Where to buy: HobbyKing Turnigy 9X 2.4ghz Transmitter
Compatible FrSky module
Compatible FrSky module with Telemetry (my fav!)
Compatible Corona module
Compatible Assan module
EL Backlight mod
PDF Manual
FlySky is the maker of this affordable transmitter that is sold under many names. Turnigy and iMax, to name a couple. It can do as much as 9CH in PCM mode and 8CH in PPM mode. I paid about $150 on eBay with shipping from China. HobbyKing sells it for a little less, I think $70 for the transmitter only and you can choose which 2.4ghz module you want to use. I wanted a programmable transmitter that had all the features I need and also had inexpensive receivers. I think I found it.
Included in the box:
Transmitter
9CH receiver
Binding plug
Manual
The manual is pretty badly written. It reads as if they converted it from Chinese to German in Google translator and then had a Spanish guy translate it to French and then used Babelfish to translate it back to English. It’s that bad. If you want a better manual look for the iMax 9x manual, it’s a lot better.
I got the 9x because of cost. I had far too many radio’s kicking around. I wanted to replace every receiver in my hangar with a FlySky reciever. This way I only have to carry just one transmitter. I was prepared to modify my Esky heli’s 4in1 to use the receivers as well. I’ll go into details in another post. The HobbyKing TR6A and HK-R8A receivers will work with this transmitter too.
The 2.4ghz transmitter module looks strikingly similar to my FS-GT3 car transmitter FS-GT3. It’s an FS-TM0001 too. It looks like the modules are the same and you can just take it out and plug it into any 9X or GT3 transmitter. So for those people who already have a FS-GT3 3CH pistol grip radio, you can just buy a hollow Turnigy 9X and plug it in. I wish I had known this before hand. Modules from Assan and Corona also work with this transmitter so you’re not stuck with just the FlySky one.
The radio can do:
Throttle curves
Pitch curves
Endpoint adjustments
Subtrim
Swash AFR mixes
Servo reversing
Timer
Dual rate
Exponential
Flaperons
V-Tail mixing
Elevons
This radio has got a lot of things happening. Switches, knobs, and of course the LCD screen. It has an old school retractable antenna. You can buy an FM module to use it with your other FM receivers. At first it maybe a bit overwhelming but once you get use to setting up end points, curves, v-tail mixes and swash mixes, it’s like any transmitter. The interface feels very much like my 3CH FlySky car radio. It’s not as nice as the Spektrums, and I do miss that scroll button. You can have multiple model memories stored but you’re limited to 8 slots. It’s good enough for me right now. The downside is the screen. It’s kinda hard to see. There is no backlight and the contrast controls just don’t make it as visible as I’d like it to be. Another annoying issue is the loud beep with every button press. I just might yank out the speaker…. If you would like to add nice EL backlight for less than $20 see my other post here.
How to bind the RX (receiver) to the TX (transmitter):
1. Plug bind plug into BAT, turn on plane/heli, the LED light should flash (make sure power is connected to RX via ESC)
2. Hold down bind button on transmitter module while turning on the TX
3. The light should go steady now
4. Let go of bind button, turn off plane/heli, remove bind plug, turn off TX
5. Turn on TX and then turn on plane/heli
Specifications：
(1)、channels: 9channels;
(2)、model type: helicopter ,airplane, glider
(3)、RF power: less than 20db;
(4)、modulation: GFSK;
(5)、code type: PPM/PCM;
(6)、sensitivity: 1024;
(7)、lcd type: 128*64 dot;
(8)、low voltage warning: yes;
(9)、DSC port: yes;
(10)、charger port: yes;
(11)、power:12VDC(1.5AA*8);
(12)、weight:680g;
(13)、ANT length:26mm;
(14)、size:190*80*240mm;
The transmitter uses 8xAA batteries. However, I decided to use lithium-ion batteries with this instead. Lithium batteries last a lot longer and don’t drain when not in use. I actually had 4 of these 18650 batteries kicking around from a couple of years back. I accidentally bought the wrong size. Years later, I checked them to see if they were drained and it still had about 1400mah left in it and registers about 3.98v! That’s amazing… I didn’t know what to do with them until I saw a howto for using them in my radio.
Following the DIY from rcmodelreviews.com, it now runs off of 2×3.7v 2400mah batteries. You need to solder a 8.2K ohm resistor to the board. The reason why you need to solder the resistor is to fool the alarm to not beep when the voltage is lowered. (Or you can just rip out the speaker 🙂 You have to build your own 7.4v battery pack. I soldered the male servo connector to the battery. I then made an adapter that is a female servo connector > 2S connector so I can plug it to the transmitter’s connector. I charge the battery with my Lipo charger at about 1.2A as a 2s/7.4v battery.
If you’re not comfortable soldering onto the PCB of the transmitter or making your own pack you can buy 11.1v 3S transmitter packs like this one from HobbyKing. They work just fine and since it’s delivering the voltage needed, it wouldn’t set of the beeping alarm. Anything above 6v is wasted anyways. Even 8xAA is supplying more voltage than necessary and wasted to heat. Unfortunately most transmitters are like that. A conspiracy to sell more AA I tell you 🙂
