Controlling a SmartAudio VTX without an FC: A Crossfire Trick
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- čas přidán 17. 08. 2019
- Matek/Ardupane/Crossfire Build: • ArduPlane, Matek F405-...
Crossfire Series: • Introduction to TBS Cr...
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Best tips on the internet bar none. Painless is the go to man
This video has been so incredibly helpful; brilliant. THANKS!
glad you got it working!
Pretty nice tip, Lee! 😊
WOW just discovered this vid. Been trying to control my Tank Solo through Arduplane and its not possible, well technically it is but its horror complicated. I am on ELRS so now I am gonna do this instead!!!!. Thanks Painless mega happy with this.
That is great to know! Crossfire is impressive. It could free up a UART for GPS!
that's very interesting Lee grat video too
Nice one Lee. I suppose that if the PWM link get standardised then putting a Lua script together shouldn't be to difficult. Great video ...
Hi Lee, very helpful videos. My Holybro Atlatl Micro V1 has Smartaudio functionality but having a lot of trouble getting this method to work for me. SmartAudio is enabled on my TBS Tango2 Ch4 and also soldered to my TBS Nano RX Ch4. I asked TBS support and they say this method only works for TBS VTX's, which coincidentally you are demonstrating on in this video. I've done a lot of testing without luck so wondering if functionality has possibly changed since publishing this video? TBS support said to use Betaflight to get it all working which doesn't help when I'm building a Arduplane fixed wing project. Any thoughts or updates would be highly appreciated. Cheers
Currently trying to get Smart Audio working with an 8 channel Diversity with a Unify Pro 32. I followed your quick tip guide however I do not get the VTX options in my LUA Script. SA wire going to the Top pin of Channel 3. Smart Audio set on Ch 3. Do I need to Send 5 V and Ground to the RX as well on the other 2 wires of the Servo Plug?
For the arduplane series, will you be doing features like auto takeoff and other stuff?
BTW loving the series, plan on building my own when I get a chance.
Autolaunch is coming!
@@Painless360 Great!
I'm doing a masters course in drones and your videos are a great help. Also for keeping up to date with the hobby.
Hi , I am wondering if we can control 2 Vtxs on a drone (one FC, one CRSF diversity nano RX) using FC SA for one Vtx and this CRSF SA approach on another Vtx? I am using Inav. If it is possible, then the VTX control will be Inav LUA for 1st Vtx and CRSF script for another Vtx, correct?
I've only ever used one at a time. Port config might not let you setup two for that, best of luck
I don't suppose you have a video on how to do similar and use ch 3 and 4 for a gps tx and rx?
Thanks for the great video. Do you know if there's a way with this setup to set the VTX output power on a switch?
I've not tried that here - if you figure it out please let me know. Best of luck!
@@Painless360 thanks for the quick reply. One more question: I've set this up with my crossfire nano and unify pro32 nano v1.1. When I go to set the output power to Max ( 500mw) through my tango 2, the VTX automatically bumps the power back down to 400mw. Any thoughts on why this might be?
Not sure, I'd check if it is on 500mW and just reporting 400.. Best of luck
Ótima informação
Cool !!!
🤘😁👍
A great trick for crossfire, another reason to adopt it. I still wonder why nobody makes a VTX that has PWM for output power control, 25/200/600, just with a spare channel or channel pass through.
It would make more sense than trying to navigate to it during flight, and enable instant power shifts when needed..
wow i just said that the other day on a post it be nice to have it on a 3POS i guess TBS EVO has it
They are out there and have been forever, just not popular. The dys mi200 has it.
@@jdd1777 a 800mw and im sold or one made by akk
Hello Shifu, Could you tell me how to setup rushtank power by distance. I heard that the power can be automatically set with the distance changes on INAV2.3. but I can't find any info about how to set it up.
I'm waiting for the full detail to shake out in the wiki too...
Hi guys. I am trying to do this exact build for my first ever foray into RC anything. Maybe a little complicated. Anyway, I put the project down for over a year now due to kids and work and COVID. I've managed to get back into it flashed everything to the latest and greatest. I have the TBS nano plugged into SBus on the FC, and using SBUS the FC recieves commands. I think somehow I can use CRSF between the FC and the nano (I think TX1/RX1?????) but I am not sure. Is using SBUS still the way to go so I can use CRSF to control the VTX and whatnot? Thanks!
CRSF usually needs a full hardware UART to work so you'll need to find one of those spare on the flight controller. See my Crossfire series where I cover this.. Best of luck!
I just setup my tx16/XFnano/pro32 and would like to toggle power level with a 3pos switch. I see lua as an option in spec functions but vtx is not an option. Figure someone has edited the lua script for this feature?
