Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Does anyone know if the 6EXA has a diode in it which prevents a cyclic charger from being plugged straight into it? I have a duel cycler that's already connected to the rx, but I'd rather cyle the tx batt with in the transmitter. I don't want to damage anything before I go and plug the tranny into the cycler.
Many thanks,

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Mine will not show a voltage on my voltage tester. So I assume that it does.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

I have a Futaba T6XA and I took it apart , cut the battery wires and use a 6" servo connector to adapt mine so I could switch batteries. I wonder why Futaba made this series of radios like this. My Futaba Sky Sport has an easily removable battery.

BTW, my T6XA remembered the programed functions when the battery was removed. Futaba lists this as a feature on its high end radios, so I was afraid that I would lose all programming when the battery was disconnected. Why else would they make it so difficult to remove the battery?? Anyway, my radio remembers the program just like the expensive ones do.

Our Asian friends build great electronics, but I wish they would hire Americans to write the stupid manuals.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

I have to remove the battery from the transmitter if I want to cycle my battery because of the diode. One guy had by passed the diod in his transmitter and fried the hole pcb board because of this.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Oooh. Thanks for that info, guys. I havn't got a connecting socket for the tx batt (charger plugs into tx), so 'll just cycle it by leaving the tranny on until it starts beeping then recharge it. I guess you can do this with the tx, but not with the rx, which the really what I bought the cycler for.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

You can go to the site listed below to see how to bypass the diode you have in your TX. I've jumpered across all my TX diodes and have never had any problems. Now you will have problems if you reverse polarity going into the charge jack. Just be careful here and you won't have any problems.

If you decide not to bypass the diode and let the TX drain while being turned on, make sure you fully extend the antenna. The final amps could over-heat due to VSWR from a collapsed antenna.

http://www.siriuselectronics.com/services.htm

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Yes, the 6EXA has a diode. I would not even consider bypassing it while the radio is under warranty. It's also very easy to remove the battery. Open the cover, remove the battery and then pull the plug out. It's a little harder to get the plug back in. Since I have fat fingers, I use needle nose pliers.

I can't figure out why Futaba uses the same plug on the Tx and Rx batteries. Seems to be inviting trouble. However, for your purposes, it sounds like this will work well, when you need to recycle, just pull the battery from the Tx, set the correct voltage in your cycler, and let it do it's thing. Once complete, put the battery back in the Tx. Something to remember is that cycling does not need to be done every charge. It's just a once in a while thing.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Yes, Futaba has a diode which blocks discharging the battery, I just take the battery out and cycle it. Dave

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Ummm, isn't that what I said? :D

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

I have another question about this, would you be able to peek charge it when it was in still in the TX?

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

I can't see why not. However, I find myself wondering if it's worth the trouble. The typical transmitter battery will last for a couple hours. Peak charging is all about squeezing a little extra juice in a plane/car/boat battery to get a little extra run time. The transmitter time is already so long that there's limited value in pushing the battery that little extra. If you need more time on the transmitter, just hook it to a field charger for 10-15 minutes, assuming it can be fast charged.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

My feild charger peak charges my batteries (triton)

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

Peak chargers are used to charge a battery pack at higher rates than the overnight charger. They detect when the battery pack has reached the point where it won't accept more charge and then shut down. If they did not sense the shutdown point, your battery packs would be damaged.

If you're charging at higher rates, you will usually get LESS charge in the pack than a slow, overnight charge will. That's not a problem if you use high-rate peak chargers at the field to keep the packs topped off.

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

you told me what I know, not the answer, which is, if it will shut down

RE: Futaba 6EXA Diode question
 

The Hobbico Field Charger MK II that I have will shut down with my unmodded 6EXA. It detects peak without measuring back voltage. I don't really know how it does that. It must measure input current. I heard it won't put in as much charge but it will work with diode protected TXs. This, along with the two pack capability, is the reason I bought it. It is the best $50 I have spent for field gear because I can fly as long as I want even with the low capacity standard 600ma packs or when I didn't get to slow charge either my RX or TX.