Taranis battery management.

Zebaloo · Post by **Zebaloo** » Wed May 29, 2013 5:12 am

Hi all!

Just a short question about taranis battery management.

I've noticed that the radio is supplied with a simple wall charger and a 6 cells nimh. And that the radio is controlling the battery charge by herself.

Is the radio able to control the charge of a 2s lipo?

And, if not, is it possible to plug the radio to an automatic charger?

Thanks in advance for you replies.

Laurent

Envoyé depuis mon GT-I8190 avec Tapatalk

Post by **Kilrah** » Wed May 29, 2013 6:38 am

No, and no. If you want to use a lipo, you'll have to take it out to charge it.

Sent via mobile

Post by **ShowMaster** » Wed May 29, 2013 7:22 am

I was waiting for the first opinion to be posted and I agree with it.
Lipo charging in your tx is risky. Of course it's done all the time but some pay the price. A good friend charging his 3 cell lipo in his garage left it alone for 10 min max. Something went wrong and destroyed his garage and his 2 cars. He has been out of his house for 6 months due to rebuilding from the fire and smoke damage as well as the water damage done putting out the fire.
He'd been charging like that for several years and told us all we worried too much. Now we worry even more.
I'm sure Frsky doesn't want to take a chance in providing lipo charging in their tx.
SM
Life04 batteries may be a different story?

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk.

Zebaloo · Post by **Zebaloo** » Wed May 29, 2013 8:50 am

Ok.

As there is a jst xh plug to plug the battery, a 2s lipo charging management could have been available.

I'm not used to charge a lipo directly in my radio as the balance plug is not used.

By the way, if it's not already done, a disclaimer in the manual, telling not to charge a lipo threw the charge plug of the radio, may be a good idea.

Finally, while charging the stock nimh, is it possible to use an automatic charger instead of the wall charger on the radio plug?

Laurent

Envoyé depuis mon GT-I8190 avec Tapatalk

Post by **Kilrah** » Wed May 29, 2013 8:59 am

No. The charge control circuit is in the radio, it expects a fixed voltage input.

rcsoar · Post by **rcsoar** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 10:38 pm

Just wondering about field charging... will the internal battery charger accept a 12V (car battery) input?

FlyingVan · Post by **FlyingVan** » Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:36 pm

Will the internal charging circuit stop the charging when the NiMh battery is fully charged?

FlyingVan · Post by **FlyingVan** » Sun Jul 07, 2013 1:54 am

FlyingVan wrote:Will the internal charging circuit stop the charging when the NiMh battery is fully charged?

I read in another forum that the Taranis has a built in peak charge detection, so it will stop charging the stock NiMH battery.

rcgyuk · Post by **rcgyuk** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 12:57 pm

In my stock 9X, I have a 3 cell LiFe 1500. Just got my Taranis yesterday, would the same battery work here also?

Post by **Rob Thomson** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:07 pm

Yes... But you will need to make a harness from the 2cell balance lead to the battery.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

rcgyuk · Post by **rcgyuk** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 1:56 pm

Not sure what you mean by a harness. Also, my LiFe is 3 cell, not 2 cell.

Confused.

Post by **Rob Thomson** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:04 pm

The socket in the Taranis is a 2cell balance plug connector

So... Any 2 cell lipo or life can plug in.

The 3 cell will work, but you need to make a harness to take it from a 2 cell balance plug to whatever your battery uses.

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rcgyuk · Post by **rcgyuk** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:51 pm

So throw away the battery that came with the radio, after cutting off the lead, cut off the plug on my LiFe battery, leaving the balance lead for balancing, and solder the wire to connect the plug from the Taranis battery?

On my 9X, I did a mod to solder wires direct to the main board, and used a male / female 10 pin socket, so each wire is soldered to 5 separate pins, so when you connect your battery, you don't have a single potential point of failure due to a faulty connection, as long as 1 of the 5 pins is connected, power to the TX is good.

Worth doing to the Taranis, perhaps ?

G550Ted · Post by **G550Ted** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:00 pm

Way too hard. Keep the OEM battery intact and use as desired. Cut the balance connector off some dead/bad 2 cell LiPo and solder (or pin in) to a servo plug. Mind the polarity! Plug the balance connector into the radio. Mind the polarity! Plug the servo connector to your LiFe battery. Mind the polarity! Be happy.

Ted

Post by **ShowMaster** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 3:07 pm

Teds got the right idea!
KIIS.

Stoney · Post by **Stoney** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:20 pm

Ted or SM....completely understand the concept with not having to cut the actual connector on the LiFe and using the 2S balance connector & servo plug as an adapter. Not usually like this, but I am so paranoid about frying my Taranis that I can't think straight. Three wires on the balance plug I cut off an old batt; three wires on my servo/JR plug; but only two wires required plugged into my Taranis??? Honestly I need the steps spelled-out in crayon for me. Please help! I love this tx so much my wife is jealous

Post by **ShowMaster** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:40 am

The two cell balance plug should have 3 pins on it. The two outside pins/wires are used. One should be black, the other red.

The black should be the - and the red should be the +.
The servo connector uses the center pin+ and the one side that's brown or black -.
You don't use the end pin that has a white, orange, or yellow wire on it. That's the signal lead. Here's the connector on your life battery. You'll want to use the mate to it.

You simply connect the black or brown or blacks together depending on the brand JR/Hitec. You also connect the reds together.
Plug this adapter into your life battery and measure the polarity at the salvaged 2 cell lipo connector NOT plugged into the taranis. Then unplug your Taranis pack and measure the polarity on its connector pins. If the these connector polarities match each other then you should be good to go.
There is a rumor I can't verify that the Taranis input is polarity protected? We need to verify that with Frsky.

