Turnigy 9XR

[Spice Cat]

I have just seen the above transmitter become available on the Hobbyking web site but shown as 'backorder'.

I don't intend to purchase one myself, Spektrum for me, so this is just idle curiosity. The price shown is a massive £30.99 from the international warehouse with an added price of about £20 to add your own module. The probable cost of P&P may add another £20 on top as well.

Has anyone purchased one, considering purchasing one or have any feedback about them?

I don't want to stir up another mail storm of 'ayes' and 'noes' (Thanks to Hansards) just a sensible discussion on the pros, cons and relevant experience.

Happy new year to all by the way and looking forward to better weather.

PS. Turkey sandwiches; no dressing and diagonally cut.

[Spice Cat]

There is also an Orange Tx as well.

[Bob Cotsford]

don't forget that £30 doesn't include an R/F module or battery so you need to budget for a JR fitting module and matching receivers. What's that make it, around £60 for a full 8/9 channel 16 memory full function LiPo driven transmitter based on the EX9R open source software. If my FF9 turned up it's toes I'd certainly consider one fitted with an FRSky module.

[Spice Cat]

Thanks Bob,

I did think of one of these at some point last year but the only concern I have is what happens if I break something or need to get it serviced? Hobbyking aren't exactly renown for their customer service.

I recently sent off my six year old DX6i to Horizon as I had managed to break the antenna and one switch. I also asked for a check up/service and worried on how much this would cost. They sent me a quote to replace broken parts and replace an RF module that was producing a below spec output.

Total cost £14.10 excellent service as well.

It's a bit odd that I have never really considered having my Tx serviced before and no one I have spoken to has either but a few now have based on my experience. Particularly worrying was the below spec RF module which is something I would never have known in normal use. Do you or anyone else regularly have their tx serviced/checked?

Regards.

[Bob Cotsford]

maybe those who hadn't considered a service don't use Spectrum

I have to say that at 30squid a throw it would be cheaper to buy a new Tx than to get it serviced once p&p are taken into account though maybe the UK warehouse will set up a service centre. I've never yet felt the need to get a set serviced but I've replaced the odd broken switch myself and use FrSky modules. If your squeamish about delving inside a set then maybe big brands are the correct route, especially as these sets are designed to have the software upgraded by the user.

[Tony Smith 7]

If I didn't already have a 9X then I'd probably be in line for one of the 9XRs.

However .. my 9X is fairly well loaded now, programmer built in, internal Frsky telemetry module and most recently making it switchable between the internal Frsky and the module slot. I still need to do the mod to get the telemetry data integrated into the firmware. To replicate all this with the 9XR would still need quite a lot of DIY work.

There's a lot they could have done if they'd not wanted to keep down to that bargain basement price. Given that the software now gives these sets a capability that the big names would be hard pressed to match, there should be a market for high quality hardware while still keeping compatibility with er9x, Open9x etc. After all there are people happily shelling out $95 for an upgraded motherboard for the old 9X.

[Simon Chambers]

I've got 2 winging their way over to me at the moment ... eventually!

Will be interesting to see how they compare to my Hitec Aurora 9 and Futaba T8J - which is nearest (spec-wise) equivalent competitor. Also be interesting to see how it stacks up against my Hitec Optic 6, which is their nearest price-wise competition.

I'm not hopeful that the actual quality will be that good inside, considering the price - but I would like to be surprised otherwise. Also, ain't it an ugly transmitter?

Si.

[Bob Cotsford]

eyes of the beholder, Simon. I've seen much uglier sets from thre big boys.

What would really tempt me would be an FrSy module that made use of the internal aerial without hacking and an expanded memory facility such as a micro SD card. 30 models would do for me.

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by Simon Chambers on 27/12/2012 17:23:57:

Also be interesting to see how it stacks up against my Hitec Optic 6, which is their nearest price-wise competition.

Si.

I don't know if you're an existing 9X user. I went from Hitec Optic to Turnigy 9X and I think the Hitec hardware and feel were better. Your comparison of 9XR with Optic will be interesting, to see whether there's a real step forward in the hardware under all the bling.

[Simon Chambers]

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 27/12/2012 19:48:50:

eyes of the beholder, Simon. I've seen much uglier sets from thre big boys.

