What You Need:

RubiQ 1.0 or 1.5

Antenna

INAV 1.6.2

Micro USB

LiPo Battery

Taranis X9D or Taranis QX7
Steps for X9D:
WARNING! Remove props and attach the antenna before binding the receiver to the radio.
Note: be sure to bind one drone at a time to avoid cross-pairing to the incorrect radio controller. RubiQ comes with a PPM receiver, which means it’s compatible with FrSky Taranis radios. FrSky manufactures several different radios, which each have their own binding process. These directions are for binding RubiQ to the X9D radio controller. If you have a different model, check out the tabs above for instructions specific to the other radio controllers.
Make sure the throttle is down and all switches are away from you while binding.
To establish the connection between the drone and the radio, follow the Taranis binding procedure:
- Start with RubiQ disconnected from the battery and from the computer.
- Turn on your Taranis X9D radio controller with the On/Off switch located in the middle of the controller.
- Press the MENU button on the left side of the Taranis video screen to open the MODEL SELECTION screen.
- Use the + and — buttons on the right side of the screen to highlight RubiQ as a model.
- Press and hold ENT. A submenu will appear. Highlight the option SELECT MODEL and press ENT to select RubiQ.
- If RubiQ isn’t available, the radio needs to be configured. See the troubleshooting section below.
- Hit the PAGE button to open the MODEL SETUP screen. With the + button, navigate to the RECEIVER field located beneath Internal RF.
- Select the BIND option. To enter bind mode, press the ENT button.
- When the BIND field flashes and the Taranis chirps, the radio is in bind mode.
- While the Taranis is chirping, gently press and hold the small button on RubiQ’s receiver, which can be found below the battery plate on the top of the PCB. It requires very little force to press and hold the binding button. Excessive force could break the button.
- Then, while still holding the button down, connect the LiPo battery. (This maneuver may be easier with a friend and a tool.) The chirping should continue. Make sure the cable connecting RubiQ to the computer is unplugged, so the RX isn’t receiving power from the computer before the battery is plugged in.
- Wait to release the button until the lights come on and the beeps from the drone stop.
- Unplug the battery from RubiQ.
- Press ENT to complete the binding.
To see if your bind was successful, power up your Taranis and connect the battery to RubiQ. If the two are bound, the small LED on top of the receiver will be a solid color. If the LED is blinking, the bind was not successful.
WARNING! Remove props and attach the antenna before binding the receiver to the radio.
Note: be sure to bind one drone at a time to avoid cross-pairing to the incorrect radio controller. RubiQ comes with a PPM receiver, which means it’s compatible with FrSky Taranis radios. FrSky manufactures several different radios, which each have their own binding process. These directions are for binding RubiQ to the Q X7 radio controller. If you have a different model, check out the tabs above for instructions specific to the other radio controllers.
Make sure the throttle is down and all switches are away from you while binding.
To establish the connection between the drone and the radio, follow the Taranis binding procedure:
- Start with RubiQ disconnected from the battery and the computer.
- Turn on your Taranis Q X7 radio controller with the On/Off button located in the middle of the controller and make sure RubiQ is the model displayed on the video screen.
- The circle with the three stacked lines on the left side of the Taranis video screen is the MENU button. Press this button to open the MODEL SELECTION screen.
- This screen displays all the models that have been set up on the radio controller. The asterisk shows which model is currently selected. If RubiQ isn’t already selected, use the knob on the right side of the screen to highlight RubiQ as a model.
- Press the knob, and a submenu will appear. Highlight the option SELECT MODEL and press the knob again to select RubiQ.
- With RubiQ selected as the model, hit the PAGE button to open the SETUP screen. With the knob, navigate to the RECEIVER field located beneath Internal RF.
- Select the BND (bind) option. To enter bind mode, press the knob.
- When the BND field flashes and the Taranis chirps, the radio is in bind mode.
- While the Taranis is chirping, gently press and hold the small button on RubiQ’s receiver, which can be found below the battery plate on the top of the PCB. It requires very little force to press and hold the binding button. Excessive force could break the button.
- Then, while still holding the button down, connect the LiPo battery. (This maneuver may be easier with a friend and a tool.) The chirping should continue. Make sure the cable connecting RubiQ to the computer is unplugged, so the RX isn’t receiving power from the computer before the battery is plugged in.
- Wait to release the button until the lights come on and the beeps from the drone stop.
- Unplug the battery from RubiQ.
- Press the knob on the radio to complete the binding.
To see if your bind was successful, power up your Taranis and connect the battery to RubiQ. If the two are bound, the small LED on top of the receiver will be a solid color, usually green or blue. If the LED is blinking, the bind was not successful.
Troubleshooting:
If RubiQ isn’t available as a preset bind option, the radio needs to be configured.
- Download the Taranis Firmware Files
- Extract the contents of the downloaded file:
- On Windows, find the ZIP file RUBiQ_FreeRider_Riot250R_-with-sounds.zip. Right-click the folder icon and select “extract all.” This will bring up a sub-menu asking you to select a destination for the extracted files. Press the “extract” option at the bottom. A new file window will appear containing a series of folders. Keep this file window open.
- On Mac, Find the downloaded ZIP file RUBiQ_FreeRider_Riot250R_-with-sounds.zip. Double-click the folder to begin unzipping the files. A new folder will appear. Keep the file window open.
- Hold the horizontal trims inward and press the power button once to power on the Taranis. If done correctly the “BootLoader” Screen should be displayed.
- Open the rubber port cover on the bottom of the Taranis. Connect the Taranis to the Computer using a Mini USB cable.
- Next you’ll transfer the files you just downloaded from the “RUBiQ_FreeRider_Riot250R_-with-sounds” folder on your computer to the “USB Drive” (Windows) or the “NO NAME” drive (Mac). DO NOT transfer the files to the TARANIS drive! The TARANIS drive contains the software native to the controller and is not large enough to hold the files you are transferring.
- To transfer the files, select all the folders in the RUBiQ_FreeRider_Riot250R_-with-sounds folder. Drag them into the file window showing the folders in the USB Directory (the names of the two sets of files will be similar or identical). When given the option, choose to Replace the files in the new destination.
- Safely Eject the USB Drive to prevent corruption of data.
- Safely eject the TARANIS drive.
- Power down the Taranis.
When you power up the Taranis after flashing, you will see the “failsafe not set” warning.
You should always reset the failsafe before flying. Failure to reset the failsafe before flying may result in an out-of-control drone in the event you lose connection with your RubiQ mid-flight. To learn how to reset the failsafe, refer to Step 3b in the RubiQ Configuration Guide.
Next, you’ll need to apply the appropriate model.
- Power up the Taranis.
- Click on the MENU Button to enter the “Model Selection” Screen. At this point, the screen will look exactly as it did before.
- Press the ENT Button (push the right selection wheel) and select the “Restore Model” option.
- Select the RubiQ T model from the model list (RubiQ T, RubiQ S, ELF, FreeRider, RIOT) and push ENT. RubiQ T should now appear as a model.
- Scroll down to the next available number and repeat for each of the remaining models.