I've been away for 5+ years.
09-04-2015, 05:02 AM
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I've been away for 5+ years.
So after being laid off in 2009 during the recession , I found another job that didn't pay nearly as well and therefore I lost a lot of my funds to stay in the hobby. I sold everything I had except my DX7 and a Parkzone P51. I just recently switched jobs once again and now I make substantially better pay! So I am ready to return to the hobby. I have already bought a DX9 black edition, a BNF E-Flight Mini Ultra Stick, and a used Nexstar that came with a OS .46FX motor for CHEAP!
My problem is that things have changed just in the last 5 years. My local hobby shop shut down and I now have to go to another one that is 45 minutes away. The person at the hobby shop was helping me to get the Nexstar set up with an AR610 rx, Turnigy 6.6V 1700mah rx battery, and Hitec HS-430BH servos to handle the 6 volts. I also bought a Kinexsis KX80 charger. But when I got home and went to put everything on charge, there is no way to connect the Turnigy rx battery to the charger. Am I supposed to cut some wires and solder in my own EC3 plugs? Any help would be appreciated, as there is nothing on rcuniverse or the internet about this that I could find. Thanks!
My problem is that things have changed just in the last 5 years. My local hobby shop shut down and I now have to go to another one that is 45 minutes away. The person at the hobby shop was helping me to get the Nexstar set up with an AR610 rx, Turnigy 6.6V 1700mah rx battery, and Hitec HS-430BH servos to handle the 6 volts. I also bought a Kinexsis KX80 charger. But when I got home and went to put everything on charge, there is no way to connect the Turnigy rx battery to the charger. Am I supposed to cut some wires and solder in my own EC3 plugs? Any help would be appreciated, as there is nothing on rcuniverse or the internet about this that I could find. Thanks!
09-04-2015, 06:51 AM
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Hey USMC,
Now that you have returned to RC flight, you will find that a decent soldering station & some soldering aids become a necessity no matter if gas/glow or electric flight. When I re-entered RC back in 2000, I knew I had to invest in some equipment to do the necessary electrical applications regarding mods, new features, & repairs. I purchased the Yihua 852D+ soldering station that had both soldering iron & heat gun....best investment I made. I also got the "JIGS UP" alum soldering fixture & an inexpensive magnifying clamping fixture from Harbor Freight that makes soldering a snap & 60/40 Rosin-core solder. I also make up my own adapter plugs so I can go from Deans-to-XT60-to-Banana-to-other connectors. It's going to be necessary for you to eventually do the same since electrical issues can cause many disasters & losses. Since I mainly fly electrics, I also have a 12V & Butane soldering irons in my field kit for those emergencies when at the club field, & believe me, they WILL happen. Simply pick up each addition as your budget allows & perhaps find another flier who can help till you're able to do it all yourself. Here's some pics of my setups & mods.....
Denny
Now that you have returned to RC flight, you will find that a decent soldering station & some soldering aids become a necessity no matter if gas/glow or electric flight. When I re-entered RC back in 2000, I knew I had to invest in some equipment to do the necessary electrical applications regarding mods, new features, & repairs. I purchased the Yihua 852D+ soldering station that had both soldering iron & heat gun....best investment I made. I also got the "JIGS UP" alum soldering fixture & an inexpensive magnifying clamping fixture from Harbor Freight that makes soldering a snap & 60/40 Rosin-core solder. I also make up my own adapter plugs so I can go from Deans-to-XT60-to-Banana-to-other connectors. It's going to be necessary for you to eventually do the same since electrical issues can cause many disasters & losses. Since I mainly fly electrics, I also have a 12V & Butane soldering irons in my field kit for those emergencies when at the club field, & believe me, they WILL happen. Simply pick up each addition as your budget allows & perhaps find another flier who can help till you're able to do it all yourself. Here's some pics of my setups & mods.....
Denny
09-04-2015, 10:50 AM
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Thanks for the reply Denny! I guess I didn't make myself as clear as I thought I was in my head. I have no problem soldering wires and connectors, that's not the issue. The issue is that my Turnigy 6.6V LiFe receiver battery has 3 connectors. A balance charge connector, a thin red connector (I do t know the name of it) and then the standard servo blade type connector, which I know plugs into the on/off switch and then plugs into the receiver. My charger does not have an an adapter included in the kit that will fit the thin red connector or the servo style connector. Do I need to cut the thin red connector off and solder in a EC3 type connector so that it will fit my charger? Or is there a separate adapter I need?
09-09-2015, 12:46 PM
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Thanks to all those who replied before.
