A template for flying wings - and a new test tool!

Lockdown! Here in the UK it's been three weeks of relative quiet. On the bright side, I've been keeping busy with a couple of projects - a new template, and a testing tool for OpenTX setups...

Wingy 4S

Wingy 4S is the latest in my family of OpenTX templates. It's designed for flying wings with 4 servos. These seem to be all the rage these days (see the Wipe thread in RCG), and following a request from Swedish pilot Lars Brinck I decided to create a generic template with a view to publishing it online.

Wingy 4S layout, mode 2 shown. Throttle stick operates crow brakes.

The requirements were for quad-elevon mixing, crow brakes and rudder. My first thought was to take a knife to the F3F template, however it was soon clear this wouldn't work - camber, pitch and trim are inextricably linked on flying wings, and a complete redesign was needed.

Like my previous templates, Wingy 4S is provided with a setup guide, sound files and a reference guide. More info and download on OpenTX Clinic.

OTXSIM - a test and debugging tool

My second project is a telemetry script for testing OpenTX setups. I wrote it because I was tired of having to assemble a real model to do basic testing of a new setup. Using OTXSIM, all development and testing can be done on a PC - the model is only needed for calibrating the servos, and for final flight testing.

OTXSIM was inspired by OpenTX Glider Sim by Miami Mike. However it goes a little further. All my templates make use of GVARs (for adjusting mixers weights etc.), and I wanted to be able to alter these within the sim. Secondly, it had to support all common wing and tail layouts without reconfiguration. And thirdly, it had to be able to work out (or try to work out) the servo assignments automatically, from the channel names.

OTXSIM is intended for use with the Companion simulator. While it can run on a transmitter, there's little point and I don't recommend it - taking up processor cycles is fine on a PC but not a good idea when flying if it can be avoided.

The script supports the X9D/X9D Plus. If you're targeting another tx, you'll need to develop your setup for the X9D and then convert it to the target in Companion.

I've found OTXSIM invaluable, having used it extensively on the Wingy 4S project. You can find more information including a download link on this page.