Universal ACCST Firmware is coming.

[Wayne]

There is not a day that we do not hear from customers that are having binding issues due to the V1 or V2 firmware binding issues. While it is simple for us to explain, the solution can be a bit ugly to incorporate for many users. There must be a better solution? Well, we got tired of waiting for something better.

A Universal ACCST Firmware!
I'd like to share a rather large project that we have been working on at Aloft along with some of the other Service Dealers in Europe and the UK. We have teamed up with an RC guru to develop new receiver firmwares for many of the FrSky ACCST receivers. The goal is a better user experience with the FrSky ACCST protocol products. ALL FrSky transmitters can use ACCST (also known as D16), from the very first Taranis to the current X20 and everything in between.

What can it do?
Receivers with this new firmware will be able to bind to the following:

1. FCC Version of ACCST V1
2. FCC Version of ACCST V2
3. EU Version of ACCST V1
4. EU Version of ACCST V2

Yep, you get all four of these in a single simple to use receiver. No more switching out firmwares and going insane. During the normal bind process, the receiver automatically switches until it finds the version your transmitter is running. How simple is that?

If you are using V1 in your transmitter the new Universal Firmware mitigates the V1 bug to the point it is of very little concern. Mike has also added some magic to reduce or remove the typical signal swamping that occurs when the transmitter is very close to the transmitter, you know the good old message: "Telemetry lost. Telemetry Found." warnings. Everything else works like you would expect it to. Servos run when you plug them in, Sbus is there, all the normal telemetry, and maybe a couple of tricks that you can turn on via a LUA script on your transmitter.

Is it Ready?
Not just yet, but getting very close to for our first receiver, the X8R. We have several BETA testers helping us to test this firmware around the globe, we want to be very careful and make sure we are checking and confirming everything we can think of.
YES - We have UNI released for a large number of FrSky ACCST receivers now!

Our plan is to have this firmware for all currently available ACCST receivers except for the S6R and S8R as they are far more complex.

What do you think, interested? Let us know your thoughts.

Downloads:
Here is the instruction manual:

Universal ACCST Guide

docs.google.com

Download current files and scripts in this thread:

UNI receiver Firmware Release FIles (Universal ACCST D16)

Please do NOT post questions in this thread, see below. LATEST NEWS: The R-XSR is now supported by UNI (V79). A guide document is in the second post (cannot have more than 10 attachments on one post). Link to Ethos scripts added. V78 for the G-RX6 and G-RX8 improves Vario function. V59 for the...

forum.alofthobbies.com

Only for FrSky receivers. Installation on any clone receivers will force the friendly options to be eliminated.​

 

[Konrad]

Great!

I recall much the same problem with pos and neg shift RX way back in the days of 72mHz. Then some hungry firms like Berg and FMA came out with an auto shift RX. Those saved us that had to deal with the Futaba rigamarole a lot of money keeping two sets of RX.

Anything that can make the RF protocol issue go away or lessen the impact can only be a plus for FrSky and her customer base.

I suspect that what is needed is somebody with a deep understand of RF and coding background. This kind of talent doesn't come straight out of school but come from a history of experience. large corporation (not just FrSky) have yet to learn that skilled programers are grown not picked up at the local hipster bar. I point to the bad packet pass through ACCST v1/v2 issue having been found and described by German amateurs (read dedicated not on staff well rounded engineers). I suspect your RC Guru is no novice!

Talent can't be replaced or slid in like changing a tire.

I'm so happy that Aloft and other have taken this problem head on and is running it to ground.

Great job. I just wish FrSky had the resources to do this themselves 2 years ago!

All the best,
Konrad

 

[thenated0g]

this is great. I have had a bunch of weird issues lately trying to bind stuff. Hopefully this will fix it.

 

[l Shems]

This is a good initiative. I hope you can increase your business result with it.

Running a business doesn't always need to be focussed on direct tangible business cases with investments weighed against short term returns.

