Old nmh battery

[Crazee4FPV]

:Hug:Learnt something...

[thehorse]

I found a receiver that's a Spectrum clone. It's called REDCON CM703 2.4G 7 channel receiver. It's compatible with DSM2 and DSMX and it sells for under $10 bucks at Banggood. For the price you can't go wrong. I'm waiting for my transmitter to be shipped. It's the new FS-i6X a 10 channel model that I paid $46.00 on a "flash sale". I'll keep you posted of changes. Thanks for your shout out.

[xviper]

Hello xviper, I bought a new FS-i6x transmitter and it seems to be a pretty good 10 channel radio. I'm just wondering if it will bind to DSM2/DSMX. I like some airplanes from Horizon Hobbies with receiver ready bind and fly systems however Horizon also wants to sell transmitters. ???
Also I was able to finally get the propeller off of my Skyfly. It just needed a very firm pull.

I'm not familiar with FlySky (not to be confused with FrSky). FlySky appears to be one of the popular, but really cheap transmitters sold by Banggood (and others). I'm not sure it will bind to Spektrum. It might and it might not. If you already have the TX, it's easy enough to try to bind it to a Spektrum RX. Find a friend with a plane that has a Spektrum Rx and give it a go.

[thehorse]

Hello xviper, I bought a new FS-i6x transmitter and it seems to be a pretty good 10 channel radio. I'm just wondering if it will bind to DSM2/DSMX. I like some airplanes from Horizon Hobbies with receiver ready bind and fly systems however Horizon also wants to sell transmitters. ???
Also I was able to finally get the propeller off of my Skyfly. It just needed a very firm pull.

[xviper]

Sounds like you got a handle on it. :Cool:

[thehorse]

Yeah thanks for the feedback xviper2, as I was doing the bench test I had one of those little lipo alarms plugged into the balance port. I set it for 3.4 volts and after 19 minutes it was still reading 3.6 volts. I would think a 10 minute flight would be plenty.
The spinner seem to be either glued or press fit on. As said before I don't want to damage anything so I will call Tower Hobbies sometime in the future.
Once again thank you and I'll post any further changes. It's a fun hobby room project.

[xviper]

Did you check the battery cell voltage after that run? LiPos don't like to be discharged too low - if it gets too close to 3.0v/cell (3.75 is best), it could be irreversibly damaged. It just seems more than 19 minutes run time is a bit excessive.
Try getting some stick on tire weights.
Have you been able to remove the spinner? If so, that should give you a clue as to how the prop comes off. The spinner may be glued on or pressure fit. Give it a gentle pull.

[thehorse]

Hello all, I guess I was posting in the wrong place so here are my updates. I decided to scrape the old Tamiya connectors and replace them with XT60s. I also found a 7.4v 1000mah lipo battery that fits almost perfectly. I bench tested the new setup and after 19+ minutes at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle I decided to call it a night. The battery was warm the motor was very warm and the connector was cool to the touch. I was amazed at the run time.
The new Lipo weights 64 grams however the old NiMh weighed 120 grams. So now my CG is messed up. I'm looking for weight. I was thinking fishing split shot?? Any ideas? BTW I still haven't figured out how to get the propeller of and haven't called Tower Hobbies yet.
I'm also turning this into a full project thinking about metal pushrods. It's fun I like it.

[xviper]

Thank you so much for all your help and valuable information. I bought this old plane in 2006 and it's still basically new in the box. I've modified the adjusters on the rudder and horizontal stablizer. It's illegal to fly unmanned rc aircraft here in Japan. Very strict laws we're passed in 2014. Basically I'm fine tuning the plane getting it ready to take to California later this year and fly it there. Your advice is a real pleasure to study. Thanks again.

Better check out the regulations in the USA, too. This past year, both the FAA (USA) and Transport Canada have come out with fairly strict regulations regarding RC model aircraft.

[thehorse]

Thank you so much for all your help and valuable information. I bought this old plane in 2006 and it's still basically new in the box. I've modified the adjusters on the rudder and horizontal stablizer. It's illegal to fly unmanned rc aircraft here in Japan. Very strict laws we're passed in 2014. Basically I'm fine tuning the plane getting it ready to take to California later this year and fly it there. Your advice is a real pleasure to study. Thanks again.

