MJX Bugs 5W Battery Mod to use Hobby Grade Balance charger. . or Charge any Proprietary 2S LiPo

[@DOGWOMAN55]

Glad to see someone showing how it is done. i have been doing this myself and it is nice that i can charge a drained battery in just over 60 mins safely.. Thanks for sharing

[@gionnirocket530]

Thank you for your message. . .we need to stay safe whilst we play ;-)

[@cliffbigrhs4040]

Great informative video Gionni ! I only wish I had found this video before I made the mod to the oem charger. I did the solder mod except I used 22 gauge wire. It works great, but this is by far a better way to go about this. Keep giving us the good info !

[@gionnirocket530]

Happy Flying!!. . . Rotate!

[@kiroslabtsipgreg3992]

Did the mod 2 ,works great with my Imax charger ,Thanks +++++++++

[@MrShadman14]

I purchased and used the charge cable for 2S Batteries with Balance Connector Only (MJX Bugs 5W) and found it to be much, much quicker to balance charge. I balance charged my 7.4V 1800mAh 25C 2S Lipo battery at 1.8A. I was told by someone on line that this would not balance charge but only charge the battery however every indication shows it balanced charges. Then I was told by that same individual that it would damage my SkyRC iMax B6 v2 charger. I cannot verify that at the present time however since I have only charged 2 batteries today. Nothing overheated or seemed out of the normal. I don't want to mess around with circuit boards or wait 5 hours for a 15 minute flight either.

[@gionnirocket530]

Thank you. This does indeed provide a proper balanced charge and will not damage your charger or battery. When you understand the theory of LiPo battery charging and the connections from a hobby charger to a non proprietary battery... you would know that this adapts the proprietary battery to work with the hobby charger in the same way. It is a safe and easy work_around. There's a lot of confusion about this... and hence my reason for making the video. If I may, and only if you agree, I ask that you like the video by clicking the "thumbs up" at the bottom right side of the video so that it gets a better standing and shows up in searches faster. This will help others find this information before they try some of the other dangerous modifications out there. fyi... I do not represent any of the products mentioned and this is probably going to be my one and only video ever. . .

[@BillMRC]

Yes, I agree that the alternative mod you refer to is not easy & risky too. If you want easy with low risk, then I recommend this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqG9eq1sor2igdU

[@BillMRC]

PS. This one trick Pony thinks that his way is only the best way.

[@MrShadman14]

@@BillMRC Bill I used to appreciate your entries however your angry name calling has turned me off. Even is you were right and others wrong name calling is not called for.

[@BillMRC]

It is a fact that this kid is arrogant & ignorant, if that is name calling for you just ignore the reverse, Try to help the best I can for the rc community, but I cannot keep everyone happy.

[@midmiles8117]

I appreciate you for sharing this video. It has been very helpful.

[@gionnirocket530]

All three options charge at about at the same rate..60 -75 minutes if the hobby charger is set to 1C (1.8A for the B5W). But if you are not in a rush it's always better to charge at a slower rate so the first two options are better because you can set the hobby charger to 1A or any anything under the 1C rating. Or even better with the hobby charger...charge to the storage V (7.4V for a 2 cell as the B5W) and then charge to full an hour or so before you fly. This will give your battery the longest life if you don't fly every day.

[@midmiles8117]

@@gionnirocket530 You made very good points. Thanks again.

[@mrhuron303]

I see the answer below, thanks for video.

[@PhBikeLife]

Hi, thank you for sharing this video. I will try this out myself but first i need to find and buy all the materials. Hehe keep the vids coming mate. Thanks and love from the Philippines 😊

[@jm8144]

Thanks for your video, can you recommend a balance charger to use with solution #1? Thank you.

[@gionnirocket530]

The one in the video is the only one that I have experience with..the SkyRC B6AC. It has worked well for me and has a good reputation. That said, beware of knockoffs as there are many and for full disclosure ... I haven't been using it much lately as my interest have changed. Into eBikes at the moment ;-)

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Good thinking there. 99! ;-)

[@vetrix2724]

Dude thanks so much works great

[@starshipgus8578]

I do not condone soldering heavy gauge wires to a battery board ,first it’s not necessary since the charging rate is much lower than flying demand,second it’s a good way to damage your board from extreme heat.There are adapters available already made for this or you can make one yourself if you got the skills.

[@gionnirocket530]

I totally agree and the purpose of this video. There is another video out by a silly old man that tells you to solder to the board. If you leave a comment on his video that you disagree, he will delete the comment. Sad.

[@theresamagill6678]

Where do you get the already made cable for this? Thank you in advance.

