Installing the module bay...

[Raleighcopter]

This is a HOW TO thread. Do not ask/discuss sales here as that will make this a commercial thread and the mods will (rightly so) move it from this forum. I'll edit this post as I complete the instructions. Feel free to ask install questions here.

First, use a TX10 screwdriver to remove the contour grips from the back.

I've created a drilling template.

Tape it to your back. ALL HOLES ARE DRILLED FROM THE SILVER SIDE OF THE BACK.

Next use a drill press if you have one or a hand drill if you don't to drill a 1/8" hole at positions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Use a scrap of wood to back up the holes when drilling.

DO NOT DRILL A HOLE AT POSITION 6 YET.

Drill a 17/64" hole at position 7.

There are 2 holes at position 5. Start with a 1/8" bit and then enlarge to 1/4" and then finally to 3/8". Then use a file or a dremel tool to remove the last bit of metal between the two holes at position 5.

Use a file or sanding block to remove any burrs from the inside of the back remaining from the hole 5 extra metal removal and use a 3/8" drill bit by hand (not in a drill) to remove any burr from the black side of the back.


Next use the provided 4-40x3/8" cap screws in holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 to mount the module bay. I like to get all 4 screws started first and then tighten them. The pin holes should line up with the long opening created at position 5 and the opening should clear the holes by about 0.1" on all sides.



Next, remove the backing from the double sided tape on the pin assembly and insert it thru the back plate and into the holes in the module bay as shown below. The perf board should sit to the right of the pins and the hole in the perf board will line up with hole number 6.

Drill a 1/16" hole thru the hole and double sided tape of the pin assembly board and thru the aluminum back. Use low speed an very little pressure.

Use the one remaining screw (#2 x 1/4”) to secure the pin assembly. The screw should be just snug. DO NOT TIGHTEN THE SCREW SO MUCH THAT IT DEFORMS THE PERF BOARD. The double sided tape does most of the work. The screw just holds everything in place until the tape becomes permanent.

Of course, your pin assembly has wires attached....



Next remove the backing from the tape on the back of the red boost converter and attach it to the back just above the pin assembly and centered on the back. (See the photo below for a location that works)

Next, insert the 1/8" phone jack in position 7 (the last remaining hole) and tighten the retaining nut. The kit should be completely installed on the back and should look like this.



Use either hot glue or packaging tape to secure the wires near the boost converter and the sim jack. I've used yellow hot glue and it can be seen in the photo above.

Finally, plug the wiring harness into the jack on the main board in the transmitter and replace the back making sure the harness wires do not interfere with the gimbals.



Your install should be complete. Snap in a module, bind it to your model, and you should be good to go.




Suggested post install activitiy: sell your old legacy transmitters. You don't need them anymore.

[tadawson]

Have you considered an antenna mount atop the module bay body for those of us desiring module support that is *NOT* 2.4G?

- Tim

[Raleighcopter]

I had not, but I can look into it at some point.

[gunny_jeeves]

I think the JR and Futaba modules are built with antennas in them, or a special internal option. (Those work only for specific radios though.)

Here's a non 2.4 module that snaps right in.

[tadawson]

Built in antenna == 2.4GHz crap == no interest whatsoever. I want 50MHz!

Modules aren't just 2.4G you know, and once I had Jeti 2.4, why would I want to put in a module from an inferior system?

- Tim

[prototype3a]

Believe it or not, but some of the other 2.4ghz systems may actually have better range or possibly handle high noise environments better.

[Raleighcopter]

I think a mount that attaches to either the module bay or clips to the radio's handle might be in order. I suspect something like this is already available.

It would be nice if it simply snaps onto the handle so it can be easily removed when not in use or even just stay with the antenna when it is removed. A 50mhz antenna could be rather long at 1/4 wavelength (1.5 meters), and some might prefer a separate horizontal dipole or some other type than a vertical monopole antenna. 50 mhz is ham band and hams tend to do their own thing. I know, you should see the back of my house as I'm amateur extra licensed.

[gunny_jeeves]

There are several (apparently very old) JR 50mhz module options out there and they appear to all be able to fit.

