Zorro Blue User Manual

Zorro Blue User Manual

Table of contents

1. Update SD-card Contents via USB
2. Update EdgeTX Firmware
3. Update ExpressLRS
4. Update from EdgeTX 3.0.0.9
5. Troubleshooting
6. Zorro Blue SW Release History

Zorro Blue NDAA compliant EdgeTx and ExpressLRS Transmitter

The Zorro Blue contains three different firmware versions that should be kept up to date for all the latest features and bug fixes.

To open the menus used below from the telemetry screen shown at power-on, press RTN, then SYS (buttons labeled above). PAGE> and PAGE< move between the SYS pages, and the page number shows at the top right (for example 2/7). Turn the scroll wheel to move the cursor, and press it to select.

Update SD-card Contents via USB

1. Update to version 0.0.22. To check, press SYS, then PAGE> once to open the SD CARD page (2/7). Scroll down to the last entry, sdcard.version.x.x.x, which ends in the SD-card version. The edgetx.sdcard.version file above it belongs to EdgeTX and isn’t the SD-card version.

   

   • If the VERSION page shows GIT# fd23481a and DATE 2026-06-12 (EdgeTX 3.0.0.9), the SD card can’t be updated over USB yet. Follow Update from EdgeTX 3.0.0.9 first.
2. Download and unzip latest zip here.
3. Connect the Zorro Blue to your PC, then power-cycle while holding SYS.
4. From a linux machine, run the sync-sdcard.sh script (optional –hub flag for Zorro Hub) or delete and copy the contents into the mounted sd-card.
5. Restart the Zorro Blue and ensure the Zorro Blue model name is displayed correctly. If not, the copy procedure failed and must be performed again.
   • Troubleshooting:
     1. Eject the drive after copying, then reconnect to your PC.
     2. Close all file explorers.
     3. Open disks tool.
     4. Ensure zorro disk shows up (typically 499MB Drive).
     5. Unmount and delete partition.
     6. Create new partition with defaults, no need to name partition.
6. Calibrate the analog sticks and potentiometers, as overwriting the SD card erases calibration.
   • Press SYS, then PAGE< twice to open the HARDWARE page (6/7). [Calibration] is selected at the top. Press the wheel to start, then follow the on-screen directions.

Update EdgeTX Firmware

1. Update to version 3.0.0.11 (2026-10-16), shown as pre-2.12.4-modalai.11. To check, press SYS, then PAGE< once to open the VERSION page (7/7), and read the VERS and DATE lines.

   

   • ⚠️ CRITICAL WARNING! Ensure your version is ≥ 3.0.0 or 2.12.4-modalai.x and the date is at least 2025-09-02. If your version is lower or the date is earlier than 2025-09-02, do NOT proceed — this could BRICK your radio and render it unusable. Contact ModalAI support immediately to perform the update safely.
2. Update the EdgeTX bootloader. Power-cycle the Zorro Blue, press RTN, then SYS, then PAGE> once to open the SD CARD page. Open [FIRMWARE], select firmware-v3.0.0.11-release.bin, hold the wheel down until a menu opens, then select Flash bootloader.
   • ⚠️ If the bootloader update says “not compatible”, do NOT proceed. Contact ModalAI support immediately.
3. Update the EdgeTX firmware using the latest firmware stored on the SD card. Begin by holding SYS when powering up, then select “Write Firmware”, then select firmware-v3.0.0.11-release.bin.

Update ExpressLRS

1. Update to version 3.5.3.37. To check, press SYS to open the TOOLS page (1/7), then press the wheel on ExpressLRS. Once the list loads, the line below Unbind shows the version, for example 3.5.3.37 FCC915. On ExpressLRS 3.5.3.23 and older, the version is the last line of the list instead.