What would really tempt me would be an FrSy module that made use of the internal aerial without hacking and an expanded memory facility such as a micro SD card. 30 models would do for me.

Sounds like your waiting for the FrSky X9D radio then!

Open9X based, with FrSky software tweaks and integral FrSky RF.

Si.

[Simon Chambers]

Posted by Tony Smith 7 on 27/12/2012 19:59:43:

Posted by Simon Chambers on 27/12/2012 17:23:57:

Also be interesting to see how it stacks up against my Hitec Optic 6, which is their nearest price-wise competition.

Si.

I don't know if you're an existing 9X user. I went from Hitec Optic to Turnigy 9X and I think the Hitec hardware and feel were better. Your comparison of 9XR with Optic will be interesting, to see whether there's a real step forward in the hardware under all the bling.

No I'm not actually yet! The reason I got the 9XR was because I haven't got a 9X set and wanted to have something to play with. I knew that the 9XR was coming out soon, so I couldn't see the point in bothering getting a 9X.

Once I get it in my hands, the first thing that'll probably happen to it will be to whip the back cover off! I'm really interested to see what the build quality is like - e.g. the hand assembled sub-assemblies, plastic mouldings, hand solder joints and PCB placement accuracy+reflow quality. Also interested in the general feel to it and see if it can really compete with the likes of the A9/T8J/DX8. I hear the 9x firmware's are very powerful but not necessarily user friendly. So again I'm interested to see it against the A9 which many say is the most user friendly radio.

Personally I don't like the 9XR bling and think it makes it look cheap. I don't like the Aurora 9's fussy design either, even though that's currently my favourite radio. But as Bob has said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! My personal favourite transmitter styles are the Graupner/SJ Propo HoTT and the new JR series...

Si.

Edited By Simon Chambers on 28/12/2012 01:27:38

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by Simon Chambers on 28/12/2012 01:25:02

I hear the 9x firmware's are very powerful but not necessarily user friendly. So again I'm interested to see it against the A9 which many say is the most user friendly radio

Edited By Simon Chambers on 28/12/2012 01:27:38

Another interesting comparison. Er9x and Open9x firmware is very "direct" in the programming, you tell it exactly what to do rather than selecting from pre-canned combinations. So for example instead of looking for a "Crow" mix, you instead select each aileron channel and tell it to move a certain distance in response to a certain input (switch, pot, control etc). Any input can control any channel, so as another example I set my electric glider so that the motor comes on only for the top 1/2 of the throttle movement, and the bottom quarter progressively deploys airbrakes.

[Spice Cat]

Well Simon, has it arrived yet and your impressions please.

[FlyinBrian]

A review of the 9XR is available at RC Model Reviews here

[Simon Chambers]

Posted by Spice Cat on 05/02/2013 22:16:11:

Well Simon, has it arrived yet and your impressions please.

In all honesty, its rubbish...

This is how my gimbals came like:

Once I fixed that, I took it for a flight and found this problem:

Current list of known problems, off the top of my head:

• Gimbal wires are too short and flex the PCB connector as the stick is moved
• The arrow keys aren't very responsive - especially the up key. Someone on RCGroups did an x-ray and it looks like the buttons on the front don't line up to the PCB.
• The right stick trim button needs a lot harder push
• The menu and exit buttons don't work in cold weather. This is because the glass faceplate shrinks at a different rate to the plastic and thus the buttons get stuck. Stuff like this you wonder if they've actually done any proper tests on it.
• The buttons are a rubber type membrane - like you get on your TV remote.
• Firmware is very fiddly to use. I've never used er9x or open9x before, it may be powerful, but it's certainly not what you would call user friendly
• Solder quality is questionable in some areas - solder balls haven't been cleaned up
• The ISP connector wiring is just soldered directly to the PCB, rather than going through a proper connector.
• You can't adjust the tension of the sticks
• To change between mode 1 and mode 2 is more than moving a ratchet across
• A standard FrSky module antenna is a tight fit. If you want to use a high gain antenna, it won't fit
• Plastic mouldings are pretty poor and have many imperfections
• No telemetry header. It requires cutting traces and soldering mod wires to get telemetry to work.
• Ergonomics are rubbish. You can't move the back switches while holding the sticks. If you try turning the pots in the middle when holding the sticks, you knock the function switches
• It uses the balance connector to power the radio. So you require a battery with a reasonable length balance lead
• The power jack in the bottom is directly connected to the LiPo - so don't try plugging in a mains adapter expecting the unit to charge itself!!
• Gimbal feel really isn't that great. It isn't anywhere near as good as my Aurora 9/Futaba 8J and Hitec Optic 6.
• A lot of units have loose anchoring on the pots, leading to very poor centring on some of the axis.

