JR 12X....Charge time?

[Zeeb]

Okay I've got a question for you 12X owners out there. I talked with Horizon and they said they've not heard anyone say anything about the included charger and how long it takes to charge the tx battery.

Mine's taking about three times longer to charge, to where the light goes solid green, than what the book says of 8 to 10 hours. When I first got it, it took 30 hours to charge to that point and now it still takes quite awhile to charge. The battery also gets noticeably warm during charging, something that doesn't concern me too much, but if the charger is indeed only putting out 250 mah then I'd think it would not warm up a 2000 mah NiMH battery?

Then there's the deal that if it is putting out 250 mah, shouldn't it be capable of charging a dead 2000 mah battery in the 8 to 10 hours noted in the manual?????

Thanks in advance!

[The Dirt Doctor]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Zeeb
	Okay I've got a question for you 12X owners out there. I talked with Horizon and they said they've not heard anyone say anything about the included charger and how long it takes to charge the tx battery. Mine's taking about three times longer to charge, to where the light goes solid green, than what the book says of 8 to 10 hours. When I first got it, it took 30 hours to charge to that point and now it still takes quite awhile to charge. The battery also gets noticeably warm during charging, something that doesn't concern me too much, but if the charger is indeed only putting out 250 mah then I'd think it would not warm up a 2000 mah NiMH battery? Then there's the deal that if it is putting out 250 mah, shouldn't it be capable of charging a dead 2000 mah battery in the 8 to 10 hours noted in the manual????? Thanks in advance!

Another battery question: several of use use a Duralite li-ion battery in our 10Xs The batteries show 12.2 -12.3 v when fully charged. Someone else on this list said the 10X and 12X batteries/connections were identical. Would it be okay to use the Duralite li-ion battery from the 10X in the 12X?

Bobby aka TDD

[aviti]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Zeeb
	Okay I've got a question for you 12X owners out there. I talked with Horizon and they said they've not heard anyone say anything about the included charger and how long it takes to charge the tx battery. Mine's taking about three times longer to charge, to where the light goes solid green, than what the book says of 8 to 10 hours. When I first got it, it took 30 hours to charge to that point and now it still takes quite awhile to charge. The battery also gets noticeably warm during charging, something that doesn't concern me too much, but if the charger is indeed only putting out 250 mah then I'd think it would not warm up a 2000 mah NiMH battery? Then there's the deal that if it is putting out 250 mah, shouldn't it be capable of charging a dead 2000 mah battery in the 8 to 10 hours noted in the manual????? Thanks in advance!

I just charge mine overnight and the voltage on the Tx is in the 11 volt range and stays in the 10 volt for much longer than my 10X did with the Nicad did. I noticed the light was not solid but honestly didn't know that it was supposed to go solid.

[TheSteve]

I couldn't get my charger light to go solid green until I used a different charger (Schulze 330-d) to cycle the pack twice.
After two cycles the with the Schulze the factory charger took somewhere between 10 and 12 hours to go solid green.

[Zeeb]

	Quote: Originally Posted by TheSteve
	I couldn't get my charger light to go solid green until I used a different charger (Schulze 330-d) to cycle the pack twice. After two cycles the with the Schulze the factory charger took somewhere between 10 and 12 hours to go solid green.

Okay I'm hearing from several folks who are saying pretty much the same thing; it gets better if you cycle the pack a few times.

Just to cover my bases here, how far down are you pulling them? Would it be like a NiCD? I've got a Triton that the instructions for NiCD say not to take those down lower than 1.1 volts per cell, or in this case that would be 8.8 volts?

[3-d flyer]

Zeeb, when i got mine i put it on charge and it did take about 15 hrs or so before it went full green. I have flown the 12 twice now, (2 outings of about 4-5 flights each) and by habbit throw it on charge that night. By morning it is solid green.

I was wondering if i can use this charger on say my 9303 2.4 T/X.... anyone tryed this? Will the green come on when fully charged???

[pepatrick]

Yes...it works on the X9303...I charge my 12x on Friday nights. I usually fly on weekend and when I am not traveling I fly a couple of park flyers on the neighborhood golf course. If I start the charge at 9:00 pm..it is usually solid green the next morning at 9:00 am.

[seattle_helo]

I've been waiting to charge my 12X until the voltage gets to around 9.2v or so. And I've noticed that when I put it on charge overnight it is solid green the next morning- between ten to twelve hours total charge time. And the pack is slightly warm.

My understanding of NiMH batts is that temperature is key, and actually, critical. A warm pack is okay, good even, and means it is truly fully charged. Hot is very bad. But warm is good.

nick

[3-d flyer]

	Quote: Originally Posted by pepatrick
	Yes...it works on the X9303...I charge my 12x on Friday nights. I usually fly on weekend and when I am not traveling I fly a couple of park flyers on the neighborhood golf course. If I start the charge at 9:00 pm..it is usually solid green the next morning at 9:00 am.

Thanks pepatrick..... I'll try it out!

