Help with upgrade for Devo 8S

I am sure most of what I'm about to ask has already been covered in the forum, but after weeks of reading till I can't see straight anymore, I still feel lost and confused and hope I can get some clarification to my specific questions.

To start, I'll give the specs on my TX. I have an older 100mw Devo 8 and swapped the module inside the TX to convert it to an 8S for Telemetry functions a while back giving me a silver Devo 8S. I updated the TX a year or so ago with the latest (as far as I know) Firmware 1.0A and Library 0.0.5 from Walkera's website using DfuSe version 1.7 (also latest as far as I know). I haven't flown my heli's and planes or used the TX for about a year now and recently went to visit Walkera's site to see if there were any new updates. To my surprise, it appears they don't do heli's anymore and looks like there's no more support for my and many other of the Devo TX's they had put out. Looks like mainly FPV TX's and quad aircraft is all they do now. Anyway, I'm hoping to get back to flying come Spring and my brother just ordered me an early Christmas gift. A HobbyZone Sport Cub S (RTF) and a Blade Nano CP S (BNF), both with SAFE technology and both using the same TX that will come with the Cub. The TX is just a simple 6 CH 2.4GHz (E-Flite MLP6DSM) DSMX radio with no programing capability. I would like to be able to use my Devo 8S to program and fly both aircraft along with the others I have and I see that Deviation will allow me to do that. Here are the questions I have before trying to do the update:

1. Will I be able to revert back to my current Walkera Firmware and Library if needed?
2. Will my current aircraft model settings be wiped out or remain the same once the update is complete? Will I have to redo the settings or can I save them somehow and import them back in after the update?
3. Will I be able to set up a function for the 2 new aircraft that will allow me to use SAFE mode?
4. I see in the forums people mentioning to do Nightly Builds and the Deviation update specific to my TX. I am confused if I need to do both or just the Deviation Upgrade

Thanks for any answers to my questions and help with the upgrading.

1. Yes.
2. No, and yes. Your models aren't destroyed, and are supposed to come back if you reinstall devention. At least, that's my understanding. I haven't tried it, and may be wrong. But you can't use you devention model files on deviation, and will have to redo them. Or search the forum here for model files for them to download.
3. Yes. My Sport Cub S model file with all three flight modes and a panic switch is in the forums, it's for the 10, but will work fine on the 8. I believe there are files for the CP S as well.
4. You need to do one or the other. Deviation is the firmware. The nightly builds are the latest version of that firmware. A common path is to install the last release - 4.0.1 - to check things out, then update it to the nightly builds for new features, etc.

Also curious about the A7105 module. I have a ProtoX and Xieda 9958. I have read through and noticed different model #'s of the module and different wiring variations. I think I have figured out the wiring based on version of firmware and nightly builds, but which of the modules would be the correct to get (A7105-D03, XL7105-D03 or XL7105-D03B)?

I understand that I will not have access to my current aircraft models once I convert to Deviation. Will the settings be the same when I redo them under Deviation (like gain values for heli tail) or will they be different and I'll have to redo entire setup on heli's and plane all together?

I don't know what the difference between those three modules are. May not be any if the labels come from eBay titles.

The settings will be the same. You'll have to translate the values from devention to deviation.

Ok.....I bit the bullet and installed the Deviation firmware. So far I am impressed with it! As I'm going through and familiarizing myself with all the screens, I have figured out I can make some changes along the way. I would like to start adding pictures of aircraft for icons and would also like to use some different Toggle Icons. I have found a few through the forum I like, but don't how I get them onto my TX. Most of the ones I see are bitmap attachments. Could you please walk me through how to get these onto the computer and then onto my TX? Also, do you know a link where I might be able to learn how to make some of my own aircraft icons to add?

So, yeah the learning curve can be steep to start out, but it looks like you're doing well! You have probably figured out that you can see the Devo as a USB drive when you plug into the USB on your PC and turn the Devo on while pressing the "ENT" key. I ALWAYS make a backup, and that's easy; just select all and copy from the USB drive to a backup folder on your PC. Then you can mess around with the files.

When you find a model.ini or icon that you want, you can right-click and save-as... to your PC. The color icons for the Devo 6 and 8 should both work and I think there are a good selection if navigate (using the Index tab) to the section where you see "Color Icons" . For the icons you want to use, make a copy and put them in the "modelico" folder on your Devo.

