Powering TX from a wall-wart?

Question

Hi All,I've decided to get back into flying (been away for a couple of years)and was going to start refreshing my skills with my simulator.Unfortunately, during the time away, my TX battery bit it :(Until I decide to actually power things up, I thought I'd power the TXfrom a wall-wart into a converter (to get the right voltage andamperage).  The radio is an older model, but suits me just fine, it's aFutabe 9VAP, and it plugs right into my simulator through the trainingcord port.All I want to do is open up the back cover, and hook up a power supplyto supply the voltage needed to operate the TX for my sim time.According to the manual (don't have the actual battery in hand at themoment), the TX requires 9.6 volt (8/500mAH) and the current drain is230mA.Basically, anyone done something like this before?  Building a smallpower converter to step things down to the right voltage shouldn't betoo big a deal, just wanted some opinions...TIASteve

Rob Dover · Accepted Answer

It should work.Be careful that you use a regulated supply though. Most wall warts suffer from very poor (if any) regulation and filtering. Also make sure you fuse your supply leads appropriately. Just in case :)

PCK · Answer

why waste 20 dollars and time for a 22 dollar battery?if you ever plan to use the tx in an a/c again you`ll need it

Rob · Answer

Well, if he's anything like me he already has half a dozen suitable power supplies and the parts to make a regulator in his junk box so the cost would be zero.

Steve · Answer

Hi,Definately :)  It'd be nice to tell the wife "see I knew I'd need this someday" :)I'm thinking it may be 3-6 months before I'm actually flying my planesagain, so I should be able to put off the $s for a couple of months while Iscrape off the rust.Steve

The Natural Philosopher · Answer

If you pull the crystal out of the tranny, current consumption will dropsubstantially, but I'd still get a new battery - unless you have everythingto hand to make a 9.6v regulated supply.

Powering TX from a wall-wart?

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?