I just got the Eclipse with the Spectra module, receiver, and 425 servos. I've charged it overnight, 14 hours, and have been using it to try and set up one of my planes. I've noticed the Spectra module gets fairly warm to the touch and am wondering if this is normal. Also, I only get about an hour out of the battery in the transmitter. Do these 2 things seem to be correct? I'd think I'd get more time out of the 600 mah pack and was just curious about the module. Thanks

Are you extending your antenna part way when setting up your plane?

Most people do not seem to realize that running any brand RC transmitter with the antenna down is very hard on the output stage of the transmitter; the SWR is way up and will cause excessive heating of the output stage. For best results and life of your transmitter, never run for more than a few minutes with the antenna retracted.

Thats EXACTLY what I was doing. Now, anyone have any idea about the battery? Does an hour seem like enough?

An hour out of a 600MAH pack seems low. It might have something to do with the antenna being collapsed though. Not only does it generate heat, but it's a LOT less efficient at generating heat than it is RF waves. Try it with the antenna fully extended on a fully charged pack and see what kind of time you get.

BTW, for setup purposes, if you remove the battery, can't you use the charge jack to power the transmitter? Also, most people might not recommend it, but if you pick up a regulated DC power supply of the correct voltage and current raiding and hardwire it to wooden dowels with metal tacks on the end, you can bench test your radio all day without touching a single battery. It needs to be a very high quality power supply though, as the ripple in your average DC power supply will glitch your transmitter badly, and might actually harm it.

If you were running the transmitter with the output mismatched the current drain would have gome up as well.
The synthesizers also draw a fair amount of current above the simple Xtal oscillator.
I am running 1100 mAH packs in all of my transmitters . The cost is low and it buys a lot of headroom.

In the manufacturer's forum, Mike Mayberry has said that the Spectra Module will use more battery life than the transmitter with a regular crystal. For more battery life, you might want to try a 1100mAH NiMH battery. I am still using NiCads, but understand that the NiMH batteries of the same capacity as NiCads will last almost twice as long on a charge.

How does that work? If its the same capacity, it should last the same length of time.

Ross

Hello F-16, you stated: .
I do believe that all new nicad pack are to be charged at C10 for 24 hours for the FIRST CHARGE only. From then on the 14 hours is good. I am thinking about getting the same radio you have. I have also heard that the Spectra Mod. uses up the battery faster. I don't know too much about all the acronyms.... and what they stand for, as all I have is an old fashioned non computer radio. I have a thread waiting for answers now, on the forums to "Mike at Hitec". I needed some tutoring on what all the gadgets do. I had heard that the spectra module used more current.... but I have no clue as to what it is!!! ....lownslo

Bob

According to the manual for the Spectra module on the Hitec website, the unit draws 180 +/- 20 mA. This is considerably higher than most Tx modules and could explain why it runs warmer. As for the short battery life it is a likely contributor, but amounts to less than a third of the capacity of a 600 mA pack in one hour. Cycle your Tx battery to make sure that it is charging completely. Make sure you run the Tx with at least the first segment of the antenna raised.

Ross

umm, you ment C/10 not C10 right? =) We don't want packs exploding <G>

OPPS!!!!
Yeah............C/10. thanks..lownslo..

Ross, if you go to www.rcbatteryclinic.com, you will find a wealth of information about NiCads and NiMH batteries. This website should be able to answer many of your questions.

Radiocontrol:

I didn't have any questions relating to NiMH vs NiCd batteries. Many of the metal hydride battery packs have higher capacity than NiCd packs. This is one of the advantages - in many cases they will have more capacity for the same or lower weight.

However, if the NiCd and the NiMH batteries are the same capacity (as per your earlier post), there is no way that the metal hydride batteries will last twice as long!!

Capacity is capacity, irrespective of the chemistry. The only exceptions relate to high current draw applications where some battery types are better able to deliver their energy faster due to lower internal resistance. (NiCd's are superior to NiMH in this respect)

If you have information to the contrary with regards to capacity, please share it.

Ross

Hello from fgj.... purchased the Hitec spec TX and spliced the battery wire as have been using airtronics and have a lot of 600 mAH batteries around. Everything connected good until I put the airtronic battery in to the Hitec holder..SMOKE started to come out of the of the TX. Problem was that there it two metal retainers to hold the battery tight in holder. These clips made contact with the bottom of the battery and shorted out the works. Burnt all wire from battery to the splice in less than 4 seconds. Now when I switch batteries there is a plate to seperate battery from the two copper clips...... Live and learn....