On this article, I’ll clarify the fundamentals of the Inputs, Mixes, and Outputs pages in EdgeTX radios and what they’re for. As somebody new to EdgeTX, these screens within the mannequin setup may initially appear difficult and overwhelming. Nonetheless, as your setups turn into extra superior, particularly when flying complicated planes with out an FC, you’ll start to understand the pliability and energy of getting these separate phases in coping with inputs and outputs. Let’s break it down step-by-step to see how they match collectively and the place they arrive into play for various setups.
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Why Use Three Screens?
Should you solely fly quadcopters, you most likely hardly ever must cope with the Inputs and Outputs screens. The Mixes display is all you might want to map controls to channels.
The three separate phases are a practice that carried over from when radio receivers have been immediately related to ESCs and servos with out flight controllers, in earlier days. This was frequent in RC fashions like gliders, wings, and planes. With out an FC, all of the programming needed to be completed within the radio itself, so having these distinct phases in OpenTX/EdgeTX provides you extra management over manipulating inputs and outputs.
Now, should you use a flight controller, most complicated features (charges, expo, mixing and so forth.) may be dealt with there. All you sometimes have to do in EdgeTX is mapping the controls to the channels within the Mixes display. Nonetheless, the Inputs and Outputs pages are nonetheless helpful while you require superior setups and changes, or while you don’t use a flight controller in your airplane.
Right here’s a short abstract of what every display does:
- Inputs: Apply settings like expo or charges as soon as if the enter is used throughout a number of channels in Mixes.
- Mixes: That is the place the complicated programming occurs. You may map one enter to a channels, and even combine completely different inputs to a single channel, and configure habits for particular channels.
- Outputs: High quality-tune how alerts are despatched to servos or your flight controller. For instance, you’ll be able to reverse the output of a channel if wanted or alter midpoints and endpoints.
Let’s dive deeper into every of those screens.
Inputs: The place Management Begins
The Inputs display is the primary cease for uncooked information out of your bodily controls, reminiscent of sticks, switches, knobs and sliders. It fine-tunes your management inputs earlier than sending them to the Mixes display. You may assign names, alter weight, apply Expo curves, set charges, and tweak offsets to regulate how inputs behave.
The important thing good thing about the Inputs display is the power to use modifications in a single place and distribute that changed enter throughout a number of channels. This avoids the necessity to arrange the identical changes repeatedly for every particular person channel within the Mixes, simplifying the setup course of.
For instance, should you’re flying a airplane (with out FC) with a number of ESCs and wish the identical throttle sign despatched to all of them, you alter the throttle enter in a single place and route it to all essential channels within the Mixes display.
A typical use case is making use of Expo to melt mid-stick sensitivity. As soon as set right here, another perform referencing the aileron enter will use the modified worth. With out this display, you’d must set this up individually for every channel within the mixer, which might be time-consuming.
Whereas multi-rotor pilots won’t use this display usually, fixed-wing and glider pilots depend on it to regulate charges and expo. For quadcopters, the default enter settings sometimes work simply tremendous.
Mixes: Mapping Inputs to Channels
The Mixes display is the place bodily inputs (e.g., throttle or arm change) are mapped to particular channels.
For instance, a fixed-wing plane with elevons (the place elevator and aileron inputs are mixed), the Mixes display means that you can ship each pitch and roll inputs to the identical channel. You can too configure channel-specific settings like limiting servo motion or including delays for easy transitions (helpful for flaps or touchdown gear). Right here’s an instance the place I setup the Mixes display for a flying-wing with out FC (and adjusting expo within the Inputs display): https://oscarliang.com/taranis-mixer-for-wings/
For FPV drones like quadcopters, setup is extra easy: you map an enter to a channel, and mixing isn’t wanted. I’ve a full tutorial on organising Mixes for FPV drones right here: https://oscarliang.com/taranis-mixer-for-wings/
As soon as the radio transmits the channels to the drone, the flight controller doesn’t know what every channel is for, all it sees are only a bunch of numbers. You’ll want to inform the flight controller what the channels are, i.e. which channel is throttle and which channel is the arm change and so forth. You are able to do this in Betaflight’s receiver tab, and choose a channel map for the primary 4 chanenls (e.g., AETR1234, which maps aileron to Channel 1, elevator to Channel 2, and so forth.). After which you’ll be able to outline the remainder of the channel within the Modes tab as these are usually used for switches. For extra particulars on organising channel maps, try this put up: https://oscarliang.com/channel-map/
Outputs: Remaining Output to the Mannequin
The Outputs is the place your combine will get translated into the ultimate sign despatched to the flight controller, ESC or servos. Within the Outputs display, you’ll be able to carry out small modifications reminiscent of setting sub-trim, adjusting min/max values for channels (to regulate finish factors), reverse the route of management, and guarantee your servos or ESCs don’t transfer past their bodily limits, and so forth. Each multi-rotor pilots and fixed-wing pilots will discover this display helpful.
Each multi-rotor and fixed-wing pilots will discover this display helpful, particularly for fine-tuning their fashions. For extra info on adjusting midpoints and endpoints within the Outputs display, try my detailed information right here: https://oscarliang.com/adjust-tx-channel-mid-end-point/.
Conclusion
When you perceive the aim of Inputs, Mixes, and Outputs in EdgeTX, the system’s true energy turns into clear. For easier fashions like multirotors, a few of these screens could appear redundant, however for extra complicated setups—like planes with no flight controller, or floor autos with intricate steering mechanisms—having this degree of management is invaluable.
The three-stage setup may really feel overwhelming at first, however as you advance, you’ll discover that this technique provides unmatched flexibility and precision. Whether or not you’re fine-tuning your quadcopter setup or managing complicated management surfaces on a fixed-wing plane, EdgeTX’s enter, mixer, and output screens present the instruments you might want to succeed.
