Taranis Q X7 mods?

Discussion in 'Electrical & Radio' started by Anvil_x, Apr 14, 2019.

  1. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Hey so I have a Q X7 transmitter and am thinking of replacing one of the gimbals with a set of firing buttons.

    Has anyone done this to an X7? If so, are there any particulars associated with doing this to an X7 that are different from other transmitters?

    Does anyone have pics of the backs of their button sets showing what they did to wire in their firing buttons? Schematics only go so far for me, but if I can see what it actually looks like, I can duplicate it.
     
  2. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
  3. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    yeah... that's way beyond my skill level to do. Hardware I can manage. I have no capability to do such software mods

    But I'll try. can't hurt. thanks for the link
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2019
  4. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    Play with the duca model first in the companion simulator. if you need help let me know. it really is just changing settings and logical switches in the transmitter to get the desired results (no real programming required). In the case of the timing, what I did was play with delays and slew rate settings for the channels so I could control the on time on the order of 10ms.
     
  5. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Wow neat. I assume I need some sort of program and link cable to do this via computer? could I possibly mess with these functions in the transmitter alone?
     
  6. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    https://www.open-tx.org/ get companion, follow instructions. you use companion to both flash updated firmware, backup models, and better yet, simulate the transmitter so you can game mixes without ever touching the transmitter.

    you can do it all alone if you want, but it takes forever.
     
  7. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Thanks Greg, I'll go do that
     
  8. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    Best tip for complex mixes is this. think through what you want, then flow chart how you get it. if you do that, it becomes really easy to do complex things in the TX.

    Just a short note of things I have made openTX transmitters do beyond the normal "apply curve to output"
    1. auto shutoff for solenoids after XX milliseconds - use delay and slow together as delay sets in 100ms increments and slow ramps the output from one condition to the other also in 100ms increments. by combining them with logicals, you can tune your on time down to a resolution of around 10ms (e.g. 110ms total for example)
    2. fixed low frequency toggling of output (not really useful but fun to do)
    3. shot timer, e.g. won't fire any faster than X many seconds between shots
    4. full converging fire (this can now be done in LUA, it appears, but previously I added code to the old 1.X version of the code to do the math (8 bit fixed point trig is all kinds of fun) on a 9xr, sadly I appear to have lost the code when google code died)
    5. pump soft start
    6. drive soft start
     
    Anvil_x and Beaver like this.
  9. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Hey Greg,

    Finally getting around to this. I have downloaded companion as well as the duca/provence files. I think I'll play with provence since that's how I have Texas set up. did you do a pump soft start in Provence?

    I meant to ask earlier, but whats this about converging fire?
     
  10. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    I think I figured out this part:

    Screenshot (559).png

    So L04 and L05 are the respective sidemounts on the Provence, and you have them set to fire at the 25 and -25 thresholds respectively, with a duration of 0.2

    If that's not exactly what's happening here, than I'd really appreciate a hand walking me through how to reduce the "Open" time on my solenoids. dead serious I get less than a hundred shots on a five ounce tank with this trainwreck of a radio system right now. this radio is so godawful inefficient with gas that I can't even empty my dual guns, much less use my sidemounts.
     
  11. SnipeHunter

    SnipeHunter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2007
    Posts:
    1,359
    Why do you think it's your radio causing the gas inefficiency? From the surface that seems really unlikely.
     
  12. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2006
    Posts:
    3,522
    Idunno about anybody else, but my guns are quite high flow. If I don't release the trigger quickly, I can waste a lot of gas after the rounds leave the barrel. Especially when my sterns are on target, and I don't fully release the trigger. I would also probably benefit from configuring this OpenTX stuff.
     
  13. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA

    Dude when I flip the spring-loaded switch, the solenoid stays open for way past the time the BB leaves the barrel. same with my sidemounts on the pot. the idea is to make them a timed switch, so that the solenoid is only open long enough to deliver BB to balsa.
    if you hold the sucker open, it dumps all of your gas. solenoid just stays open. that's why it's so godawful.

    the worst part is, I did everything Greg said to do, but the OpenTX program is about as user friendly as a landmine full of Used heroin needles, Lockjaw nails and killer bees. the navigation is byzantine, and I have yet to find any of the features he mentioned after..... six hours of button pushing. This is one of those times where in-person help would solve everything in like a minute flat, but alas.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2020
  14. SnipeHunter

    SnipeHunter Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2007
    Posts:
    1,359
    Oh, I thought you were saying it was something in the signal transmission/reciever response that was causing the problem.
     
  15. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    Let me look at it tonight. Make sure you test in companion. You have to think like a programmer and then it makes sense. If you open my program in companion and simulate it, does it work as expected? Watch the channel outputs
     
  16. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA

    lolol OK good catch, Greg. I turned on the channel outputs and read your mixers for Provence. So.... the mix is a combo of the curve you set, and the logical switch.

    I got my sidemounts to function proper based on that. the duals however, are on my SH switch. the mixer gives me an either/or for using the logical switch or the SH, which is kinda nonsensical. it *won't* allow me to use a logical switch when the SH is the input.
     
  17. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    Assign your switch to an unused mixer, then reference that mixers output in the logical switch.
     
  18. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    Please define "Assign your switch to an unused mixer" and "reference that mixers output in the logical switch" precisely.... what does each look like?

    I can use pics, but in order for it to be conveyed in a written manner, I'd need to know what each phrase means. Because my interpretation of those is as follows, and this isn't working
     
  19. Anvil_x

    Anvil_x Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2017
    Posts:
    1,545
    Location:
    Athens, GA
    stupid pics didn't load...
    Screenshot (560).png Screenshot (561).png
     
  20. GregMcFadden

    GregMcFadden Facilitator RCWC Staff

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2006
    Posts:
    2,512
    that is odd.... mine would accept Switch SH as the source field in the mix and woudl also accept a predefined logical switch in the switch input. Keep in mind logical switches don't show up if they are not already defined....