FrSky Variometer HELP!

[flyin201]

I just recently got a Taranis QX7, a D8R-II Plus, and a normal precision FrSky variomter. I am trying to set everything up and it all seems to work the way it should, except it beeps constantly even when it shows 0.0 ft/sec on the VSI. It does beep faster when I moved it up, and I get the sink tone while going down, but no matter what setting I adjust I cannot get the beep to go away at 0. Any ideas? Do I need to flash new firmware or something to that nature?

Sorry if this has been posted before, I've searched just about everywhere and can't seem to find a solution.

 

[CartCurt]

Check out this link it might help you with the setup. http://www.rcadev.info/OpenTX 38 Application Note 09.htm

 

[bitogre]

Assuming you are using OpenTx version 2.1, I suggest you look at Page 53 (20 of 34) of Reference Section 3, The Model Editor Part 2.pdf. The full set of documents can be found here.

The key point of this page is that lower down the Telemetry Page (same page as the sensors) is a section called "Altimetry" for setting up the variometer. There you set the source and limits. There should be a box called "Center Silent" (maybe called something different in the radio, do not have it currently available) that you can select to have the beeps go away when the aircraft is neither climbing or sinking.

Let me know if you need more information.

 

[flyin201]

Ok both of those links helped and I have had some success, but I still need to tweek it a little if I can.

I used a logical switch with the code: |a|>X for the vertical speed with a value of .3 FPS so now it only beeps if it is climbing greater than .3FPS or sinking greater the .3FPS.

The problem with this is that I would like it to beep at a lower climb rate, and a faster sink rate. For example I would like it to beep at .1 FPS climb and beep and -.5 FPS in sink, that way it will indicate any climb, and indicate sink faster than the normal rate of descent of the glider.

I thought I had this figured out by adding two logic switches with the code: a>x and a<x, however I cannot select a negative number when setting the values for FPS.

I did manage to get a setting that worked on OpenTx Companion because it allowed me to set negative numbers in the logic switches, however when I loaded onto the radio it would not turn on. Turns out I didn't set it for the correct radio and when I loaded the model it also flashed firmware for the wrong radio onto it. I managed to revive it this morning, however now that I have the correct version of Companion and the correct radio selected, I can't seem to find the same setting that I had set on the previous companion.

It seems something this adaptable and configurable would be easy to set negative values without having to use companion, maybe I'm missing something?

 

[makattack]

The QX7 requires version 2.2 of Companion and OpenTX, so there may have been changes between 2.1 vs 2.2 affecting this functionality. I'm not familiar enough with 2.2 to help with this, but it might help to look in the github project for OpenTX. My simple search didn't really surface anything:

https://github.com/opentx/opentx/search?utf8=✓&q=2.2+vario&type=Issues

 

[flyin201]

Well I got it to work the way I wanted, but I did need Companion 2.2. Here is what I had to do:

1. Set up the variometer on the radio. Basically just need to bind the receiver, plug in the variometer, and then on the telemetry page select "discover sensors".

2. Connect the radio to Companion 2.2 and download the model info from the radio onto the computer. If you don't do this you won't be able to slelect Vertical Speed for the source of the telemetry on companion. I believe I had already selected Vspd as the source when I set up the telemetry because Vspd was already selected in companion when I opened it.

3. Set the values a<x and a>x for your desired values in L1 and L2 in the logical switches. Be sure to also set a switch as well. This was easier in the radio because you can move the switch you want and it automatically selects it. However if you select the switch with the radio do this BEFORE you download the data into opentx because if you try to edit the L value with the negative number after it is on the radio, it will revert back to a positive number.

4. Set special functions L1 and L2 to vario.

5. DONE!

It's not too hard, however I wish you could do it on the radio for adjustments in the field. I wrote an issue for it on the opentx website hoping that they fix it in future firmware versions.