Make sure to charge the li-po seperately! I left it with the stock charger throughout the day the battery is now puffy and ruined. Glad my transmitter is still good!
Hi Timmy, thank you so much for this video, got a DX7s without a battery and wanted to make sure of the polarity, luckily your video was the fist one I watched and was right on point
Nice idea but you need to be careful charging. The two cell lipo packs designed to work directly with these transmitters include internal balancing and over-voltage protection functionality. I have one of the Turnegy TX packs with the internal balancing (like the Spektrum lipo pack) and it has worked very well for years with the stock TX charger. The stock charger puts out 12 volts at .5 amp but I'm not sure what provisions the TX charging circuit itself makes for lipo packs (i.e. the overcharge protection IS built into those TX specific packs so the TX charging circuit probably will not stop the charge at 4.2 volts per cell). If you are planning to use the stock TX charger with a regular two cell lipo pack (no battery internal charging circuits) you need to be very, very careful that the battery is not over charged. Also, you won't have any balancing. If using a standard two cell pack I would remove it from the transmitter and charge it on a balancing charger rather than using the stock TX charger. Also, as other have mentioned you need to set the proper battery type in the TX system settings.
Very helpful. Thank you. My DX8, charging and discharging, has become a little funky and I was looking for a NiMH replacement. This will be much cheaper and more useful. Good job.
Superb! Many thanks, I've just tried this in my DX6 (SPM6750) and it works 100%, though I've found the JST connector is slightly loose, so use I've used some foam to keep the lipo locked in place. otherwise excellent tip, thank you!
I liked Spektrum for helicopters but in order to get the quantity of programable channels I needed for older quads (that needed 3 more channels, slider and rotary switches for the gimbal) I switched to Futaba, then to Frsky with Crossfire when I started flying "fixed camera" quads. I searched for a Spektrum that had at least 14 channels, slider switches, rotary switches and a wide assortment of 3 position switches but then you're looking at a lot of cheddar.
Very Helpful indeed ! I just bought a stock battery for my DX18 and of course it came with NO Balance connector. Where did you get your battery replacement shown in this video?? It does have a balance lead so no wonder it lasts much longer!
The one in the video is a Gens Ace 800mah 2S, but I don't remember where I bought it (and they probably don't even make it anymore). Nowadays I make my own 1300mah 2S from worn out 4S miniquad batteries.
Unfortunately as I installed 2c l ion the transmitter turns on by itself so i had to install Ni MH found out Dx6e behave differently if you exceed 6.5 volts I don’t think it works on all spektrum transmitters
quick question for you! for a 2s transmitter lipo, what voltage do you set the tx low voltage alarm to go off at? like so you dont overdischarge the lipo? I have a futaba t8fg that i just converted from the stock 1700mah nimh to a 2600mah 2s lipo, but i am unsure if i should set the alarm at 7.3v (3.7v per cell) or set it for 6v (3v per cell)? any help would be so appreciated!
memtenn60 i noticed the Dx6e would turn on by itself so accidentally went back to alkaline then worked ok Then i put 5 NiMh and now the transmitter is fine
@@khaledissa5026 Issue: This product notice is for DX6e (without PID ending in L) owners who wish to use the optional lithium ion battery (SPMA9602 battery or SPMA9603 battery/charger set). If you own a DX6e and do NOT wish to use the optional lithium ion battery, please disregard this notice. Transmitters manufactured prior to June of 2017 require a free update to be fully compatible with the optional lithium ion battery. Installing the optional lithium ion battery without completing this update will cause the transmitter to not power down properly and may cause the battery to discharge when the transmitter is powered down. What To Do: If you own a DX6e with a PID not ending in L and DO wish to use the optional lithium ion battery Please fill out the Return Request Form found here. After completing and submitting the Return Request Form, Horizon Hobby will E-mail a pre-paid shipping label for you to use to return the transmitter. DO NOT SEND BATTERIES with the transmitter to Horizon Hobby. Horizon Hobby will return the transmitter to you as soon as the update is completed. lease allow 14-21 days for processing and delivery.
