The best way to Setup the Radiomaster TX16S MK3 Radio Transmitter and The best way to Use It

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For inexperienced persons, the Radiomaster TX16S MK3 can really feel overwhelming at first, there are such a lot of menus and choices. However to get began, you solely want to grasp the fundamentals: tips on how to create a mannequin, setup the switches, and tips on how to make a number of primary configuration adjustments. On this information, I’ll stroll by a easy beginner-friendly setup course of for the Radiomaster TX16S MK3, specializing in FPV drones.

Nonetheless deciding whether or not the TX16S MK3 is best for you? Try my in-depth evaluation right here: https://oscarliang.com/radiomaster-tx16s-mk3/

The radio I’ve right here is the Max Version. You probably have the Customary Version, that’s superb too—the setup course of is sort of an identical. The radios are primarily the identical, with just some beauty and gimbal variations.

Understanding the Controls and Switches

Right here’s a diagram of all of the accessible controls, buttons, and switches. Familiarize your self with it so that you don’t get misplaced. 🙂

Battery Set up

To energy up your radio, you’ll want two 18650 Li-ion cells. The TX16S comes with a battery holder within the rear compartment that holds two 18650 Li-ion cells.

The batteries should not included, however they’re extensively accessible on-line. Listed here are my battery suggestions:

• RadioMaster 3200mah:
• Sanyo NCR18650GA:
• Molicel M35A:
•  VTC6:

I examined them on this submit in case you have an interest of their efficiency: https://oscarliang.com/best-18650-li-ion-battery/#Outcomes-and-Suggestions. What we would like is excessive actual capability, discharge charge is much less vital for low energy gear like radios.

Potential Begin-up Warnings

To energy on, press and maintain the radio’s energy button for a few seconds.

Ideally, a model new radio ought to energy up with none points. Nevertheless, in case your display screen exhibits a warning, don’t panic. Right here’s a breakdown of potential warnings and what they imply:

• Throttle Warning: This pops up in case your throttle stick (the left one for Mode 2) isn’t at its lowest place when powered on. Pushing all of it the best way down will do away with this warning.
• Swap Warning (often known as Management Warning): This indicators that some switches aren’t of their default positions. To clear this, guarantee all switches are of their HIGH place.
• SD Card Warning: This means a model mismatch between the SD card content material and radio firmware. For those who get this warning, comply with this information to repair it.

You too can ignore and skip a warning by merely urgent any menu button.

If all the pieces goes nicely, you need to be greeted by the radio’s default house web page.

Radio Settings

The Radio Settings menu is the place you alter show, audio, and different system-related parameters.

To get there, press the SYS button. This can take you to the Apps web page. Then press the PAGE> button twice to get to the Radio Settings web page.

You’ll be able to depart most radio settings at default, however listed here are a number of adjustments I all the time make when establishing a brand new radio:

1. Set Date & Time.

2. Sound

• Mode: Select All if you wish to hear beeps when navigating the menu. Alternatively, select Nokey in case you favor it quieter.
• Quantity: Most. You’ll be able to alter the amount utilizing the knob, and I’ll present you tips on how to set that up later.
• Beep quantity/size: Minimal

3. Alarms

• Battery low (that is the edge for audio and haptic warnings):
  • For Li-ion battery: 6.2V
  • For LiPo battery: 7.2V
  • For those who fly long-range, you could need to set this barely increased, so that you get an earlier warning to make sure you have sufficient battery left to make it again house. You don’t need your radio to close down mid flight attributable to low battery.
• Inactivity: 5 minutes (If the radio is left untouched for this period, you’ll hear the inactivity alarm reminder).

