I don't normally comment on Video's but thank you JB after re-watching this video you saved me hours of pain, just bought a new TBS Pro 32 HV and couldn't figure out why it wasn't accepting SA. You're a god sent to the FPV community. Absolute Legend, thanks again and keep up the good work! #ZorinFPV from Scotland
my respect Josh, I flew about half a year with an unconfigured VTX - I'm very glad that your video came across to me in the recommendations. I really learned something today! =)
You are edumacated so well that you have figured out what the lame manufacturer neglected to include with the product. Something so basic (to a programmer or electrical engineer) but so positively foreign to the average person, and absolutely zero,zip, nada cooperation betwinxt the manufacturers neglect to inform the end users about. I feel your frustration with working out the bugs that beta SHOULD HAVE Been fixed. You are a wonderful blessing to the hobby Mr. Bardwell. I salute you, and damn sure learned something today.
Dude I searched and searched for an answer as to why I couldn't get device ready yes with TBS 32 HV and this video finally cleared that up for me LOL Thanks man! I thought i was loosing it
Maybe I'll come to appreciate the vtx tab in new betaflight but I doubt it. Bought two new kwads since updating and neither vtx will link up with my goggles. I took a stab at vtx setup but haven't quite intuited it out yet so thanks bunches for saving me further frustration and time. You remain the man JB.
Josh, thank you so much for your videos. You are so thorough and clear. I've watched this whole series and it's helped me get my tinywhoop up and flying! It was convoluted, but I finally got the VTX working too from watching this video of yours. Keep up the good work! :)
Josh, many thanks for all your great videos. I learned a lot from them about drones, their construction and configuration. I have one note regarding the VTX configuration video. I had a problem myself to properly configure the Rush Tank Ulimate II (it did not want to change the channels and transmitter power using the BF settings - it could only be done using the buttons). Well, the bug is included in the Tanks BF 4.3 Presets. The power levels are listed there according to Smartaudio Protocol 2.1, which standard does not work properly with the receiver at all. It has the values 14, 20, 26 .... which is wrong and therefore Smartaudio does not work! The power level values must be set as for you, ie: 0, 1, 2, 3 (Smartaudio Protocol 2.0) and then EVERYTHING works properly. It took me a long time to figure it out, so I tell other beginners to do just that.
Issue resolved. Thanks. I read somewhere that you needed to input the values 12, 23,27,29 for the Rush Tank Mini. Which I gathered were the dbm values. After I input 1,2,3,4 I finally got the Device Ready = Yes. Wouldn't have figured this out without this tutorial. Thanks
I believe Joshua owns fpvknowitall.com but also Oscar Liang has a great site for text and screenshot content if you're more into reading but I do prefer the video guides myself.
Started using Crossfire to control all my VTXs about a month ago. Working great for me. Set my setting once on the TX and it sets all my quads to that as I power them up.
Mr. Bardwell I would like to thank you for this video. I couldn't figure out why my video feed would cut out as soon as i would stand up to move away from the drone. I had the wrong selection in the ports tab and the wrong vtx tables. As soon as i did what you said the vtx power output lit up and was good. Now i need to find out why this new motor is stuttering on my novice 3.
This video has helped me TWICE now..for different reasons. Upgraded to a pro32 HV and couldnt get smart audio to work. Used TBS agentX to switch from crsf to smart audio - fixed. Bardwell is the man
I am very thankful for this video.. I have been struggling alike many on this. i have 5 tbs unufy pro 32 hv vtx's. i have just set the power with the button. i just count the blue flashes. My main concern was No Pit MODE. So When i crash and have to do the walk of shame. vtx heats up. When you said that tbs evo and the unify vtx's are shipped on crsf, My ears perked. I set to smart audio IN TBS AGENT and it all started coming together. Thanks again!!!!
Thanks a Lot !!!!! Mi instinct was to put the actual milliwatts in value for smart audio 2.0, and the D@mn thing was locking on 25mw.... Thanks for your huge and astonishing work!!!!!
Cheers Josh, just in time, about to install a Rush Tiny tank on the HX-115, I think you've cleared up all the conflicting and confusing instructions out there.
Can u get out op dip mode, it wont save with me aikon2020f4 rush mini vtx with battery in beta and osd settings save and its gone back in pid again.. ?
I propose all VTX manufacturers move to TRAMP and life would be much simpler (on Protocol --- and version of Protocol to boot!) A cool trick is if you unselect "Use Manufacturer's Table" on each row of the VTX table, it ignores the locking and just sets the channel to whatever is set in the table. [p.s. another way to make sure things are working - if a Smart Audio VTX at least - is to set the SA Debug mode and look in the Sensors tab. As you switch things on the VTX tables tab, that debug in the Sensor tab will show the change. But again, there is only a SA debug (no Tramp -- because it is simpler actually so a debug was not created for Tramp).] Rcvd a cool comment on my VTX tables in 5-min video recently: QUESTION: "How can the FC receive data from the VTX when the connection is using a TX pin on the Uart?" ANSWER: It's because it's not a UART. It's a USART internal to STM32. It's flexible. TX and RX switch and are use for receive and transmit data. @t
Half duplex uses one wire. Both USART and UART devices are capable of half duplex. The difference between USART and UART, is that a USART device is capable of using a second wire for clock sync instead of a using a pre-defined baudrate. UART is purely asynchronous and does not use a wire for clock, requiring that the device be configured to sync to the right baud rate on its own. Granted, a USART in synchronous mode is typically half-duplex, but it definitely needs two wires.
"A cool trick is if you unselect "Use Manufacturer's Table" on each row of the VTX table, it ignores the locking and just sets the channel to whatever is set in the table." - No. When the "FACTORY" switch is on the channel is set by sending a band/channel number to the vtx - only SA supports this. When the "FACTORY" switch is off (equates to "CUSTOM" in the CLI vtxtable) then the actual frequency is sent to the vtx - Tramp *ONLY* works this way. Some SA vtx's will support this (generally real TBS) but many will not and only support setting by band/channel (FACTORY) mode. To complicate things further, even if the vtx supports setting by frequency (Tramp and some SA), then it still may not support every frequency. For example it may not allow frequencies outside the normal bands or even those that don't correspond to normal channels. Setting an unsupported frequency can lead to strange results. For example on Matek Tramp vtx's the vtx will stop transmitting if you select a frequency that's not a "real" channel. The behavior depends on how the manufacturer implemented it and there are no predefined ways of responding.