cool but wont it affect the low warning battery indicator' on the dx6 battery upgrade you have to change the low battery indicator settings when upgrading the battery
both the DX6 and the DX8 (used in the video) can be set up (under system settings) to recognize Li-Ion, LiPo, and NiMH. just select the appropriate battery chemistry type and both transmitters have the corresponding LV settings for NiMH (adjustable from 4.1V to 5.6V) and LiPo/LiIon (adjustable from 6.4V to 8.3V)
For one thing the stock battery for a DX18 is a two cell LiPo with no balance connector. This forcing charging in the TX with the stock cheap charger ... Much better with a balance connector because more expensive chargers that use a balance connector will charge both cells evenly (very important on LiPOs).
A brand new LiFe transmitter pack costs 10 to 15 USD. If you replace that with an unsecured (i.e., one that does not have a BMS that prevents under and over-charge) cheap used LiPo, you might burn your TX or lose your plane. Is it worth it ?
Almost all batteries for model aircraft applications, LiFe, LiPo, and otherwise, do not have a Battery Management System (BMS). Spektrum transmitters when set to the LiPo battery setting will provide a low battery warning at the correct voltage, and then the battery can be charged and balanced with a standard model aircraft battery charger just like any other model aircraft battery. This is what I do and I have yet to light anything on fire or lose an airplane.
@@TimmyRC: still, I humbly suggest an improvement: either you make a complete video that includes soldering of the right plug and balanced LiPo charging, or you use Li-Ion elements and a BMS to build a better battery for TX. Because when turned off, the TX will not handle under charge. That is why LiFe is the common (safer) option.
I agree that this video is outdated; it is one of the first videos I made. Feel free to make a better video. In low power draw scenarios such as transmitters, overdischarging a LiPo is relatively low risk. You might cause the battery to be unable to hold a charge and possibly puff it, but combustion is extremely unlikely. If you are observant you will notice that in this hobby there are few safeguards against accidentally leaving transmitters on or airplanes plugged in, likely because overdischarging LiPos is rarely catastrophic.
what I'm concerned about is will I burn up my 8 cell nicd AA futaba radio by just replacing it with a 3 cell lipo battery because the 3S lipo is 12.6 volts fully charged the 8 Cell AA battery was only 11.2 volts fully charged? hhmmmmm
Extreme caution chaps I accidentally brushed the pins for a milli second with reversed polarity fried both the main and audio boards cost £137 Sob Sob.
If your radio has a setting for LiPo batteries the built-in charge circuit should charge the battery to the correct voltage when that setting is applied. However if this is not the case then the battery should definitely be charged with a LiPo charger. Also, most radios that have a LiPo setting are not capable of balancing the individual battery cells.
Saved my day of flying due to failure to charge my remote the night before. Great tip
Very helpful, thank you. It also works with the DX6e
Make sure to charge the li-po seperately! I left it with the stock charger throughout the day the battery is now puffy and ruined. Glad my transmitter is still good!
You should also change the battery type in System Settings to LiPo if you do this “mod”.
Thanks for that bit of advice.
Hi Timmy, thank you so much for this video, got a DX7s without a battery and wanted to make sure of the polarity, luckily your video was the fist one I watched and was right on point
Great man! Was just looking for a suitable battery for a new spektrum tx and this video solved it all! Thanks!
Nice idea but you need to be careful charging.
The two cell lipo packs designed to work directly with these transmitters include internal balancing and over-voltage protection functionality. I have one of the Turnegy TX packs with the internal balancing (like the Spektrum lipo pack) and it has worked very well for years with the stock TX charger. The stock charger puts out 12 volts at .5 amp but I'm not sure what provisions the TX charging circuit itself makes for lipo packs (i.e. the overcharge protection IS built into those TX specific packs so the TX charging circuit probably will not stop the charge at 4.2 volts per cell). If you are planning to use the stock TX charger with a regular two cell lipo pack (no battery internal charging circuits) you need to be very, very careful that the battery is not over charged. Also, you won't have any balancing. If using a standard two cell pack I would remove it from the transmitter and charge it on a balancing charger rather than using the stock TX charger.
