OpenRCForums user Myckey has a nice pair of posts on upgrading the 9xr Pro with Taranis gimbals.
I'm preparing to try it. I'll make a video and take some pictures. Prepping for that, here's the steps as I understand them.
Wiring
The goal of this step is to modify the wiring so that the gimbal has two sets of three wires going into each 3-pin plug. One set of wires is for the X axis and one set of wires is for the Y axis.
- release the six gimbal wires from the multipin plug.
- release the wires to both pairs of the 3-pin plugs.
- attach each set of 3 wires from the gimbal to the 3-pin plugs.
When this step is completed, you have a 3-wire set for the X axis and a 3-wire set for the Y axis.
Hardware
We need to modify each gimbal to fit in the 9xr gimbal hole. Each of the four corners of the gimbal has an "ear" with two holes. A bit of trimming will allow the Taranis gimbals to fit securely into the 9xr gimbal mounting plate.
- sand or dremel the outside of the ear, removing the outside hole. leave some material around the inside hole, as we will enlarge that.
- open the case and remove the old gimbals. note that you will disconnect two wire harnesses for each gimbal. leave the gimbal faceplace attached.
- push the new gimbals to the faceplate so that the gimbal holes line up with the 9xr gimbal posts. It's a friction fit.
- check the alignment of the holes. each gimbal hole should be about 1mm offset from the 9xr post.
- turn the 9xr over and see if there's a gap between the gimbal and the faceplate.
- if there's a gap, sand or dremel the gimbal around the mounting hole so that the gimbal will sit flush to the faceplate.
- Enlarge the holes in the faceplate only using a 3mm or 1/8'' drill bit. Drill from the top of the 9xr.
- Attach the gimbal to the faceplate using a slightly longer screw (TBD: length?) of the same diameter (TBD: diameter?).
- The gimbal should fit flush against the faceplate.
Reassembly
Inspect the fitting, attach the wires, test the harness connections, and close up the case!
- connect the shorter wire harness to the inner 9xr gimbal connection.
- connect the longer wire harness to the outer 9xr gimbal connection.
- attach a battery and test the gimbals as described in the next step.
- close up the case.
Testing
Two things can go wrong with the wiring. The X and Y axis can be swapped (i.e. moving the stick up and down shows motion in the horizontal direction), and the X and Y axes can be reversed (i.e. left stick motion show right motion in the radio).
- go to the calibration menu.
- if the X and Y axes are swapped, swap the two connectors.
- if either the X or Y coordinates are reversed, swap the two outer wires of that connector.
Myckey's instructions are here. A lot of people have wanted better 9xr gimbals, so a big shoutout to him for figuring this out in such a superb way!
blogodex = {"toc" : ["9xr Pro", "9xr"], "idx" : ["Taranis", "gimbals", "9xr gimbal upgrade"]};
Here's the followup to this post where I promised to cover the setup and operation of proper setup and operation of a brushless gimbal.