UAV Tech I know the Unify EVO is on the more expensive side but it has saved me from the VTX tables entirely. Much nicer controlling all of that witching crossfire. Also easier to show up to a group fly and not have to wait to get into the air.
@@parklander6459 ..ME TOO,haha..All my 10 kwads are Evo vtx,s... throttle down,yaw left..and use the Evo,s OSD to set your power....much less bullshit isn't it?
This is why i'm still using 4.0 . They fixed something that wasn't broken . And now that I am using Crossfire on every quad I think from now on I'll wire the VTX to the rx .
Yep That was info i was wandering abot....i was trying to understand Mobula 6 V2 that have 400mW and Smart Audio2.1.....So Value didnt had any sense untill you just show it is in dBm.....Crazy....Thank you for clearing this up. Great video as allways....By the way New JBf7 is Perfect....:)
JB, great video. Extremely helpful to trace the system to rule out many issues. But still, it left me stuck. I had all good indications in BetaFligth and on the OSD, "Device ready - yes", but the VTX wouldn't budge despite all software indications it should. It was a BetaFPV VTx Stuck on factory default channel, band, and power, which were somewhere close to BOSCAM A 1 and BOSCAM B 8, but really neither. What solved my issue was reloading the VTX tables with 2.0. Perhaps someone else might see the same issues after troubleshooting everything right to the end of your video - EVERYTHING software "AOK" yet still no hardware movements. Don't trust whatever is in there on the video transmitter VTX table page, try reloading the VTX tables, or try a different one. Good luck!
Thanks Joshua! Man, that SmartAudio 2.1 dbm instead of mw thing really had me lost and I would not have figured it out if it wasn't for this video. I couldn't figure out why my quadcopter was stuck in Pit Mode no matter what I did. Once I entered dbm values in the 3 power level inputs, then I could disable Pit Mode. That's far from user friendly design.
You my friend are an encyclopedia, a fountain of FPV knowledge, and a friggin FPV God. Thank you for this. I figured out the FC and the GPS and the ESC’s and etc. etc. This tramp? Well it really had me stumped. I just wanted to say thanks, folks like you make this hobby what it is and also make it fun. Thank you also for the safety reminder. Look, knuckleheads, if your on the bench take the props off and keep the piggies happy! Lol!!!!😆
Great video, well explained! However, I'm still struggling with my new Tron 80. Have everything hooked up and ''Devide Ready: Yes'', but I can still not change the channel of the VTX. I think it uses SmartAudio 2.1, any tips? Greatly appreciated!
hey Joshua, excellent guide as allways. I rip my FC usb and i wish to know if there any option you know to set correct power level via osd.. i put mismatch power level and as you say, my vtx probably locks on 25mv Thanks
tnx JB, did not work whith power levels on my new rush tank ultimate 2, needed to upgrade bf from 4.2.3 to 4.2.6... and now it works... this is a new error for me, but it works now
Thanks for the helpful video. I'm still flabbergasted how janky all this fpv tech is. To make a simple vtx mw change, becomes an ordeal. To the company that finally changes and improves this whole system, they shall become king in the land.
FPV is very small and focused on enthusiasts. There is very little money in it, on the grand scheme of things. And very few people are interested in FPV (again, in the grand scheme of things). In order to make something consumer-friendly, two things have to happen. First, the number of people who want it to be friendly have to be big enough. Right now, most people who are in FPV are enthusiasts who have gotten past the struggle and can navigate the complexity. So they don't see as much value in reducing the complexity. And second, there has to be enough money to justify developing consumer-friendly systems. So there is a bit of a bootstrap problem, where because FPV is complicated, people don't get into it, so there is no money or interest in making it less complicated.
@@JoshuaBardwell All very true. However, because DJI is getting into the fpv world, they might actually bypass all of those complexities with their RTF kit. Might be something to help beginners to get into the hobby
Hey man, videos are great helped me get my setup going. I've ran into a few problems that I just cant seem to figure out. 1) My XM+ reciever keeps intermittently losing connection to my controller, paired with this the value I have in my AUX12 is extremely volatile even though I have no attached switch on my controller to it. 2)When my controller is connected, I can arm no issue and the motors all spin at the same rate. When I increase my throttle I have one motor that slows down and then another that will keep throttling up no matter my inputs. I have tested the motors in betaflight and when the desired input is give they all spin at that speed and spool down in sync as I lower the throttle value. 3)I purchased the rush tiny tank and it came with the vtx and the connector but has no cherry/antenna. I have an old antenna and am wondering if it is possible to retrofit the 2 together. Even better is the connecter the antenna itself and Im just being dumb. Thanks for the help
Im stuck at 7:30 trying to get a yes from my vtx Wiring a THFS2 with a tbs unity pro 32 nano and want to use the FC for SA.... Maybe I have the wires wrong but what I need to know is how to hook the TBS Unify nano to a USB so I can check the TBS Agent settings? Thank you for all the videos, you have helped me so much already! J
Thanks for helping noobs like me. I've tried to upgrade to TBS unify pro32 nano but due to mismatch in power levels table and channel lock i counldn't get it to work. But now it gets controlled properly. I still had to go back to previous VTX as with 400mW and MAX i have horizontal lined image distortions. Maybe it's to much for my AIO's BEC or something else. Either way thank you for your help on quite a few things you've shown on your videos.
