Turnigy 9X Programming Guide

The Turnigy 9X from Hobby King is an inexpensive ($55 USD) and popular radio that has gained noteriety for offering a great deal of "hackability" for the enterprising DIY user.

However, even a box-stock 9X with default firmware can fly Le Fish with no problem using the custom mixes below. These mixes will yield flaperon control, snapflaps and (optionally) the ability to reflex and camber the trailing edge using the throttle stick - also known as "4 Axis" control. Dual rates and exponential will allow control of a Madstab elevator, too.

All this makes the 9X one of the least expensive ways to get into flying a Le Fish or similar 4 channel aerobatics glider - the alternatives being a 6 channel or better offering from Spektrum, Hitec, Futaba or similar, which typically cost $160 USD or more. Not too shabby for a cheap & cheerful Chinese radio!

Notes:


 * These mixes are for the default firmware that comes preloaded on the radio from Hobby King


 * Mixes 1 - 5 copied with small value modifications from SpeedsterDEN's great video tutorial


 * Ailerons are plugged into Ch1 and Ch6 on the receiver.


 * AUX-CH: CH 5 is set to GEAR. All others are set to INH.


 * All built-in mixes (FLAPERON, ELEVFLAP, etc.) are INH


 * Important: In all cases below, FLP = the second FLP entry, next to first AUX.

Flaperon and Snapflap Mixes
Mix1

ACT

ELV

FLP

000

-050

-050

ON

Mix2

ACT

AIL

FLP

000

100

100

ON

Mix3

ACT

FLP

AIL

000

000

-100

ON

Mix4

ACT

FLP

FLP

000

000

100

ON

Mix5

ACT

ELE

AIL

000

050

050

ON

Optional mixes to give 4 Axis reflex & camber control on the throttle stick
These mixes will allow you to use the throttle stick to dynamically control the trailing edge of the wing. Having the stick centered will result in a unmodified trailing edge. Pushing the stick forward (up) will reflex (raise) the trailing edge. Pulling the stick back (down) will camber (lower) the trailing edge. This allows you to easily control the lift and drag generated by the wing, which can be exploited in a number of ways to improve the performance of Le Fish.

Note: These curves will result in a pretty large area of "deadband" around stick center. This is intentional and meant to make it less critical to precisely center the flap stick - so that you won't accidentally change the trailing edge while using the rudder.

Mix6

ACT

ARB

FLP

ON

Curve: 100 / 50 / 50 / 50 / 0

Mix7

ACT

ARB

AIL

ON

Curve: 0 / 50 / 50 / 50 / 100

Adding Spring Centering to the Flap Stick
A more elegant 4 axis solution is to add a spring to the flap stick so that it self-centers. Parts to do this modification are available from RC Tanks Australia for approximately $5 USD.

Alternatively, the parts can be fabricated from any suitable materials (aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, etc.)  While technically it could be made out of plywood, and it most likely would work, working with plastic or aluminum is not much harder, yet it will allow more accurate work and solid details (like spring attachment). All is needed is a couple of files, a drill and the proper drill bits. You'll notice on the drawing below that the pivot part is 4mm thick, versus 3mm for the rest. As the creator of the drawing, I used a rectangular piece of 3mm aluminum, and it's all fine. A washer could be added later if need be to bring the thickness to 4mm at that point. The reason for the 4mm is to clear the lever from the pot fixing clip.