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New FrSky EU firmware - an unwelcome surprise


Stuart Ord
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Posted by Austenrover on 01/03/2015 10:42:48:

**LINK** they had to do the same updates to some of their radios too.

firmware updates are good thing in my opinion if it means glitches can be fixed and improvements made or in this case keep the hardware compliant with new regs.

I didn't know about these things. If I download a patch, how do I get it into my Tx or Rx?

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Thanks Pete, but I don't have any issues at all with my futaba.That is why I was surprised to learn than people were updating their equipment. As a newbie, I am obviously concerned that I may be allowing my equipment to slide into obsolescence because I am not up-dating it.

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Sorry to interlude on a Frsky thread (but it is part Frsky related), Futaba did update their FAAST system and if you have a 14sg you can update to the new EU regs, the Futaba Faast rxs don't need to be updated, but if you are using the updated Futaba firmware you will need to update any Frsky FAAST compatible receivers that were imported before 1st Jan 2015.

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Updated Martyn Coles' Transmitter, 3 X8 and 1 X4 receivers on Wednesday. The X4 was a bit of a pain as I had to make up a lead for the tiny s-port interface used on this Rx but apart from that - all OK, no problems. Worth noting though that all receivers had to be rebound afterwards so I guess that John P was correct.

All in all, it really is a non event - nothing really to worry about, just follow the instructions.

M

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Thanks for the points above. Just to add a couple of points :

1) do not power your receiver from a battery. It will get power via the USB cable.

2) The software tool you need is a pig to find. Look for the “Upgrade Lite-S.Port Telemetry” under Download > Tools

3) Be careful – there seems to be both the original EU firmware and a “bug fixed” version of the firmware on the site.

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Could someone advse please.

We've just tried updating the Tx module to the "EU" Frsky update and all I get after selecting the .frk file is

"device not found". After many attempts the msg. always appears.

We are getting the COM4 in the dropdown.

We've also just plugged the FUC unit into the PC and not plugged it into the Tx and also get the same msg.

If the FUC unit is not plugged into the PC and the "Sport" prog. run then COM4 dissapears from the dropdown.

So from this can we conclude that the "Sport" prog. recognises the FUC module but is not maybe "seeing" the Tx

module?

Cables checked for pin change over. OK

Tx switched on.OK

There is a ? in step 5: Power the radio on and ensure the internal RF module is powered.

Surely by switching "on" the radio the module is powered or are we missing something there.

Any advice appreciated

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First check that the lead to the transmitter has the pins reassigned, basically you drop the 5V line and cross connect the signal and ground

Look at the instruction sheet from the download link above

When that is done, do not switch the Tx on until after you have selected the .frk file. When the Tx turns on, it should then be detected.

Good luck

M

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Posted by Martyn K on 17/03/2015 09:30:27:

First check that the lead to the transmitter has the pins reassigned, basically you drop the 5V line and cross connect the signal and ground

Look at the instruction sheet from the download link above

When that is done, do not switch the Tx on until after you have selected the .frk file. When the Tx turns on, it should then be detected.

Good luck

M

"Eyes they have but they see not"

After a conversation with my colleague, (who's Tx we're trying too update) I suggested there maybe a bad connection between the FUC3 and the Frsky Smart Port cable. Or one of the leads in the Smart Port cable may be faulty.

I was later rung back to be told that the leads between the FUC3 and the Smart Port cable did not match up.

In fact I had connected the cables together as in the "photo step1". The problem was the leads were reversed on our unit and if Smart Port cable module with the diode was joined as the photo then we had "no device found" msg

If however the diode module was reversed to the photo then everything worked OK.

Moral of the story is:

Don't rely on a photo, check the actual colour of the cables match to each other.

Tx now updated and older Rx also updated.

Thankyou.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted by Stuart Ord on 25/02/2015 20:51:22:

Thanks to all. I'm trying to make a start, but hitting snags as expected. I received the three cables from T9 today.

Firstly, trying to download the firmwares from the FrSky site, I either get a page of this sort of stuff (3RŠQØÚ_h¸ie¹‚?0ÇÐÚÌa²ò¿Ó0;„Y¾ä该t–Ä•c~‰Féëkƒ'•ãIj(?íy'©*tO) or in one case I was given the X4R operators manual. Nothing that looks like a file of code.

Secondly, looking at the instructions on the leaflet "How-to for TFR4SB/ TFR8SB Firmware Upgrade" I found the item labelled "FUL" is not in this package. Where can I get that from?

Thirdly, looking at the instructions on the leaflet "How to upgrade FrSky Smart Port (S.Port) enabled products " I see the leads I have received match than interface lead shown except that the X4R has a little white SPort socket rather than a servo type one - I guess I'll have to make an interface lead like I did to make my pre-2015 X4R talk to the SmartPort sensors. Job for tomorrow!

