Powering 3w Boosters from Phantoms Remote Battery!

[SolarDude]

OK - got everything together BUT no power. Obviously I have something to fix in the battery splicing. What are you using for the metal connector at the battery cable?

@Damager
It's just a metal butt connector I picked up at Fry's. Are you getting voltage the battery connector that plugs into the DJI remote pcb? There is probably a battery management board built into the battery that could have cut the power output off if you created any shorts during the process. Try charging the battery normally and see if it resets the battery and it's output.

 

[RambleFX]

Might want to isolate the amps & controller with a choke or small resistor in series and a big electrolytic and small ceramic cap to ground.


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[SolarDude]

Although that may help I can tell you from much testing that it's not needed.

It's a really simple mod. Just splice into both red and black wires and run them up to the top to feed the amps.

Unplug the battery while your doing the splicing.

If you short the wires while making the connections then you might trigger the battery management board built into the battery to cut the power output off. If you get no voltage reading out of the battery then that's probably what happened. Next plug the battery back into the controller PCB and then plug in the charging jack and the battery should turn back ON and all should be good again.

Make sure you have the polarity correct on the barrel jacks that plug into the 3w amps. The center pin is positive.

 

[Sim597]

Ok, seeing that you've come to the dance Late, I'll give you this.
Where did I ever say a cheap 4W or even 8W amp on eBay for $20 or $59 respectively was better then the gold amps?
For the record, even though I've had issues with a couple of the amps, doesn't mean I don't like them, I think they're badass amps.
To be fair, lol they're no 1W US made amp with the injector. Not even close to the same league. Look closely and listen and you'll understand why. First the specs are completely killer at 24dB TX and 16-17dB RX at one watt! The S/N ratio is much higher.
But, BUT, this USA made amp isn't to replace my Sunhans, those aren't really hooked up to my AC house current, they also won't give close to the RX that the Teletronic Amp can, the whole idea is to have it close to my antenna, which having installed two on the roof, over $100 in cables alone.
So, if your going to "call me out" at least make it something I actually said, and, at least if your going to "school" me on something, make it correct

 

[SolarDude]

GEEZE lighten up. I was just saying the 3w amp had higher power output than the other 3 and 4w amps that were being sold.

I would have never known that without seeing the test pictures.

I have zero experience with the 1w amp you have so I can say anything about it and never did.

Ok, seeing that you've come to the dance Late, I'll give you this.
Where did I ever say a cheap 4W or even 8W amp on eBay for $20 or $59 respectively was better then the gold amps?
For the record, even though I've had issues with a couple of the amps, doesn't mean I don't like them, I think they're badass amps.
To be fair, lol they're no 1W US made amp with the injector. Not even close to the same league. Look closely and listen and you'll understand why. First the specs are completely killer at 24dB TX and 16-17dB RX at one watt! The S/N ratio is much higher.
But, BUT, this USA made amp isn't to replace my Sunhans, those aren't really hooked up to my AC house current, they also won't give close to the RX that the Teletronic Amp can, the whole idea is to have it close to my antenna, which having installed two on the roof, over $100 in cables alone.
So, if your going to "call me out" at least make it something I actually said, and, at least if your going to "school" me on something, make it correct

 

[Damager]

Really - that escalated quickly...

 

[Damager]

Hmmmm. I reconnected the battery leads just back to the battery plug (as they were before I started) and then plugged in the battery plug. I than connected the RC to the power supply - got the normal stepping white lights on the front. Left it for about an hour. Came back, unplugged from the power supply, and tried to power up. Nada - nothing. Not sure where to go from here.

 

[SolarDude]

Hmmmm. I reconnected the battery leads just back to the battery plug (as they were before I started) and then plugged in the battery plug. I than connected the RC to the power supply - got the normal stepping white lights on the front. Left it for about an hour. Came back, unplugged from the power supply, and tried to power up. Nada - nothing. Not sure where to go from here.

No power on the remote or no power at the booster connectors?

Can you post pictures of your wiring connections?

How exactly did you go about combining the power connectors from the battery.