Also the idea is that you wouldn't take a Jeti receiver out and downgrade... But that if like me, you got 20-30 (cough cough... 80 some odd models) you fly and that entails a couple of competition planes, 700's or some heavy hitters... That you can really make use of Jeti receivers on, the Jeti becomes the be all / end all radio to have. But the missing module makes me look at 80 x $69 minimum to upgrade and use the Jeti... Esprit doesn't even stock that many.

Edit: That would be $5,520 in just receivers and have no telemetry except for RSSI.... No way that even makes sense. (Especially vs a $150 option that's exactly what I want and am used to...)

With the module bay, You just fly most of your fleet with the receivers already in em... Those models you want cascading safety measures, telemetry controls, and the full epic-ness of Jeti... (My Avant Mostro, Logo 690, Goblin 630C, 50ccYak...) You pop on Jeti receivers and telemetry. The rest it's pop in the jr module and fly... Easy peasy. (Heck if the new Jeti user comes from Taranis / 9XR that use JR modules anyway, you don't even rebind. Pop the module in the Jeti, and build your mix. Done!)

Outgrow the module? No problem. Buy a new back, unplug it and swap the new back on. The Jeti is back just like the day you bought it. Still bound to your hangar full of turbines, 40% ers and 770-800's...

The module just makes it millions of times easier for growing hobbyists like me to take advantage of having a Jeti.

[onlychild]

Getting my module in about a week. Newbi needing some help.

Any info on what settings I need to set on the Jeti besides "PPM Positive"? I'm not even sure if that is correct.

Thanks

[tadawson]

Originally Posted by Raleighcopter

I think a mount that attaches to either the module bay or clips to the radio's handle might be in order. I suspect something like this is already available.

It would be nice if it simply snaps onto the handle so it can be easily removed when not in use or even just stay with the antenna when it is removed. A 50mhz antenna could be rather long at 1/4 wavelength (1.5 meters), and some might prefer a separate horizontal dipole or some other type than a vertical monopole antenna. 50 mhz is ham band and hams tend to do their own thing. I know, you should see the back of my house as I'm amateur extra licensed.

I was more thinking of beefing up the top of the module housing, and adding something like a flanged BNC connector, wired direct to the RF out pin for the module.

@gunny_jeeves JR 50MHz modules were current and built until the day JR decided to screw the market with non-modular radios, and are not very old. Myself, I'd fly 50MHz before I'd fly one of the cheezy Asian systems, and likely Spektrum, and my better model I plan to keep on 50 . . . . no need to fix something that isn't broken, and frankly, If I could have this radios feature set on 50MHz, I might not ever bother with 2.4 . . . .

And I'm an Extra as well . . .

- Tim

[Raleighcopter]

In order for that to happen, you would need to connect to the pin inside the radio and then route that wire back outside the radio to a bnc connector. The only other way I can think of is to somehow route it inside the module bay and there really isn't room inside the housing even if I were to remove more plastic. Additionally, that pin is not shielded which concerns me as I've seen what happens to ham radios when rf energy gets inside the radio, usually due to a bad ground. For those not aware, it usually resets the microcontroller or just causes it to flake out. I wonder if older radios with module bays were designed with shielding around the antenna pin from the module bay? I'm sure jeti didn't because they never intended there to be a module bay.

A better solution is to install a bnc connector on the module itself with proper shielding and either connect an antenna there or connect a coaxial cable that leads to a remote antenna.

If you are still interested, the standard module bay has the pin installed, just not connected. You can certainly experiment with one however you like.

[Raleighcopter]

Thinking more about this, there's room in the upper corner of the back to install a right angle bulkhead bnc connector. Some thin shielded coax might work, but I'm not sure which type of coax to use.

[tadawson]

Originally Posted by Raleighcopter

Thinking more about this, there's room in the upper corner of the back to install a right angle bulkhead bnc connector. Some thin shielded coax might work, but I'm not sure which type of coax to use.

The stock systems didn't use coax, just a lead from the module connector to the antenna base . . . and unless my memory is failing, we are only talking about maybe an inch or so between the module connector and the antenna in this case . . . far shorter than in a 50/72/36 native radio.