Hey Joshua! I'm having a bit of a head-scratcher with my SpeedyBee TX800 and F405 v3 FC setup. I've got the Telemetry/SmartAudio wire hooked up to T1, but I'm running into some issues in BetaFlight (4.5.0 RC2). On the ports page, UART1 is stuck on "MSP + Display port" in the peripherals column, and no matter how many times I try to switch it to TBS Smart Audio or IRC Tramp and hit save+reboot, it just defaults back to "MSP + Display port". 🔄😕 Also, in the Video transmitter page, the "Device Ready" status is always showing as False. I've never seen it as True. 🚫 Yes, the quad was powered on using a battery and I connected it to the PC running BF configurator using the USB cable. I am sure I soldered the smart audio wire to the T1 pad, and all wire connections are rechecked. The weird part is, the VTX is working fine and I can see the video in my VRX. I can only enable a few OSD parameters though. I'm sure I'm using the correct VTX table for this VTX. Any ideas on what could be causing this? All insights are appreciated! 🙏🔍👀
Thanks for the video! After I crashed yesterday I don’t have the video transmitter tab anymore in betaflight also in the VTX SA setting it only has “statx” as the option. Previously it was all working fine. Can’t find the problem now. Any suggestions?
The statx must be caused because the SmartAudio wire broke or the vTX broke. But I don't see any way a crash could cause the whole video transmitted tab to disappear.
@@JoshuaBardwell yeah I checked the pads and wires. They are all Oke. its still flying though I only can not change channels and power anymore from the osd.. sometimes It also doesn’t want to boot up or something and then I see dark blocked noise. By replugging the battery sometimes it gets solved. If I unplug the camera it goes to plain dark gray with osd visible. And when I plug in the camera again sometimes it’s solved or it goed to blocked noise again. It kind of has its own life.. you have any idea?
Thanks for the video. But what do I do when it says "device ready: no" after I have tried both IRC Tramp and Smartaudio on both available UARTs, double and triple checked the manual regarding the wiring, resoldered the vtx and checked for continuity with my multimeter? It's an HGLRC Forward VTX. Can't for the life of me get it to work and it's driving me insane. Having to use the button to switch channels is so annoying.
As always I learned something today. But wasn’t SmartAudio suppose to unlock TBS VTX whether they are locked or not? And what is the factory settings? Could have learned more today.
Can you point me to your video where you wired up an R9 mm or mini with SBUS and RSSI? I have searched everywhere and cannot find it. I remember it wasn't titled it just so happened to have it in the video. Thnx
Very nice video! I have this question, every time I go FEATURES>VTX the settings are invisible and I Have to select the channel, band and power setting over again, is this true? Should I have soldered the VTX on the receiver..?
I have the AKK Infinite VTX with DVR up to 1W. I followed the directions, but it won't let me enter 1000 for the last value. I read somewhere that entering 1.2 as the value "might" work. I just saw you type in 1 W as the value in 2.1, will that work in 2.0? I'm going to watch this video one more time and play with BetaFlight again. Thanks for all of your videos.
@@JoshuaBardwell I think I figured out what was wrong. I went back and checked everything on my quad, and everything was correct. The same with my settings in BetaFlight, and MAX was already in the spot. (I don't remember doing that) Either I forgot to click on save, or I forgot to plug in a battery; when I tried setting this up last week. Everything is good now. Thanks Again
Hi JB. Love your videos. I have set up many quads and know my way around. I have wired everything correctly, tried 2 different uarts, checked and double checked ports tab. Cannot get device ready yes. Plugged batt and everything. At a bit of a loss. Hoping for some help. Fortini f4 osd 1.1 and a tx805. Any ideas appreciated. Cheers
For Tramp the powerlevel is *NOT* the power output (except for real IRC Tramp vtx's). It's a value that represents the position in the table. So 25 represents the lowest output for the vtx, 100 the next to lowest, and so on. What the actual outputs are depends on the particular vtx and how the manufacturer implemented it. So in this way it's like SA2.0 where 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. are just placeholders for the table position. You can't arbitrarily use some other value like 50 thinking you'll get 50mw.
Wowwww I did not know that. Thank you Bruce for clarifying. I do know that you can't put arbitrary values in but I did assume that the Value would match the mW regardless. So Tramp would always use the Values shown in the vtxtable, but then the labels you would update to match your vTX output powers.
Sometimes it will - mostly accidentally - but depends on the flight controller somewhat. The better fix is the 10K drop-down resistor as it permanently solves the problem and eliminates the need for using a custom firmware.
I am currently playing with a BetaFPV 75X HD which is a year old but flown very rarely due to various reasons. Had the 4in1 board replaced by LHS where I bought it and after several weeks got round to flying it. Now having problems with the Betaflight Video Transmitter page saying VTX not ready. Seems the VTX Power is stuck on 25mW and some OSD data will not show such as VTX Band & Channel etc. Replaced the VTX too but still no cigar.
So weird issue with tiny hawk 2 I'm able to change bands and channels but seems I can't use R1 or R8 but I can use R4 and R6 apparently (ships with R4). Thanks for the clear explanation and debugging tips. Edit: saw at end of video it's cause of locked mode apparently will be able to unlock I think thanks for the vids as always Second edit: that worked just had to hold button on vtx while powering up (for tiny hawk 2 racer) and it unlocks
Just tried emuflight with no issues I'm done with betaflight been 2 weeks messing with this stupid vtx table shit done with betaflight... I suggest anyone that cant figure it out on betaflight try emuflight there is no stupid vtx table and it works awesome saves power and channel flawlessly
Help rush tiny tank vtx won't go out off pid mode via betaflight or osd settings and saved with battery. Low power disarm does work after we change pid mode changed. We cannot change setting to normal like low power disarm and save it?
Hi Joshua...I cannot change the vtx band/channel or power via my Tx sticks and osd, or at least the vtx leds do not indicate a change has been made even after a battery power cycle. I have loaded the correct vtx table, and BF video transmitter tab shows device ready as yes. Is this possibly a Open Tx setting that needs changed? Other thoughts/ideas?
I have multiple quads I've just upgraded from various older version of BF. Some pre and post vtx tables. They all had smart audio working. Now after upgrading them all, I've lost smart audio on all but 1. One thing in common is that they are all F4 FCs. 3x BFF4, 1 DYSF4Pro. They all upgraded perfectly and all fly just fine. The smart audio now broken makes me feel super frustrated that the builds are busted. :(
Thanks for this video. But i noticed mine was pegged maximum 600mw. I am using BF4.2RC2 and furious fpv stealth long range vtx maximum at 700mw. It wont let me choose the 700mw. Hope you can help. I dont know if other users using IRC tramp with BF4.2 noticed it.