Do the same for model files, but when you copy them to the Devo they must be named model1.ini, model2.ini, model3.ini, etc. There is a really great model file manager (search for that term) that will copy them to and from your Devo, rename them, make backups, import, it's a terrific program. Switch assignments vary by transmitter, and the screens are different sizes, so start out by getting model.ini files for your own transmitter model. You *can* edit the ini files directly, but I usually suggest using the menus on the TX at first, so when you look at them later as Ini files, you can see the switch names and so on. There are quite a lot of model ini files already made. And it never hurts to ask... but start out slowly. Some of these files can have a lot of functions or features - - Here's my favorite ProtoX ini from the master! In the Config files section here are several examples of the ProtoX in the Config files, and a great color image.

So welcome aboard and happy flying!

nascar1929 wrote: Ok.....I bit the bullet and installed the Deviation firmware...

Following on from Deal57's helpful post ...
I'm a relative newbie here myself and I've been delving into some of the subjects you have questions about, so maybe I can help shed more light.

That page showing the different versions of the transceiver modules is the Pin Order list for wiring the module installations in the Devos. I believe it's not important to decide which is a better choice for our purposes. I believe those listed are just different architectures of the same electronics. The A7105 I got on eBay has "D03b" printed on the board.

As for the user interface, yes, much of it is merely bitmap graphics that can be edited to your preference. You can alter images yourself or download them from the links available through the Index as you may have found. How to edit images, such as models, is a complete tutorial in itself & I won't go into that. You may find posts here with great information about it. You may also find model images that other users have made available for download.

All modern (since Y2K) web browsers provide the means to download an image you have found that you'd like to use. Right-click on the image and you will be presented with a list of functions to choose from, one of which will be to download the image to your computer to a location you choose (desktop or folder somewhere). Put it someplace where you can find it again. On your Devo, all images are kept in the "Media" or "MEDIA" folder and that is where you will put your new, replacement images.

File names on the Devo must remain the same as those in the original installation and there can be only one file with a given name. Any new names, such as "splash8S.bmp" will not be recognized. The name must be "splash.bmp" in this example, to be recognized. That image, "splash.bmp", BTW, is the screen that appears briefly when you first turn on your Devo. Most users probably keep a backup of all the files on their Devo, stored on their computer.

To gain access to the files on your Devo, press and hold the "Ent" key while turning the Devo on. You'll see a screen with only a large USB symbol, indicating you should connect the Devo to your computer using the appropriate (mini) USB cable, the one that came with the Devo when it was new. Once connected, (mounted) your Devo should appear as a removable storage device on your computer's desktop ... or maybe you'll be prompted to install the necessary driver software, which you must do to continue. When I mount mine, it appears as "NO NAME". At this point you will be able to browse through the files on your Devo, including the Media folder.

OK, a hint about the file format: All graphics on the Devo are BMP file types. For the color-capable Devos (6, 8,12 and their variants) the BMP file must be 16 bit, RGB and may must include an alpha channel (mask), though that's not required. ICC profiles will be ignored and should not be included, to reduce storage requirements.

Here are links to all of the color "skins" that are currently available from users. Some are designed for the 8S, some for the 12S, but it doesn't matter as long as the main screen image (the background) is present (for 8 or 12). A skin will work with any color Devo as long as the main screen is present ...Deal57 commented that the sizes vary between color Devos, but I believe the only file that matters is the main screen - the background. There is one for the 8s and another for the 12S. My 6S Devo uses the background image for the 8S.

From henkerhaus: www.deviationtx.com/forum/custom-skins/2408-new-color-skin

From EduardS: www.deviationtx.com/forum/custom-skins/2...b-skin-thanks-to-fdr

From joergleimbach: www.deviationtx.com/forum/custom-skins/3...o-8s-whitebluecarbon

From MacGyverek: www.deviationtx.com/forum/custom-skins/2780-devo-8s-skin

From Fredyp: www.deviationtx.com/forum/custom-skins/1330-beastx-theme

Have fun!

Wow guys! Thanks so much for the in depth explanations. I'll give all this a go and see how it goes.
I did find some aircraft icons on the forums I will use. One I couldn't find is the Hobbyzone Sport Cub S. Is there anyone that can make a transparent icon of that bird for me?
Also, is there any reason for me to do the nightly build that was last done on 10/25/15? Are these just updates to the current firmware version?