   

2. Download the VOXL ELRS app (version 1.3.30) for your computer:
   • Linux: voxl-elrs-1.3.30-x86_64.AppImage. Make it executable with chmod +x voxl-elrs-1.3.30-x86_64.AppImage, then run it. After the first run, you can also start it from the application menu. If it reports a FUSE error, run it with --appimage-extract-and-run. Your user needs access to serial ports, usually through the dialout group.
   • Windows: voxl-elrs-1.3.30-windows-x86_64.zip. Extract the zip file and run bin\voxl-elrs-gui.exe. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, select More info, then Run anyway.
3. On the Zorro Blue, press SYS, then PAGE< twice to open the HARDWARE page, and scroll down to USB-VCP under Serial port. Check that it’s set to CLI. VOXL ELRS reaches the transmitter through the EdgeTX command line, which other USB-VCP settings, such as LUA for the MAVLink bridge tool, turn off.
4. Connect USB to your computer and select Serial (VCP) on the Zorro Blue.

5. In VOXL ELRS, open the connection panel at the top of the window. Select Zorro Blue, tagged EdgeTX, as the serial port. Host mode changes to EdgeTX by itself. Then select Connect.

   

6. Open the Update page, select version 3.5.3.37, then select Install Selected Firmware and confirm with Update. Keep the Zorro Blue powered and connected until the update completes. If the page says the installed firmware is the newest 3.x release, the transmitter already runs 3.5.3.37. Show all versions also lists 4.x, which doesn’t link with 3.x receivers.

   

   • To update another Zorro Blue, unplug this one. VOXL ELRS disconnects by itself, so you can connect the next one from the connection panel.
   • If an update was interrupted and the transmitter no longer responds, power on the Zorro Blue while holding MDL, connect USB and select Serial (VCP), then select Recover Zorro TX in VOXL ELRS and install the version again. This needs EdgeTX 3.0.0.11 or newer, including its bootloader.
7. ExpressLRS 3.5.3.37 adds Reset to defaults, the last entry in the ExpressLRS tool and on the VOXL ELRS Parameters page. It asks “Reset all but UID?” first, then puts every transmitter setting except the UID back to its default and restarts the transmitter, so the drone stays bound.

Update from EdgeTX 3.0.0.9

EdgeTX 3.0.0.9 (the VERSION page shows GIT# fd23481a, DATE 2026-06-12) can’t write to the factory SD card over USB, so copies hang or fail. The sync-sdcard.sh script in the SD-card zip gets the new firmware onto the card without opening the radio (Linux only).

1. Power on the Zorro Blue while holding SYS, then connect it to your PC.
2. In the unzipped folder, run ./sync-sdcard.sh --recover and enter your password if asked. Each time it says the radio hung, power-cycle the Zorro Blue while holding SYS and leave USB connected. It continues by itself and tells you when it’s done.
   • If the SD card has no usable filesystem (for example “no FAT boot sector” after a copy or format was cut short), the script asks to format it. Answer y. It formats the card the same careful way and creates the FIRMWARE folder, so you don’t need to format it in another tool first. Formatting erases the card, so calibrate the sticks when the Zorro Blue asks.
3. Disconnect USB and power on normally. Update the bootloader first: press RTN, then SYS, then PAGE> once to open the SD CARD page. Open [FIRMWARE], select firmware-v3.0.0.11-release.bin, hold the wheel down until a menu opens, then select Flash bootloader.
4. Power on while holding SYS, select “Write Firmware”, then select firmware-v3.0.0.11-release.bin.
5. Follow Update SD-card Contents via USB to update the rest of the SD card.
   • If the Zorro Blue stays on the splash screen, the firmware was written before the bootloader. Power on while holding SYS, select “Write Firmware” with firmware-v3.0.0.9-release.bin, then repeat steps 3 and 4. If the card was formatted and no longer has that file, first put it back from the bootloader as in steps 1 and 2 with ./sync-sdcard.sh --recover FIRMWARE/firmware-v3.0.0.9-release.bin.

Troubleshooting

• VOXL ELRS shows “Connection failed” with the Zorro Blue in EdgeTX host mode: the EdgeTX command line may not be on USB. Set USB-VCP on the HARDWARE page (SYS, then PAGE< twice) to CLI, unplug and reconnect USB, select Serial (VCP), then connect again.
• Blank screen for several seconds before the ModalAI logo: the SD card is slow to start. The Zorro Blue reads the SD card before it shows the logo, and older, small cards (under 1 GB) can take 1 to 3 seconds to start. Replace the card with a current microSDHC card (for example a 32 GB SanDisk), then follow Update SD-card Contents via USB and calibrate again.

Zorro Blue SW Release History