HI my name is Jennifer

I am new here and new to the hobby. I have programming and electronics experience.

I'm interested in the Devo7e as my first radio transmitter because it will work with dsm2 without any physical modifications (which I plan to use for naze 32), and the fact that it is upgradeable to work with many other receivers with simple electronic modifications.

I have a question though before I purchase the Devo7e (I'd love to purchase it today -- it seems so great).

But my concern is about the crippled 7mw of transmitting power, when it is capable of 100mw I hear.

I just want to make sure that the bridging of that single diode and re-installation of shield afterwards is still valid (for newer 7e's) and I want to make sure no one has experienced problems with the mod -- assuming the mod is done correctly -- that is just managing to bridge that diode sufficiently.

I have a good soldering iron, skills with it and a harbor freight magnifying light.

Also, how about conductive paint as an alternative? just use a 000 brush and keep brushing over the diode until there is decent conductivity?

Thanks!

Hi JenniferG, Looks like you have much more experience/ability than me for soldering the tiny stuff! Sounds like you've been doing your homework too, kudos. Anyway, if it does go south on you, you still have options... (go ahead & order your 7E! (easy to spend someone else's money huh... )):

WK-DEVO-S-MOD Upgrade Module
www.walkeraonline.com/walkera-wk-devo-s-...-upgrade-module.html
www.ehirobo.com/walkera-wk-devo-s-mod-de...-upgrade-module.html

Looks like they're still available...

People say that silver based conductive ink is OK for this. You only need to make sure the diode is not covered with flux residue or something else to ensure electrical contact.

What kind of soldering iron do you have? Is it temperature controlled soldering station? It is recommended for this kind of work, otherwise it's too easy to overheat it. Also, are you comfortable with 0402 elements? It's one millimeter long and 0.5 wide.

My soldering iron is adjustable. I even have a kill-a-watt if I want to dial it in precisely to a certain wattage. It also has replaceable fine tips. And I always use a wet sponge between each use -- this helps a lot I've noticed.

I suppose I'd clean the diode with some isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip to remove any leftover factory residue.

I have some very nice $15 sable 000 kolinsky paint brushes (I paint miniature / 25mm figurines) .. it's a very fine brush. If I had some conductive paint I could target it under my harbor freight lighted magnifying lamp.

Well what do you think? I suppose if I fail, I could always just pay $20 and by an 8s module and install that? Which I presume would be much easier.

Can anyone recommend a good conductive paint?

I think it's OK. It's never too late to fry your board with a soldering iron, so you should try painting over first.

With $20 module - the shipping is quite expensive, there are alternatives from Aliexpress that work well and cost less. And there are rumors Banggood will finally have multi-chip modules in stock soon, but nobody have seen them yet and price is also unknown.

But I'm sure you'll succeed, especially if you have soldering experience. BTW, kill-a-watt is useless if you have soldering station, it will only interfere with tip heating speed and only lead to frustration. If it's temperature controlled, the more powerful the iron the better.