4. Backlight

• Mode: Keys
• Inactivity timeout: 5s (The backlight turns off after this period of time if no buttons are pressed, to save lots of battery)
• ON brightness: Most (You’ll be able to alter display screen brightness utilizing a knob, and I’ll present you ways later on this information)
• OFF brightness: Minimal
• Alarm: Enabled (If you get a warning, the backlight activates robotically)

Why use Keys mode?
By default, each the sticks and buttons can activate the backlight, which is commonly pointless. You aren’t actually trying on the display screen whereas flying, so turning on the display screen throughout flight is simply losing battery. By setting it to Keys, solely the menu buttons will activate the backlight, which is extra environment friendly.

5. Different settings:

• Splash display screen: 1s (This controls how lengthy the startup display screen stays on once you energy on the radio.)
• Startup Sound: OFF (I don’t need to hear “Welcome to EdgeTX” each day.)
• Energy Off Delay: 0.5s or 1s (You’ll be able to flip the radio off extra rapidly. It’s best to keep away from setting it to 0s, in case you by chance contact the ability button throughout flight.)
• USB mode: Ask (everytime you plug within the USB cable, the radio will all the time ask you if you wish to use it for simulator, or SD card storage)

{Hardware} Settings

Go to the {Hardware} web page by urgent the PAGE> button 4 instances.

1. Battery meter vary:

• For Li-ion battery: 5.8V – 8.2V
• For LiPo battery: 6.6V – 8.2V

Why these ranges?
This setting controls the on-screen battery indicator, particularly when it exhibits as full or empty. When the radio powers on, there may be some voltage sag, so you’ll realistically by no means see 8.4V even when the batteries are totally charged. That’s the reason utilizing 8.2V as the utmost voltage, as a substitute of 8.4V, makes extra sense.

Word that this isn’t the low-voltage alarm threshold. You set the low battery warning individually within the Alarm part below Radio Settings, as talked about earlier.

2. ADC Filter: OFF (Why? Learn this part. Solely allow it in case you fly fixed-wing plane with out flight controllers.)

3. Inner RF

This part ought to already be configured appropriately by default, however it’s all the time good to double-check.

For radios with an inside ExpressLRS RF module, use:

• Kind: CRSF
• Baudrate: 5.25M

Sooner baudrate = quicker communication between the RF module and the radio. However that doesn’t imply each radio help increased baud charges, it is dependent upon the RF module and radio functionality. Based on ExpressLRS Wiki, the inner ELRS module from Radiomaster can deal with 5.25M baudrate. For those who’re experiencing fixed warning about Telemetry Misplaced/Recovered even with the receiver is close by, and/or if the Lua Script fails to load correctly after growing baudrate, then it’s an indication your radio or module doesn’t help the chosen Baud Fee. Decrease it down a notch and check out once more.

Battery Voltage Calibration

To ensure your radio exhibits an correct battery studying, take a second to verify and calibrate the battery voltage.

Utilizing a digital multimeter, measure the voltage of the Li-ion batteries inside your radio.

Essential: Measure voltage whereas the radio is powered on.

Because the 2 cells are linked in sequence, you need to count on a studying someplace between 6V and eight.4V. The purpose is to verify the voltage proven in your multimeter matches the voltage displayed on the radio with minimal error.

If the error is lower than 0.05V, it’s superb. In any other case you need to calibrate it.

To calibrate the voltage, go to the {Hardware} web page, discover Battery Calibration, and enter the voltage proven in your multimeter.

Show Battery Voltage On House Display screen

To see the precise battery voltage of your radio at a look, add the voltage studying to the house display screen.

To do that:

1. Go to UI Setup by urgent the TELE button
2. Click on the primary icon on the highest bar, subsequent to 1
3. Click on Setup widgets subsequent to High bar
4. Click on on a sq. within the high bar so as to add a widget
5. Choose Worth, then select Batt

Gimbal Stress Changes

To customise how stiff the sticks really feel, you may alter the gimbal spring stress from the skin of the radio with out taking it aside. For these changes, you will want a 1.5mm hex screwdriver or Allen key.

Here’s a breakdown diagram of the AG02 gimbals, exhibiting the stress adjustment screws for roll, pitch, yaw, and throttle, in addition to the stick journey adjustment factors.