Also, as other have mentioned you need to set the proper battery type in the TX system settings.
Which model of turnigy?
Very helpful. Thank you. My DX8, charging and discharging, has become a little funky and I was looking for a NiMH replacement. This will be much cheaper and more useful. Good job.
Superb! Many thanks, I've just tried this in my DX6 (SPM6750) and it works 100%, though I've found the JST connector is slightly loose, so use I've used some foam to keep the lipo locked in place. otherwise excellent tip, thank you!
I have a DX6i DSMX transmitter, can I simply convert that with a quick 2s battery swap? Is your DX6 still running well on this setup?
Thanks worked like a charm
I liked Spektrum for helicopters but in order to get the quantity of programable channels I needed for older quads (that needed 3 more channels, slider and rotary switches for the gimbal) I switched to Futaba, then to Frsky with Crossfire when I started flying "fixed camera" quads. I searched for a Spektrum that had at least 14 channels, slider switches, rotary switches and a wide assortment of 3 position switches but then you're looking at a lot of cheddar.
Is there no problem using a battery with a voltage of 7.4?
Thanks, my DX8 charger shat itself and the battery is u/s. Your vid helped me with that problem.
Very Helpful indeed ! I just bought a stock battery for my DX18 and of course it came with NO Balance connector. Where did you get your battery replacement shown in this video?? It does have a balance lead so no wonder it lasts much longer!
The one in the video is a Gens Ace 800mah 2S, but I don't remember where I bought it (and they probably don't even make it anymore). Nowadays I make my own 1300mah 2S from worn out 4S miniquad batteries.
it has been such a hassle on the DX18 because the compartment is tight and the battery with no balance lead is a real pain in the ass.
You have to change the transmitter batter type in the radio to lipo
Unfortunately as I installed 2c l ion the transmitter turns on by itself so i had to install Ni MH found out Dx6e behave differently if you exceed 6.5 volts
I don’t think it works on all spektrum transmitters
quick question for you! for a 2s transmitter lipo, what voltage do you set the tx low voltage alarm to go off at? like so you dont overdischarge the lipo?
I have a futaba t8fg that i just converted from the stock 1700mah nimh to a 2600mah 2s lipo, but i am unsure if i should set the alarm at 7.3v (3.7v per cell) or set it for 6v (3v per cell)?
any help would be so appreciated!
Of the two options you provided, 7.3V is much better. 3V per cell is unsafe for LiPos.
I converted my DX6e also DX8 first gen. Works great but when I shut off tx, the battery discharges considerably a few days later
memtenn60 i noticed the Dx6e would turn on by itself so accidentally went back to alkaline then worked ok
Then i put 5 NiMh and now the transmitter is fine
@@khaledissa5026 Issue: This product notice is for DX6e (without PID ending in L) owners who wish to use the optional lithium ion battery (SPMA9602 battery or SPMA9603 battery/charger set). If you own a DX6e and do NOT wish to use the optional lithium ion battery, please disregard this notice. Transmitters manufactured prior to June of 2017 require a free update to be fully compatible with the optional lithium ion battery. Installing the optional lithium ion battery without completing this update will cause the transmitter to not power down properly and may cause the battery to discharge when the transmitter is powered down.
What To Do: If you own a DX6e with a PID not ending in L and DO wish to use the optional lithium ion battery Please fill out the Return Request Form found here. After completing and submitting the Return Request Form, Horizon Hobby will E-mail a pre-paid shipping label for you to use to return the transmitter. DO NOT SEND BATTERIES with the transmitter to Horizon Hobby. Horizon Hobby will return the transmitter to you as soon as the update is completed. lease allow 14-21 days for processing and delivery.