In the RC Model Reviews, Bruce seems to like it. However he's only looked at it skin deep so far. Once he starts using it I'm sure he'll find the other faults. But I also disagree about the comment that its only a $50 radio. Firstly its not, as where ever you live you need to put shipping on - pushing the price up another $20 to $30. Secondly, if your flying only cheap stuff that your not that bothered about breaking, yea its alright. But if you have anything of value, then I wouldn't bother with it.

Personally, for a beginner, the £50 or so it is for shipping to the UK I reckon you'd be better spending a little more and getting a second hand DX6i. For someone more advanced, if your really strapped for cash, yeah it'll do the job but be prepared to put some leg work in to fix the issues.

For me, I'm staying using my Aurora 9. I was going to do a video review of the 9XR against my other radios, but honestly I can't be bothered, they aren't comparable. Yes it may have a similar channel count as them and also have similar features, however the hardware isn't up there yet and the user experience is rubbish.

So in essence, its great for someone who likes fiddling and experimenting with stuff. However if your someone who's more interested in going flying than fiddling and playing with the radio and electronics, then get a big name brand.

Si.

[Frank Skilbeck]

Simon, thanks for your honest assessment, I know from your other posts that you were "looking forward" to getting this.

[Mike Robey]

Hi All,

I just received my 9XR yesterday and mine is as described by Simon. Actually for $50.00 I can almost accept all of that but I also ordered the orange dsm2 module and have since discovered postings on rcgroups where people are saying its possible for the module to use the same id as another transmitter. They don't say whether this is just another orange module or also an actual Spektrum radio. The instructions tell you in very poor English that you can change the id which implies the concerns are valid.

To me this makes the module pretty much useless. Yes i can push the little button and change the ID but that is cold comfort if I have already shot down someone else's model.

I am hoping I have things wrong and have posted queries both on rcgroups and turnigy9xr.com but so far nobody has replied on the9xr forum and the only reply on rcgroups was basically saying yes, we would all like to know the answer to that. I would LOVE to be told I have nothing to worry about.

I fly mode 3 (yes I know but that is what I was taught on so its too late to change). My purpose was to have a Spektrum compatible radio that I could set to mode 3. I am thinking that I need to save my pennies and buy a dx7s instead.

If someone replies on either forum I will repeat their response here. if anyone here knows the reality I'd love them to post here and let me know.

Edited By Mike Robey on 20/02/2013 05:07:16

[Tony Smith 7]

Hobby King have repeatedly refused to answer questions about that Change ID button and the level of risk. I think what they're saying now is that the OrangeRX modules won't have conflict with each other, but might have a conflict with a different make of DSM transmitter or module. Not reassuring.

However these are criticisms of the Orange DSM/DSMX module, not of the Tunigy 9XR. If you want to fly DSM with that transmitter then you could fit the genuine Spektrum DM8 module.

Regarding the firmware, then I agree that it won't appeal to everyone and for a mass-market product it maybe is a poor choice. However remember that Hobby King got the software free, and thus saved themselves the cost of developing anything at all, let alone something more user friendly. There is large user base all around the world who are very happy using er9x or Open9X on the original Flysky and Turnigy radios, but almost by definition these users are people who enjoy hacking their electronics.

[Mike Robey]

I like the ergl software but frankly as a radio, I think the 9x is better than the 9xr. I love my 9x and run it with the ergle software. I just found out about the spektrum modules, I didn't know abotu them until today.

Regarding the orange dsm2 module, I think its going in the bin. Its not worth the risk. I am considering a spektrum module.

[Richard scarborough]

Hi All.

Recently a fellow club member and I purchased a pair of Turnigy 9X-v2 radios to use as a buddybox setup for a club trainer, they came with modules, recievers and trainer leads for less than $150 AU.