- Tim

[tadawson]

Originally Posted by Raleighcopter

In order for that to happen, you would need to connect to the pin inside the radio and then route that wire back outside the radio to a bnc connector. The only other way I can think of is to somehow route it inside the module bay and there really isn't room inside the housing even if I were to remove more plastic. Additionally, that pin is not shielded which concerns me as I've seen what happens to ham radios when rf energy gets inside the radio, usually due to a bad ground. For those not aware, it usually resets the microcontroller or just causes it to flake out. I wonder if older radios with module bays were designed with shielding around the antenna pin from the module bay? I'm sure jeti didn't because they never intended there to be a module bay.

A better solution is to install a bnc connector on the module itself with proper shielding and either connect an antenna there or connect a coaxial cable that leads to a remote antenna.

If you are still interested, the standard module bay has the pin installed, just not connected. You can certainly experiment with one however you like.

All the older radios I have seen have a loose lead internal from antenna base to the module socket (or in the case of my Multiplex stuff, from the RM module to the antenna - not a PCB trace, I think that's how they isolate). Likely the signal strength is so low as to not be an issue, unlike the high power HAM stuff . . . I don't recall how you did your module bodies, but my thought was to rework slightly to put more beef in the top for the connector, and add a channel for the lead . .

- Tim

[Raleighcopter]

The sides of the bay have the thickest plastic, almost .4" thick.

[GasNerd]

Very cool hack!
If Jeti came out with a radio with official JR Module support, I would probably dump my current radios and go Jeti. I do use the EzUhf and DSM2 module on my current radio in addition to the radios native signal.

-GN

[Raleighcopter]

I'm all for calling myself a hacker but this looks nothing like a hack. Maybe an accessory?

[prototype3a]

To be honest, the machining and electrical work could be more professional. Short run PCBs are not that expensive.

For the asking price, I would want the holes in the back panel to at least be CNC cut/drilled.

[Raleighcopter]

That might be an option if the kit came with a back panel, but it does not. It is simply a module bay for installation on your back plate.

[gunny_jeeves]

I'd agree 100% that ideally your average Jeti owner wants a new back to screw onto their existing Jeti radio. Plug and go.

I'd price it that way... Having the option of a kit, most folks would do as I did and buy a new back for it anyway.

Mechanically its not that much to it to install, but I'd agree about wanting it plug and play. That said, He could have made them more expensive and I would have still bought it.

It just arrived back today. Man it was totally worth it!!!

I got to basically slope soar the V911 (Windy...) but with increased throws, I could hold it against the wind and let off to climb, lean harder to come down... I just had a blast!

Did the chicken dance to takeoff too. Yep... Still got it. So my V911 was officially the first thing I flew on my Jeti...

Now I am programming in a couple of other options.

Plane - Likely will fly my Griffwerks Spirit of the Horde.
CP Heli - Probably gonna be the 300cfx or the 180cfx.
Quad - Simplecopter V-Tail...
First Jeti to Jeti - Logo 690 / MSH Brain...

Now I get to get into the nitty gritty with setting up the radio.

After seeing and feeling this module for the first time today, I have to say its great!

* The black material it is made of is a flat to satin finish... Looks extremely good with the Jeti back plate.
* Its sturdy throughout and the bezel is much thicker than I had expected. It will last the life of the radio I am sure.
* I can at least comment that it works with every module I have, AND that it works with the SIM jack as well while the module is there or if the module is gone. BOTH WAYS!

I can also come to the conclusion that I know how to make a plane or quad fly on it... but I will need to figure out how to make more normal things happen. (Gotta hit the books for that.)

I'm absolutely ecstatic with my purchase both from the module and the Jeti radios. I'd even prefer a finished back to pop on over the "kit" status, but then I guess I'd have four backs laying around... LOL. Not too practical for me...

In the end its sturdy, well made, looks like it belongs, still fits in the case, and works. If I can complain about anything, I sure as heck don't know what it is.



I'll get some video and do a nice review while flying stuff.