Devo8S has to go - what next ?

Hi !

Since I don't want to go any longer with my Devo 8S I am unsure what to take as replacement - sunny conditions capable, of course. And a Devo . . .
In the end there are only the Devo 7E and the Devo 10.
Since I have had a Devo 10 for only a half year (then the screen went down) I am a little bit unsure. The Devo 7E seems nice and handy but paradoxically there's the price that makes me unsure, costs less than the half of a Devo 10 (three additional channels can't cost a whole 7E radio).
I think both radios are able to take advantage of Deviation software, right ?
Any restrictions known ?
What radio would the experts recommend : Devo 7E or Devo 10 (number of channels don't matter) ?

tia
Gerhard

hello Gerhard
I'm surprised you are abandoning the 8S, may I ask what brought this about?
The thing with the 7E, you need to do the diode mod to make it of any real use. This involves removing the RF shield from the module and shorting out a tiny diode to enable the rf amplifier, otherwise range is extremely limited.
Are you equipped to do this kind of work? You can find all the details on what needs to be done in the 7E thread.
I have a 7E here which I am working on for my flying buddy and they are a decent enough unit for the money.

@mono
Though I had read a lot about the weakness of the 8S screen I gave the 8S a try.
Indoor the screen works fine, but under sunny conditions its unreadable.
Maybe the touchscreen affords such a screen. One of the best screen I ever have seen has the Walkera 2801, I own two of them. I also have a Spectrum DX7 which has nearly the same problem but inverted - nearly unreadable under dark conditions.
Modding the 7E would be no problem, but I think I will take the Devo 10.

@PhracturedBlue
Thanks for advice ! So I think I'll give a Devo10 a second chance.

Kind regards
Gerhard

Ah... okay, so the difficulty to read outdoors is the only issue you have with it?
If you would like to give the 8S a second chance, I can think of a possible way to improve on that. The F7 model uses a sunshade to assist with screen visibility, it would not be hard to make up something similar out of black plasticard to do the same for the 8S.
I've had a 6S since last year and while it's not marvellous in daylight, I can read it, even with my 60 year old eyes. But I certainly agree about the 2801 screen, it does have a reasonable contrast.
I'm still waiting to get an 8S, as the vendor I buy from sells out as fast as they come into stock, so I got a D10 for the time being. I suppose if you get another D10 at least you'll have a good supply of parts for it which is always handy.

Im going to pick up one of those anti glare screen protectors. I'll post here if it helps visibility. I found a site online that makes them for fish finders...

Good idea, have done the same - I got a mobile phone screen protector - it is both an anti-scratch and anti-glare/reflection, cut to size for the Devo8 screen. Got it from the local phone shop. Just make sure it is suitable for a resistive touch screen, most are not flexible enough as they are made for capacitive touchscreens.

And RandMetal, what is your conclusion on the antiglare screen protector ? Was it worth it ? Do you get far better result on the Devo 8S on sunny days ?

It does make enough difference to warrant the few $ for a anti-glare screen protector/guard, but I would like to see the one Hexperience have ordered that is made specifically to enhance the contrast of an LCD under sunlight.

I have two Devo8s' I still need to get another protector for the second, I'll see if I can show the difference with a picture.

Hi !

@mono
The 6S is known to have a better screen (maybe the 12S also).

@RandMental & Hexperience
A dedicated anti glare/reflection foil maybe of some help; a good idea anyway. I'll try out some (hope my local electronic market has to offer some).

Tried a screen protector yesterday.
Manufacturer is cellular line from Italy ( www.cellularline.com ). They offer a range of protection foils, concerning anti glare two foils are interesting : ULTRA GLASS and ULTRA GLASS UNIVERSAL
I got the ULTRA GLASS one (available for different types of cellphones (took the SAMSUNG for it was the biggest one - 13 x 7 cm), they took about 10,- €.
The foil is "TOUCH SCREEN OK" - said the package, also "ANTI FINGERPRINTS" and "ANTI-GLARE".
The package contents :
Screen protector foil
Dust removal film
Microfiber cloth
Air-bubble-free applicator
Since the foil was big enaugh I cut out a proper piece and applied it on the radio's screen. There are two protection foils which have to be removed (one before applying and one after). Removing the second foil caused the filter foil to loose also - the whole procedure ended up with some air-bubbles I couldn't get away.

Conclusio :
In bright sun reflections seemed to be less, but I didn't see more than before, couldn't recognize more.
The good news : Touch screen worked fine.

Today I'll do the procedure again and try to apply the foil without air bubbles.

Removed the foil yesterday and placed a new one (the SAMSUNG foil was big enaugh to cut out a second piece), now the application went fine without air or grain bubbles.
Result the same as before, but due to practically no reflections now it helps to shadow the screen by hand in bright sun.
The attached picture shows the effect.