[@jetmartin9501]

Gionni, does this require that you solder the wires together? Or could you just twist them together an then use electrical tape to secure it in place. I'm asking because i don't own a soldering iron, and other required stuff (e.g., soldering wire, etc.) and don't know how to solder. I know it's not terribly difficult to learn but nevertheless there is a learning curve and time to research and expense to purchase all the gear. So just seeing if I can avoid it if not necessary. Of course I don't want to do something that might not be safe. If it is necessary or strongly suggested to solder the wires can you recommend a decent soldering iron that is a good value? Thanks

[@gionnirocket530]

Sorry for the late reply as Iv'e been away. I would not recommend taping the wires but wire nuts will work just fine. . . or just go with option #3

[@sirvayr]

Gionni: If I wanted to add a second charging port to your Method #2, I assume I would have to tap a second 2S female onto the 2S female in your schematic (red to red, blach to black, and center to center) and charge at 3.6 amps? (of course I would need another battery adaptor box).

[@gionnirocket530]

In theory yes. But I would not advise you to do so as batteries especially if the battery is bought at a different time, is of different age and/or lot. The cells can have a different internal resistance and thus will accept a charge differently. The 2 cells in a 2s battery are matched by resistance at the factory at the time of assembly. I know many do it, but I do not advise parallel charging of batteries as a general practice.

[@suecamilleri7363]

@@gionnirocket530 to charge 2 batteries at the same time like method 2 the balancing connector stays the same or need to be changed please?

[@gionnirocket530]

@@suecamilleri7363 As you can read from the comment above I do not advise charging two batteries at the same time. Everything I have read leads me to believe it is not worth the risk. Thus I have no experience parallel charging and can not offer any advise. Sorry. . .stay safe!

[@suecamilleri7363]

@@gionnirocket530 thanks for your reply, I understand no problem

[@theresamagill6678]

Any thoughts on how to do this without soldering. I just bought a JJRC X5 2k and it has a 7.6v 2420 mah battery. I'm new to the hobby and have no idea what type of charger to buy or how to do any type of modifications. The charger that came with it is different than the original type. The charging box adapter for the battery plugs into a charger box by c type and then that box has a usb plug to place in a wall charger. I could send pics of it. Thank you so much.

[@gionnirocket530]

hmmm.. that proprietary battery set up definitely makes things a little more difficult. It looks like it may be possible to use the charging adapter from a B5W and the setup in the video as the battery 7 pin connection looks the same.. but without having it in front of me to view/test it would be hard to say for sure. That said, what are you trying to accomplish? Keep in mind that charging a Lipo slowly is the best method to getting to a full charge and also not damaging the battery. Here's an excellent article for you on Lipo: rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

[@theresamagill6678]

@@gionnirocket530 just trying to charge a little faster than 3 hrs and keep the battery charged and stored correctly. I'll try a B5W charging adapter. I will need to buy a B5W adapter and an already made cord. Any ideas where to get those from?

[@gionnirocket530]

@@theresamagill6678 I believe this is the cable, but please double check: www.progressiverc.com/jst-xh-charge-balance-cable-for-t-rex-150.html And this is the B5W adapter: www.ebay.com/i/362422662888?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=362422662888&targetid=856845407982&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9004249&poi=&campaignid=2086087614&mkgroupid=90044703758&rlsatarget=pla-856845407982&abcId=1141016&merchantid=137697638&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7aPyBRChARIsAJfWCgIjf7CNo9WhjGOUjXVG7Nwfhnn4G3FqlRvuhEBQ8CLr67FZrMuw25YaAoODEALw_wcB You may want to google and see if you can find others. 3 hours for that capacity isn't horrible but you probably can do a little better. And yes Storage Charging is very important. I checked mine after a year of no use and the voltage only dropped .02V ;-) . . . Rotate!

[@theresamagill6678]

@@gionnirocket530 just got both of those and I believe it will work. Waiting on a hobby grade charger. Thanks so much for your help! You're awesome!

[@mrhuron303]

A noob late to this video - Will any of these options allow you to perform discharge or put the battery into storage? Thanks.

[@dedegias]

Nice vid! MJX Bugs 5 B5W has 3 wires in battery. What is the use of third wire during flight?

[@gionnirocket530]

Thanks! The third wire is for balancing the cells while charging. I don't believe it has a function during flight, but if it does it may be so that the battery cells drain equally.

[@vetrix2724]

Gionni Rocket or so the drone can detect voltage more accurately

[@hhampton]

Waiting for the materials to arrive to make 4 sets of cables.

