Here I go again with one of my pain in the ass mods  

The Task at Hand

#1) Get more flight time....
#2) Don't mess up the look of the Phantom...
#3) Don't add more weight....
#4) Don't f@#% this up!!!  :|



Research first...

Find a battery with more power... sized fairly decent to still squeeze in the battery bay... and not too heavy...

Ended up with this 6600mAh deal that was made for the Blade QR-X350 Pro ... measurements looked ok... weight looked good...
Took the plunge and ordered a couple.... http://r.ebay.com/Y3q984



Next thing... was to tear apart a DJI Battery and figure out the wiring specifics...
That wasn't so bad... shoulda waited till the other batteries showed up from China... Ended up stuck with just one battery for a couple weeks there  



The battery is pretty straight forward... Two PC boards... top one is the smart one doing all the work... bottom one is just a router bringing all the cells together and sending power and data to the quick connectors... A simple six wire flat cable uses four wires for balance leads and two wires to send data to the infamous spring pads on the battery quick connect hub... The two fat black wires are the switched negative to turn the Phantom on and off... Positive is always connected when the battery is installed...

My plan was to ditch all that "quick connect spring pin shit" ... and go with solid Deans Connectors and solder data wires direct ... I wanted solid... I wanted dependable... and I wanted MORE :twisted:




Snip Snip Clip Clip....

Got the main smart board removed from the battery and started working out a location for permanent mounting... This required a complete teardown... didn't really wanna do it... but then again... wanted to do it right... so there it went... gutted that baby




Inside the battery bay I found a good spot with plenty of room....

For my long range setup I have moved the stock DJI antennas outside the hull anyway... boom... done ... snipped out some plastic ribs that held the antenna and it fits like a charm... weird... like it belongs there ;)


Got it all cemented in place and JST connector soldered and shrunk to the 4 "smart wires"... ground main soldered and shrunk and layed out



Moving on...

With that I could start reassembly ... solder in positive main... solder in negative switched main... solder and shrink data wires...
And start finishing things up with this little bad boy....



View from the battery door shows why I wanted to hide all this crap...



Next was cleanup...

Solder and shrink Deans Connectors... Hollow out battery cover and glue power button back in place for that "stock" look...
Contact cement and some shaped EPP foam to make the battery sit tight in the bay...
Slide a battery in the bay and plug everything in and cross my fingers...


pro-tip ... always plug the mains in first... then the JST connector


And That's a Wrap...

Snap things together and wait for decent weather to test fly...
(which happened tonight btw... Screenshot at bottom of post)



And you can't even tell it's there...



First test...

First charge on this battery...
First flight jitters hoping it would work out ok....
Just landed a little while ago and snapped a Screenshot... started video record right after I took off and Screenshot right after I landed so this is pretty damn accurate... and I didn't baby the thing and just hover the whole time... I flew around quite a bit and it was pretty breezy as well... I mean, I wasn't hammering it the whole time but I'm totally stoked with this... it was still light out when I launched this baby!!  :twisted:


I figure this will get a bit better too... you know how Lipos are on a first date ;) ... After a few charges and cycles we'll see how she settles in and get a good average of airtime...


.


.

Now shit gets real... going for a new distance record and this battery setup will get me there...




How far can YOU fly???

Now this is what I'm talking about! Mods are great because they show creativity and give us a chance for advanced users to go beyond manufacturer's limitations.

A lot of home made mods (for anything) can get pretty messy, so I'm a fan of the clean, factory look you were able to keep on your bird.

You gotta keep us updated on your flights - flight time, distance etc.
I'm too chicken to gut mine but I'm thinking about trying this new Phantom 6000 mAh battery I've seen on sale.

Good job again, thanks for sharing!

Will it not show battery capacity in the app after mod ?

b.w.j@joergense Posted at 2014-10-25 01:22
Will it not show battery capacity in the app after mod ?

It does show battery capacity after the mod... I flew it all the way to 0% so that's why the screen shot looks like that...

Cloud9 Posted at 2014-10-24 22:50
Now this is what I'm talking about! Mods are great because they show creativity and give us a chance ...