I just cut both red wires and stripped them back on both ends and then added the wire feeding the boosters before crimping all of them back together again. I did the same for the black wires.

You should have around 7v on the battery terminals.

 

[Damager]

I am getting 7v or so from the battery leads (before connecting the plug). I'll now reconnect the plug and then make sure I'm getting current to the connector.

 

[Damager]

OK - rewired the now cut battery leads to the plug. Plugged in the plug, and tested using the solder joints UNDER the plug on the board - got 7-8v on those, so I know power is getting to the plug. Still nothing when I push the power button. Very strange. Ill keep digging.

 

[Damager]

OK - Update.

First, thank Solardude for helping here - you have no obligation, but keep answering my questions - I appreciate it.

I added a photo of the battery connections for your review - I still need to heatshrink. I think this follows your input above - let me know if not.

I've tested the voltage at the extension wires at the top of the remote, and I'm getting ~7v, so it seems to be connected correctly.

On the power supply connectors for the Amps, which wire should go to the red? One side has text on it, the other has dashed lines.

Thanks again.

 

[SolarDude]

OK - Update.

First, thank Solardude for helping here - you have no obligation, but keep answering my questions - I appreciate it.

I added a photo of the battery connections for your review - I still need to heatshrink. I think this follows your input above - let me know if not.

I've tested the voltage at the extension wires at the top of the remote, and I'm getting ~7v, so it seems to be connected correctly.

On the power supply connectors for the Amps, which wire should go to the red? One side has text on it, the other has dashed lines.

Thanks again.View attachment 59180

Sounds and looks exactly the same as I did it.

Use the continunuity test on a multimeter to see which wire on the booster plug feeds the center pin.

Another thing is your not supposed to turn on the remote unless you have the boosters or an antenna connected because supposedly you could blow the radio circuits inside the controller. Not sure if you did that then I'm not sure it could cause the remote to no turn on or if the radios just would not work. I learned about this when following instructions for installing the DBS antenna yourself.

Did you disconnect the battery before you did the splicing?

Let me know how it goes.

 

[Damager]

Thanks.

Yes, disconnected the battery plug before any cutting - was the first thing I did after cracking open the shell.

On turning on the remote - first attempt was with Amps and antenna installed - from there I've been attempting powerup WITHOUT all that just to see if I get any response. I've read that it's not an instant "fry" if you start without antenna installed - it's something that would happen over some time, so I've been willing to turn on just for a sec to test for power.

I'll test the pin for the amp power as you suggest.

 

[Damager]

Man. I'm having a rough time here.

I'm getting ~7v on the wires going from the battery up to the top of the remote. I connect an amp power lead to the power, and amp will not power on. I then reconnect the USB connector to the end of the amp power lead, and plug into the battery that came with the amp kit, and the amp powers up just fine. Should the amps be powered OK with the 7v from the battery? Does that current flow only when the remote is powered up, or continuously when plugged into the amp?

 

[Damager]

I'm guessing at this point I fried something, so I've ordered a new remote. Before I decide whether to try this again, can you just let me know 1 thing - does the connection to your amps power them whether the remote is powered up or not? That answer will help me - thanks.

 

[Damager]

Sounds and looks exactly the same as I did it.

Use the continunuity test on a multimeter to see which wire on the booster plug feeds the center pin.

Another thing is your not supposed to turn on the remote unless you have the boosters or an antenna connected because supposedly you could blow the radio circuits inside the controller. Not sure if you did that then I'm not sure it could cause the remote to no turn on or if the radios just would not work. I learned about this when following instructions for installing the DBS antenna yourself.

Did you disconnect the battery before you did the splicing?

Let me know how it goes.

Could you take a look at my last question in the thread? Thanks!

 

[KyleMaxxUAV]

Nice !!!


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[John Locke]

I'm guessing at this point I fried something, so I've ordered a new remote. Before I decide whether to try this again, can you just let me know 1 thing - does the connection to your amps power them whether the remote is powered up or not? That answer will help me - thanks.