Hi, how do I do this on ELRS PWM Receiver? The Crossfire script doe snot show/allow me to change a channel to Smart Audio.
@@Painless360 Ooo I mixed the step @ 2:16 in this guys video.
I know this is an older vid but I have just started using Crossfire and am wondering if I use this method do I still need the vtx tables in BF? Thank you for everything, I have learned a lot from your vids.
No, if you have BF then the FC can run the VTX..
@@Painless360 thank you!
Can't get smartaudio to work via a crossfire nano v3
I set the vtx control setting first to rx, then tried tx. On tx I get all the familiar options in screenshot. Where I get the options to change the power, channel and band, this has no effect on the vtx. Smartaudio wire on output 4 of the nano, running to the vtx, this is set also on the tx/rx firmware of the crossfire... .
Any ideas what to try next?
Not sure, both the TX and RX lines need to be connected and the most common issues I see is that they are backwards.. Best of luck!
Is there any way to do the same thing with Immersion Tramp HV? I cannot find any similar solution on the net.
I've never seen one.. If you find one do let me know..
Like my FPV cameras i generally rarely changed my video frequency and power output unless it's absolutely necessary and i have no choice lol
But very nice little feature if you have no smartaudio capabilities over your flight controller OSD :)
It is one of those things that you only have to do if you fly with other people regularly.. Happy flying!
There are tons of video's on setting up smart audio . Very few talk about how to actually use the thing once it is setup . This video includes that very obvious step .
Would this process work with a non tbs VTX such as tramp HV which does support smart audio ? How would you change power levels and actually use the thing then ?
Smartaudio is a standards so if the VTX talks SmartAudio it should work the same via the LUA script ... Happy flying
Hi Lee, the more I read about what can be done with the Taranis x9d the more questions I find myself asking, I did ask in a previous message about upgrading the x9d to the latest firmware and what it can do, I’ve been out of the hobby, because of another hobby building and restoring old RD250D/400 bikes and this Bobby has moved on too fast for me, so I need a little help. Regards Jeff
Flex firmware is only used if you gave the R9M module, you can read up about the changes in the release notes for the version you're interested in ( ie www.open-tx.org/2018/07/28/opentx-2.2.2). In reality, if the radio is working well for you, there isn't a need to upgrade. I only upgrade once every two years or so and that's usually to show something in a video rather than its because I need it...
Can we wire up SDA and SCL on crossfire too? My FC doesn’t have those port and I use those in the crossfire?
I've never wired mine up like that here.. It's usually an SBUS or CRSF into a UART here...
Hi There, using the set up in this way can you also now control the vtx through osd using the sticks on your radio?
When I did this it was all set via the LUA script.. Happy flying
@@Painless360 hi thank you, yes I understand that element of it. I think connecting this way can also allow the stick control to use osd under the crsf protocol through the receiver and was looking for additional conformation,
Thanks again you always have good informative content.
So this Trick can help me if i dont have a Uart free?! Mamba F411 doesnt have many Uarts. So i could use the LED Port for GPS RX and connect Smart Audio to the NanoRX Channel 3 or 4?
Maybe. This is just showing that you can control a SmartAudio VTX from a TBS reciever.. Best of luck
The only thing I wish I could find information on is how to write a simple script that will send smartaudio commands to enable/disable pit mode using this sort of setup. I have my special functions set up so when switch A is not down, throttle is overwritten with -100, to act as an arm switch. I would like !SA[down] to also put the VTX in pit mode, and SA[down] to turn pit mode off. This is how I have my FC builds set up, so as not to swamp other pilots when plugging in. I'm still on the hunt, as I know it must be possible.
how do you get this to work for a non crossfire receiver? if I try to load the crossfire lua script it hangs looking for a crossfire module
It is Crossfire in the radio... Happy flying
I do this even with a fc so if I forget to turn up the power on my vtx I can just hit rth and change the power while it's still flying
Awesome. I was wondering if there was any benefit to doing this even with an fc. Thanks.
Hi Lee, I just tried this with a Micro Receiver but I can't select SmartAudio as an option for a channel. It's simply not there (all the other stuff is). Has there been an update that disables this trick? Or maybe some prerequisite is required for it to work? Thanks!
Try it on a different output. Some like to have options on that won't work on others.. Best of luck!
@@Painless360 I think I tried switching one of the other outputs, but will try all of them again, thanks. For the record, I was mainly trying on Output 2 with no luck.
EDIT: It's only available on 1 and 4. so I'll have to resolder something. By the way, is there anything useful that can be done with the SDA and SCL option? Thanks again.
