Methods to Setup the Radiomaster TX16S MK3 Radio Transmitter and Methods to Use It

For newcomers, 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: how one can create a mannequin, setup the switches, and how one can make just a few fundamental configuration adjustments. On this information, I’ll stroll via a easy beginner-friendly setup course of for the Radiomaster TX16S MK3, specializing in FPV drones.

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

The radio I’ve right here is the Max Version. When you’ve got the Commonplace Version, that’s wonderful too—the setup course of is nearly 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 obtainable 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 are usually not included, however they’re extensively obtainable on-line. Listed below 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 wish is excessive actual capability, discharge charge is much less vital for low energy tools 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. Nonetheless, 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 way in which down will eliminate this warning.
• Change 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. If you happen to get this warning, comply with this information to repair it.

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

If every part goes effectively, try 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 possibly can go away most radio settings at default, however listed below are just a few adjustments I all the time make when organising 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 when you want it quieter.
• Quantity: Most. You possibly can alter the quantity utilizing the knob, and I’ll present you how one can 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
  • If you happen to fly long-range, you might need to set this barely larger, 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 as a consequence of 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 avoid wasting battery)
• ON brightness: Most (You possibly can alter display screen brightness utilizing a knob, and I’ll present you the way later on this information)
• OFF brightness: Minimal
• Alarm: Enabled (While you get a warning, the backlight activates mechanically)

Why use Keys mode?
By default, each the sticks and buttons can activate the backlight, which is commonly pointless. You aren’t actually wanting 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” day by day.)
• Energy Off Delay: 0.5s or 1s (You possibly can flip the radio off extra shortly. It’s best to keep away from setting it to 0s, in case you by accident 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 absolutely 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 underneath Radio Settings, as talked about earlier.

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

3. Inner RF

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

For radios with an inside ExpressLRS RF module, use:

• Sort: CRSF
• Baudrate: 5.25M

Quicker baudrate = quicker communication between the RF module and the radio. However that doesn’t imply each radio assist larger baud charges, it relies on the RF module and radio functionality. In response to ExpressLRS Wiki, the inner ELRS module from Radiomaster can deal with 5.25M baudrate. If you happen to’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 rising baudrate, then it’s an indication your radio or module doesn’t assist the chosen Baud Fee. Decrease it down a notch and take a look at once more.

Battery Voltage Calibration

To ensure your radio exhibits an correct battery studying, take a second to examine 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.

For the reason that 2 cells are linked in sequence, you need to count on a studying someplace between 6V and eight.4V. The objective is to ensure 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 wonderful. 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 prime bar so as to add a widget
5. Choose Worth, then select Batt

Gimbal Rigidity Changes

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

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

When you’ve got the usual Corridor gimbals, please seek advice from the producer’s information for directions.

Gimbal Calibration

Earlier than flying together 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> just a few 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 perfect outcomes, keep away from transferring the sticks in circles, push them in a single course, like a cross. As you’re about to achieve the tip factors, be as light as doable, so the radio can learn them precisely.

And don’t neglect to calibrate the knobs too. You possibly can repeat the calibration course of as many instances as you need.

Creating Fashions

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

Personally, I want 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 approach when you’ve got a number of quads that every one use the identical radio hyperlinks.

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

Methods 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: Increased charges imply decrease latency however much less vary. Decrease charges imply extra vary however larger latency. I like to recommend 250Hz as an excellent stability, 500Hz for low latency, 150Hz for lengthy vary.
• TX Energy: This relies on how far you intend to fly. 100mW to 250mW is normally sufficient for most individuals and is able to greater than a number of miles.
• WiFi Connectivity: Permits you to activate the module’s WiFi so you may entry its WebUI out of your telephone or laptop computer.
• Bind: Places the module into bind mode.

If you’d 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 possibly can customise the RGB LED rings across the gimbals with totally different lighting patterns and strong colours, or flip it off.

To try this, go to World Capabilities. You can too 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.

If you happen to don’t need any LED in any respect, simply don’t add this international 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 try this, go to Mannequin Settings → Customizable Switches, and set the Sort of every swap 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 organising your Radiomaster TX16S MK3 radio. I’ll preserve updating it if I uncover extra helpful mods, settings, or upgrades for this radio.