David Holland 2 Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Evening forumites. Can anybody tell me if the purple/blue charge indicator of my DX8 should change colour or extinguish when the batteries (NiMh) are fully charged. It has always stayed purple and I have always charged overnight before going flying without any problems. I haven't charged it for a couple of weeks but today when setting up a new model I got a low voltage alarm after it had been on for just a few minutes. I suspect the battery pack is the issue but never could find if I should have left it on charge until something happens to the charge indicator.Thanks in advance. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 The charge indicator does not extinguish when the NiMh pack is charged, David, so the recommendation is to charge it for 10-12hrs for a full charge. Not the best of systems, admittedly. It may be that your pack is faltering, in which case it's worth considering replacing it with a LiIon or LiPo pack. They last a lot longer between charges and in each case, they can be charged until the blue indicator light extinguishes. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C. Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I updated my battery pack to the genuine lipo option, it increased the capacity and has the benefit of the charger light switching off when fully charged. Can't recall how much it cost but wasn't too expensive and was a doddle to fit. Paul. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Holland 2 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks Pete. It seems I have been charging correctly and the battery pack must be four years old by now. A lipo seems the way to go, more capacity and no self-discharge. A no-brainer. Thanks for your help. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Holland 2 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Sorry Paul. I was typing my reply to Pete before I read your post. You have confirmed my decision, thanks. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul C. Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Just a thought, if you go lipo you will need to change the setting on the transmitter. Check the manual and it will tell you where it lives in the menu. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Brooks Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 This was discussed in the thread "Dx8" about a year ago. This has details of my solution to the problem. Still not keen on charging a LiPo in situ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark a Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Mine seems to charge to 7.4 volts and stays at that voltage for ages but slowly drops after a month or so generally let it drop to 7.0 volts before a recharge. Edited By Mark a on 09/02/2015 19:40:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Crook Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 David, if you did want to stick with NiMh then Overlander can supply an appropriate Eneloop pack. These have very low self discharge, I've been using one for a couple of years and it's great. The reason I was reluctant to go the LiPo route is I was nervous as to what would happen if I left the tranny on in the shed. I know it sounds a warning, but does it then switch off? I wouldn't worry about charging a LiPo in situ, though - I do it all the time with my phone, tablet etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Trevor - I think u will find that your phone and tablet etc use li-ion not "soft pack" lithium polymer like we use in the hobby - furthermore, batteties in these devices have pcm built in to prevent deep discharge or over charge etc. Having said that I have no qualms about charging my dx8 lipo pack in situ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Holland 2 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Some good stuff here, chaps. Been having a bit of a google and it seems that the genuine Spektrum lipo packs have a built in charge/discharge controller at about 30 squids (for a 4000mah) but 4Max have a 2s lipo for the DX8 which has three connectors, a TX plug, a balance connector and charge lead so you use a lipo charger rather than the Spektrum item but don't have to remove the pack each time, just take the battery cover off. Then there is the eneloop option. Decisions, decisions! Thanks for the reminder to change battery type at the TX. I hope when I order the battery the shop does not have a Parkzone Sport Cub in stock cos I feel an urge coming on!! Thanks for all the replies. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Crook Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Tim, I would have agreed with you about the different battery technology used in tablets up to a few months ago. Then my Nexus 7 stopped taking charge, so I opened it up and found a familiar looking silver, soft object! It measured 3.7V so I unplugged it and patched one of my LiPo chargers into it and it charged up perfectly at 1A. Following advice on line I bought a new micro usb socket and harness and it now charges again. I accept your point though that these devices have sophisticated battery management circuits/software. Back to the DX8, does anyone know whether it has similar protection? Most important for me, when set to the LiPo technology, will it switch off after sounding the low battery warning for a while, thereby saving the battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Posted by Trevor Crook on 09/02/2015 22:23:00: Back to the DX8, does anyone know whether it has similar protection? Most important for me, when set to the LiPo technology, will it switch off after sounding the low battery warning for a while, thereby saving the battery? AFAIK it won't switch off but the tone/vibe warning (which cannot be de-selected) will let you know in no uncertain terms.... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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