Help! Help flattening the Edgetx learning curve?

[Clintonious]

So I did my research, asked advice, read the forums and bought a Radiomaster Boxer. Obviously this isn’t the same as my dads old 72mHz radio and I’m having a difficult time making the transition.

I’ve watched a couple hours of YouTube videos, read through open tx university and downloaded companion… but something as basic as setting… er programming… my switches to do something is one task that continues to elude me.

It’s half way my own fault for not buying a T16X, I suppose, as that is what every other video on the topic is using… but I m determined to figure this out! It can’t be worse than getting my engineering degree!

So far I think I’ve calibrated my battery volts and set the date… and played a couple built in games. I’ve also gotten it to work as a 4 channel radio in Realflight trainer edition (simulator) on my pc… but that’s where my frustration kicks in. It would sure be nice to use the radio to switch between the different “safe” modes or try and likely crash the one helicopter (lower priority and not worth discussing till I get the switch issue solved).

Part of my reasoning is that I also have an Aura board I got my son with the mini trainer and I’m guessing one of the three way switches will be needed to make that work… but we have yet to start building, so I’m not on the hook for they just yet!

Spall that to say… got any recommendations that I haven’t discovered?

 

[AIRFORGE]

So I did my research, asked advice, read the forums and bought a Radiomaster Boxer. Obviously this isn’t the same as my dads old 72mHz radio and I’m having a difficult time making the transition.

I’ve watched a couple hours of YouTube videos, read through open tx university and downloaded companion… but something as basic as setting… er programming… my switches to do something is one task that continues to elude me.

It’s half way my own fault for not buying a T16X, I suppose, as that is what every other video on the topic is using… but I m determined to figure this out! It can’t be worse than getting my engineering degree!

So far I think I’ve calibrated my battery volts and set the date… and played a couple built in games. I’ve also gotten it to work as a 4 channel radio in Realflight trainer edition (simulator) on my pc… but that’s where my frustration kicks in. It would sure be nice to use the radio to switch between the different “safe” modes or try and likely crash the one helicopter (lower priority and not worth discussing till I get the switch issue solved).

Part of my reasoning is that I also have an Aura board I got my son with the mini trainer and I’m guessing one of the three way switches will be needed to make that work… but we have yet to start building, so I’m not on the hook for they just yet!

Spall that to say… got any recommendations that I haven’t discovered?

The RC Video Reviews YouTube channel has many great vids on Open/EdgeTX. Easy to understand, and very helpful. Everything from basic to advanced.

 

[mcmoyer]

I started with a Zorro which shares the same screen as the Boxer. I made a couple of videos based on that, mainly for a friend who was dipping his toe into the EdgeTX world after living in Spektrum land forever. Maybe this could help. It's really simple once you get over that first hump.

 

[Clintonious]

@mcmoyer
I’m going to have to take another look at that when I can get to a bigger screen, but I think that’s going to help a lot! You did some things in there just navigating that I don’t think I previously understood… maybe tonight I can give it another try and let you know.

 

[Clintonious]

I started with a Zorro which shares the same screen as the Boxer. I made a couple of videos based on that, mainly for a friend who was dipping his toe into the EdgeTX world after living in Spektrum land forever. Maybe this could help. It's really simple once you get over that first hump.

That’s a really good explanation! I’m going to have to come back to that once we get my sons minor trainer built! I never realized there were more pages inside the model menu…. It’s the simple things that really make a big difference!

 

[danskis]

I would suggest a written manual, it doesn't have to be the one for you transmitter.

 

[wnewbury]

I changed my transmitter back to Open TX. No help on using Edge but it worked for me.

 

[Bricks]

I have a Spektrum DX9 and a Radiomaster TX16s, I went from OT to Edge and the biggest difference was just getting used to touch screen I still scroll more then use the touch screen but touch is much faster when I do use it.

 

[FlyBreakFixFly]

My $0.02:

Learn how to use EdgeTx Companion to build models. Then tweak them in the radio. Companion was a great help to me when learning first OpenTx and then EdgeTx. I also have a TX16, which helps with the screen size and entry mode.

 

[Clintonious]

Sorry, with a big family its hard to come back and close up the loops! I got some awesome support from @LitterBug and now have it set up enough to be in the sky... well, until my aileron servo went on the fritz. For now I am satisfied with having the kids grow their skills on the simulator and occasionally pulling out the trainer with the glider wings. Thank you though!

 

[DaveM]

So I did my research, asked advice, read the forums and bought a Radiomaster Boxer. Obviously this isn’t the same as my dads old 72mHz radio and I’m having a difficult time making the transition.

