Saving the 7e

I know I'm the reason that 7e support is scheduled to be dropped after 5.0, but that's not because I want to drop support for the 7e - it's because I'm tired of fighting with it when trying to add features I want in deviation! It occurred to me that there might be an easy way to save the 7e. One that might be applicable even for 5.0, though I wouldn't advocate it. But I think it deserves discussion, and hope we're close enough to 5.0 for this not to be to early.

My suggestion is that we split the 7e build into two different targets. One - called "Standard" would keep the standard GUI, but drop support for telemetry and the multimodule. I know there are 7e users who need those, but believe they are a minority. This saves about 4K.

The other build - "Advanced" - would drop the standard GUI. it would have telemetry and multimodule support. This saves about 9K.

The only other thing that can be turned off is the vibrating motor support.

So, the first question is, how many 7e users out there wouldn't be happy with one or the other of those two builds?

In my mind, the real question is whether or not we really need the "Standard" version. I recommend only using the standard GUI for CP helicopters with flybars. It adds settings that aren't needed for other aircraft types like pitch and gyroscope mode, as well as settings that even an FBL helicopter doesn't need, like collective type. And worst of all, it can't deal with things like flight mode on a modern flight controller. That aircraft type and the 7e don't seem to go together to me, but I'm not in the 7e user base.

So the second question is how many 7e users would use the "Standard" build instead of the "Advanced" one knowing that the only advantage it has is the Standard GUI?

And just to make a wish - I wish someone would step up and take ownership of the Standard GUI. At a bare minimum, it should have support for flight mode selection. Possibly a very similar "accessories" section for lights & cameras and the like. Adding a "multirotor" mode that removed the pitch & gyro settings would then be easy and useful. And to really bring it up to snuff, adding an "Aircraft" mode that supported different wing configurations would be cool. That would make the "Standard" GUI and build really useful. But I don't see it happening.

I would go advanced. But think that idea of yours of making two 7e "sub-versions" is a great way to also save "standard" 7e people.

Still, I understand that wouldn't solve the protocol limits for "advanced users" (but there could be more localized optimizations there)

Sounds like lot of time to spend, efforts and tricks just to keep up adding features to the limits of the 7e. In my opinion better work on more advanced features and real innovations and improvements, like voice alerts, telemetry,etc etc. Hardware should not limit/restrict creativity and developments.

A Run deviation 5.0 over stock walkera firmware should run on any stock 7e.(final build 7e) People get many features....
B Upgrade the CPU of 7e, according to tutorial. (for advanced modellers), Ultimate 7e, to become part of the standard builds. (I am pretty sure we will get many followers)
C Buy another Tx devo 10, 6s to keep up with new features etc

I never even looked at the standard GUI from day 1 of using Deviation.
I think dropping the standard GUI is likely by far the easiest and cleanest way to free up memory, without sacrificing "important" features. Might even get away without a "standard" build.. drop the standard gui, see how many, if any, people start complaining.. if noone complains, we're good like that.

Unless the standard GUI has some speciality I am missing?

Fernandez, I don't think many will go to the Ultimate version so easily. If people were ready to throw money on all the dedicated hardware / knowledge to do the precisiosn de/re-soldering to do the mod, and to risk adding the price of a replacement Tx, they would probably go to a better Tx in the first place. So, "Upgrade the CPU" seems to me a bad bet, that almost no-one will make.

I'm with Arakon on this one, drop standard GUI and see what happens. It's not like it couldn't be reintroduced.

I am for dropping this standart gui. Don' t touch anything like telemetry etc...

If the only real use of the Standard gui is for flybarred CPs, and lots of 7E users seem to work directly with the model.ini's, how about an online interface for doing the setup of a flybarred CP, that generates a model.ini snippet to copy and paste? After the initial setup, everything else should be as per usual correct, or am I missing something?

I think the first thing that should be dropped is the multimodule support, there are so few completeted working multimodules out there that I see no reason for all 7e's to carry the code for it, secondly i'd drop the standard gui, there is nothing in there that can't be done by the advanced one. also you may want to poll on rcg or at least link from there to here, there's a lot of users over there that don't partake in this forum

also just for information purposes flybarless heli's can use the standard gui also

Multimod indeed is superseeded also for me, as you can connect your third modules CSN pin direct to the CPU in 7e, it works fine, therefore no need for multimod.