Thankyou sir!!! I will definitely post updates here... hoping to fly some more in the morning if the wind dies down {:3_52:}

I'd be happy if the stock batteries weren't 3 to 5 times more expensive than what every other R/C craft uses.  They don't last long.  75 to 100 flights max.  I learned this the hard way -- cost me my whole rig.     

away-point Posted at 2014-10-26 14:32
I'd be happy if the stock batteries weren't 3 to 5 times more expensive than what every other R/C cr ...

What happened? And what should i look out for? Can you tell when the battery is going bad somehow? Before its too late?

Simply put, once a P2 battery reaches 75 cycles, be highly suspect of the battery, and plan on retiring it soon.

One of my batteries was at somewhere around 80 charge cycles, and had been exhibiting a reasonable amount of reduced flight time.  However, one day while flying, showing about 60% charge remaining (via iOSD), the P2 started down, despite applying full throttle to maintain flight.  By the time I got to where it landed, it was gone.  I think someone took it.  1,500 bucks gone!  

There is something unique about how the P2 determines the battery level at which the P2 no longer holds altitude, and begins coming down - a discrepancy between levels reported on the battery itself, and the via the iOSD module.  A battery can be reporting to have significant charge (as seen on the battery and iOSD), yet begin coming down.  I my experience, batteries which begin showing this "early decent" characteristic, are on their last leg.
Given the fact the batteries are so expensive, it's only natual to want to get as much life out of them as possible.  But, the most expensive battery is the one which causes total loss!  IMO, at 75 cycles, likely time for replacement.  

Wow, that is some major modification -- I cringed at the "all the guts yanked out" part!  

At this point in my flying career I would not ever dream of something that drastic.  However, I did see a mod kit on the Shapeways website that might be a little less cannibalistic and a whole lot easier.  This particular mod is for a Phantom 1 but who know, the guy may take on a Phantom 2 at some point.  Shapeways link

Reminds me of a cargo plane I've seen before....

Hi DBS,

How has the battery mod been working out?  This is a great mod!!!  What are people doing with their old P2 batteries?  I want to experiment with tearing an old battery apart before I take the P2 apart.  Anyone want to part with their old used P2 battery?

jelee@surewest. Posted at 2014-11-29 02:55
Hi DBS,

How has the battery mod been working out?  This is a great mod!!!  What are people doing wi ...

This is where the motor extension arms and bigger props come in real handy....

Another cool mod......

away-point Posted at 2014-10-26 14:32
I'd be happy if the stock batteries weren't 3 to 5 times more expensive than what every other R/C cr ...

I'd be happy if the stock batteries weren't 3 to 5 times more expensive than what every other R/C craft uses.  They don't last long.  75 to 100 flights max.  I learned this the hard way -- cost me my whole rig.

Do you know if this a common life for lipos or is this something specific to the Phantom batteries?

Not aware of anything unusual about the lipo batteries in the Phantom, other than the cost, and the "smart" part between the battery and the aircraft.  I think around a 100 charge cycles is about the most you can hope for with this type of battery use (high current-flow discharging).  There is so much at risk with the Phantom in the air, it really doesn't make sense to squeeze every last drop of lifespan out any battery.  Especially since they begin to go from significant charge level to depleted in a much less linear fashion as they age.

hi guys,
I have done a similar mod but just modifying the battery pac and have cables coming out of the bottom of the phantom.
Im having problems with the smart board not recognising the size of the battery so shown 1/2 full no matter what....
I have tried to put a 2.2 A 3s battery to smart board full and empty and the battery dose not change any of the % charged at all?? Dose the smart battery record any battery data ex. when it is fully charged and when its empty? and if so, will this be solved by a full charge and discharge over time or not, so that it basically learned when it is fully charged and when it isn't?? As its not possible to measure the MAH without having it fully charged and discharged. Would i need to charge the battery though the smart battery to make it realise the Mah of the battery? or can i just charge it with a normal charger and then drain it by flying with it?? was bad wether today so did not have the opportunity to fly it :/
hope you guys can help go no reply from rcgroups
thanks,
JT

Try a really long press on the battery power button before turning anything on... Hold the button down for more than five seconds and you will see the battery LED's reset to full... It still won't help your power curve much because you are using a battery that the smart board firmware doesn't recognize but it allows you to start your flight at a higher number.