[@RJ-nq4gb]

I've watched both videos on charging proprietary lipos and I have to say that this is much easier and safer. That Bill M -RC video seems a stupid way to go about things ?

[@gionnirocket530]

Thanks for your comment. . You are spot on! Please like if you haven't already so that others can benefit as well!

[@robertholsopple9451]

Wish I could do something like this with the 2k/4k version. It's even more proprietary than this!

[@gionnirocket530]

Not familiar with the Bugs 5 4k version but from a google search the charging system looks very similar. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to.

[@hhampton]

This is not related to charging but I would like to know if I can replace a 2s 7.4v 1800 battery with a 2s 7.4v 2700 battery to get longer flying time. If not, why?

[@gionnirocket530]

In theory you can use any 2S / 7.4v battery as the voltage is the key specification you need to match. Then matching or exceeding the discharge rate "C" Problem ends up being the logistics of connecting a third party battery to the proprietary plug and getting it to fit into the battery bay or strapping it to the drone so that the weight is properly positioned as to not throw of the center of gravity. In my opinion it's not worth the effort.

[@hhampton]

@@gionnirocket530 Thanks so much for the prompt reply! Your answer was exactly what I expected but I am new to the hobby and have lots to learn. In fact, I am still waiting for the drown I purchased to arrive. I purchased a JJRC JJPRO X5 5G WIFI.

[@gionnirocket530]

@@hhampton Here's a very good article: rogershobbycenter.com/lipoguide/

[@darekn2679]

Hi, I would like to do this mod myself like in option #2 but a question is: Should I use all wires in the same size (AWG)? Now I have 2s Battery Balance Charging Extension Wire Cables (24AWG) and I'm going to solder to it (like on diagram) 18AWG (or 16AWG) wires. Is it ok?

[@gionnirocket530]

Yes is OK to solder different gauge wires to each other... but the current is limited to the smallest size in the circuit. Since you shouldn't be charging the battery above a 1C rating, in this case 1.8A, you are good. In general the larger the wire, the more heat required to solder and the more skill to achieve a neat connection so matching wire size helps. That said, you are well within the scope of easy soldering. The reason I dislike the other persons video mentioned is because he is soldering to a foil conductor on a circuit board and that is not an accepted safe practice as wire to wire is.

[@darekn2679]

Ok! Thank You very much!

[@arek4921]

Hello U think IT will be works on battery for bugs 4w ?

[@SkunkWorks2001]

Great video & advise. I like option #1 but redymaderc is out of stock 😫 Can you recommend another supplier? Thanks much 👍

[@gionnirocket530]

Thanks! This looks to be another version of the cable. www.progressiverc.com/jst-xh-charge-balance-cable-for-t-rex-150.html

[@neilkoos5622]

with the third option do you need any extra cabling or does the bugs 5w battery adapter just plug into the charger

[@gionnic8922]

It plugs right in. There are a few different ones out there by different manufacturers as well that just plug right in. Keep in mind that you can't do a storage charge, they only do full charges.

[@midmiles8117]

Does this third option charge the battery as fast as the first two?

[@tombettencourt9674]

Re the Progressive RC item for option 1, how are the clips used? Which charger would you use with this?

[@gionnirocket530]

​@@midmiles8117 sorry for the late reply, I didn't see your question nested under another. Yes all three options charge about the same... 75 minutes

[@gionnirocket530]

@@tombettencourt9674 sorry for the late reply, I didn't see your question nested under another. You can use any hobby charger...You just have to match up the connection type.Most hobby chargers come with a variety of different connection adapters

[@tani3742]

Hey I have the problem that the charger (original) when I connect the battery, the charger flashes quickly and the battery does not charge. Is it broken? I also ordered a new battery but the same thing happens. Can somebody help me? 😂

[@hansdampf2187]

dear gionni rocket ... could u upload onther pic with the wire conections ? i do not understand which cable is conectet to which ? a schemaitc pic or a 2nd video for dummies like me. btw already suscribed and liked your channel thump up. 1k thx i have a jjrc jpro x5

[@gionnic8922]

Thank you Did you see this link below video? kzbin.info?q=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.rcgroups.net%2Fforums%2Fattachments%2F7%2F5%2F0%2F0%2F9%2F5%2Fa11103313-157-ChargeAdapter.jpg&redir_token=JmldN9JaOCdg03DNYHN6lLQLbL98MTU0Nzc5NDc5NUAxNTQ3NzA4Mzk1&v=26udaoWPjoE&event=video_description Red charge to red balance / Black charge to Black balance outer wire, not center wire

[@hansdampf2187]

@@gionnic8922 1k thx... now i understand ....