Paladin PL18 Ultra user manual

Pay attention to the following icons and their meanings. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in equipment damage or personal injury.

Prohibited:

Mandatory:

AFHDS 3 (third-generation automatic frequency hopping digital system) is a newly developed digital wireless system with independent intellectual property rights by FLYSKY. It is compatible with one-way and two-way real-time data packet transmission and transparent data stream transmission. In other words, this system has advantages of both AFHDS 2A and WS2A wireless system. It equips with a brand-new 2.4G chip, stable and reliable connection, good real-time performance, and supports various configurations. Bring you the optimal configuration for multi-scenario application performance.

Buttons under left grip and right grip

The positions of the 'DFU Upgrade Button for Transmitter Firmware', 'Forced Shutdown Button', 'DFU Upgrade Button for Built-in RF Module Firmware' and 'USB Connection for RF Module or Transmitter Switching Button' are shown in the figure above, you need to tear apart the grip to find it. To press the four keys shown above by using a long thin tool.

Forced Shutdown Button

In case the transmitter can not be powered off by pressing the two Power Switches, please reset the transmitter with this button.

Setup:

1. Pull the grip on the left side of the transmitter and find the Forced Shutdown Button under the grip.
2. Insert a long, thin tool into the small round hole and press the Forced Shutdown Button located there. The transmitter will turn off immediately after pressing it.

Make sure that the receiver is mounted in an appropriate location within the model, to ensure a stable signal, maximum range and to mitigate external interference, follow these guidelines:

Pay attention to the following when installing the receiver:

1. Make sure the receiver is not installed near ESCs or other sources of electrical noise.
2. Keep the receiver's antenna away from conductive materials such as carbon or metal. To ensure normal function make sure there is a gap of at least 1cm between the antenna and the conductive material.

When the transmitter is powered on for the first time, the power-on wizard interface will appear. Finish the settings on Stick Mode (ST Mode), Stick Calibration (ST Cali.) and Update RF according to the interface prompts, and then click Start using. Tap the top left corner of the reminder screen to change the language.

The transmitter will also enter the power-on wizard function after upgrading the firmware via the TX firmware update function or after resetting via the Factory reset function.

In addition to this, please follow the steps below to power on the transmitter:

1. Check to make sure that the battery is fully charged.
2. Press and hold the two Power Switches at the same time until the screen turns on.
3. Follow the pop-up prompts accordingly to power on the transmitter.

• Whether to turn on the transmit function. If RF is not required for this power-up, the transmit function can be switched off.
• Whether the switch is in a safe position. (A red background on a control indicates that the position needs to be adjusted.) Check the position of the control according to the prompts and move it to the correct position.
• Whether the current model has failsafe set. To turn off the failsafe setting reminder when powering on the device, click Ignore or turn off "Startup reminder failsafe is not set" in General.

Note: This function was updated in version 2.2.18.

The transmitter and the receiver have been pre-bound at the factory. If you need to rebind or bind a new receiver follow the steps below. The Flysky AFHDS 3 receivers consist of classic edition receivers and enhanced edition receivers. The bind method is slightly different between these two editions.

Note: The Flysky AFHDS 3 classic edition receiver models include FTr10, FGr4, FGr4s, FGr4P, FTr4, and FTr16S. Other Flysky AFHDS 3 receivers are considered enhanced edition receivers.

To enter the Bind setting interface via (Basic) > RX setting.

The binding interface of enhanced edition receiver

Binding 1 receiver:

• RX type: Displays the RX type; click to switch the RX type: [Enhanced] or [Classic].
• Sending CH: Displays the number of output channels. Click to switch the number of output channels: [18CH], [12CH], [8CH], or [4CH (Fast)]. Select a receiver with the corresponding number of channels based on the transmitter's channel count. If the receiver has too few channels, it may affect the functionality of the transmitter. If it has too many, it will waste channel resources. For example, if you need to use 8 or fewer channels (such as with the FTr8B, which only has 8 PWM channel outputs), the transmitter can be set to 8 channels. For dual-receiver mode or 18CH expansion (via PWM converter), the transmitter's channel count should be set to 18 channels.
• Modulation: Displays the modulation mode; click to switch: [Routine] or [Antijamming priority]. For more details, see the table following.
• Two way: To set the transmitter and receiver to connect in one-way or two-way mode. A checkmark (√) indicates a two-way connection. Note: When one-way communication is selected, there will be no telemetry feedback to the transmitter.
• Mul RX: To set multiple receivers or not. If a mark (√) appears, multiple RXs can be bound; otherwise, only one receiver can be bound.
• Star. chan.: Receiver starting channel. Tap to change the value. Click + to increase the value, and − to decrease it.
• Bind: Click Bind to put the transmitter into binding mode. After that, a menu will pop up, showing the binding process.