Everything seems to work as it is intended to, but there are some minor issues, 1- module must be unplugged from the student tx. 2- trainer switch works opposite to any other radios I have seen, i.e. to give student control the instructor lets go of the switch, when instructor has to regain control he or she must hold the switch, and fly the model.

Not much can be done about the module, except unplugging it, turn it upside down and holding it in place with a bit of velcro or tape. The switch, however can be sorted. Remove the back of the tx case (voiding your nonexistent warranty) and identify the trainer switch, there are two wires soldered to it, orange to centre connection and brown to one end connection. Unsolder the brown wire and resolder it to the unused connection at the other end of the switch. Job done.

Because the trainer switch is used to start and pause the Timer function, it is best to inhibit this on instructors tx and use Timer on students tx.When turning on the instructors tx, hold the trainer switch to avoid getting "switch error" message, then let it go.

As for the quality of these radios, I just remind myself that I paid less for a tx, rx and module, than I pay for a 6ch Hitec rx alone.

Hope this is useful. Cheers, Richard

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by Richard scarborough on 04/03/2013 07:15:24:

Everything seems to work as it is intended to, but there are some minor issues, 1- module must be unplugged from the student tx. 2- trainer switch works opposite to any other radios I have seen, i.e. to give student control the instructor lets go of the switch, when instructor has to regain control he or she must hold the switch, and fly the model.

I've not used the trainer function, but in general on the er9x software everything is configurable. I would be very surprised if you can't reverse the sense of the trainer switch in the model configuration. Do you have any lines in the config that use the switch "TRN"? That means the mix is active when the switch is closed, changing them to "!TRN" would make them active when the switch is NOT closed.

Regarding removing the module, if the trainee's radio config is set to "ppm-sim" rather than "ppm" then the output is sent only to the trainer port, not to the module. It doesn't power the module off though, so whether that helps or not depends on how your particular type of module behaves in that condiiton (powered on, but no signal)

It might be worth updating to a current version of er9x if you're finding limits with the supplied software, or if any of these options don't appear.

[Tony Smith 7]

Posted by Mike Robey on 20/02/2013 14:52:28:

Regarding the orange dsm2 module, I think its going in the bin. Its not worth the risk. I am considering a spektrum module.

I feel pretty much the same, but since I already have the Orange module (it's DSMX by the way) I will use it meantime. I only need it for an indoor helicopter at the moment so I've converted the module to use an internal aerial since I only need short range.

If I decide I need full-range DSM then I'll either get the Spektrum module (DSM2 only) or harvest the RF stage from a DX4e which will give DSMX, model match etc but only 6 channels.

[Mike Robey]

I now have a Spektrum module and have used the 9XR for about 10 flights. The sticking elevator stick problem seemed to go away by itself. The Spektrum module case required a bit of surgery to clear the back of the 9XR case when you plug it in but its in fine now.

The plus button is a bit of a pain but, other than that, for $50.00 its not too bad. I have also ordered a FlySky module off eBay and am going to try that when it arrives. The big plus is the open source software.

I agree with Tony, if you dug into the programming there probably is a way of reversing it. I do intend to look at that, just no time now.

If I had never seen or used the 9X I probably would not have been so disappointed initially. The orange module issue is a different matter. They never should have put them on the market. However that is a different issue to the 9XR.

[John Sheehy]

Regarding the Turnigy 9x running er9x software, since any button, knob or switch can be used for any purpose, I use the aileron switch for a trainer switch (so I don't have to hold the switch on) and the trainer switch for instant trim.

Instant trim means holding the plane to fly straight and level using the gimbals and flicking the trainer switch momentarily. This trims the plane and the position you held the gimbals in becomes the hands off setting. I've never come across this function before and I find it invaluable.

I'm very happy with my (two) 9x's running er9x but they do require you to learn how to program it . A man called Rimr has some excellent tutorials on youtube.

You will also need a mod in order to upgrade the software. I use an item called Smartieparts which requires no soldering, but if you want a cheaper option you can do some soldering and buy a cheaper gadget $5 instead of $50 for the Smartieparts.

I got both my 9x's from giantshark.co.uk at £68 each and the internal quality was good e.g. good soldering, wires in the right places without any pinching and generally tidy.

I'm not very keen on the 9xr, based on the review by Bruce on rcmodelreviews.com

Happy landings,

John.