Flysky i6 into a 10ch ibus MONSTER!!

[MoD_Doc]

I've learned so much from the users here that I thought It was time for me to share something I recently figured out about the o so popular Flysky i6. A little back story on the i6. I purchased mine in late 2014 and it did not come with the firmware for ppm output on the fs-iA6B receiver, which I bought thinking I could use it and couldn't, I ordered the official Flysky firmware cable which is only configured as a HID port not a com port and has no way to configure as a com port, let alone the fact that after I got the cable I found there is no official firmware, all the links I've hit is a Chinese you cant accesses this sh*t page and the official Flysky site no longer has a firmware upgrade.... where frustration begins so does innovation.

After about 6 months of these receivers gathering dust I come across benb0jangles... a genius.
He has completely hacked the firmware wide ()() open. Here's a list of what is available now thanks to him.

When using the i6 tx you now have accesses to 10ch and can set them to any of the switches/pots you like. With the fs-iA6B you can run 6ch ppm through the ch1/ppm header, but if you set you FC "naze32" to use serial receiver and run your plug from the ibus sensor port on the rx to the 1st 2nd and 6th pin(UART2 when serial receiver enabled) on your FC you will have 8ch through the ibus!!!!! now it could be 10ch but the naze only has 8ch input so your limitation is no longer your tx.

If you use the fs-iA10B you can run 10ch ppm on the first header, but threw the ibus I've been told you have 14ch!!! holy smokes now you'll have to add 4 switches just to use it fully. Now not to many flyers will ever use 10ch let alone 14ch but for some of my robot projects this will save so much money.... I mean 14ch out of a $50 TX!?!
His firmware fixes/upgrades more than I am going to go through so please go give him a visit

https://github.com/benb0jangles/FlySky-i6-Mod-

If your interested in upgrading yours I will be posting a full how-to-do here and will be making a video sometime this week.

Items needed:
https://github.com/benb0jangles/FlySky-i6-Mod-
Go to updater and download the v1_5 exe. file and the hex file.

Flysky i6 TX

Flysky fs-iA6B receiver

Arduino Uno- used as a connecting point and is cheaper than buying the stupid FTDI connector

x4 pin to pin jumper wires, 3 need to be long to run from the arduino to your TX "called prototyping wires"

STM32 driver for the arduino- http://www.st.com/web/en/catalog/tools/PF257938

 

[pressalltheknobs]

Actually benbojangles was only one of the guys responsible this and I think he mostly collected the work of others. Here's the RCGroups thread for anyone interested.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2486545

Most of the actual work seems to have been done ThosHlp and Dave Borthwick with contributions from Povlhp. They are acknowledged in the read me and while there is value in organizing all the bits, credit were credit is due especially if we are calling anyone "genius".

Still it's a cool project.

 

[MoD_Doc]

yes there were others working on this problem but like you said he's organizing it and well.... did Steve Jobs take credit for others stuff.... along with any other project organizer? I didn't share this to give anyone credit but rather enable others to expand their knowledge and abilities. And since he's the only one with the available downloads, that's where I'm pointing to.

 

[Paul-H]

The standard i6 firmware did support PPM on both the iA6B & i10 receivers, it has to be turned on in the RX section on the transmitter.

The 10 channel firmware does masks the i6 my favourite transmitter though. Plus the Arduino code from povlhb gives 10 channels of PPM out of the iBus port on the iA6B makes these radios very usable at a bargain price.

Paul

 

[pressalltheknobs]

yes there were others working on this problem but like you said he's organizing it and well.... did Steve Jobs take credit for others stuff.... along with any other project organizer? I didn't share this to give anyone credit but rather enable others to expand their knowledge and abilities. And since he's the only one with the available downloads, that's where I'm pointing to.

...except the bit where you said

"I come across benb0jangles... a genius. He has completely hacked the firmware wide ()() open."

It's fine if you didn't realize Mr BenBo is mostly the librarian... or so it seems to me...He hasn't really made that clear himself. That's why I feel we should acknowledge the other contributors also. They were not just "others working on this problem". They actually did the research, wrote the code and posted to that thread for others to use. Mr Ben Bo made some contributions here and there but mostly he seems to have collected others' postings to that thread and saved them off to a github with his name on it with the minimum of acknowledgement. Useful maybe but hardly genius stuff.

Much of the credit and thanks should go to ThosHlp, Dave Borthwick, Povlhp and possibly a few others who contributed to that thread.

 

[MoD_Doc]

The standard i6 firmware did support PPM on both the iA6B & i10 receivers, it has to be turned on in the RX section on the transmitter.