My matek is similar, it doesn't support 600mw, but rather 500mw. Because the tramp protocol always uses the same labels, what reads as 400 is actually my 500. I would venture to guess that your vtx is actually at 700 when you select 600
@@srossi88 My vtx maximum power is at 700mw but cannot be set at that power level. I change it to 600mw and 600 label. Now it can read at that power level - 600mw.
Hey Joshua if you see this question can you make a video or talk about or point me to something that explains, I don't know, wires to plugs or do you prefer soldering a wire to a board or creating your own wire harness with those little white plugs. I don't know what they're called but I have come across different types of white plugs like on a TBS VTX their plug is a little bit bigger than the box of little ones I bought. I'll never hear anybody talk about favorite ways or better ways to wire up transmitters and cameras and such.
I solder when the FC is made for soldering; I use plugs when it's made for plugs. They both work okay and I don't have a strong preference either way. It's super annoying if I have to make my own harness to go between two plugs. I always prefer to solder at least one side or have a pre-made harness.
@@JoshuaBardwell thanks for the reply like I have had multiple occurrences with a female side of the plug on the board itself simply cracks and falls off. Now I have been able to solder a wire onto the little pad left from where the plug was but it sucks the throw away a whole FC because the little white plastic thing cracks.
Just for an FYI, if any manufacturer lists the tables for their products on the site, just copy it all into a text file, save it as a .json file and import directly into BF. Done.
Hi, could you point me to a right direction, when SA seems to be working to a degree, you can change channels and bands via configurator (or cli set vtx_band, set vtx_channel....), but you cannot change set/change any of this via OSD menu or via vtx adjustments via channel....thanks
my vtx which uses tramp protocol has misleading information written on it. it shows for example 6 powerlevels but if you give your vtx table 6 powerlevels it won't work. it has 5 powerlevels and a pit mode (which doesn''t count as powerlevel). the value 0 seems to be pit mode probably don't put 0 into the first possible vtx value because it's not a powerlevel (at least for some tramp variations).
Thanks man. Everything you do makes sense, but I have done everything you said and the device is still not ready, it says “no”... even when I plug it in. Checked everything like 20 times. I have a TBS crossfire wired up to UART 1 and and I have eachine VTX nano v2 wired up on UART 2. And I did everything you said. But I still get video on my goggles and cannot control SA in my OSD or in BetAflight. Oh and this is on A Tinyhawk 2. Learning a lot and I’m stuck.
I'm trying to set up SA on my quad and I can't get "device ready: yes". I have checked and double checked the wiring and even resoldered the wires to a different uart. I saw that Bardwell says to plug in the VTX via USB at 7:15 to tell the VTX to run SA. How do I do that? My FC has a usb port but not the VTX. I'm new to all of this. I have a tbs unify pro.
My VTX says for power levels 25mW, 200mW, 600mW and 1W. It is smart audio. So the db equivalent is 14, 23, ?, 30. For 600mW the db equivalent is 27.7815, should I input this value even though it is not an integer?
@@JoshuaBardwell Hey, great thanks for your answer. I just realised I need to use SmartAudio 2.0 and I found in the dicumentation that unlike for SA1.0 or 2.1, in SA2.0 the values are actually not in db but integers 0,1,2,3,4 and so on, is that correct? In this case my situatin is easier.
So I can change channels and power from Betaflight (yay!) but it doesn't work on my TBS Mambo running the internal Tracer TX. Is this because there's no Betaflight Crossfire passthrough? Am I stuck changing channels from a laptop? Should I just switch to ELRS?
I don't normally comment on Video's but thank you JB after re-watching this video you saved me hours of pain, just bought a new TBS Pro 32 HV and couldn't figure out why it wasn't accepting SA. You're a god sent to the FPV community. Absolute Legend, thanks again and keep up the good work! #ZorinFPV from Scotland
my respect Josh, I flew about half a year with an unconfigured VTX - I'm very glad that your video came across to me in the recommendations. I really learned something today! =)
You are edumacated so well that you have figured out what the lame manufacturer neglected to include with the product. Something so basic (to a programmer or electrical engineer) but so positively foreign to the average person, and absolutely zero,zip, nada cooperation betwinxt the manufacturers neglect to inform the end users about. I feel your frustration with working out the bugs that beta SHOULD HAVE Been fixed. You are a wonderful blessing to the hobby Mr. Bardwell. I salute you, and damn sure learned something today.
Dude I searched and searched for an answer as to why I couldn't get device ready yes with TBS 32 HV and this video finally cleared that up for me LOL Thanks man! I thought i was loosing it
Same here bud!
Maybe I'll come to appreciate the vtx tab in new betaflight but I doubt it. Bought two new kwads since updating and neither vtx will link up with my goggles. I took a stab at vtx setup but haven't quite intuited it out yet so thanks bunches for saving me further frustration and time. You remain the man JB.
You sold my problem with no video signal from Mobula 7 HD to helmet. Thank you very much! I am very happy!
Not writing comments very often but you saved me Josh! Great to have you
Josh, thank you so much for your videos. You are so thorough and clear. I've watched this whole series and it's helped me get my tinywhoop up and flying! It was convoluted, but I finally got the VTX working too from watching this video of yours. Keep up the good work! :)
I'm watching this trying to figure out why there was a VTX tab on one of my tinyhawks and none on the other. Thanks Josh, I learned something today!
Josh,
many thanks for all your great videos. I learned a lot from them about drones, their construction and configuration.
I have one note regarding the VTX configuration video. I had a problem myself to properly configure the Rush Tank Ulimate II (it did not want to change the channels and transmitter power using the BF settings - it could only be done using the buttons). Well, the bug is included in the Tanks BF 4.3 Presets. The power levels are listed there according to Smartaudio Protocol 2.1, which standard does not work properly with the receiver at all. It has the values 14, 20, 26 .... which is wrong and therefore Smartaudio does not work! The power level values must be set as for you, ie: 0, 1, 2, 3 (Smartaudio Protocol 2.0) and then EVERYTHING works properly. It took me a long time to figure it out, so I tell other beginners to do just that.