I praise aloft for their quality approach, based on loving the job you do, and wanting to deliver the best experience. With the confidence that that will pay of in the end.

Praise to be valuated even more, since they are capable of adding quality and support to products produced by a company missing that integral and long term view.

I truly hope you can fix this with Mike, and I would encourage everyone to pay a small bonus price for receivers with this firmware pre installed at aloft or one of the European partners.

Not that my voice counts, but if it helps anyway, so the better.

Guido

Have fun and just fly!

 

[P.I.Engineer]

will f.port be available?

 

[Wayne]

will f.port be available?

Interesting, that is something we may look into adding in the future.

 

[MikeB]

What do you want f.port for? As I understand it, there are no sensors available from FrSky (yet), so it may only be used with flight controllers.

Mike

 

[Wayne]

F.port works with the FrSky servos and the telemetry they can output.

 

[Wayne]

Just a quick update up on this project. Mike is working on a solution to fix another bug that exists in FrSky transmitters where a random error in telemetry data can slip through. It is more an issue for folks in the EU when dealing with very poor RF conditions. This is slowing things down some but will result in a much better system.

 

[Wayne]

Yep, this fix is important for our EU partners on this project. Hopefully it is something that can be managed from the receiver side, but it may not be.

 

[Wayne]

The receivers are built by FrSky, but are no longer a normally listed item for other dealers. We team up with the other FrSky Service Dealers to combine our buying power allowing us to order up a production run of receivers. This was a very nice offer from FrSky to offer this service to us and to help support their customers and the Service Dealers. So far 2 ACCST receivers have been brought back from extinction.

 

[Konrad]

And these are?

 

[Wayne]

And these are?

G-RX6 and RX4R

 

[Konrad]

Can I ask that the X8R pro be in your sights?

 

[Wayne]

Probably go after all of them but the stabilized units as they not something we are interested in making new firmware for.

 

[Konrad]

Probably go after all of them but the stabilized units as they not something we are interested in making new firmware for.

Thank you.

I agree the stabilized units are probably best left to FrSky alone to deal with.

 

[Toni]

The receivers are built by FrSky, but are no longer a normally listed item for other dealers. We team up with the other FrSky Service Dealers to combine our buying power allowing us to order up a production run of receivers. This was a very nice offer from FrSky to offer this service to us and to help support their customers and the Service Dealers. So far 2 ACCST receivers have been brought back from extinction.

Hi, just a quick question
Will these firmware fixes be available for any frsky accst rx? Or only for newly bought from aloft?
I would happily buy them from you if necessary, no doubt, even though I'll have to suffer the shipping "pains to spain" not to mention the customs headaches and taxes...
But, Would also be happy to retrofit in the ones already own.
Of course paying somehow for !

PS: Did I already ask you to open store in Barcelona?
Toni

 

[Wayne]

Yes, these will be available from the four FrSky SERVICE dealers only, Aloft Hobbies in the USA and the others are in UK, CZ and Germany. More details on that later.

As a quick update on the firmware development, we attempted to fix an annoying ACCST telemetry bug that would give random telemetry errors when RF performance was very weak, I really did not think this was going to be possible to fix from the receiver side, but looks like the latest code has managed to cure this. Very excited by this news! At this point I think we have cured all known issues within ACCST.

 

[2xWhiskey]

As a quick update on the firmware development, we attempted to fix an annoying ACCST telemetry bug that would give random telemetry errors when RF performance was very weak, I really did not think this was going to be possible to fix from the receiver side, but looks like the latest code has managed to cure this. Very excited by this news! At this point I think we have cured all known issues within ACCST.

Thanks for the update. I've been trying to be patient while I wait. It sounds like it is very close to a release?

 

[Wayne]

Yes, think we are getting close. I flew two different planes on the firmware yesterday, just flying around having a good time, all was perfect. Waiting to hear back if any beta testers have run into anything at all.