I actually did a poll a while back, and didn't get any conclusion. You can see the summarized results here: docs.google.com/forms/d/10yCwkXLnQUufACc...hU5J9c/viewanalytics

Based on another review of that, more people would prefer enhancing the standard GUI and dropping the advanced one. But the gating factor for work on deviation is what the developers are interested in working on. It's part of the hobby to us, not a job.

But PB has said elsewhere that it's to early to start discussing this. So let's hold off for now.

of course that would be the case, the standard gui is used by all the big hitters, jr, futaba, mutlplex, jeti, sanwa etc etc. it's the international standard that most people start out with, but unfortunately the guy who coded deviations version stopped short on implinentation (I think he was a heli guy lol) and then afaik pretty much dissapeared once it was accepted into the codebase.

anyway seems this is moot until another day

Hi,

I use my Devo 7e (2 modules, range mod, extra switches, stock antenna) almost every day to fly small arf heli's, small arf planes, and small arf quads. I have 60 models stored from Blade Nanos (stock and brushless) to Blade 450's (stock and upgraded with hot motors). All the small Helimax helis (brushed and brushless!, and tons of others Manu's due to Devo's compatability.

All using the Standard GUI and no telemetry. Copy and mod existing models for any new toy I get.

I have a Devo 12s ready for anything that will need telemetry and Advance setup. Going to add a multimodule soon.

I have always considered the 7e as an entry level radio and as such the easy-to-use Standard GUI is a smart choice.

JM2C... Thanks for all the work you've done developers...

John L.

I'm no expert in big guys user interfaces (I own a Futaba T10J, but no other advanced TXs), but is standard GUI really a standard, not several different implementations which don't have any resemblance to each other?

There is no standard, the manu's do not work together. The Devo Standard is easier to use(than Advanced) with some standard (heli only right now) mixes preset.

The best 'Standard' GUI I have used was on the original Walkera Devo 12 setup...

I have a JR 11x that fits in my hands so nice, but a pia to setup timers and mixes...

I never use Standard GUI on all my DEVO TX .........
I have 7e / 8s / 10 .
But deviation Advanced GUI on is much easier than OPEN TX for me.

John-Boy wrote: I have always considered the 7e as an entry level radio and as such the easy-to-use Standard GUI is a smart choice.

The problem with this is that the easy-to-use "standard" gui is so badly out of date that it can't handle modern entry level aircraft. The real low-end stuff typically has lights, maybe a cheap camera, and a flip mode - none of which can be set up in the standard gui. Going to hobby-grade aircraft, you find things like Horizon's "SAFE" flight control software, which has three different flight modes you can't set in the standard gui. While you might be able to use it without being able to control the lights, enabled automated flips or use the camera, you won't be happy for long. And having an entry-level aircraft you can't put in beginner mode is sort of pointless!

And that ignores that you've got a swash setting that you have to get right, and is meaningless on anything but a collective pitch heli that still has a flybar, They gyro setting is probably ignored, but if you really know what you're doing can be coerced into something else - except it's easier to use the advanced gui. If you're lucky, the pitch curve will be ignored except for CP helis. The throttle curve is of limited usefulness with that same exception.

I use my Devo 7e (2 modules, range mod, extra switches, stock antenna) almost every day to fly small arf heli's, small arf planes, and small arf quads. All using the Standard GUI and no telemetry. Copy and mod existing models for any new toy I get.

Do you really fly your quads and planes with it? You leave the model in heli mode, ignoring the plane and multi modes? You fix the swash setting on them (assuming it's not right), and ignore all those other things? And none of them have any extra devices or a flight modes that you want to set?

When flying fbl helis, the fbl controller (most, not all) is used to do all the servo setting (end points, swash level, etc). The only thing the radio does is multi rates, expo, throttle and pitch curves.

Most airplanes & quads I fly with the Devo 7e are 1 or 2 cell park fliers, simple 4 ch models that I may or may not use the Standard GUI (most often I do).

If I want more for my hobby grade quads, edf jets, big rc with flaps, spoilers, multi functions, I Do Not use the little DEVO 7e.

You are correct in saying the Standard GUI could be improved, but I still find it useful 80-90% of the time. When I show my 7e to others they can immediately identify with the Standard GUI. If all I had was the Advanced GUI, I can work with that.

I find telemetry a novelty for the Devo 7e. No time to look at a little screen while flying. With the teething pains getting it to work, I always leave it disabled to prevent issues. When telemetry becomes a need for me I will add the speech module to my 12s to take advantage of telemetry (and more...).

Again, jm2c.