Support/FAQ for Pro Templates

Mike Shellim
Last updated 29 Jan 2020

This page is for support of the Pro templates, though some of the material may be of general interest. Here you can find out which transmitters and OpenTx versions are supported, any known issues, and how to migrate your setups.

Supported transmitters

• The FrSky X9D, X9D Plus, X9E, X10, X12 are compatible with all the Pro templates.
• The Jumper T16 is compatible with all Pro templates.
• The FrSky Q X7 is compatible with the F3F, Wingy and Ahi templates. Other templates will require mods due to the Q X7's lack of sliders.

OpenTx versions and status

There are three branches of OpenTx in common use:

OTX 2.3.x

• All templates are compatible with OpenTx 2.3.5. Avoid earlier versions, release candidates and nightly builds.

OTX 2.2.x

• All templates are compatible and tested with OpenTx 2.2.1 and later.
• Avoid 2.2.0, RCs and nightly builds.

OTX 2.1.x

• Old branch, version 2.1.9 recommended
• Some templates are not compatible, see template's version history.

For more info and downloads, visit open-tx.org.

Should I upgrade to ACCST v2?

FrSky is currently issuing new RF firmware for all devices which support ACCST - these include XJT, iXJT and ISRM tx modules, as well as D16 receivers. The v2 firmware fixes an issue which in rare cases causes a momentary glitch, and, even more rarely, link loss for 0.9 secs with the possibility of one channel going hard over. Although there have been few confirmed instances of this issue, FrSky are advising users to upgrade.

It's not an issue which directly affects the Pro templates, however since you're here you're probably looking for guidance... At the time of writing, there are still some issues with the new firmware, so my advice would be to defer updating until it's been validated for your particular tx/rx combination - please look on RC Groups. Note that ACCST v2 may not supported by the MPM project as used in the Jumper T16.

Upgrading OpenTx

When flashing your transmitter to a major new version of OpenTx, your setups are automatically converted to the new data format. This section describes known migration issues affecting the Pro templates and my Lua scripts.

Upgrading from 2.2 to 2.3

Advanced snapflap script (snp401.lua) does not work after migrating to 2.3

After migrating to OpenTx 2.3, the advanced snapflap mix snp401.lua ceases to work correctly and the transmitter may beep continuously. To fix, open the Custom Scripts menu and alter P1 and P2 to the correct values (on the F3F setup, these should be 'CH24' and 'CH25' respectively). For more info, see Github issue 6904. If you are not using the Lua script, then you can ignore this issue.

Upgrading from 2.1 to 2.2

Custom sounds no longer work after upgrading from OpenTx 2.1 to 2.2

After upgrading, some sounds may not play even though though the files are present on the SD card. This is due to a new 6-character limit for file names. To fix this, make a list of the sound files in the Special Functions menu. On the SD card, shorten the names of these files to 6 characters + '.wav'. Finally, update references in the Special Functions menu.
Note: sound files for all current Pro templates satisfy the 6-character limit.

Servo centres shift after upgrading from OpenTx 2.1 to 2.2

There are two possible causes for shifting centres:
1. Sticks/sliders not calibrated after flashing. Calibrate and check.
2. A known bug in OpenTx 2.1: channel values are not correctly calculated. This bug was fixed in OpenTx 2.2; after migration to 2.2, any channels with PPM Centre values other than the default 1500 will be slightly offset. Readjust the PPM Centre value to correct this (if using the Pro templates, this should be done in CAL mode).

Upgrading by more then one point version

If upgrading from say 2.1 to 2.3 it's more reliable to do so in two stages, first from 2.1 to 2.2 then from 2.2 to 2.3.

Converting a Pro template for a different transmitter

The Pro templates are built for the X9D, however they are easily converted for other transmitters. Start Companion, and select a radio profile for the target transmitter. Next, open the template. Companion will now convert the template. The conversion usually works fine and you can just save the file. However, you may get some warnings, or you may need to re-map the controls first:

Knobs or sliders may not function after conversion

Mixer sources 'LS', 'RS', 'S1' and 'S2' may not be translated correctly. For all current templates, the setup guides contain instructions for checking and fixing. (In practice, OpenTx 2.2 seems to handle the conversion correctly, so no changes should be needed).

A compatibilty warning is displayed in Companion

Starting with version 2.2.2, Companion displays warnings to help you identify possible issues. Not all warnings require user action however. In the example below, four mixes need to be verified; however no action is needed as the 'old' and 'new' columns are identical.

Transferring all models to another transmitter

Model setups in one transmitter can be migrated to another, as long as the target transmitter has the same or higher major version of OpenTx, for example 2.1 to 2.2. The source and target transmitters do not need to be the same type. First, start Companion (the version of Companion must match the version of OpenTx on the target transmitter). Next, connect the first transmitter and choose "backup radio to file". Still in Companion, select a radio profile for the target transmitter, then "file open" the backup file from the previous step; the radio and model data are automatically converted for the target transmitter. Check any conversion issues reported by Companion. Next, connect the target transmitter and transfer the data using "write models and settings". Copy all model-specific sound files to the target's SD card. Finally, don't forget to calibrate the sticks.
Note: If there's more than one point difference in version numbers, it's better to do the conversion in single-point steps.

FAQ

Motor control (CH7) is not working on G-RX8 receiver

Make sure that CH7 is configured for PWM output (and not S.BUS out). See receiver instructions.

I can't find the GVARs menu!

There's no dedicated GVARS menu on the Q X7, X-Lite, and X-Lite Pro. Instead, GVARS are set in the Flight Modes menu. For other transmitters, re-flash OpenTx ensuring that the NOGVARS option is unchecked in Companion Settings -> Build options.

How do I re-order the servo channels?

Re-ordering of servo channels can be done via a Lua script or manually. For more info see here.

I think I've pressed the wrong key - help!

If you suspect you made a data entry error in Companion, then there's no need to start again. Load a .eepe or .otx file containing a known working version of the template, and use Companion's 'Compare models' tool to identify any differences.

Historical issues

Issues affecting older templates and versions of OpenTx:

Date	Problem description
2017-10-23	Cannot calibrate flap neutral [OpenTx 2.2.0, fixed in 2.2.1]
2017-12-05	GV's corrupted in Companion after conversion [OpenTx 2.2.1 RC1]
2017-04-07	Cannot reverse left flap CH4 [OpenTx 2.2 RC14/ N366]
2017-04-06	CAL and/or arming gesture not recognised [E-Soar and E-Soar Plus]
2017-02-17	Timer starts at startup [E-Soar Plus 2.0 & OTX 2.2]
2016-12-23	'Speed' callout not working [F3J/TD 3.0.0 & X9E]
2016-02-01	LS, RS not mapped correctly on X9E [X9E]
2015-10-03	Can't switch flight modes [OpenTx 2.1.2 - 2.1.4]
2014-11-05	Incorrect Inputs spec [F3F 3.0.0]

Bug reports

If you find an issue, please email me with the following detailed info:

• Template name & version, transmitter type, and OpenTx version
• Enough info to reproduce the problem

If there's insufficient info to reproduce the problem, I'll just pass it back, so please take the time to document the steps carefully.

Links

Official OpenTx website: open-tx.org.

Queries/feedback

Comments and queries are always welcome, I can be contacted by email.