Issue resolved. Thanks. I read somewhere that you needed to input the values 12, 23,27,29 for the Rush Tank Mini. Which I gathered were the dbm values. After I input 1,2,3,4 I finally got the Device Ready = Yes. Wouldn't have figured this out without this tutorial. Thanks
Just means you have an older Rush vTX that supports SA 2.0. The newer ones do 2.1.
Thank you so much! I had given up trying to make smartaudio work and today I saw your video and... working now!!
My story is exactly the same:)
Very well explained! You should just go ahead write a book... "How to FPV for dummies". I'd buy it 😁 thanks JB 👊
Considering FPV is developing very rapidly, a book would be outdated within months of release.
Asu 90% of the fpv quad issues and troubleshooting still remains
Yah plus his book would just be a list of UA-cam links 😂
if not a book, why not a pdf version ehhehe
I believe Joshua owns fpvknowitall.com but also Oscar Liang has a great site for text and screenshot content if you're more into reading but I do prefer the video guides myself.
Got my new VTX set up and running just fine via tramp protocol.
Thanx to you Joshua
Started using Crossfire to control all my VTXs about a month ago. Working great for me. Set my setting once on the TX and it sets all my quads to that as I power them up.
Mr. Bardwell I would like to thank you for this video. I couldn't figure out why my video feed would cut out as soon as i would stand up to move away from the drone. I had the wrong selection in the ports tab and the wrong vtx tables. As soon as i did what you said the vtx power output lit up and was good. Now i need to find out why this new motor is stuttering on my novice 3.
This video has helped me TWICE now..for different reasons. Upgraded to a pro32 HV and couldnt get smart audio to work. Used TBS agentX to switch from crsf to smart audio - fixed. Bardwell is the man
How did you connect the vtx to agentX? I Can’t figure it out.
You're a life saver, got it working, as soon as I copied the vtx table :) My power levels were like in IRC Tramp, this AKK is smartaudio :)
I am very thankful for this video.. I have been struggling alike many on this. i have 5 tbs unufy pro 32 hv vtx's. i have just set the power with the button. i just count the blue flashes. My main concern was No Pit MODE. So When i crash and have to do the walk of shame. vtx heats up.
When you said that tbs evo and the unify vtx's are shipped on crsf, My ears perked. I set to smart audio IN TBS AGENT and it all started coming together. Thanks again!!!!
Thanks a Lot !!!!! Mi instinct was to put the actual milliwatts in value for smart audio 2.0, and the D@mn thing was locking on 25mw.... Thanks for your huge and astonishing work!!!!!
Great video. Thanks! And yes, your frig light does go out when you close the door.
Finally, I had a problem that has known explanation for, my last two stumped everyone I talked to. THANK YOU!!!
This should be the first think in you betaflight update video this has been missing me up for months
Cheers Josh, just in time, about to install a Rush Tiny tank on the HX-115, I think you've cleared up all the conflicting and confusing instructions out there.
Can u get out op dip mode, it wont save with me aikon2020f4 rush mini vtx with battery in beta and osd settings save and its gone back in pid again.. ?
How do you have so much of knowledge, whatever the trouble I face in FPV you keep a solution already...
Thanks for this subject content I think you may acquire more Patrons from this video. You deserve them.
I've always used buttons on vtx.
I finally set it up. Done easily and pleasantly. Thanks
I propose all VTX manufacturers move to TRAMP and life would be much simpler (on Protocol --- and version of Protocol to boot!)
A cool trick is if you unselect "Use Manufacturer's Table" on each row of the VTX table, it ignores the locking and just sets the channel to whatever is set in the table.
[p.s. another way to make sure things are working - if a Smart Audio VTX at least - is to set the SA Debug mode and look in the Sensors tab. As you switch things on the VTX tables tab, that debug in the Sensor tab will show the change. But again, there is only a SA debug (no Tramp -- because it is simpler actually so a debug was not created for Tramp).]
Rcvd a cool comment on my VTX tables in 5-min video recently:
QUESTION: "How can the FC receive data from the VTX when the connection is using a TX pin on the Uart?"
ANSWER:
It's because it's not a UART. It's a USART internal to STM32.
It's flexible. TX and RX switch and are use for receive and transmit data.
@t
Half duplex uses one wire. Both USART and UART devices are capable of half duplex. The difference between USART and UART, is that a USART device is capable of using a second wire for clock sync instead of a using a pre-defined baudrate. UART is purely asynchronous and does not use a wire for clock, requiring that the device be configured to sync to the right baud rate on its own. Granted, a USART in synchronous mode is typically half-duplex, but it definitely needs two wires.
"A cool trick is if you unselect "Use Manufacturer's Table" on each row of the VTX table, it ignores the locking and just sets the channel to whatever is set in the table." - No. When the "FACTORY" switch is on the channel is set by sending a band/channel number to the vtx - only SA supports this. When the "FACTORY" switch is off (equates to "CUSTOM" in the CLI vtxtable) then the actual frequency is sent to the vtx - Tramp *ONLY* works this way. Some SA vtx's will support this (generally real TBS) but many will not and only support setting by band/channel (FACTORY) mode. To complicate things further, even if the vtx supports setting by frequency (Tramp and some SA), then it still may not support every frequency. For example it may not allow frequencies outside the normal bands or even those that don't correspond to normal channels. Setting an unsupported frequency can lead to strange results. For example on Matek Tramp vtx's the vtx will stop transmitting if you select a frequency that's not a "real" channel. The behavior depends on how the manufacturer implemented it and there are no predefined ways of responding.
Thanks gents for clarifying.
UAV Tech I know the Unify EVO is on the more expensive side but it has saved me from the VTX tables entirely. Much nicer controlling all of that witching crossfire. Also easier to show up to a group fly and not have to wait to get into the air.
@@parklander6459 ..ME TOO,haha..All my 10 kwads are Evo vtx,s... throttle down,yaw left..and use the Evo,s OSD to set your power....much less bullshit isn't it?
This is why i'm still using 4.0 . They fixed something that wasn't broken . And now that I am using Crossfire on every quad I think from now on I'll wire the VTX to the rx .