Well, I'm really stuck here now. As I also want to use Mavlink telemetry, the only accepted configuration I found is: Out1 = Mav TX, Out2 = Mav RX, Out3 = unused, Out4 = SmartAudio. Unfortunately this rules out the use of SBUS, and although I have "RC via Mavlink" set to on, I don't get any RC input in Mission Planner. Serial1 (the one Out 1+2 is connected to) is set to Mavlink. However, Ardupilot normally seems to expect RC at a Serial/UART set to 23 (RCin). When I sent SBUS to a UART set to 23, everything worked - but no SmartAudio that way, since SBUS and SmartAudio can only be on Outs 1+4, and Mavlink TX/RX is not possible on Outs 2+3... I'd be really glad for some help because the VTX I intend to use doesn't remember its settings after power-off, so SA is absolutely needed - but so is Mavlink telemetry of course.
Ok, I found out how to get everything at once: RC control, _full_ telemetry (see below), and SmartAudio VTX control while using Ardupilot. Firstly, you have to switch the Crossfire outputs from Mavlink to CRSF, which has just been implemented into AP. If you keep Mavlink, you will only get a few of the sensors with this method, even when you've made the correct settings (mentioned on page 38 of the Crossfire manual) for the Serial/UART to which the Crossfire wires designated as Mavlink RX and TX are connected to. Secondly, you have to switch that Serial/UART to RCin (23) (again, you can do that with Mavlink too but get only a few sensors). Even though "RCin" sounds like a one-way thing, telemetry will still be there, and even complete (GPS, FlightMode etc.). Hopefully this will save someone a few hours. ;-)
My only problem now remaining is that I'm getting strange values and errors from the VTX for the "Band" parameter via SA when adjusting it via the CF joystick. Via LUAscript on the QX7 it seems to work better.
Help lol I need you to do a video on this set up a lil more in-depth I’m trying to build a cross fire phantom and I super super need to wire like this I’ve never toyed with lua scripts I use a tango but for this build I got a moduale and a taranis with some pots for the gimble control and due to the naza I have to wire like this for smart audio lol you seem to have a ton of scripts wondering where I get them is it a packaged zip I install on the taranis do I have to code the scripts? And any insight I would greatly appreciate this is just a for fun build but of course being a phantom and tbs gear I wanna really do it right lol or eles why build a team black sheep phantom at all lol
See my Crossfire basics for beginners video and Crossfire playlist for more detail. Best of luck
hello, can i connect AKK FX2 Dominator VTX to tbs Nano rx pwm without flight controller?
If it talks SmartAudio, it should.. Best of luck
@@Painless360 yes it is, but how to connect? two wires for power and green and yellow to nano rx pwm but how? :/ i got 3pins on each channel
so you switched to SBUS instead of CRSF?
Hi. I have a couple of Darwin baby ape and noon of them worked for me that is why I have changed the flight controllers on them to other versions, but I am using the vtx, but I can not get the dam thing to change channel or even change the power no matter what I do on the radio it will not pupolate the rx on ly the tx under CRSF, and manuel changing it does not work either anyone knows anything about that. that could be a Good video to make for I have searched the internet for mounth and can not find any info.
Can change the power vtx with switch without fc? I need that went used ardupilot
Ardupilot is still catching up with things like SmartAudio and TRAMP.. Check the wiki for the latest. I've used this SmartAudio trick with Crossfire as a work-around.. Best of luck!
@@Painless360 in crossfire can change with switch sir?
Lee, can this be done with ELRS?
Not last time I checked. This is all part of the TBS ecosystem... happy flying
Can it be done with a rushtank?
If it talks Smartaudio then it should. I've not tried it with that specific VTX though. Best of luck
There are vtx with this, the Dys mi200 for example is a few years old. No need for crossfire.
A few VTX units (including the one here) have some kind of control via a PWM connection. That isn't SmartAudio though and there isn't a LUA script to alow for easy setup and checking of settings. Thanks for the post ..
Isn't this only for TBS transmitters?
No, anything that has a TBS system in it like a Crossfire or Tracer module... happy flying
@@Painless360 Ah awesome
@@Painless360 So I've set mine up. Not sure I did it exactly as you but I've connected the channel 4 pin of my xfire nano rx to my smart audio and I am able to change the channels and power. However, my power options are 0mw, 25mw, 100mw, 400mw and max but my rush tank solo vtx has 25mw, 400mw, 800mw, 1.6W (max). How do I change it so it matches the vtx?
Not sure you can, you may find that the 4 power setting you can see are actually selecting the 4 power settings on the vtx... best of luck
@@Painless360 So they aren't. My max power in lua is the second highest power going off the vtx colour. I contacted TBS and they said it's because Rushfpv didn't follow the standards for smart audio. So whatever value the nano rx is sending to the vtx it's not the right one and the rush vtx is thinking it's something else. :( Just can't win