Binding 2 receivers (1 primary, 1 secondary):

• S-Tele: Check or uncheck the S-Tele option. It is checked by default, allowing for the binding of only one secondary receiver, which returns only its own information back to the transmitter.
• Primary Star. chan.: To set the starting channel of the primary receiver, the range is from 1 to 18. If the [Sending CH] is set to 4 CH, the starting channel setting range for the primary/secondary receiver is 1 to 4.
• Secondary Star. chan.: To set the starting channel of the secondary receiver, the range is from 1 to 18. For example, to achieve dual-receiver 18-channel output, you can set it up as follows: take the primary receiver as FTr12B and the secondary receiver as FTr8B. The starting channel of the secondary receiver should be set to 13. In this way, channel 1 of the secondary receiver will output the transmitter's channel 13, and channel 6 will output the transmitter's channel 18.
• Primary Bind: To bind the transmitter with the primary receiver. Click it to put the transmitter into binding mode. "Connected" will be displayed once the binding is finished.
• Secondary Bind: To bind the transmitter with the secondary receiver. Click it to put the transmitter into binding mode.

Binding 2 receivers (1 primary, multiple secondaries):

Here are the introductions of [Routine] and [Antijamming priority].

Binding multiple receivers: When you check "Mul RX" and do not check "S-Tele", you can bind multiple receivers. In this case:

1. Primary receiver: In this mode, the RX ID is not transmitted during both binding and communication. Please note: If binding multiple receivers, do not power on the primary receivers simultaneously, as this may cause the transmitter's telemetry data to conflict by switching between devices, resulting in display errors. Therefore, bind only one primary receiver. Any additional receivers should be bound through the secondary receiver entry. If multiple receivers are bound in this mode across different models, all receivers bound this way under these models can be controlled by the same transmitter. Therefore, ensure only the receiver corresponding to the current model is powered on during use.
2. Secondary receiver: In this mode, devices bound through the secondary receiver interface do not have telemetry functionality. Before binding a secondary receiver, the starting channel and interface protocol must be set in advance. These settings can only be configured before the binding process and cannot be changed after successful binding.

Take FTr8B receiver as an example.

Steps for binding one receiver:

1. Tap (Basic) > RX setting > Bind setting to enter the bind setting interface (the RX type is Enhanced by default).
2. Based on practical application requirements: Enable/disable two-way communication — check the box to enable two-way communication (uncheck for one-way). Set Sending CH (output channel quantity) — click the function box below "Sending CH", then select "Yes" in the pop-up window to toggle options. Set modulation mode — click the function box below "Modulation", then select "Yes" in the pop-up window to toggle options. Set starting channel — click the function box to the right of "Star. Chan.", then use "+" / "−" to adjust the value.
3. Tap Bind, and the transmitter will enter the binding state.
4. Press and hold the BIND button on the receiver while powering it on; the LED of the receiver will flash rapidly to indicate that it has entered the binding state.
5. The binding process is finished when the LED of the receiver stops flashing and is solid on. When the transmitter enters the binding state in one-way mode, after the receiver LED becomes slow flashing, put the transmitter out of the binding state by tapping the back arrow. At this time, the receiver LED is solid on indicating the binding is successful.
6. Confirm that the transmitter and the receiver are operating correctly; if not, repeat the steps above.

Steps for binding two receivers:

1. Two way, Mul RX and S-Tele are checked (if Mul RX is ticked, S-Tele will be checked by default).
2. To bind the primary receiver, follow these steps: Refer to step 2 of the "binding a receiver" procedure to configure Sending CH and modulation mode. Set the starting channel. Default: 1. You can set the appropriate starting channel as needed. For example, if it is set to 1, the primary receiver's CH1 will correspond to the transmitter's CH1. Click Bind, the transmitter enters the binding state, and then put the primary receiver into the binding state to finish the binding.
3. To bind the secondary receiver, follow these steps: Set the starting channel. Default: 1. You can set the appropriate starting channel as needed. For example, if it is set to 7, the secondary receiver's CH1 will correspond to the transmitter's CH7. Click Bind, the transmitter enters the binding state, and then put the secondary receiver into the binding state to finish the binding.
4. Confirm that the transmitter and the receiver are operating correctly; if not, repeat the steps above.

