that channel as master...
If I understand the (seemingly completely different) concept of open9x mixes right, there I CAN use the rotary directly as input?

Besides, I'm just waiting that me having excess money and smartieparts having the boards on stock coincide...

Besides 2: Still haven't figured out, what "offset" in the mixes means...

[Rob Thomson]

Check the video manuals on the wiki. All will become clear

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[sgofferj]

Which wiki? Google code? 9xforums? I didn't find video manuals.

Do I understand right that in er9x and derivates, the signal ALWAYS goes through the mixer? I noticed that there's always 4 mixes already configured when I start up the sim.
Otherwise I don't grasp the concept. Is there a "Mixing for Dummies" guide somewhere or maybe a flowchart or something like that?

[Kilrah]

http://openrcforums.com/wiki/index.php/Video_guides

Yes, everything goes through the mixer. The philosophy is rather simple, you have a number of inputs, a number of channels, and assign one or more input to the channels using mixer lines, with the desired mathematical operation.

[sgofferj]

Ok, now I got the V-tail running with RUD and ELE and the aileron-mix (2 servos) works. One thing I can't wrap my head around are flaperons/brakerons. I got the mix to put the ailerons up or down as flaps/brakes with the 3-pos switch, but I don't seem to get the mixing with the AIL source quite right. Probably, because I understand only a third of what all the mixing options do...
Does anybody have a simple config that he'd like to share?

[Rob Thomson]

Check the templates section. This has some good examples.

My hint... Don't forget about offsets. When doing a Crow setup, you use it allot!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[nsf]

A bit of off-topic. I didn't have any rc background either. The turnigy 9x was my first tx and i had it with the stock firmware for a couple of months, until I finally decided to to flash it. All need was to solder a few cables (if not using the smartieparts board) and is good to go. First I used the er9x and now I'm trying open9x. Both are very similar, but I think I'll stick with open9x for now. The thing is, now I cant even imagine in going back to the stock firmware. What a nightmare. Take the plunge and do the mod. You wont regret.