Okay, so I got an adapter plug to charge my Turnigy 6.6V LiFepo4 receiver battery, and was able to get my battery charged without any further issues. Now I have new questions. I am going to be installing this in a Nexstar trainer plane. The plane has a OS 46FX motor, Hitec HS-430BH servos (capable of handling the 6V) and a Spektrum AR610 receiver. I am confused as to how to hook all this up. Back when I was flying a few years ago, using NiMH 4.8V RX batteries, I plugged the battery into the on/off switch, which plugged into the RX. The battery could also be charged by this same switch, just by plugging in the RX charger cord. I have tried to research this but I can not find anything that states just what I am needing to know. Some say that I can plug in the LiFepo4 battery into the on/off switch just like the old NiMH battery, and charge it using the same. Others say do not use the switch, and do not charge it through the switch, but charge the battery directly with it unconnected to the RX. That would seem like a headache to have to unplug the battery from the RX every time it needed to be charged or to check voltage. Can someone explain this in better detail on how I need to set this up? And could anyone provide pictures of their planes RX/battery setup if you are using the LiFepo4 6.6V rx battery as well? And what about a voltage regulator? Do I need one of those as well even though my servo's are rated for 6V's? Thanks in advance. This seems more complicated to me than what the old setup with NiMH 4.8V batteries were.
Okay, so I got an adapter plug to charge my Turnigy 6.6V LiFepo4 receiver battery, and was able to get my battery charged without any further issues. Now I have new questions. I am going to be installing this in a Nexstar trainer plane. The plane has a OS 46FX motor, Hitec HS-430BH servos (capable of handling the 6V) and a Spektrum AR610 receiver. I am confused as to how to hook all this up. Back when I was flying a few years ago, using NiMH 4.8V RX batteries, I plugged the battery into the on/off switch, which plugged into the RX. The battery could also be charged by this same switch, just by plugging in the RX charger cord. I have tried to research this but I can not find anything that states just what I am needing to know. Some say that I can plug in the LiFepo4 battery into the on/off switch just like the old NiMH battery, and charge it using the same. Others say do not use the switch, and do not charge it through the switch, but charge the battery directly with it unconnected to the RX. That would seem like a headache to have to unplug the battery from the RX every time it needed to be charged or to check voltage. Can someone explain this in better detail on how I need to set this up? And could anyone provide pictures of their planes RX/battery setup if you are using the LiFepo4 6.6V rx battery as well? And what about a voltage regulator? Do I need one of those as well even though my servo's are rated for 6V's? Thanks in advance. This seems more complicated to me than what the old setup with NiMH 4.8V batteries were.
Last edited by USMC2111; 09-09-2015 at 12:50 PM.
09-09-2015, 06:37 PM
#7
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It's really not much more complicated. You don't need a regulator. The actual voltage the receiver and servos see is nearly the same between a 2 cell LiFe and a 5 cell Nimh or NiCD.
You need to balance charge your LiFe. That's the only difference in setting up your plane. Many LiFe capable chargers are able to charge the battery through the balance tap. That's the easy way. So if you have that kind of charger, run the battery to the switch like always and just leave the balance tap where you can get to it. You may need to extend it a bit, but that's all. If your charger is one that charges through one set of leads and balances through a separate connection, you have a couple of choices. You can balance through the switch like always but also plug into the balance plug. Or you can make a wiring lead for your charger with + and - wires for the banana plugs that are attached to the two outside wires of your balance adapter. That will let you charge through the balance tap, or you can get really fancy like I did and come out with a 3 prong servo lead that goes to a charge port on your plane. With mine, I soldered a male servo connector on the balance tap of the battery to go to the charge port. That lets me charge from the outside of the plane with the wing attached if I need to.
You need to balance charge your LiFe. That's the only difference in setting up your plane. Many LiFe capable chargers are able to charge the battery through the balance tap. That's the easy way. So if you have that kind of charger, run the battery to the switch like always and just leave the balance tap where you can get to it. You may need to extend it a bit, but that's all. If your charger is one that charges through one set of leads and balances through a separate connection, you have a couple of choices. You can balance through the switch like always but also plug into the balance plug. Or you can make a wiring lead for your charger with + and - wires for the banana plugs that are attached to the two outside wires of your balance adapter. That will let you charge through the balance tap, or you can get really fancy like I did and come out with a 3 prong servo lead that goes to a charge port on your plane. With mine, I soldered a male servo connector on the balance tap of the battery to go to the charge port. That lets me charge from the outside of the plane with the wing attached if I need to.