Yep That was info i was wandering abot....i was trying to understand Mobula 6 V2 that have 400mW and Smart Audio2.1.....So Value didnt had any sense untill you just show it is in dBm.....Crazy....Thank you for clearing this up. Great video as allways....By the way New JBf7 is Perfect....:)
Was freakin out before I saw how simple it was in the vid, thanks Mr. Bardwell
Thankyou yet again Mr Bardwell you have got me to learn something today
Second time I had to watch this video and use agent x to select smart audio. Thanks J.B.
Fantastic, Joshua! Thanks a lot!!!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Amazing video Joshua. Super excited with my Mach 3 from RDQ
JB, great video. Extremely helpful to trace the system to rule out many issues. But still, it left me stuck. I had all good indications in BetaFligth and on the OSD, "Device ready - yes", but the VTX wouldn't budge despite all software indications it should. It was a BetaFPV VTx Stuck on factory default channel, band, and power, which were somewhere close to BOSCAM A 1 and BOSCAM B 8, but really neither. What solved my issue was reloading the VTX tables with 2.0. Perhaps someone else might see the same issues after troubleshooting everything right to the end of your video - EVERYTHING software "AOK" yet still no hardware movements. Don't trust whatever is in there on the video transmitter VTX table page, try reloading the VTX tables, or try a different one. Good luck!
Thanks Joshua! Man, that SmartAudio 2.1 dbm instead of mw thing really had me lost and I would not have figured it out if it wasn't for this video. I couldn't figure out why my quadcopter was stuck in Pit Mode no matter what I did. Once I entered dbm values in the 3 power level inputs, then I could disable Pit Mode. That's far from user friendly design.
Thank you! Really wide and prompt explanation. Did setup mine after your explaining this topic.
Awesome! TBS Unify Pro 32 HV now works with the tricks in this video! Thank you so much!!!
Do you get device ready yes in betaflight
Awesome video I believe I can now get my vtx to be active in BF.
You my friend are an encyclopedia, a fountain of FPV knowledge, and a friggin FPV God. Thank you for this. I figured out the FC and the GPS and the ESC’s and etc. etc. This tramp? Well it really had me stumped. I just wanted to say thanks, folks like you make this hobby what it is and also make it fun. Thank you also for the safety reminder. Look, knuckleheads, if your on the bench take the props off and keep the piggies happy! Lol!!!!😆
I actually watching this video cause i watch all of JB's viseos
I love the snicker at the start of the video...nice.
Thanks for it, vtx tables are not as simple as I though. You helped me a lot.
Great video, well explained! However, I'm still struggling with my new Tron 80. Have everything hooked up and ''Devide Ready: Yes'', but I can still not change the channel of the VTX. I think it uses SmartAudio 2.1, any tips? Greatly appreciated!
thank you so much ! My TBS Unify PRO32 was on Crossfire and not Smart Audio :)
hey Joshua, excellent guide as allways.
I rip my FC usb and i wish to know if there any option you know to set correct power level via osd.. i put mismatch power level and as you say, my vtx probably locks on 25mv
Thanks
Thanks a bunch! Couldn’t figure it out without your tutorial!👍🏽🤙🏽😃
Great video! DBM values are something I haven't seem yet.
another thing in my drone fixed thanks to you.
tnx JB, did not work whith power levels on my new rush tank ultimate 2, needed to upgrade bf from 4.2.3 to 4.2.6... and now it works... this is a new error for me, but it works now
Cheers for the help, you explained it simply and precisely.
Thanks for the helpful video. I'm still flabbergasted how janky all this fpv tech is. To make a simple vtx mw change, becomes an ordeal. To the company that finally changes and improves this whole system, they shall become king in the land.
FPV is very small and focused on enthusiasts. There is very little money in it, on the grand scheme of things. And very few people are interested in FPV (again, in the grand scheme of things). In order to make something consumer-friendly, two things have to happen. First, the number of people who want it to be friendly have to be big enough. Right now, most people who are in FPV are enthusiasts who have gotten past the struggle and can navigate the complexity. So they don't see as much value in reducing the complexity. And second, there has to be enough money to justify developing consumer-friendly systems. So there is a bit of a bootstrap problem, where because FPV is complicated, people don't get into it, so there is no money or interest in making it less complicated.
@@JoshuaBardwell All very true. However, because DJI is getting into the fpv world, they might actually bypass all of those complexities with their RTF kit. Might be something to help beginners to get into the hobby
@@kwadkrazy6078 Bro, this comment didn't age well :D
Hey man, videos are great helped me get my setup going. I've ran into a few problems that I just cant seem to figure out.
1) My XM+ reciever keeps intermittently losing connection to my controller, paired with this the value I have in my AUX12 is extremely volatile even though I have no attached switch on my controller to it.
2)When my controller is connected, I can arm no issue and the motors all spin at the same rate. When I increase my throttle I have one motor that slows down and then another that will keep throttling up no matter my inputs. I have tested the motors in betaflight and when the desired input is give they all spin at that speed and spool down in sync as I lower the throttle value.
3)I purchased the rush tiny tank and it came with the vtx and the connector but has no cherry/antenna. I have an old antenna and am wondering if it is possible to retrofit the 2 together. Even better is the connecter the antenna itself and Im just being dumb.
Thanks for the help
Im stuck at 7:30 trying to get a yes from my vtx
Wiring a THFS2 with a tbs unity pro 32 nano and want to use the FC for SA.... Maybe I have the wires wrong but what I need to know is how to hook the TBS Unify nano to a USB so I can check the TBS Agent settings?
Thank you for all the videos, you have helped me so much already!
J
Thanks for helping noobs like me. I've tried to upgrade to TBS unify pro32 nano but due to mismatch in power levels table and channel lock i counldn't get it to work. But now it gets controlled properly. I still had to go back to previous VTX as with 400mW and MAX i have horizontal lined image distortions. Maybe it's to much for my AIO's BEC or something else.
Either way thank you for your help on quite a few things you've shown on your videos.
I totally understand you, Joshua. Brexit is confusing. 😬
Thanks again Joshua Bardwell, I learned something today
Hey Joshua! I'm having a bit of a head-scratcher with my SpeedyBee TX800 and F405 v3 FC setup. I've got the Telemetry/SmartAudio wire hooked up to T1, but I'm running into some issues in BetaFlight (4.5.0 RC2).
