Post by Brain on Jul 24, 2020 6:11:41 GMT
The FrSky X9D was undoubtedly the most popular FrSky radio for years. Even with competition from other veterans brands such as Futaba, Spektrum, etc., FrSky managed to get a large following with their line of Taranis products and in the forefront is the FrSky X9D.
Naturally, after years of success, Frsky released an upgraded version of the ever-popular X9D with the X9D Plus variant and have subsequently phased out the original X9D transmitter from its product line.
FrSky X9D Plus Initial Impressions
The unboxing experience is pretty good. The X9D Plus comes in a carry case that is included with all purchase of the transmitter.
The transmitter comes with the following accessories:
Taranis X9D Plus (SE version)
Charger
Lanyard (Neck strap)
Battery (pre-installed)
Carry Case
1GB SD Card (pre-installed)
That is plenty of stuff to get you started and my favourite is the carry case as it is quite tiresome and dangerous to carry your transmitter without any protection and this hard carry case will protect it quite easily.
The Build Quality
The X9D Plus has the same build quality as its predecessor. The same switches, sliders, gimbals.
The gimbals are traditional potentiometer based gimbals which are kinda a bummer because you lack the precision and the longevity of a hall-effect based gimbal system. You can however always purchase the upgrade M9 hall-effect gimbal for about 25$.
Coming to the switches, they are of decent quality and the switches are nice tactile ones with good ‘clickiness’.
Features
The X9D Plus comes with a host of features including the new haptic feedback vibration motor which gives you haptic feedback during turn on and off and when you have set something up in the settings. Quite useful when you are flying in a crowded area and can’t hear the audible feedback.
Another noticeable update is that the display now comes with a dual colour screen. You can choose between a white or a blue colour backlight for your display, thus giving you some degree of customization and let us face it, it is cool
Haptic Vibration Feedback System
Dual Backlight Colours (Blue & White)
OpenTX Firmware
RSSI alarms (warns you of reception problems before it becomes an accident)
16 channels with internal XJT module with ACCST firmware
64 mixers, 9 flight modes
16 custom curves with 3-17 points each, 32 logic switches
60 Model memory which is expandable with the SD card (comes with 1GB SD card)
Audio Speech outputs
USB and SD card slot for unlimited memory, and firmware upgrades, sound editing.
Potentiometer gimbal
Super-low latency for an ultra-quick response (9ms)
Big Display
Real-time data logging
Traditional JR Style module bay for external RF modules
Powerful processor
The back of the X9D Plus stays the same as the previous X9D. It has the JR bay for external RF modules such as the R9M or the Team Black Sheep CrossFire module.
Below the JR bay, you find the mini USB connector for firmware upgrades as well as simulator use. On either side of the USB port, you find the trainer port or ‘buddy box port’ which is used to link two transmitters together in a master-slave configuration to teach others how to fly.
The other is the 3.5mm audio jack in case you want to connect a headphone or earphones to listen to the auditory feedback from the radio.
Ergonomics
The ergonomics of the radio is kind of too big for me personally and I am not a huge fan. But a lot of people prefer this as it gives a good grip and is good for pinching and thumbing, unlike the QX7 which is more suitable for thumbing than pinching.
The switches are accessible but can be too crowded. Your fingers might hit the wrong switch and this isn’t a good thing while you are flying.
The question of whether you should get the X9D Plus after this FrSky X9D Plus review is confusing because there are other transmitter radios like the QX7 which are cheaper and the fact that FrSky has released the 2019 version of the X9D Plus with ACCESS firmware has to be thought too. In my opinion, you should get the 2019 versions of the radios from FrSky for future updates and support.
Naturally, after years of success, Frsky released an upgraded version of the ever-popular X9D with the X9D Plus variant and have subsequently phased out the original X9D transmitter from its product line.
FrSky X9D Plus Initial Impressions
The unboxing experience is pretty good. The X9D Plus comes in a carry case that is included with all purchase of the transmitter.
The transmitter comes with the following accessories:
Taranis X9D Plus (SE version)
Charger
Lanyard (Neck strap)
Battery (pre-installed)
Carry Case
1GB SD Card (pre-installed)
That is plenty of stuff to get you started and my favourite is the carry case as it is quite tiresome and dangerous to carry your transmitter without any protection and this hard carry case will protect it quite easily.
The Build Quality
The X9D Plus has the same build quality as its predecessor. The same switches, sliders, gimbals.
The gimbals are traditional potentiometer based gimbals which are kinda a bummer because you lack the precision and the longevity of a hall-effect based gimbal system. You can however always purchase the upgrade M9 hall-effect gimbal for about 25$.
Coming to the switches, they are of decent quality and the switches are nice tactile ones with good ‘clickiness’.
Features
The X9D Plus comes with a host of features including the new haptic feedback vibration motor which gives you haptic feedback during turn on and off and when you have set something up in the settings. Quite useful when you are flying in a crowded area and can’t hear the audible feedback.
Another noticeable update is that the display now comes with a dual colour screen. You can choose between a white or a blue colour backlight for your display, thus giving you some degree of customization and let us face it, it is cool
Haptic Vibration Feedback System
Dual Backlight Colours (Blue & White)
OpenTX Firmware
RSSI alarms (warns you of reception problems before it becomes an accident)
16 channels with internal XJT module with ACCST firmware
64 mixers, 9 flight modes
16 custom curves with 3-17 points each, 32 logic switches
60 Model memory which is expandable with the SD card (comes with 1GB SD card)
Audio Speech outputs
USB and SD card slot for unlimited memory, and firmware upgrades, sound editing.
Potentiometer gimbal
Super-low latency for an ultra-quick response (9ms)
Big Display
Real-time data logging
Traditional JR Style module bay for external RF modules
Powerful processor
The back of the X9D Plus stays the same as the previous X9D. It has the JR bay for external RF modules such as the R9M or the Team Black Sheep CrossFire module.
Below the JR bay, you find the mini USB connector for firmware upgrades as well as simulator use. On either side of the USB port, you find the trainer port or ‘buddy box port’ which is used to link two transmitters together in a master-slave configuration to teach others how to fly.
The other is the 3.5mm audio jack in case you want to connect a headphone or earphones to listen to the auditory feedback from the radio.
Ergonomics
The ergonomics of the radio is kind of too big for me personally and I am not a huge fan. But a lot of people prefer this as it gives a good grip and is good for pinching and thumbing, unlike the QX7 which is more suitable for thumbing than pinching.
The switches are accessible but can be too crowded. Your fingers might hit the wrong switch and this isn’t a good thing while you are flying.
The question of whether you should get the X9D Plus after this FrSky X9D Plus review is confusing because there are other transmitter radios like the QX7 which are cheaper and the fact that FrSky has released the 2019 version of the X9D Plus with ACCESS firmware has to be thought too. In my opinion, you should get the 2019 versions of the radios from FrSky for future updates and support.