dji phantom 2 vision AA battery to USB power mod

[saylor]

I searched the internets for this mod, and could not find and reference or pictures for it.

so I did it.

may I humbly present to you, the dji phantom 2 vision r/c controller 4 aa battery to usb mod.

I did not like the fact that the dji phantom 2 vision rc controller used 4AA disposable batteries. this is 2015. that seemed like a poop idea to keep buying batteries forever, and not even knowing their strength over time out in the field, as the controller only has a dummy light, and no meter or other indicator, etc.

so I sought to replace them with a lipo battery. I was going to Velcro a battery pack to the underside of the controller and wire it to the IN power on the board. but I really could not find a 6v pack that I liked, and I was going to need a special charger, etc. I also needed to step down from DC 7.4v battery pack power to DC 6v controller power. so that idea sucked.

while searching stepdowns, I saw some buck / boost converters and got thinking about it - if I can boost 5v from USB into 6v, I can run the rc controller from any USB source - my laptop, a usb thing charger

(I made these in 2006! this one I made used 2xAA into USB to charge your phone..)

... so anyways I bought a tenergy battery pack model with 4 usb outs, 2x 2A and 2x1A outputs.
and I bought a buck / boost converter board that was within dimension of 4AA batteries, with the idea to fit it inside the battery compartment.
and I hacked up a USB cable.

 

[saylor]

so I hooked up red and black and fired this thing up. it was set to 12v out from the factory.
I tuned it down to 6 volts.

 

[saylor]

then I studied the battery compartment. the buck boost converter fit in there, but with the battery slot plastic separators underneath, the standoffs on the pcb, and the foam backing, the door would not close. so I hacked out the battery separators using some snippy pliers to make cuts, then flat nose pliers to twist off the bits of plastic.

next I removed the pcb board standoffs from the boost converter. I was going to drill 4 holes and mount the pcb in here, but when I test fit the lid again, the foam on the cover plate held the boost converter down and kept it from rattling around. the pcb board also sits in the recess space I just made ^^ in the pic above pretty well.

 

[saylor]

I took another bit of red and black wire, and from the backside of the battery terminal, bit on to it there, leaving the stock wiring in place. at any time you could remove the boost converter and slap 4x AA batteries back in here.

 

[saylor]

a little drill hackery on the old battery backplate

then a zip tie and some silicone pooky on the end just for good measure. let it sit up overnight...

 

[saylor]

but you have to test it right

I got out the new tenergy battery pack, and blam!

here we have the tenergy battery pack, boost converter, and dji phantom 2 vision rc controller powered up.

and theres a mod for ya.

Your Pal -

- saylor

 

[saylor]

with the tenergy battery pack, I plan on powering my booster, phone, and RC controller all from there while flying. I heard this stuff puts out a bit more power when the devices are on power themselves. I dunno. just what I heard.

 

[saylor]

oh, and do not power on your booster or the rc controller without antenna (s) attached. it is ungood.

 

[tarquin]

hi im sorry to be off topic but did not know where to look for this. could anyone tell me on the phantom 2 in the battery compartment there are 2 smaller prongs next to the main battery terminals. i know the aircraft wont take off if these are not powered by the battery. but what voltage does the battery put through them. many thanks

 

[crash1sttime]

hi im sorry to be off topic but did not know where to look for this. could anyone tell me on the phantom 2 in the battery compartment there are 2 smaller prongs next to the main battery terminals. i know the aircraft wont take off if these are not powered by the battery. but what voltage does the battery put through them. many thanks

these are data pins that tell the quad you are using a DJI battery.