On the ports page, UART1 is stuck on "MSP + Display port" in the peripherals column, and no matter how many times I try to switch it to TBS Smart Audio or IRC Tramp and hit save+reboot, it just defaults back to "MSP + Display port". 🔄😕
Also, in the Video transmitter page, the "Device Ready" status is always showing as False. I've never seen it as True. 🚫
Yes, the quad was powered on using a battery and I connected it to the PC running BF configurator using the USB cable. I am sure I soldered the smart audio wire to the T1 pad, and all wire connections are rechecked.
The weird part is, the VTX is working fine and I can see the video in my VRX. I can only enable a few OSD parameters though. I'm sure I'm using the correct VTX table for this VTX.
Any ideas on what could be causing this? All insights are appreciated! 🙏🔍👀
Thanks for the video! After I crashed yesterday I don’t have the video transmitter tab anymore in betaflight also in the VTX SA setting it only has “statx” as the option. Previously it was all working fine. Can’t find the problem now. Any suggestions?
The statx must be caused because the SmartAudio wire broke or the vTX broke. But I don't see any way a crash could cause the whole video transmitted tab to disappear.
@@JoshuaBardwell yeah I checked the pads and wires. They are all Oke. its still flying though I only can not change channels and power anymore from the osd..
sometimes It also doesn’t want to boot up or something and then I see dark blocked noise. By replugging the battery sometimes it gets solved. If I unplug the camera it goes to plain dark gray with osd visible. And when I plug in the camera again sometimes it’s solved or it goed to blocked noise again. It kind of has its own life.. you have any idea?
Ones crumbled , they’ll be back
Thanks for the video.
But what do I do when it says "device ready: no" after I have tried both IRC Tramp and Smartaudio on both available UARTs, double and triple checked the manual regarding the wiring, resoldered the vtx and checked for continuity with my multimeter? It's an HGLRC Forward VTX. Can't for the life of me get it to work and it's driving me insane. Having to use the button to switch channels is so annoying.
hectobit send him a facebook message or email-he’ll likely respond there if you make it clear this didn’t work. Good luck!
As always I learned something today. But wasn’t SmartAudio suppose to unlock TBS VTX whether they are locked or not? And what is the factory settings? Could have learned more today.
I love how SA got more complicated in the newer version. What was so wrong with 0,1,2 ect.
Wow this is me emailing JB on vtx problem in iff411pro. Thanks alot JB!
Can you point me to your video where you wired up an R9 mm or mini with SBUS and RSSI? I have searched everywhere and cannot find it. I remember it wasn't titled it just so happened to have it in the video. Thnx
Very nice video! I have this question, every time I go FEATURES>VTX the settings are invisible and I Have to select the channel, band and power setting over again, is this true? Should I have soldered the VTX on the receiver..?
I have the AKK Infinite VTX with DVR up to 1W. I followed the directions, but it won't let me enter 1000 for the last value. I read somewhere that entering 1.2 as the value "might" work. I just saw you type in 1 W as the value in 2.1, will that work in 2.0? I'm going to watch this video one more time and play with BetaFlight again. Thanks for all of your videos.
You can't have more than 3 characters. But the label doesn't change the actual output power. Put MAX or 1W or whatever you like.
@@JoshuaBardwell OK cool, Thank You Very Much!!!
@@JoshuaBardwell I think I figured out what was wrong. I went back and checked everything on my quad, and everything was correct. The same with my settings in BetaFlight, and MAX was already in the spot. (I don't remember doing that) Either I forgot to click on save, or I forgot to plug in a battery; when I tried setting this up last week. Everything is good now. Thanks Again
Well-explained as in all the videos. JB did you think about teaching in the school? :-)
whoa, it's like you're speaking directly to me. HAHA. Thanks for the help!
Hi JB. Love your videos. I have set up many quads and know my way around. I have wired everything correctly, tried 2 different uarts, checked and double checked ports tab. Cannot get device ready yes. Plugged batt and everything. At a bit of a loss. Hoping for some help.
Fortini f4 osd 1.1 and a tx805.
Any ideas appreciated.
Cheers
For Tramp the powerlevel is *NOT* the power output (except for real IRC Tramp vtx's). It's a value that represents the position in the table. So 25 represents the lowest output for the vtx, 100 the next to lowest, and so on. What the actual outputs are depends on the particular vtx and how the manufacturer implemented it. So in this way it's like SA2.0 where 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. are just placeholders for the table position. You can't arbitrarily use some other value like 50 thinking you'll get 50mw.
Wowwww I did not know that. Thank you Bruce for clarifying. I do know that you can't put arbitrary values in but I did assume that the Value would match the mW regardless. So Tramp would always use the Values shown in the vtxtable, but then the labels you would update to match your vTX output powers.
@@JoshuaBardwell this is correct. You can look at the matek HV vtx product page for an example of this.
Great video. Does the TBS Unify Nano use SA V2.0 or V2.1? Still having trouble to use SA...
Unify nano uses SA2.0. But it has a hardware design problem and needs a 10K resistor connected from the SA wire to ground ( a pull-down resistor).
@@BruceLuckcuck Thanks a lot man for the quick response, I will try that
I believe the RDQ/AKK branch of BF will also fix the Nano problem without installing a 10k resistor (but not 100% sure).
Sometimes it will - mostly accidentally - but depends on the flight controller somewhat. The better fix is the 10K drop-down resistor as it permanently solves the problem and eliminates the need for using a custom firmware.
Great video I did my fc from 3.5 to the lates n lost my akk vtx control in lua I’ll have to give this a try hope I can get this to work. Thx
I am currently playing with a BetaFPV 75X HD which is a year old but flown very rarely due to various reasons. Had the 4in1 board replaced by LHS where I bought it and after several weeks got round to flying it. Now having problems with the Betaflight Video Transmitter page saying VTX not ready. Seems the VTX Power is stuck on 25mW and some OSD data will not show such as VTX Band & Channel etc. Replaced the VTX too but still no cigar.
So weird issue with tiny hawk 2 I'm able to change bands and channels but seems I can't use R1 or R8 but I can use R4 and R6 apparently (ships with R4). Thanks for the clear explanation and debugging tips.