Stuart could you give me details on the interface lead you made. I am trying to down grade a new x4r reciever. I have a frusb-3 upgrade cable which will not physically attach to the xr4. what else do i need.

Mike

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Posted by Stuart Ord on 25/02/2015 20:51:22:

Thanks to all. I'm trying to make a start, but hitting snags as expected. I received the three cables from T9 today.

Firstly, trying to download the firmwares from the FrSky site, I either get a page of this sort of stuff (3RŠQØÚ_h¸ie¹‚?0ÇÐÚÌa²ò¿Ó0;„Y¾ä该t–Ä•c~‰Féëkƒ'•ãIj(?íy'©*tO) or in one case I was given the X4R operators manual. Nothing that looks like a file of code.

Secondly, looking at the instructions on the leaflet "How-to for TFR4SB/ TFR8SB Firmware Upgrade" I found the item labelled "FUL" is not in this package. Where can I get that from?

Thirdly, looking at the instructions on the leaflet "How to upgrade FrSky Smart Port (S.Port) enabled products " I see the leads I have received match than interface lead shown except that the X4R has a little white SPort socket rather than a servo type one - I guess I'll have to make an interface lead like I did to make my pre-2015 X4R talk to the SmartPort sensors. Job for tomorrow!

Stuart, forgot to say, i don't have a s.port interface cable as show in step 2 of the how tp guide.

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Hi, please can someone assist me?

I bought a taranis plux with a rx before Xmas and got it working after a struggle, I've now bought a load of new rx and find they don't work - not amused. Anyway, having hopefully worked out why they don't work, I now need to try and fix it presumably by upgrading my taranis and existing rx (X6R).

I get that I need the FUC-3 cable, but what other hardware do I need?

I have seen references to an SPC cable and that I'll need to make a diy cable. So that's 3 cables just to upgrade a tx internal XJT module?!!!

The DIY cable talks of removing and swapping wires from an extension lead around and yet the photos show a PCB so it's not really an extension lead then is it. Do you have to make that PCB - if so I'm stuffed. Where does the SPC cable come into this, I don't see how you can connect the FUC-3, diy cable and SPC cable all together! Why don't the photos show the extension lead without the PCB?

I'm rather confused here.

Thanks,

Jerry

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I just found this worrying statement on the FrSky forum.

Hi, there's only D16-eu mode in EU Taranis+, if you want to use D8 OR LR12 mode, must use Non-Europe Taranis+.

Now this begs a few questions:-

Is this purely an OpenTx difference, i.e. if a brand new EU Taranis+ is upgraded to the latest version of OpenTx, will the D8 etc options return?

Or is it fixed in the hardware, for any Taranis+ that's shipped to be sold in Europe.If it's fixed in hardware, I assume that any new FrSky Tx would never work with D series receivers?

The FrSky thread is here

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I think Mike Blandford cleared this up in the thread I started ( Taranis software updates) on 6 May. He says that the Frsky firmware does indeed only allow D16 mode but installing OpenTX firmware restores full functionality, including the ability to use D8 mode.

The EU XJT (ie RF transmission) update does not affect the way the application software treats the user choices. It seems OpenTX is the way to go. It seems strange that Frsky haven't adopted the same strategy and uncharacteristically have deliberately restricted user choice. Perhaps it's an unitended feature?

Geoff

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I would say that D8 telemetry is a bit of a grey area as the receivers need to transmit but are there are no upgrades to make them Look-Before-Transmit. Could it be that FrSky are side-stepping the issue by promoting D16 mode only? Existing (pre 2015) D8 receivers would be ok not using LBT under grandfather rights.

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Its a while since I read the document, but as I recall, LBT only applies to devices with more than 10mW output. On 2.4 GHz, I believe the legal limit is 10mW for airborne transmitters. Therefore there should be no need to update D8 receivers using telemetry as they will be limited to 10mW.

Existing D8 transmitters are still legal under "grandfather rights". However, D8 presumably no longer meets ETSI 1.8.1 for 100mW devices, and is replaced by D16. This will be why FrSky have disabled D8 in new transmitters. There are, of course, ways around this, as others have pointed out.

Brussels strikes again!

--

Pete

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Posted by Bob Cotsford on 11/05/2015 11:01:03:

I would say that D8 telemetry is a bit of a grey area as the receivers need to transmit but are there are no upgrades to make them Look-Before-Transmit. Could it be that FrSky are side-stepping the issue by promoting D16 mode only? Existing (pre 2015) D8 receivers would be ok not using LBT under grandfather rights.

As far as I can see D series receivers can be upgraded to ETSI 328 1.8.1 by the customer.

This chart refers.

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