Here's a quick'n'dirty one for you, haven't tested but it should be the right format.
[EDIT] goramn forum update means I can't attach, it's only 18kb![/EDIT]
For the 8S / 6S, you want the image to be 96x96, and the IMPORTANT part is to save as a bitmap BUT it's not a "standard" setting; you need to find advanced saving options and save it as a 16bit with A1 R5 G5 B5 settings! That makes it a 16-bit bitmap with a 1-bit alpha channel. I believe ALL bitmaps for deviation need to be saved like this, otherwise they won't show up at all.
One of the main issues for me is finding a pic that will rotate nicely and fill up as much of the 96x96 square as possible without turning into a stick figure; sometimes you might have to trim the wings/rotors a bit etc.

Well, I just tried a few icons I found on the forums. When I go to ICON under a model, they are listed, but when I click on them, the image doesn't change. It stays either the default heli or plane. Also found a splash picture on the forum I wanted to use. I removed the default splash image from the TX and put the new one in naming it "Splash" as the other one was and it doesn't show up either. I'm obviously doing something wrong.

[quote="RoGuE_StreaK" post=39798 ... For the 8S / 6S, you want the image to be 96x96, and the IMPORTANT part is to save as a bitmap BUT it's not a "standard" setting; you need to find advanced saving options and save it as a 16bit with A1 R5 G5 B5 settings! That makes it a 16-bit bitmap with a 1-bit alpha channel. I believe ALL bitmaps for deviation need to be saved like this, otherwise they won't show up at all. ... [/quote]

Yeah, I was wrong to say the alpha channel is not required for the BMP. I ran a test and learned that it is indeed required. It can be an empty channel, but it has to be there for the file to work. Sorry for the mis-information!

Answers the others missed:

You can find instructions for making model icons as pinned threads in the forum section on color (6/8/12) and b&w (7E & 1) icons. I believe the initial instructions use the GIMP (free software, runs on Windows/Mac/Linux/Unix), but photoshop and other for-$ software can be found in the thread.

You didn't ask, but making toggle icons is a bit harder. If you look in the directory "media" on that disk, you'll see three files: toggle0.bmp, toggle1.bmp and toggle2.bmp. If you look at those, you'll see a row of toggle icons in each of those. You need to replace those icons.

If you come up with toggle icons suitable for drones that have a GPL-compatible license, drop a note here. I'll submit a pull request to get them added to the nightly build. I really want those but my artistic skills are minimal, which is why you get told how .

A note on switches: The Devo 8 and Devo 10 have identical switches. The 10 has AUX4 and AUX5 analog inputs that are missing from the 8, so if a model for the 10 doesn't use those (just search for "aux" in the model.ini file) it'll work fine on the 8. The 6S (usually) and 7E have fewer switches, just with different names. You can use those, but will have to fix the switch names. The 12 has more switches, and more positions on most of the switches, so midek files for it are liable to have issues.

I saw those toggle files in the media folder and removed them. Found an image on the forums and put it in the folder, but all toggles were gone when I went to use them. The file I found was named toggle3.

The Splash image I found was named Deviation Logo and I renamed it "Splash" . Removed the original Splash image and dropped the new one in, but all I got was a blank screen when TX started up.

I found some images online of aircraft and resized them to 96x96 pixels using my paint program and saved them as bmp, but they still aren't showing up when I put them in the modelco folder.

I downloaded that GIMP program but have no clue how to use it.

Been playing with this for hours now and still not working. I even found a program that converts my images to 16 bit. I see the name of the file I have added when I click on icon, but the image doesn't change when I click on it.

Anything else I can try?

Figure I'll skip the above things for now and get to setting up aircraft. I got the Sport Cub S to bind and work, but can't get my aircraft with RX802 to bind. Any ideas?

I have a Walkera RX and I had to clear the fixed ID before binding. The procedure is on this manual page: image.helipal.com/helipal-walkera-rx802-manual.pdf . Did you use the search forum yet?

If you know your previous Fixed ID, use it in the Devo model setup, otherwise use none and clear it from the RX. Let us know what happens!

I found that exact manual online earlier and tried it, but didn't work. I did do a search on the forums and didn't find anything that helped.
I installed the bind plug in the BATT slot of RX
With ESC plugged into THROTTLE position on RX, I connected the battery and got a slow flashing red light on RX
I removed the bind plug and red light flashed faster
Removed battery
This clears the ID as far as I understand. I then reconnected the battery and pressed the bind button on TX under this particular aircraft and it wouldn't bind. I'm guessing I need to do something with the fixed ID, but not sure. I don't know my previous fixed ID cause it would automatically bind under the Walkera firmware. Never had to assign a fixed ID to any of my aircraft for that matter. Now that he RX has been cleared, how do I assign a fixed ID?