Edit: saw at end of video it's cause of locked mode apparently will be able to unlock I think thanks for the vids as always
Second edit: that worked just had to hold button on vtx while powering up (for tiny hawk 2 racer) and it unlocks
Just tried emuflight with no issues I'm done with betaflight been 2 weeks messing with this stupid vtx table shit done with betaflight... I suggest anyone that cant figure it out on betaflight try emuflight there is no stupid vtx table and it works awesome saves power and channel flawlessly
Help rush tiny tank vtx won't go out off pid mode via betaflight or osd settings and saved with battery. Low power disarm does work after we change pid mode changed. We cannot change setting to normal like low power disarm and save it?
Hi Joshua...I cannot change the vtx band/channel or power via my Tx sticks and osd, or at least the vtx leds do not indicate a change has been made even after a battery power cycle. I have loaded the correct vtx table, and BF video transmitter tab shows device ready as yes.
Is this possibly a Open Tx setting that needs changed?
Other thoughts/ideas?
You are a gold mine!
I have multiple quads I've just upgraded from various older version of BF. Some pre and post vtx tables. They all had smart audio working. Now after upgrading them all, I've lost smart audio on all but 1. One thing in common is that they are all F4 FCs. 3x BFF4, 1 DYSF4Pro. They all upgraded perfectly and all fly just fine. The smart audio now broken makes me feel super frustrated that the builds are busted. :(
Thanks for this video. But i noticed mine was pegged maximum 600mw. I am using BF4.2RC2 and furious fpv stealth long range vtx maximum at 700mw. It wont let me choose the 700mw. Hope you can help. I dont know if other users using IRC tramp with BF4.2 noticed it.
My matek is similar, it doesn't support 600mw, but rather 500mw. Because the tramp protocol always uses the same labels, what reads as 400 is actually my 500. I would venture to guess that your vtx is actually at 700 when you select 600
@@srossi88 My vtx maximum power is at 700mw but cannot be set at that power level. I change it to 600mw and 600 label. Now it can read at that power level - 600mw.
Hey Joshua if you see this question can you make a video or talk about or point me to something that explains, I don't know, wires to plugs or do you prefer soldering a wire to a board or creating your own wire harness with those little white plugs. I don't know what they're called but I have come across different types of white plugs like on a TBS VTX their plug is a little bit bigger than the box of little ones I bought. I'll never hear anybody talk about favorite ways or better ways to wire up transmitters and cameras and such.
I solder when the FC is made for soldering; I use plugs when it's made for plugs. They both work okay and I don't have a strong preference either way. It's super annoying if I have to make my own harness to go between two plugs. I always prefer to solder at least one side or have a pre-made harness.
@@JoshuaBardwell thanks for the reply like I have had multiple occurrences with a female side of the plug on the board itself simply cracks and falls off. Now I have been able to solder a wire onto the little pad left from where the plug was but it sucks the throw away a whole FC because the little white plastic thing cracks.
Thankyou for details explaination 👍
thank you. I have been struggling with this :)
Just for an FYI, if any manufacturer lists the tables for their products on the site, just copy it all into a text file, save it as a .json file and import directly into BF. Done.
Why would you not always use the highest power available? Does it just come down to battery drain or is there another tradeoff?
You interfere morenwith other pilots at higher power.
Hi, could you point me to a right direction, when SA seems to be working to a degree, you can change channels and bands via configurator (or cli set vtx_band, set vtx_channel....), but you cannot change set/change any of this via OSD menu or via vtx adjustments via channel....thanks
Thanks Bardwell!
@joshua can you do a video for the new irc tramp nano, please?
Perfectly explained 👍👍
my vtx which uses tramp protocol has misleading information written on it. it shows for example 6 powerlevels but if you give your vtx table 6 powerlevels it won't work. it has 5 powerlevels and a pit mode (which doesn''t count as powerlevel). the value 0 seems to be pit mode probably don't put 0 into the first possible vtx value because it's not a powerlevel (at least for some tramp variations).
Thanks man. Everything you do makes sense, but I have done everything you said and the device is still not ready, it says “no”... even when I plug it in. Checked everything like 20 times. I have a TBS crossfire wired up to UART 1 and and I have eachine VTX nano v2 wired up on UART 2. And I did everything you said. But I still get video on my goggles and cannot control SA in my OSD or in BetAflight. Oh and this is on A Tinyhawk 2. Learning a lot and I’m stuck.
I'm trying to set up SA on my quad and I can't get "device ready: yes". I have checked and double checked the wiring and even resoldered the wires to a different uart. I saw that Bardwell says to plug in the VTX via USB at 7:15 to tell the VTX to run SA. How do I do that? My FC has a usb port but not the VTX. I'm new to all of this. I have a tbs unify pro.
My VTX says for power levels 25mW, 200mW, 600mW and 1W. It is smart audio. So the db equivalent is 14, 23, ?, 30.
For 600mW the db equivalent is 27.7815, should I input this value even though it is not an integer?
Best to get the vtxtable values from the manufacturer. But no you can't put a decimal on as a power value.
@@JoshuaBardwell Hey, great thanks for your answer. I just realised I need to use SmartAudio 2.0 and I found in the dicumentation that unlike for SA1.0 or 2.1, in SA2.0 the values are actually not in db but integers 0,1,2,3,4 and so on, is that correct? In this case my situatin is easier.
Speaking of AKK, make sure you flash the AKK and RDQ patch fw!!!
Doesn't work in my case. Tried versions 4.0 up. Could be hardware related though.
Thanks a lot. Great video. Especially for such a confusing and silly issue.
Bloody good stuff - I've learnt heaps 🍻
So I can change channels and power from Betaflight (yay!) but it doesn't work on my TBS Mambo running the internal Tracer TX. Is this because there's no Betaflight Crossfire passthrough? Am I stuck changing channels from a laptop? Should I just switch to ELRS?
Allright JB... I got my power changing correctly... Just cant get to pit mode.
The vTX won't go back into pit mode after power up, unless it is SA 2.1 or Tramp.
@@JoshuaBardwell Thank you Jb...You rock Brotha!
Thank you soo much for this video 👍