The 10 channel firmware does masks the i6 my favourite transmitter though. Plus the Arduino code from povlhb gives 10 channels of PPM out of the iBus port on the iA6B makes these radios very usable at a bargain price.

Paul

Actually Paul mine did not come with firmware that had ppm available, I don't believe the ia6b or ia10 were even available when the TX was purchased, that's why I was so mad after buying a few ia6b's last summer.
and as of right now I get 8ch out of the ibus which is all my FC can handle. I am going to try that upgrade on at least one of my rx for sure

 

[MoD_Doc]

...except the bit where you said

"I come across benb0jangles... a genius. He has completely hacked the firmware wide ()() open."

It's fine if you didn't realize Mr BenBo is mostly the librarian... or so it seems to me...He hasn't really made that clear himself. That's why I feel we should acknowledge the other contributors also. They were not just "others working on this problem". They actually did the research, wrote the code and posted to that thread for others to use. Mr Ben Bo made some contributions here and there but mostly he seems to have collected others' postings to that thread and saved them off to a github with his name on it with the minimum of acknowledgement. Useful maybe but hardly genius stuff.

Much of the credit and thanks should go to ThosHlp, Dave Borthwick, Povlhp and possibly a few others who contributed to that thread.

I'm glade you feel the need to stick up for grown men, and put others down at the same time..... like I said I came here to share info on something new to me and maybe if you would have shared it earlier, being an expert on the subject and all, then I wouldn't have had to find sum one else who did.

 

[m00ndancer]

What I'm waiting for is the firmware mod to get the voltage alarm working as it should.

 

[pressalltheknobs]

I'm glade you feel the need to stick up for grown men, and put others down at the same time..... like I said I came here to share info on something new to me and maybe if you would have shared it earlier, being an expert on the subject and all, then I wouldn't have had to find sum one else who did.

I see. So now it's my fault you didn't know and got it wrong and since your purpose is not to give credit it's ok for you to give all the credit incorrectly. Fair enough. I think all the points are made. I'll go away quietly.

 

[MoD_Doc]

I see. So now it's my fault you didn't know and got it wrong and since your purpose is not to give credit it's ok for you to give all the credit incorrectly. Fair enough. I think all the points are made. I'll go away quietly.

actually you got it wrong saying I should be the one to acknowledge a list of people when all im doing is trying to help others where I had a problem. You haven't provided any information not already listed within the links.

 

[MoD_Doc]

What I'm waiting for is the firmware mod to get the voltage alarm working as it should.

yes that seems to be the next step, I don't think its prefect yet but im defiantly not going to complain

 

[MoD_Doc]

The standard i6 firmware did support PPM on both the iA6B & i10 receivers, it has to be turned on in the RX section on the transmitter.

The 10 channel firmware does masks the i6 my favourite transmitter though. Plus the Arduino code from povlhb gives 10 channels of PPM out of the iBus port on the iA6B makes these radios very usable at a bargain price.

Paul

when running ppm out of the ibus port, is that connected to the 3rd pin on the board? will this allow me to use the uart2 for my osd?

 

[zammy]

Does this 10ch mod also work for PWM?

 

[wrench797]

I know this is an older thread but I have a question or two on this subject. I have the FS-T6 not the i6. Does anyone know if the firmware for the i6 will work on the T6? I am not really after telemetry, I just want the 10 channel output. I know the Hobbyking 6 channel receivers work with the Flysky as I have two of the HK reveivers that I have been using for over a year now. Are there any other receivers that will bind with the i6/T6 radios? I thought I saw a 8 or 10 channel HK receiver that had PPM output that also used the AFHDSS protocol the FS radios use.

 

[pressalltheknobs]

I know this is an older thread but I have a question or two on this subject. I have the FS-T6 not the i6. Does anyone know if the firmware for the i6 will work on the T6? I am not really after telemetry, I just want the 10 channel output. I know the Hobbyking 6 channel receivers work with the Flysky as I have two of the HK reveivers that I have been using for over a year now. Are there any other receivers that will bind with the i6/T6 radios? I thought I saw a 8 or 10 channel HK receiver that had PPM output that also used the AFHDSS protocol the FS radios use.

No the hack firmware wont work on the T6. For the new iSeries Txs there is the ia10 rx which has 10 pwm channels but it wont work with the old T6. It uses the new afhds 2a protocol. You can buy an i6x tx for around $50 with one which supports 10 ch out of the box and will work with your old afhds rxs if you have a bunch of them.

Personally I would consider a Frsky QX7 instead and add a 4in1 module if you need to keep flysky support but it's >3x more money to do it that way.