You probably have the usual Corridor gimbals, please seek advice from the producer’s information for directions.

Gimbal Calibration

Earlier than flying along with your brand-new radio, you need to all the time calibrate the gimbals, particularly after adjusting spring stress. You may additionally need to recalibrate them after updating EdgeTX firmware.

Go to the Radio Setup web page, then press PAGE> a number of instances till you attain the {Hardware} web page. Scroll down and discover the Calibration choice. This can begin the calibration course of for the sticks and sliders (knobs).

The on-screen directions are clear, so simply comply with them rigorously.

For the very best outcomes, keep away from transferring the sticks in circles, push them in a single route, like a cross. As you might be about to succeed in the tip factors, be as mild as doable, so the radio can learn them precisely.

And don’t overlook to calibrate the knobs too. You’ll be able to repeat the calibration course of as many instances as you need.

Creating Fashions

I’ve a separate information that explains tips on how to create a mannequin profile in your quads step-by-step: https://oscarliang.com/create-new-model-profile-edgetx/

Personally, I favor creating one profile for every radio hyperlink, after which binding that profile to all of my quads utilizing the identical hyperlink. It’s simply simpler that means when you’ve gotten a number of quads that every one use the identical radio hyperlinks.

I even have a devoted profile for simulators, the place I change off each inside and exterior RF module to save lots of battery (you are able to do this in Mannequin Settings).

The best way to Entry ExpressLRS LUA Script

Within the ExpressLRS Lua script, you may configure your radio hyperlink parameters.

To entry it:

1. Press the SYS key
2. Go to Apps
3. Choose ExpressLRS

Usually, you don’t want to vary these settings fairly often. For most individuals, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it sort of factor. Nonetheless, it’s helpful to grasp the vital choices:

• Packet Fee: Larger charges imply decrease latency however much less vary. Decrease charges imply extra vary however increased latency. I like to recommend 250Hz as a great steadiness, 500Hz for low latency, 150Hz for lengthy vary.
• TX Energy: This is dependent upon how far you propose to fly. 100mW to 250mW is often sufficient for most individuals and is able to greater than a number of miles.
• WiFi Connectivity: Helps you to activate the module’s WiFi so you may entry its WebUI out of your cellphone or laptop computer.
• Bind: Places the module into bind mode.

If you would like a deeper dive into each setting, take a look at my ExpressLRS tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/setup-expresslrs-2-4ghz/

Brightness & Quantity Adjustment Utilizing Knobs

In Gobal Capabilities (press the SYS key), create a brand new operate for backlight management:

• Set off: ON
• Perform: Backlight
• Supply: S1
• Allow: checked

Then create one other operate for quantity management:

• Set off: ON
• Perform: Quantity
• Supply: S2
• Allow: checked

RGB LED (Gimbal Rings and Customizable Switches)

You’ll be able to customise the RGB LED rings across the gimbals with completely different lighting patterns and stable colours, or flip it off.

To do this, go to World Capabilities. You too can use Particular Capabilities if you’d like it to use solely to a specific mannequin profile.

1. Create a brand new operate
2. Set off: ON
3. Perform: RGB leds
4. Worth: [any lighting effect you want]
5. Repeat: On
6. Allow: checked.

That’s it.

For those who don’t need any LED in any respect, simply don’t add this world operate.

If you don’t use the flight mode buttons — the 6 buttons above the display screen — you may disable them and have them show the identical lighting impact because the gimbal LED rings.

To do this, go to Mannequin Settings → Customizable Switches, and set the Kind of every change to None.

Backup/Restore Settings and Fashions

Information: https://oscarliang.com/backup-restore-models-radio-settings-edgetx/

EdgeTX Firmware Replace

Information: https://oscarliang.com/flash-edgetx/

Conclusion

I hope this information has been useful for establishing your Radiomaster TX16S MK3 radio. I’ll maintain updating it if I uncover extra helpful mods, settings, or upgrades for this radio.