Thanks, that's a hell of a "hack" better than a mod
cool but wont it affect the low warning battery indicator' on the dx6 battery upgrade you have to change the low battery indicator settings when upgrading the battery
both the DX6 and the DX8 (used in the video) can be set up (under system settings) to recognize Li-Ion, LiPo, and NiMH. just select the appropriate battery chemistry type and both transmitters have the corresponding LV settings for NiMH (adjustable from 4.1V to 5.6V) and LiPo/LiIon (adjustable from 6.4V to 8.3V)
can also change over volt alarm aswell
SO what is the advantage to using this over the batteries that come with the transmitter.
For one thing the stock battery for a DX18 is a two cell LiPo with no balance connector. This forcing charging in the TX with the stock cheap charger ... Much better with a balance connector because more expensive chargers that use a balance connector will charge both cells evenly (very important on LiPOs).
@@rhshel So Spektrum knows enough to build the radio, but no enough to choose a battery for it? Got it.
hi would the turnigy nano tech 1500mah fit on the dx8 or dx9?
A brand new LiFe transmitter pack costs 10 to 15 USD. If you replace that with an unsecured (i.e., one that does not have a BMS that prevents under and over-charge) cheap used LiPo, you might burn your TX or lose your plane. Is it worth it ?
Almost all batteries for model aircraft applications, LiFe, LiPo, and otherwise, do not have a Battery Management System (BMS). Spektrum transmitters when set to the LiPo battery setting will provide a low battery warning at the correct voltage, and then the battery can be charged and balanced with a standard model aircraft battery charger just like any other model aircraft battery. This is what I do and I have yet to light anything on fire or lose an airplane.
@@TimmyRC: still, I humbly suggest an improvement: either you make a complete video that includes soldering of the right plug and balanced LiPo charging, or you use Li-Ion elements and a BMS to build a better battery for TX. Because when turned off, the TX will not handle under charge. That is why LiFe is the common (safer) option.
I agree that this video is outdated; it is one of the first videos I made. Feel free to make a better video. In low power draw scenarios such as transmitters, overdischarging a LiPo is relatively low risk. You might cause the battery to be unable to hold a charge and possibly puff it, but combustion is extremely unlikely. If you are observant you will notice that in this hobby there are few safeguards against accidentally leaving transmitters on or airplanes plugged in, likely because overdischarging LiPos is rarely catastrophic.
Does the c rating matter?
Not really because the current draw is extremely low relatively speaking.
i purchased a transmitter 3s lipo 8C 2200mah for my futaba radio that took 8 AA batteries with new lipo it reads 12 volts will this be OK
Yes, the voltage is the same. Just make sure you don't over-discharge your LiPo in your transmitter.
what I'm concerned about is will I burn up my 8 cell nicd AA futaba radio by just replacing it with a 3 cell lipo battery because the 3S lipo is 12.6 volts fully charged the 8 Cell AA battery was only 11.2 volts fully charged? hhmmmmm
when I see my lipo voltage drops to 9.6V I'M recharging it what do you think?
Does this work for DX6i?
Samen question
No
Extreme caution chaps I accidentally brushed the pins for a milli second with reversed polarity fried both the main and audio boards cost £137 Sob Sob.
WTF does having a specific connector matter? I would hope that ANYONE flying r/c can also use a soldering iron...
Perry Codes that’s what I’m saying
No no no you have to change the battery setting on the transmitter to lipo
Bro just made me short my nx6 that crap started smoking ☠☠
You are putting yourself in great danger using Lipo batts for this application, it's NOT WHAT THEY'RE MADE FOR! You need to use NiMah batts!!!
These Transmitters can be upgraded to LiPo from factory my guy 😅 read the manual
I would not attempt to charge a LiPo battery using the charging circuit built into the radio. Great way to burn down your house.
If your radio has a setting for LiPo batteries the built-in charge circuit should charge the battery to the correct voltage when that setting is applied. However if this is not the case then the battery should definitely be charged with a LiPo charger. Also, most radios that have a LiPo setting are not capable of balancing the individual battery cells.
I agree they spend very little on the cheap charger that comes with the package!