Steps for binding more than two receivers:

1. Tick the boxes for Two way and Mul RX, but do not tick the box for S-Tele.
2. Refer to step 2 of the "binding two receivers" procedure to finish the binding for the primary receiver.
3. To bind the secondary receiver 1, you must first set the interface protocol and starting channel for this receiver before beginning the binding process. Note that these settings cannot be changed after the binding is complete. Follow these steps: Configure the Newport interface protocol via Custom Interface Protocol. Refer to step 3 of the "binding two receivers" procedure to set the starting channel. Complete binding with secondary receiver 1.
4. And so on, bind more secondary receivers with the transmitter.
5. Confirm that the transmitter and the receiver are operating correctly; if not, repeat the steps above.

Notes:

1. The binding method may vary with different receivers. For specific binding methods, please visit the official website of FLYSKY for receiver instructions or other relevant information.
2. After the transmitter and receiver establish stable two-way communication, a pop-up window will appear when the receiver is identified as a compatible receiver of a non-FlySky authorized third-party brand. Meanwhile, the radio frequency will be interrupted.

The binding interface of classic edition receiver

The classic version receiver supports 18-channel communication, featuring both one-way and two-way binding, and allows binding with a single receiver.

• Sending CH: Displays the number of output channels. Click to switch the number of output channels: [18CH] or [10CH].

Setup:

1. Tap (Basic) > RX setting > Bind setting to enter the bind setting interface.
2. Set RX type: Click the function box below "RX type", then select "Yes" in the pop-up window to set to Classic.
3. Set Sending CH: Refer to step 2 of the "binding a receiver" procedure to configure Sending CH.
4. Tap Bind, and the transmitter will enter the binding state.
5. Insert the bind cable into the receiver's BIND interface, and plug the power cable into any other port. At this time, the LED of the receiver will flash rapidly to indicate that it has entered the binding state.
6. Remove the binding cable and power cord from the receiver when the LED of the receiver stops flashing and is solid on. When the transmitter enters the binding state in one-way mode, after the receiver LED becomes slow flashing, put the transmitter out of the binding state by tapping the back arrow.
7. Reconnect the power cord to the receiver. The receiver LED is solid on indicating the binding is successful.
8. Check to make sure the transmitter and the receiver are working normally, repeat the steps above if any problems arise.

Note: This function was updated in version 2.2.18.

Always perform the following steps before each operation:

1. Inspect the entire system to make sure that everything is working as expected.
2. Perform a range test as described in the 14.6 Range Test section of the user manual.

Follow these steps to power off the system:

1. Power off the receiver.
2. Press and hold both Power Switches on the transmitter. The screen will then dim, displaying the prompt 'Shut down... please waiting for!' After that, the screen turns off, indicating that the transmitter has been powered off.

Note: Pressing both power switches on the transmitter will pop up a prompt displaying the shutdown duration and the dormancy mode icon. For more information on the dormancy function, refer to section 14.2.5 Dormancy.

Note: This function was updated in version 2.2.18.

When the transmitter is powered on and not in dormancy mode, if the system detects low voltage, an audible alarm will sound and a pop-up alarm will appear with relevant information, as described below.

• When the system detects the voltage below 3.5V, 'Transmitter voltage low!' will activate in pop-up alarm and audible alarm. In this status, both the pop-up alarm and the audible alarm prompt once.
• When the system detects the voltage below 3.46V, a screen pop-up will display 'Transmitter voltage very low', accompanied by an audible alarm that repeats every 20 minutes.
• When the system detects the voltage below 3.42V, a screen pop-up will display 'Transmitter Voltage Low, please charge' accompanied by an audible alarm that repeats once every 10 minutes.
• If the transmitter's voltage drops below 3.2V, the system will automatically shut down, and a pop-up message 'Transmitter voltage low, automatic shutdown!' will appear on the screen, accompanied by an audible alarm.

Notes:

1. To turn off the audible alarm, you can go to (System) > General > Sound to disable the alarm sound.
2. If the transmitter is in the process of binding, powering on, powering off, updating RF module firmware, or other operations, no low voltage alarm will be given.

The system supports manually entering dormancy mode.

Setup:

1. Press both power switches on the transmitter simultaneously until the prompt "Click on the icon or short press the power button again to enter Dormancy, long press to shut down!" appears, then release the power switches.
2. Tap the Dormancy icon or press both power switches again (and release within 3 seconds), and the transmitter will enter dormancy mode.

Note: If the transmitter is communicating normally with the receiver at this time, clicking the Dormancy icon will prompt a dialog box asking, "This action will cause the receiver to lose control, confirm?"

Here is an introduction to the transmitter's dormancy mode status and how to exit dormancy mode.

