devo 10 battery drain problems

hey everyone i am new to these forums but i have been running deviation since the day i got my devo 10(didn't even use stock) but a problem iv always had is with battery drain i don't know if this is normal or not but my battery drains really fast, last night i wanted to set my controller up for doing some sims and so i put new batteries in then made a new model for the sim and at the start of the setup the battery was at about 12v or so and by the time i finished setup which took me about an hour or hour an a half to do the battery was down to 9.4v and to my understanding you shouldn't let the battery drop below 8v, this just seems way to fast of a drain to be normal.

another problem is that when i set tx power lower it drains slower like you would expect but when i put the tx into ppm or usbhid mode i then cant change the power usage it just stays on default and that seems to be at 150mw the highest setting so the power drains super fast while using a sim.

I don't know if im using the wrong batteries or if there is a setting im missing but something has got to be wrong.

im running 4.0.1 and iv tried normal alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries all to the same effect,
and even with my small flyers which i set at 1mw the battery still drains fast.

sorry for the long wall of text and thanks for any help.

I'm using a Devo 10 as well, but haven't had any issues with high current draw. I've hardly used it on AA cells, so I can't really say what to expect from those, but with a 2.5 Ah 3S lipo it lasts forever.

Did you measure how much it draws?

hi thanks for the reply, i haven't done any sort of measuring but last night i was flying the sim for a couple hours and that took up 2 packs of batteries, im thinking it is either a problem with the transmitter or because im using really cheap alkaline batteries(it does say on the battery itself "not intended for high end electronic products") but i have tried other brands that have lasted a tiny bit longer but they were also cheap brands and the rechargeables i tried were cheap as well, i would like to try a lipo battery pack do you have any recommended ones i should look at? and also where would i get an adapter for the plug if i need one? i tried unplugging the aa holder that it comes installed with to inspect the plug but after an hour of trying i just couldn't get the thing unplugged its small and in the corner so i cant really get a grasp of it.

EDIT: just looking at the AA batteries and reading about them on google for a better understanding maybe my problem comes in with me using R6(carbon–zinc) which have a shorter life cycle and lower energy density compared to LR6 AA batteries, so maybe iv been using the wrong type i usually just buy the cheapest i can find(tight ass) so maybe all these cheapies are R6 batteries, i will try some LR6 type batteries next time i go shopping, right now im making due by taking the batteries out and plugging the remote into a 12v charger to use with the sim(dunno if this is a bad thing to do or not).

sorry for the giant wall of text.

I use this one in my Devo 10 with two extra rf modules and get weeks between charges. The LiFe batteries have slow self-discharge and are a good voltage match for the 10. Be aware the voltage drops quickly once you do reach the low voltage warning.

Looking at the specs of R6 batteries, those times don't sound unreasonable.

Might I recommend getting rechargeables batteries? RRacer mentioned using a LiPo, which is a really popular option. RRacer echos what I've heard, that they last "forever". I assume you charge them with your stock LiPo charger. LiFe have a bit more capacity, so presumably last even longer.

Personally, I use NiMH batteries - I got 2.4 Ah low self discharge ones from HK. They don't last "forever", but I fly off my driveway so running out "at the field" isn't a problem, and the convenience of recharging by plugging in the Tx is a win. They cost about 6x what good alkaline AA's cost, but still wind up costing less in the long run.

thanks for the replies i think my problem is my cheap batteries, i tried some rechargeables and got a much better time but still not great but i know thats because even they are really cheap rechargeables so i think my best option is to not be a tight ass and get some good batteries, thanks for the recommendations i think i might try finding some good NiMH AA batteries first and trying them out before switching to a lipo battery pack.

I myself am not really a park flyer either and the transmitter even on cheap R6 batteries lasts plenty long enough for a couple flights of my helicopters the problem just comes in with simulator use but i think with good rechargeables my problems will be solved.

thanks for the help.

I'd definitely recommend getting a lipo. It'll pay for it's self within a few cycles. I've been using these in my Devo10: bit.ly/1BpIXXz with good success.

that actually looks like a good deal thanks, i might pick one or two up.