Damager, since its been a while and you haven't got an answer yet I'll throw in my advice to consider. Based on your wiring and what SolarDude has pioneered, the power cables from the battery will always have power provided to the amps when plugged into the amps. To turn the amps on you'll have to plug the wires into the amps each time you fly, and unplug them from the amps to turn them off. I'm perplexed why your setup doesn't work, because it should. As SolarDude suggested, make sure you CONFIRM continuity with an ohmmeter for all of your wires, AND... make sure the center conductor of the plug going into the amp reads positive when measured with a volt meter. If you've got 7VDC at the plugs, and the center conductor in the plug is positive, it should work to power up the amps.

I don't think you have an RC problem. If the regular amp battery will power up the amps like normal, there's a continuity flaw somewhere. If the RC powers up OK with the LEDs lighting up, you should be OK. Has the RC stopped powering up? If yes, did you try to reset the RC battery by charging the RC battery?

I really like Solardudes idea on this. I hope someone acts on it and produces "clean install power kit" to make this easier and cleaner to do. I would prefer a kit that included plugs on top of the RC for external power cables, so I can easily remove the cables when I'm not using the amps. I'd also like to see a small toggle power switch on top of the RC to turn those power lines on and off to the amps, so I don't have to unplug the power cables after each flight, and replug them next time I fly. Hey Jake.... here's another clean install kit to fab. Get busy! Hah!

 

[JakeMaxxUAV]

Damager, since its been a while and you haven't got an answer yet I'll throw in my advice to consider. Based on your wiring and what SolarDude has pioneered, the power cables from the battery will always have power provided to the amps when plugged into the amps. To turn the amps on you'll have to plug the wires into the amps each time you fly, and unplug them from the amps to turn them off. I'm perplexed why your setup doesn't work, because it should. As SolarDude suggested, make sure you CONFIRM continuity with an ohmmeter for all of your wires, AND... make sure the center conductor of the plug going into the amp reads positive when measured with a volt meter. If you've got 7VDC at the plugs, and the center conductor in the plug is positive, it should work to power up the amps.

I don't think you have an RC problem. If the regular amp battery will power up the amps like normal, there's a continuity flaw somewhere. If the RC powers up OK with the LEDs lighting up, you should be OK. Has the RC stopped powering up? If yes, did you try to reset the RC battery by charging the RC battery?

I really like Solardudes idea on this. I hope someone acts on it and produces "clean install power kit" to make this easier and cleaner to do. I would prefer a kit that included plugs on top of the RC for external power cables, so I can easily remove the cables when I'm not using the amps. I'd also like to see a small toggle power switch on top of the RC to turn those power lines on and off to the amps, so I don't have to unplug the power cables after each flight, and replug them next time I fly. Hey Jake.... here's another clean install kit to fab. Get busy! Hah!

Get busy? I've been busy!!! Haha! I've got some ideas though....

 

[Damager]

Yeah - I owe the group an update here.

My original thought was that I burned something on the RC mainboard in the process of doing the wiring, so I ordered a second RC. When that unit arrived (and while I was in the process of installing Jakes "clean install" kit, which rocks) I plugged the battery from the new unit into the old one and it powered right up. I then did some more analysis on the original RC battery. I would get 7v from the added wires UNTIL I plugged in an amp. Then the voltage would drop to .5v or so. I believe that I miswired something OR crossed a battery wire briefly and killed something that controls power output on the battery. Luckily, I found someone with a defective RC but a good battery, and was able to grab it for $35 (you cannot find these things on the open market. They are a weird size for the capacity).

So now I have 2 operating RC's - one with the clean install and one with the drilled install. I'm going to reattempt the internal battery hack this coming week. One thing I would suggest is that getting the polarity on the amp plugs correct can be a bit of a challenge. In the amp boxes there are several versions of the amp plugs for different connectors. One of those uses a red wire and a black wire, which makes the polarity clear. I'll be using that connector for my hardwire.

Thats it! Still a great hack, and I'll be reattempting soon. My first attempt cost me some time and $$, but I can now do a DBS install (clean or drilled) in NO time!