Dormancy state

• Control state: Stick, switch, dial, trim, and knob operations are ineffective.
• RF state: RF not working: the built-in RF module is off, and there is no signal or power on the external RF module connector.

Notes:

1. In dormancy mode, devices connected to the data connectors do not operate, thereby reducing power consumption.
2. After the transmitter enters dormancy mode, the transmitter LED is in a slow flashing state. For details, refer to 3.2.3 Status Indicator.
3. It is recommended to use dormancy mode during training or competition instead of turning off the transmitter's power.

Exiting dormancy mode

To wake the transmitter from dormancy mode.

Setup:

1. Tap the screen or press both power switches on the transmitter simultaneously until the prompt "Click on the icon or short press the power button again to enter Recovery, long press to shut down!" appears, then release the power switches.
2. Tap the Recovery icon or press the power switches (release within 3 seconds), and the transmitter will exit dormancy mode.

Note: If you press and hold both power switches (without releasing within 3 seconds), the transmitter will power off.

The transmitter will automatically exit dormancy mode under certain special circumstances.

• When the transmitter is in a low battery state, it will automatically power off.
• After staying in dormancy mode for 6 hours, the transmitter will automatically power off, which also exits dormancy mode.

Note: For automatic dormancy settings, please refer to section 14.2.5 Dormancy.

Note: This function was updated in version 2.2.18.

The main interface primarily shows information related to the model, such as sensor data and function status, and offers quick access to these features. By tapping on the relevant areas of the main interface and the right main interfaces, you can quickly access the corresponding functional interfaces.

Left and right shortcuts

• Left shortcut: entry for the main interface, entry for the Model interface, entry for the Basic interface, entry for the System interface.
• Right shortcut: entry for the Disp servos interface, entries for custom A, B, C.

Note: Custom A, Custom B and Custom C of the right shortcut are not assigned by default and do not respond when touching. After setting the specific functions, you can use the shortcut here to access the corresponding function quickly.

Main interface

1. Display signal strength / RX is not connected / RF is disabled.
2. Model name.
3. Status column. Some function icons are displayed in this area if the corresponding functions are activated, such as Vibration, Sound, Logic switches and Fuel alarm. Different function icons will appear in this area in various models: Airplane: Airbrake, Butterfly, Throttle cut and Idle up. Gliders: Airbrake and Butterfly. Helicopters: Throttle cut, Idle up and Throttle hold. Multicopters: Throttle hold. Cars: ABS.
4. Lock icon. Tap the icon to lock the screen; long press it to unlock.
5. Current condition.
6. Transmitter power display.
7. Timer value display; Timer 1 entry.
8. TR2 trim value display.
9. Sensor display; Sensor entry. RX voltage [1]: displays the low voltage voice alarm value. Signal [1]: displays the signal strength value of the primary receiver. When there is no primary receiver, it displays the signal strength value of the secondary receiver. Note: No value is displayed with one-way communication or when the external RF protocol is PPM/CRSF/CRSF2.
10. Custom sensor display 1/2; Sensor display 1 / Sensor display 2 entry. Customize the display of sensor data: tap to enter the Sensor display 1 settings interface, and then tap the appropriate option. Click the back arrow to return.
11. TR1 trim value display.
12. TR4 trim value display.
13. Bind setting entry. Note: This area is not displayed when the RF is set to PPM, CRSF, or CRSF2.
14. Custom menu entry.
15. TR3 trim value display.
16. Display current model image; and entry for Model select.

Model alarm pop-up notification

Note: This pop-up window appears for all alarms under the Model alarm function, except Power on alarm and Telemetry loss alarm. Tap the pop-up window to view up to 3 alarm messages. Tap EXIT to close the window.

Four dots indicate four pages: The white dot indicates the current page, and the gray dots represent the other pages. To enter the other pages, swipe the screen left or right.

Right main interface 1

The four areas display real-time information and statistical values for record objects 1 to 4 and are the entries to Data record.

Note: The record object can be set to 'Sensor data', 'Output channel' or 'Stick or knob'.

After setting the recording object:

• Each gauge displays the real-time value.
• The line below displays real-time maximum, minimum and average information of the recording object within the recording duration.

Right main interface 2

• Timer display 1 / Timer display 2: entry to the timer display.
• Display time information. Start / Stop: click this area to start (or pause) timing. Reset: press and hold this area for 1 second to reset the timer.

Left main interface

• For switches: Displays the current physical position of the switch.
• For knobs/dials: Displays the current value of the knob.
• For sticks: Displays the current value of the stick.
• For trims: Displays the current value of the trim.

Note: This function was updated in version 2.2.18.

This section is a quick introduction to the icons of the interface.