How do you charge the batteries? through the tx or from an external charger, i have a proper charger for all my rc batteries but it would be nice to know i would be able to charge it through the devo 10.

External charger only, the Devo can only charge NiMH

The pack I liked to has a few different connectors on it. I just pop open the battery bay and use the servo connector and balance lead to charge it, while the JST connector is plugged in to my TX.

thanks for all the help guys i would have replied earlier but my internet has been down unfortunately, so anyways i can now confirm it was a battery type problem i went to the shop and bought some decent nimh batteries and they are working brilliantly i have been using my tx everyday since i got the new batteries and i still haven't needed to charge them yet, i still plan on getting a battery pack but until then these nimh batteries are doing just fine.

in my devo 10 i use life 1500mah 9.9v 1c 15wh, its txbattery, by hobbyking, no problem, i charge this battery 1 time every 2 months, and is a prevention!

I have ordered this Life battery from HK as suggested above.
hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16764
My question is which setting should i use for the low voltage alarm in the Devo 10?

Mine is set to 8 volts. Not really a critical setting, and mine may be to low. But if it's to high, you recharge more often than necessary. If it's to low, you'll get a warning that you can no longer write files to flash, which can be more of an issue. At that point, you raise the warning level to a bit above the current reading.

I have read in the internet that the working voltage range of a Life cell is 2.5V - 3.3V.
So to set the battery alarm for a 3 cell Life to 8.0V seems to be a very good decision. Thanks mwm again!

Hi,

I have the very same problem as reaper2259. Just installed last stable 4.0.1 on Devo10 and when I choose some protocol (like YD717) the TX power goes to default and on main screen it shows 150mW. And the battery goes down really quickly. The battery is almost the same as someone linked here ( bit.ly/1BpIXXz ). So I have few questions:
1) Is it normal that on some protocols you cannot change tx power?
2) Is it normal that with max tx power (150mW) the battery goes down so quickly (1-2 hours)
3) What should I do with it?

Thanks

I have this same problem with high power drain. I have installed deviation from the first minute so i can't tell if it would be the same with the original firmware. A pack of 8 Alkaline batteries would last for about a weeks time (2 maybe 3 hours of flight time). So i quickly changed to a Lipo batery, but not a good quality one. I need to charge the battery everyweek, but at least the Lipo is rechargable. But compared to my DX6i the DEVO drains power much faster, no question about that. I don't know if it is a problem or not, i suppose it is, but it doesn't seem to affect anything else. I just have to live with it...

Spooky
I have been holding off posting this as I have almost convinced myself it was a co-incidence
Mine is a 7E though...

Was happily running Nightly -v4.0.1-e1a3b14 for months and got /at least/ a full evening of indoor flying on a Weds night with at my local indoor 'club' and many Phoenix sessions per charge

I put firmware v4.0.1-c3007aa on last week so I could fly a new copter that required the update (Hisky HCP80 that needs 7 channels)

Not flown much in the week but got a couple of plays on Phoenix in during the week - I noticed I have been hitting the low power alarm so had it fully charged for tonight's club meet and only got a few flights in before I was getting a low power alarm (was only running 1mw and only flew 2 packs @ 5 mins)

I put the TX on charge whilst I watched the others for a hour or so - towards the end of the night I went to fly (again only using 1mw) and only got a couple of mins into flying when I got the low power beeps

Either my cells are suddenly shot or it really is drawing a LOT more power somehow
Could be just a coincidence it seemed to happen same time I put the new nightly on

Just charging up another set of cells - and am going to use those tomorrow and see if I have something electrically to worry about internally
I could go back to the older firmware, to make further test should the new batts not cure it

If all else fails I guess I will need to start pulling the extra boards in there and see if I can find if the culprit is removable
(got A7105 and NRF boards installed)

Will report back tomorrow with my findings hopefully

Regards
Rob

Was your battery realy empty. It is possible that the settings in the transmitter was not right.

In my case i know it has nothing to do with the 7105 and the NRF, because i had this problem even before installing them, when i was flying only my dsm2 and dsmx capable planes and helis. I think the modules are not to blame, but i am curious to see what you find.