Post by **ShowMaster** » Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:15 am

My adapter and a 2400ma pack I made. Same connector adapter will fit a HK 1500ma life04 battery. I prefer the new LSD Nimh pack so I can use the Taranis internal charger.
I also made a similar adapter for my 9x reusing the dry pack connector.

foton · Post by **foton** » Sat Feb 22, 2014 3:32 pm

Here is one of the solutions. This way you can use much more LiFe/LiPo batteries.
It costs around $5.

more details.

I'm planning to make a hole in covering to accommodate balance plug.
This way I'll be able to charge LiFe or LiPo battery directly while in transmitter without removing of the cover.

xxdvdxx · Post by **xxdvdxx** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:59 pm

Hello,
i see that cover project you made, but how did u make the cover? The site can make it for you or you must have this 3D printer?

Daedalus66 · Post by **Daedalus66** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:41 pm

foton wrote: I'm planning to make a hole in covering to accommodate balance plug.
This way I'll be able to charge LiFe or LiPo battery directly while in transmitter without removing of the cover.

Charging lithium batteries in the transmitter is not good practice!

Post by **jhsa** » Sun Feb 23, 2014 7:12 pm

+1

The owner from this radio could confirm your theory

foton · Post by **foton** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:30 pm

What is the percent of lithium batteries charged in TX that actually went off? I'll take my chances.

Post by **ShowMaster** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 8:46 am

A club member burned down his garage and 2 classic cars. He only left his tx on his workbench charging while he checked his emails. Lost the use of his house for several months due to fire, smoke and water damage. He's blaming his lipo charger for messing up and changing the charge rate after he left it working.
It's a fact, so feeling lucky didn't work for him or his family for the 30min he was in the house.
His wife hasn't forgiven him I understand.
Another member was charging his lipo in his tx in his living room. He heard a loud pop while out of the room and went to check it out. His tx was on fire and the battery had popped the case back open. Being smart he thought, he used his fire extinguisher to put out the fire on his coffee table. The blast from it blew the burning lipo shrapnel around the room and the drapes caught on fire.
He's finally back in his house after major cleanup and repair.
He's also blaming his charger changing after he set it correctly and left the room.
They may be correct, the chargers may be more dangerous then the lipo it's charging.
I have more pop and burn lipo charging stories that are true but these are 2 of the worst due to the damage caused to their family's house.
The one about charging on the seat of his brand new high end motorcycle seat is his garage is a hoot. Then there's the one about one guy showing the other how it's done and we hear a loud BANG and the tx case blew up! Good news is no fire or people hurt.
That was enough to make me NOT rely on luck. I use Nimh in my tx and feel safer, not lucky.

May the force be with you.
SM

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk, small keys and a big finger.

foton · Post by **foton** » Sun May 25, 2014 7:20 pm

ShowMaster wrote:A club member burned down his garage and 2 classic cars. He only left his tx on his workbench charging while he checked his emails. Lost the use of his house for several months due to fire, smoke and water damage. He's blaming his lipo charger for messing up and changing the charge rate after he left it working.
It's a fact, so feeling lucky didn't work for him or his family for the 30min he was in the house.
His wife hasn't forgiven him I understand.
Another member was charging his lipo in his tx in his living room. He heard a loud pop while out of the room and went to check it out. His tx was on fire and the battery had popped the case back open. Being smart he thought, he used his fire extinguisher to put out the fire on his coffee table. The blast from it blew the burning lipo shrapnel around the room and the drapes caught on fire.
He's finally back in his house after major cleanup and repair.
He's also blaming his charger changing after he set it correctly and left the room.
They may be correct, the chargers may be more dangerous then the lipo it's charging.
I have more pop and burn lipo charging stories that are true but these are 2 of the worst due to the damage caused to their family's house.
The one about charging on the seat of his brand new high end motorcycle seat is his garage is a hoot. Then there's the one about one guy showing the other how it's done and we hear a loud BANG and the tx case blew up! Good news is no fire or people hurt.
That was enough to make me NOT rely on luck. I use Nimh in my tx and feel safer, not lucky.

May the force be with you.
SM

Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk, small keys and a big finger.

Not trying prove anything, but I know a guy here locally that got his working table on fire charging Nimh batteries. Yes, that's right, *NIMH*.

Are all those cases you've described with LiPo or LiFePo4 batteries? Later ones should be much better when it comes to safety and I'm using those for RC TX only.
Other lipo's are always in metal can while charging.

PS: "As a result, lithium iron phosphate cells are much harder to ignite in the event of mishandling (especially during charge) although any fully charged battery can only dissipate overcharge energy as heat."

Post by **jhsa** » Sun May 25, 2014 7:53 pm

A friend of mine from my club nearly burnt down his workplace charging a lipo 2 weeks ago.. Lucky that he was around.. He threw the battery on the floor and put a metal pot that he had at hand on top of it.. He was very lucky that he was in the room

I started to charge mine outside until I get a brick so I can charge them inside it with a plastic bag of sand above it. batt catch fire, burns the plastic, and the sand will fall on the battery putting the fire out..

João

robschonk · Post by **robschonk** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:41 pm

rcgyuk wrote:In my stock 9X, I have a 3 cell LiFe 1500. Just got my Taranis yesterday, would the same battery work here also?

To me, this looks like a solution in search of a problem. Why would you take a 2000 NIMH pack out and replace it with a 1500 LiFe?

The NIMH will charge internally using either a wall wart or a cigarette lighter plug in your car. I keep the original 800mah battery in my flight box as a spare, but I've never needed it.

I think the factory battery is the ideal setup.

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