I found a solution to Zorro's woeful battery life
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- Опубліковано 3 січ 2023
- I have been looking for a good solution for the Radiomaster Zorro's battery life problem that does not involve cutting up my radio or velcroing a 2s battery to the bottom of the radio. There are only a few companies that seem to sell high-capacity 18350 batteries and I want to share my experience with this cell.
The Vapcell MII: amzn.to/3iXZHrM
FPV Drone kit used in this video:
Transmitter/Remote: Radiomaster Zorro ELRS - amzn.to/3mcFRr1
Radio Reciever: TBS Crossfire Nano Module - amzn.to/3tfb3cW
Radio Reciever: TBS Tracer Nano - amzn.to/3c5k02Y
Gimbals: Radiomaster AG01 mini - amzn.to/3NVv28c
Goggles: DJI FPV Goggles v2 (amzn.to/39rLaQa)
Goggle Antenna: iFlight Crystal/Lumineer Stubby Antennas (amzn.to/3w6UjW2)
Drone: Custom Built Rotor Riot Skyliner (with a DJI O3 Air Unit - amzn.to/3OuS9II )
Action Cameras: GoPro Hero 10 Black: amzn.to/3HgRKWP
DJI Action 2: amzn.to/3xnVXTV
The links in this post are affiliate links. For purchases made through these links, I may receive a small commission that will go to supporting and growing the channel. No organization or individual has any influence over my recommendations. All products included in review videos have been purchased by me.
For any inquiries: nate@adamsaerial.com
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Love it! Thanks for the find. Love the radio and have HATED charging it all the time.
I agree and thank you. I am hoping that the Radiomaster pocket is a sign of things to come and we get a gen2 Zorro with 18650 slots... and maybe even a retrofit kit for those with the current zorro.
Did you have dynamic power on and how far were you flying?
Thanks for your video. Great solution for zorro. I think radiomaster working on zorro v2 and it will have a 18650 akk tray.
I would love the radio to have 18650s, I think I would get another Zorro if they made that upgrade. Not only just for better battery life, but there are so many cell options for 18650 when compared to 18350.
Wanted to make a second comment, I did found some vapcell batts ( flat top ) that are 1400 mAh from Illumn out of California .
They are $ 4.85 a piece . Ordered on 9th Thursday and received on 13th Monday ( over a weekend ) from West Coast to East Coast that is pretty fast in today's standards.
That may help someone to consider the mAh from 900 to 1400 which is a lot for this radio it appears
Great find. I have been tempted to go into local Vape shops and see if they have other options.
Thinking about ordering those 1400 vapcells as well, did they fit fine for you?
@@luckylucc848 Yes they sure did
Dang I was looking at these batts, and ended up just getting the zorro with batteries included. When you plug a 2s up to the bottom does it charge the internal batteries as your using it?
To my knowledge it does, I will double check later today, but last time I unplugged 2S from the bottom of my Zorro, the internal battery still showed their 100% voltage
I have a question: the manual says "Never charge 3.6V LiFe and 3.6V 18350 Lithium Ion packs with the onboard charger" what does it mean when it mentions onboard charger?
The onboard charger is the charging circuit used when you plug in the controller to USB-C. There is a little board there that controls the charge rate and balance of the cells in your radio. Lithium ion and LiFe 3.6v (the storage charge voltage for those batteries) should not be charged because their chemistry requires different charging parameters (voltage and current) to safely charge. I am currently using a set of 3.7v Lithium Ion batteries. Just make sure the voltage listed on the battery is 3.7 or 3.8 and you should be good.
I’ve velcroed an old qx7 to the back of my zorro… It’s usually not there… but at the end of the day, I just add it and… voilà :)
The good thing with adding a battery to the back instead of the bottom or any other mods, is that it does not change the weight distribution…
I was actually thinking about doing that, but I'm not quite sure how to fit it on the back with the crossfire module.
@Nathan_Adams Yes, that's the issue... I've moved to elrs for all my quads. I have a slim multiprotocol but don't use it that often
@@nikotttin very nice, I may start using this radio with only ELRS as well, and I'll give your trick a try.
Did you have any issues with them being flat top? Saw some other video where the guy put a dab of solder on the top (some other brand) because they were kinda loose
They fit perfectly, and I've never had an issue. If they do feel a little loose, you can bend the positive contact out a little bit so it fits a little tighter.
@@Nathan_Adamsfinally got the Tx and these batteries and already used it with a Volantex mini Corsair and a WPL C54 car with a DumboRC Rx :) ... Thnks for the info... used it for a few hrs without charging while learning how to set up stuff
Just had a look at their uk website and there is a red 1600mah version now too
That would be awesome, did you try it in a Zorro?
@Nathan_Adams not yet only had my zorro for about a week, but they're the same price about £5 ea so I will order some and try them out.