I’ve watched a couple hours of YouTube videos, read through open tx university and downloaded companion… but something as basic as setting… er programming… my switches to do something is one task that continues to elude me.

It’s half way my own fault for not buying a T16X, I suppose, as that is what every other video on the topic is using… but I m determined to figure this out! It can’t be worse than getting my engineering degree!

So far I think I’ve calibrated my battery volts and set the date… and played a couple built in games. I’ve also gotten it to work as a 4 channel radio in Realflight trainer edition (simulator) on my pc… but that’s where my frustration kicks in. It would sure be nice to use the radio to switch between the different “safe” modes or try and likely crash the one helicopter (lower priority and not worth discussing till I get the switch issue solved).

Part of my reasoning is that I also have an Aura board I got my son with the mini trainer and I’m guessing one of the three way switches will be needed to make that work… but we have yet to start building, so I’m not on the hook for they just yet!

Spall that to say… got any recommendations that I haven’t discovered?

the EdgeTX documentation is excellent. Hers the latest. https://manual.edgetx.org/

 

[Clintonious]

the EdgeTX documentation is excellent. Hers the latest. https://manual.edgetx.org/

Thanks Dave, I read through that when I first got the transmitter... maybe I'll have to go through it again...

 

[DaveM]

Thanks Dave, I read through that when I first got the transmitter... maybe I'll have to go through it again...

I have used programmable transmitters since they came out. It’s taking me a bit of time to get hang of the EdgeTX (and OpenTX before that) but the flexibility and power of EdgeTX is amazing. And, as you know, with new Features with the soon to be released 2.10, the document is worth looking through again.

 

[Clintonious]

So I get the logic, so to speak, in this diagram...

But the application is escaping me.

I have tried the wizard twice, with mixed results... no pun intended. For the first, I have my inputs and outputs set as...
and
With this model, I can fly the airplane straight by moving the throttle stick and the power goes from 0% to 100%... which is cool... but it'd be a lot more fun to be able to turn too, right? I know that I need to use another control input in order to turn, and I'd like it to be the Aileron input, but I don't understand why in the current setup neither the aileron or the elevator have any effect on the motor speed.

On my second attempt with the wizard, I ended up with the same inputs while the mixes are a little different. In this setup I have a set throttle rate at 0% throttle and I can vary the right and left motor speeds by going from -100% to 100%. In this case, -100% turns the plane left while 100% puts more power in the left motor and it turns right.


Would any of you be willing to explain why the mixes result in the what I am experiencing? As a note, it sure would be nice if there were a few examples in the manual that explain how when you do X, it results in Y. It's all text book and zero application... I need some examples to apply the lessons.

My outputs are the default... thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Foamforce]

It’s simpler than it seems because the EZ pack has a flight controller, so you don’t have to do any special mixing on your radio. Channels 1 (aileron) and 3 (throttle) are just passed straight through and the flight controller does whatever mixing is needed. You also need to assign switches to channel 5 (aileron trim), 6 (lights on/off), 7 (high/low rate), and 16 (if you use the “bind on channel” feature).

Watch this video. It shows a T16, but your Boxer will have all the same menu options, they’ll just look different. EdgeTX is designed to work on color touch screens or black and white low resolution screens like the Boxer, but it’s the same system, so the menus are the same, they just look different.

 

[Flying Monkey fab]

Would any of you be willing to explain why the mixes result in the what I am experiencing? As a note, it sure would be nice if there were a few examples in the manual that explain how when you do X, it results in Y. It's all text book and zero application... I need some examples to apply the lessons.

I am no expert but there are several on YouTube with examples. It really is a steep learning curve but worth it once things start to click.

My only advice is to always try to do things as far up that chart as you can and sometimes you have to treat it like computer programming (it is actually) and just futz with settings. With props off you can experiment all you want until things work the way you want.
The beauty of EdgeTX is that being a structured computer program you can do all kinds of things you simply can't do on a more locked-down radio.

 

[Bricks]

I have always found the toughest thing about Open TX is there is more then one way to do things. So when looking at documentation or videos it gets really confusing, one video shows this way then the next says do it this way, then look at the Diva`s and they say both ways are wrong for the way Open TX was designed. Even though all 3 ways would work.

 

[Clintonious]

It’s simpler than it seems because the EZ pack has a flight controller, so you don’t have to do any special mixing on your radio. Channels 1 (aileron) and 3 (throttle) are just passed straight through and the flight controller does whatever mixing is needed. You also need to assign switches to channel 5 (aileron trim), 6 (lights on/off), 7 (high/low rate), and 16 (if you use the “bind on channel” feature).