[xviper]

I understand however my old Skyfly came with mini Tamiya male on the NiMH battery and female to the esc and motor. Instead of driving myself crazy would it be OK to just install a new Tamiya male connector on the new Lipo battery? I realize Tamiya are old school. Do you think this will work?

Of course, it will work. Just be careful of the polarity. It's not likely that you will encounter another plane with a Tamiya connector, so go ahead and do the male on the battery. Later on if you want to use that same battery on another plane that has a more conventional connector, you can get an adapter like this and modify to suit:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/TAMIYA-Connec...kAAOSwpDdU~Usn
Even better would be to make an adapter now or find one to buy that will connect from your plane to the battery. That way, you can use the battery as is for future planes that have more conventional ESC connectors.

[thehorse]

I understand however my old Skyfly came with mini Tamiya male on the NiMH battery and female to the esc and motor. Instead of driving myself crazy would it be OK to just install a new Tamiya male connector on the new Lipo battery? I realize Tamiya are old school. Do you think this will work?

[xviper]

Once you progress to brushless motors and ESCs, the connection at the ESC are usually "male" (same as the charge lead from your charger). Therefore, the leads on the battery is "female". The exception to this are some of the HXT connectors where on each side, there is one male and one female. Some HXT's are also the same as more popular connectors (male on the ESC and female on the battery). HXT's are not that popular anymore. Take a look at the different types of batteries that MotionRC sells and you'll see what I mean. Each type of connector is designed to handle a certain range of voltages and amps.

https://www.motionrc.com/collections/lipo-batteries?_=pf&page=1

[thehorse]

One more question. Most all small Lipo batteries are sent with the male connector. Should I change to female connector and install male connector for motor and esc?

[thehorse]

Thanks xviper2, I'll keep you posted as for my changes.

[xviper]

If space is a limitation, I'd say that JST is the handiest to tuck into small spaces. XT30 are also small, but because of their shape, not as easy to tuck into narrow crevices. XT60 is just a bigger XT30. XT60 is more akin to EC3, which is quite common for 3 cell LiPos over 2200 mah. HobbyKing seem to love XT60's. Planes from Horizon Hobby tend to like the EC3, EC5 and Deans.

[thehorse]

Thanks xviper2, I'm also looking at connectors. I like JST because they are easy to install. I bought XT30 but they are very small and the fit is extremely tight. I've ordered XT60 I'd enjoy feedback in this area. Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Ed

[xviper]

After much research I have purchased a B6 new multi charger that does all batteries. I've also located a 7.4v 1000mah Lipo battery that should be a snug but good fit.
My new concern is the wiring. The Lipo battery wires in this range of power are just a tiny bit different. The Skyfly motor wires are 2mm + or maybe 18 guage. Lipo is 2mm minus
Is it a problem having a very slight difference in the matching of new battery to the old motor?

You have the oddity of running an older "brushed" motor. The Hobbico receiver appears to also be its own speed controller (and voltage regulator), so current goes through that before going to the motor. I think you'll be OK. Just check the "hotness" of the wires after a routine flight. The battery connector could be a little warm - that's OK. The motor wires could also be a little warm. However, if they are hot to touch, then you'll need to keep that in mind and not fly it at high throttle for extended periods of time. But since the battery wires seem to be thinner, those may get warmer. Again, "warm" is OK. Just remember that your battery voltages (stock vs chosen LiPo) is still similar regardless of whether it comes from a LiPo or NiMH battery. You've also picked a battery that is very close in mah, so you have some compatibility in terms of voltage and amps.

[thehorse]

After much research I have purchased a B6 new multi charger that does all batteries. I've also located a 7.4v 1000mah Lipo battery that should be a snug but good fit.
My new concern is the wiring. The Lipo battery wires in this range of power are just a tiny bit different. The Skyfly motor wires are 2mm + or maybe 18 guage. Lipo is 2mm minus
Is it a problem having a very slight difference in the matching of new battery to the old motor?

[WintrSol]

To expand on this, the cells can slowly drift apart in state of charge, so one can go flat before the other (not a good thing). Balancing is bring both back to the same state of charge; this can be done by the charger in balance mode (assuming it has one), or with a separate balancing tool. Also, some cheap chargers charge only through the balance connector.

Speaking of going flat - if you discharge a lipo too much, you can greatly shorten its life, even kill it. Unless you use a lipo-rated speed controller (ESC), you will need the external monitor, to sound the alarm when the battery is too low.