Flat top or button top or does it really matter? The stock batts appear to be button top those purple ones in the link appear to be flat tops . I also see Illumn have them in both .
The ones sold by radiomaster do you have a button top, and the ones I use are pretty much a flat top. If you're ordering the batteries for Amazon, I know they're return policy is excellent (depending on the seller). I think you should be okay with either, if the battery is any longer or larger in diameter, that could be an issue.
@@Nathan_Adams Thank You
Keep power 18350 1400mah are awesome batteries. Use them in my modlte rifle lights.
I will definitely check them out. I really wonder why radiomaster only has 900mAh in their cells, especially with so many higher mAh options.
@@Nathan_Adams ya that’s crazy! I currently use the TX16S mk2 max with ago1 and love it but I’ve been giving a lot of consideration to trying the zorro but man the battery life lol. Glad they have the ago1 for the zorro also!
@@SubiSkank Yeah, the battery life is real rough with the Zorro, but I have never felt a better game pad style radio (especially with the AG01s). If you want a slightly smaller radio with the full sized gimbals and great battery life, the Boxer is a great option.
I've got Vapcell F14 18350 3A 1400mAh from M&A BD Electronics. It lasts about 5.5 straight hours.
Yeah, it boggles my mind that radiomaster sells such a small mAh.
Thank you for mentioning this. This is higher capacity (superior) than the battery linked in the description. I was able to buy two from Illumn for about $5 cheaper than what I could buy the two the OP posted in description. Thanks again!
@@xshoudenx Nice!
@@xshoudenx Glad it helped. BTW I am going to do mods to fit 18650 batts. There was a post at Facebook who did the mod and that gave me confidence that 18650 fits in zorro. I need to cut off plastic parts and a portion of right gimbal to do that.
Excellent tip. Ordered me up a set. Thx.
Do I have to use their brand of rechargeable or can I buy any brand ?
Any brand of 18350 will work. There are some high capacity cells that will not fit easily, but I have yet to see one that did not work with the Zorro.
@@Nathan_Adams thanks for the response 👍🏻
My only working color screen radio is an old radio K jumper T18 clone. I wouldn't trade it for nothing, And truth be told it has upgraded gimbles but not those c n c things...
That right there is why I think it's worth it to get a good radio when you're a beginner, they last forever, and when you get the right one you're happy regardless of what's new and shiny. I'm hoping that's what the boxer is for me.
@@Nathan_Adams I've had to put 6 switches in it a couple at a time and it's never let me down.These new t x sixteen s's mark 2 and all the other ones based on that architecture if you don't conformal coate the processor The humidity I have leads to pins burning off the processor. My next investment for this hobby is an s m d microscope
These battery’s are rechargeable with out an external battery charger
Yes, they charge in the Zorro when you plug in usbc to the port on the bottom of the radio.
@@Nathan_Adams I assume the reason you mentioned removing them is with the lower capacity batteries out at a field, it is most reasonable just to carry multiple sets of batteries with you to swap out? And now with the new batteries it sounds like that really isnt an issue. I do have #regrets I bought the manufacturer low capacity batteries. It boggles my mind why they would sell low capacity batteries and get a bad name for their product when they could have just charged maybe a few bucks more and at least offered for purchase a higher capacity battery.
@@xshoudenxyes, and I do carry a set of the Radiomaster branded batteries cells as a backup. I really don't like to swap them because the battery covers (the hand grips) feel like they are going to break then you put them back on and can be tricky to get on and off.
FYI to all there is a green 1400mah version of these from the same company
I just started to see that! Good call and if it fits, definitely go with it since you get an extra 300mah per cell
zorros battery life is absolute garbage WHAT WERE YOU THINKGING RM. Idiots. Im still currently figuring out a solution. Its my at home radio and it still sucks. Mt tx16s max is my main. dont have to charge that for weeks
I agree it is rough. Especially for me coming from the black DJI remote that lasts near infinite it feels. Swapping to a higher capacity cell helped a little bit, allowing me to get through most flying sessions without changing them, but still not a star performer when it comes to endurance. The Zorro is my favorite of the gamepad style remotes, but it got relegated from daily driver duties because of the battery life and the smaller gimbals.
Calm down bro, breath.
I dont think so dude. I found Keeppower batteries that are rated for 1200 mah which blows yours away. On amazon.. Good luck with yours. Mine last days.
Very nice, how have they been holding up? I saw those and I was a little nervous about them holding their charge over time. Also did they fit without any kind of modification to the controller?
@@Nathan_Adams Late reply but mine seem to self-discharge when not in use. Also don't seem to last long when in use. Flat top so had to find some little magnets.
@@MrUpchukov I have seen battery drain when left untouched for a few weeks. It has not been to bad, but I tend to always charge the Zorro the night before I go fly.