On another note.........I was testing the flight controls on my Sport Cub S and while doing so, noticed what seemed to be a glitch. I would move the rudder (only) back and forth and every once in a while, the ailerons would flip up and then back down once really fast. I thought it might have been the TX being too close to the plane, so I backed away a good 15 or so feet and made sure the antenna wasn't pointing directly at the plane. It still did it a few times. Not sure if this is an issue with the Firmware or the plane. The plane is brand new and hasn't been flown yet. I also tried to duplicate the issue with the cheap TX the Cub came with, but wasn't able to do so. My screen on the TX seems to glitch as well. I was working on some settings when all the sudden the TX just shut off and back on by itself, like a power glitch. Some of the toggle icons flicker as well when initially turning on the TX and it switches from the splash screen to the model screen. Is any of this normal? A bit nervous to use it right now.

nascar1929 wrote: This clears the ID as far as I understand. I then reconnected the battery and pressed the bind button on TX under this particular aircraft and it wouldn't bind. I'm guessing I need to do something with the fixed ID, but not sure. I don't know my previous fixed ID cause it would automatically bind under the Walkera firmware. Never had to assign a fixed ID to any of my aircraft for that matter. Now that he RX has been cleared, how do I assign a fixed ID?

Once you have cleared the ID on the Rx, clear it on the Tx as well. There "Bind" button will change to say "Reinit", which should connect them. You can leave it like that, and both the Rx and Tx wiki connect to any Rx and Tx with a cleared ID. To bind them and thus prevent flying a model with the wrong config, connect them then set a bind ID in the Tx a and hit the "Bind" button. That will set the ID in there Rx so it will only connect with that bind ID.

On another note.........I was testing the flight controls on my Sport Cub S and while doing so, noticed what seemed to be a glitch. I would move the rudder (only) back and forth and every once in a while, the ailerons would flip up and then back down once really fast. I thought it might have been the TX being too close to the plane, so I backed away a good 15 or so feet and made sure the antenna wasn't pointing directly at the plane. It still did it a few times. Not sure if this is an issue with the Firmware or the plane. The plane is brand new and hasn't been flown yet. I also tried to duplicate the issue with the cheap TX the Cub came with, but wasn't able to do so. My screen on the TX seems to glitch as well. I was working on some settings when all the sudden the TX just shut off and back on by itself, like a power glitch. Some of the toggle icons flicker as well when initially turning on the TX and it switches from the splash screen to the model screen. Is any of this normal? A bit nervous to use it right now.

This sounds like a problem with the Tx hardware.

I guess I better play it safe and revert back to original firmware. Bummer.....wanted to give this a shot. I'd hate to have the TX do one of those power glitches during a flight and possibly hurt someone.

The power glitch shouldn't be software related; going back to the original software is likely to not result in anything "safer". Unless you've discovered a bug that hasn't shown itself before. HAven't heard of a power glitch in a long time, and can't remember what the resolution was in the past, whether it was a hardware issue or not. Which build (software) are you using?
Did you calibrate your sticks? Even so, there shouldn't be any glitchy movements.

The only bit that sounds normal is the toggle icons; I've noticed them flicker onscreen when starting up. Interestingly, I just noticed on one model where I don't use any toggle icons at all that there is a residual blank space through the middle of the model name, where a toggle icon flashed up then disappeared on booting.

nascar1929 wrote: ...
I installed the bind plug in the BATT slot of RX
With ESC plugged into THROTTLE position on RX, I connected the battery and got a slow flashing red light on RX
I removed the bind plug and red light flashed faster
Removed battery
This clears the ID as far as I understand ...

Right, the receiver is cleared.
But, you still have to clear the tx.

I then reconnected the battery and pressed the bind button on TX under this particular aircraft and it wouldn't bind. I'm guessing I need to do something with the fixed ID, but not sure. I don't know my previous fixed ID cause it would automatically bind under the Walkera firmware. Never had to assign a fixed ID to any of my aircraft for that matter. Now that he RX has been cleared, how do I assign a fixed ID?

On the tx, be sure there are no numbers in the fixed ID field. If there are numbers, delete them. Then, power off the tx, and power on again, even if there were no fixed ID numbers. You cannot apply a fixed ID until you first successfully do an automatic binding to the model with Deviation, which you should be able to do now, since you've cleared previous fixed ID info on both ends - receiver and tx. Once you've accomplished the auto binding, you'll be able to set up a fixed ID number and bind with that. First, remove power from the receiver. Don't restore power until you've entered the ID numbers for the model. Power on the receiver and bind. Done. You will not have to manually bind these two again and they will bind very quickly from here on.