Watch this video. It shows a T16, but your Boxer will have all the same menu options, they’ll just look different. EdgeTX is designed to work on color touch screens or black and white low resolution screens like the Boxer, but it’s the same system, so the menus are the same, they just look different.

Unfortunately I watched or studied this video 4+ times and couldn't understand the logic... but I did it again, and copied everything I could capture that he had, and it works... so thank you! It sounds like the biggest reason none of this makes sense to me is the (not understood when I bought it) built in flight controller with the gyro stabilization that gathers whatever I put into it and converts it into something else... in comparison to my mini-trainer that Litterbug had to help me out with the Aura on. I figured out how to get it to work with the glider wing, but the aura was another story! (Now if only I could figure out why I keep blowing through on of my aileron servos.)

All that said, I'd sure still appreciate it if there was a video or article that walked through how inputs mixes and outputs can be set up and how they work. Again, I struggle with text book procedures without real world application worked in... so while the manual may make perfect sense to some of you, to me it's like reading a book on riding a bike... and then going out and trying it on my own. At the same time, I ride an off-road unicycle... so I should be able to figure this out... right? Well, if nothing else, it's one step further down the road of getting my kids interested in flying, I'll call that a win. Thank you again!

 

[Foamforce]

I’m right there with you! Information doesn’t stick for me until I try it myself. It reminds me of a funny farming proverb that isn’t specifically applicable here, but funny anyhow…

”There are three kinds of men. The first kind of man learns about something by reading about it in a book. The second kind of man learns by watching somebody else do it. The third kind of man just has to piss on the electric fence himself.”

😂 Perhaps not coincidentally, I had a lot of interactions with electric fences in my childhood. I still hate the damned things.

I was also intimidated by EdgeTX when I started. It slowly started to click and now I’m fairly comfortable with it. Regarding the inputs, mixes, and outputs, think of it like a pipeline. When you move a stick, first that signal goes through the input settings. In your input settings, you set up your rates and expo. After the signal passes through that stage, the signal now has the rates and expo applied. Then it gets to your mixes. A simple plane just passes each control input directly through to a channel, so 100% of the aileron input goes to channel 1. You might have an actual mix though, like sending 100% of the aileron input to channel 1, but also send 20% of the aileron input to channel 4. The output from mixes is now the channels that those inputs are sent to. So then lastly the signal gets to the outputs. You can think of these as directly adjusting the servos or ESC. This is where you adjust the center point of your servos, or your maximum throw, etc. So the input signal gets there, applies those adjustments, and finally it transmits that final signal to your aircraft.

Maybe that helps? If you wanted, I could show you around a bit. Will you be a FliteFest? Otherwise, I’d be happy to do a FaceTime call or something. Fwiw, I’m not an EdgeTX expert by any means. I can set up my models and I know a few tricks, but I‘ve only been playing with it for about a year myself. Just to set expectations!

 

[DaveM]

Unfortunately I watched or studied this video 4+ times and couldn't understand the logic... but I did it again, and copied everything I could capture that he had, and it works... so thank you! It sounds like the biggest reason none of this makes sense to me is the (not understood when I bought it) built in flight controller with the gyro stabilization that gathers whatever I put into it and converts it into something else... in comparison to my mini-trainer that Litterbug had to help me out with the Aura on. I figured out how to get it to work with the glider wing, but the aura was another story! (Now if only I could figure out why I keep blowing through on of my aileron servos.)

All that said, I'd sure still appreciate it if there was a video or article that walked through how inputs mixes and outputs can be set up and how they work. Again, I struggle with text book procedures without real world application worked in... so while the manual may make perfect sense to some of you, to me it's like reading a book on riding a bike... and then going out and trying it on my own. At the same time, I ride an off-road unicycle... so I should be able to figure this out... right? Well, if nothing else, it's one step further down the road of getting my kids interested in flying, I'll call that a win. Thank you again!

Would you please expand on the elements of a video that would help you? Mixes and programming transmitters have been around for about 30 years. Do you want an explanation of EdgeTX mixes? Have you watched the excellent videos of RCreviews? What is missing in those videos that we in Flite Test could add to make this usable for you? This is a serious question. I am not being snarky. This topic has received a lot of attention over the years and when books were popular Don Enberg wrote a book on programming transmitters. That book is now outdated and I suggest a video that focuses on EdgeTx would be the most valuable.