[Hammbone]

The general consensus is that 2.4Ghz is much more prone to have problems if things get hot than 72Mhz is. Operating at a higher voltage means things are going to get hotter. JR does not recommend using the Li Ions for this reason.

That having been said, Duralite is making a special Li Ion battery for the 9303 2.4, and for the 12X 2.4. It will step down the voltage with diodes so that the Li Ion pack operates at about the same voltage as the stock NiMh pack. The 12X battery pack should be available from Duralite next week. It will be 1400mah, and will cost around $135 to $140.

I am going to take the Li Ion pack out of my 10X and add 2 diodes to it myself to step the voltage down by 1.5 volts. I will take 2 diodes and solder them inline in the positive lead coming from the battery. I use Radio Shack part # 276-1144. It's a 2 pack of rectifier diodes good for 3 amps that only costs $1.59. The black end of the diodes will go towards the battery.
Each diode will drop the voltage by about .75 volts, so using 2 of them will drop the voltage by 1.5 volts and will put us inline with the operating voltage of the NiMh pack.

Since the diodes are basically one way valves, we will no longer be able to charge the battery through this wire because electricity will not flow backwards through the diodes, so we need to add a new charge lead between the diodes and the battery. I am thinking I will mount an Ernst charge jack in my battery compartment cover and hook the new charge lead to this jack. I now have a new charge port to charge my battery without having to open the battery compartment door every time I charge the battery.

Jim

	Quote: Originally Posted by The Dirt Doctor
	Another battery question: several of use use a Duralite li-ion battery in our 10Xs The batteries show 12.2 -12.3 v when fully charged. Someone else on this list said the 10X and 12X batteries/connections were identical. Would it be okay to use the Duralite li-ion battery from the 10X in the 12X? Bobby aka TDD

[pepatrick]

The stock battery is 2000mah..and seem to last a long time. Im not sure I would spend the money on the duralite. I like duralite batteries, but this new charger and 2000 mah battery seems to be a good match.

[Hammbone]

Use what you like.

Some of us like the Li Ion batteries because they hold their charge. When I get home from a flying session, I charge my Li Ion tx batteries (and my Li Ion rx batteries). My batteries are now ready for my next flying session whether it is one day away, or 6 months away.

If I have a NiMh tx battery and I decide to go flying at the last minute, I better have charged the battery the night before or I'm not going flying.

Jim

[Hammbone]

I should also say that I am not an electrical engineer or anything. I don't even consider myself an expert on electronics. I've just learned a few things over the years. I probably know just enough about electronics to get myself into trouble.

I am just sharing information here. If any of you decide to try my diode suggestion, you are doing so at your own risk, just like I am.

I just do not want to pay Duralite $135 to $140 for a new Li Ion battery when I already have an almost new Li Ion battery that I think I can just add a couple of diodes to and be in business.

If you are unsure about the diode thing, maybe you're better off just buying the Duralite pack or doing something else.

I was simply sharing what I am going to do to make myself feel comfortable about using Li Ion in my 12X. What any of you do is up to you.

Jim

P.S. This post may make you think so, but I'm not a lawyer either.

[The Dirt Doctor]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Hammbone
	The general consensus is that 2.4Ghz is much more prone to have problems if things get hot than 72Mhz is. Operating at a higher voltage means things are going to get hotter. JR does not recommend using the Li Ions for this reason. That having been said, Duralite is making a special Li Ion battery for the 9303 2.4, and for the 12X 2.4. It will step down the voltage with diodes so that the Li Ion pack operates at about the same voltage as the stock NiMh pack. The 12X battery pack should be available from Duralite next week. It will be 1400mah, and will cost around $135 to $140. I am going to take the Li Ion pack out of my 10X and add 2 diodes to it myself to step the voltage down by 1.5 volts. I will take 2 diodes and solder them inline in the positive lead coming from the battery. I use Radio Shack part # 276-1144. It's a 2 pack of rectifier diodes good for 3 amps that only costs $1.59. The black end of the diodes will go towards the battery. Each diode will drop the voltage by about .75 volts, so using 2 of them will drop the voltage by 1.5 volts and will put us inline with the operating voltage of the NiMh pack. Since the diodes are basically one way valves, we will no longer be able to charge the battery through this wire because electricity will not flow backwards through the diodes, so we need to add a new charge lead between the diodes and the battery. I am thinking I will mount an Ernst charge jack in my battery compartment cover and hook the new charge lead to this jack. I now have a new charge port to charge my battery without having to open the battery compartment door every time I charge the battery. Jim

Thank you for the info Jim.

Bobby aka TDD

[tadawson]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Hammbone
	If I have a NiMh tx battery and I decide to go flying at the last minute, I better have charged the battery the night before or I'm not going flying. Jim

Hmm, I must be doing it wrong . . . I can top up my NiCD/NiMH tx batteries at the field while I setup my aircraft . . . . worst case, a few minutes longer than that . . .

- Tim