Its really easy to take apart,
Here are some pictures from rc groups on how to take it apart, if its old and pumped up u can just pull the top off and it will basically fall apart:
post 272 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/s ... 2085480&page=19

here is my final product:

POST 427 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/s ... 2085480&page=29 docent look too nice but works.
my next goal is to take apart 2 s3 2200 mh battery and place them where the cells from the phantom where to make it look 100% original.
the bad thing is that the phantom has 6 cells and only 3 balancing cables, making 2 physical cells balance as one cell, this is why they don't last long, design flaw or on purpose bad design. if anyone knows cells that have same size as the phantom ones please post here.
thanks,
JT

jeppeth Posted at 2015-1-28 23:00
POST 427 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2085480&page=29 docent look too nice but wo ...

No need to balance cells separately when they are connected in parallel since they balance each other.
   

jeppeth Posted at 2015-1-28 23:00
POST 427 http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2085480&page=29 docent look too nice but wo ...

No need to balance cells separately when they are connected in parallel since they balance each other.
   

im not an expert in this but isn't this the point of a balancing cable??? To balance each single cell as it can't balance it thorough parallel or is it series only? or do lips only have balance cables as they are in series? can u please explain
thanks,
JT

Any updates on this? How are the 6600mah batteries holding up?

Luc81 Posted at 2015-3-22 03:36
Any updates on this? How are the 6600mah batteries holding up?

Sorry I never noticed this post... yeah man... that was the best damn mod...  flight times were amazing and weight wasn't effected at all... it was a beautiful thing... and then I did the stupid V3 upgrades to my bird... new ESC's and motors and props...  noticed that it robbed me of a little flight time but that was all cool because I was getting freekin 25/26 minutes anyway... that was Christmas time... and Dec 28th I went out to try and beat that "How far can YOU fly" contest on phantompilots... the goal on that contest wasn't distance from home... it was total distance travelled... so you could go out and fly in huge circles around your control point and accumulate mileage on your Flytrex data recorder and whoever gets the biggest numbers wins...

I had a perfect day... no wind... I was hauling ass with that baby for like 8 minutes and had already covered 4.8miles...  at that rate I could easily cover 12 miles in 20 minutes and smash the other guys record by 2 miles...

BOOM...  crash and burn from 300ft altitude... ESC or wiring failure froze a motor and spun a prop off... lost the whole damn 6 months of mods in 5 seconds.

But eh... I got a new one now and new stuff going on with these new antennas coming out... so it's all water under the bridge I guess right?

I am going to stick with the antenna for starters...No "assault on my battery" for now.....(Pun intended!!)

I hear ya... I sit here looking at this one and...  I mean I know I can get it done and I have the stuff... but jeezzzz man,  that was a lot of work and it kills the warranty big time

All I want to do is fly my quad
I got a feeling I'm not the only one
All I want to do is fly my quad
Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

Great... now I got THAT stuck in my head for the rest of the night

Well I got a Limefuel 5400  to test.  Just waiting for some nice weather.  If the limefuel goes bad as quick as the dji ones, I'll be doing your battery mod.
Too bad about your phantom though.

mixstreme Posted at 2014-11-30 04:26
This is where the motor extension arms and bigger props come in real handy....

Another cool mod. ...

Yes, but how do you land that thing?  With no landing gear because of the bottom motors it would come down on the blades.  I wish they showed him landing.

ETA:  On one of his other videos it shows the quad with landing legs.  But still doesn't explain how he landed the one linked to.

Hi. I have done the mod. But somehow the phantom doesn't recognize the 6600 mah battery. It's starts landing when there is around 40 % battery left, and I only gets 10 min flight time? Do I have to calibrate battery with smart board in some way