Radiolink RC8X

[Mike-h]

I just use the standard Radiolink 2s Lipo

had to custom fit some foam to stop it rattling around in the compartment... lasts about 6-8 hours (depending screen brightness)

 

[Greengaunja]

I just use the standard Radiolink 2s Lipo

had to custom fit some foam to stop it rattling around in the compartment... lasts about 6-8 hours (depending screen brightness)

I'm using the same, although I get what @jkflow means about the battery compartment size. Just a quarter inch longer and my 2s 2800mah gensacearespammers radio battery fits perfectly. I need to copy your idea with the foam because honestly that rattling around drives me nuts.

Quick question for you guys. How does one charge a 1s battery? I have 2 chargers, a SkyRC65 and a HTRC C240 duo. And both seem to be 2s limited. Since there is nothing to balance, should be simple, right? The 1s batteries are for my cameras(if anyone thinking of this route with RC8X, buy the AV receiver but get DumboRCs camera. It's better visually and comes with far better mounting options. And yes, it's compatible).

 

[jkflow]

Correct, balancing would be multiple cells.
I just plug mine in and say 'No' if it asks anything.

Usual Lipo setting but mine is 1S-6S capable.
Which charger do you have?

Battery compartment, just a little deeper and you could fit 18650 cells and all the pain would go away. 2 ea with 2800mAhand you are golden or how about an external port to charge, oh these silly wishes I have....

Only other wish, the car/boat i.e. RC battery level number should be a lot bigger. Hard to see in sunlight even with full brightness.

 

[Greengaunja]

Correct, balancing would be multiple cells.
I just plug mine in and say 'No' if it asks anything.

Usual Lipo setting but mine is 1S-6S capable.
Which charger do you have?

Battery compartment, just a little deeper and you could fit 18650 cells and all the pain would go away. 2 ea with 2800mAhand you are golden or how about an external port to charge, oh these silly wishes I have....

Only other wish, the car/boat i.e. RC battery level number should be a lot bigger. Hard to see in sunlight even with full brightness.

My SkyRc S65 says 2s-4s but my HTRC C240 duo states 1s-6s. But no matter what I do, it won't charge. All three of these batteries are still above 3.2v according to the test function. Yet I'm getting the"Lower Cell Volt" reading and the only times this charger has shown this message was with my old 2800mah 2s gens battery(been revived more times than I can count due to leaving transmitter on) or when I forgot to plug in the balance port. And 1s batteries don't have balance ports.

 

[jkflow]

3.2 might be too low for standard charging or you are using the Lipo Balance mode? That might be the issue, use the Lipo charge function instead.

If that doesn't work use NiCd mode for ~ 10-15 min at ~0.5 C (roughly half of usual), that should get you into a higher voltage level for Lipo mode. Just watch it and don't let the charge finish on NiCd. If NiCd has a voltage selection, pick ~3.6V (3S).

You manual isn't really helpful but all these chargers are usually just rebranded with the same electronics,

All charging is safe regardless of mode, Lipos become unstable only if you use a higher than normal charge rate or end voltage is higher than spec (4.2V/cell)
NiCd mode doesn't ramp up like Lipo mode, in the beginning,g and with an empty battery that could cause issues, hence the 0.5C. Nothing exciting just less cycle life.

Anything above 3.4V should enable you to use Lipo charge mode.

 

[Greengaunja]

Now that I think about it, you might be right. I was using balance charge and could be getting that reading because there isnt a balance port plugged in. Also explains why I have to use AUTO because I can't select 1s in this mode. I just assumed "chinesium junk". Never occured to me to try it in fast charge or normal charge. Will be the first thing I try when I get home. Also believe I can set a voltage in NiMH/NiCd mode. I used this method to "jumpstart" my dead gensacearespammers battery several times. Only difference is I was told to shut it off at exactly 45 seconds and repeat if still too low to balance charge. As in, never charge that way more than 45 seconds. Probably a moot point with 1s

 

[Greengaunja]

3.2 might be too low for standard charging or you are using the Lipo Balance mode? That might be the issue, use the Lipo charge function instead.

If that doesn't work use NiCd mode for ~ 10-15 min at ~0.5 C (roughly half of usual), that should get you into a higher voltage level for Lipo mode. Just watch it and don't let the charge finish on NiCd. If NiCd has a voltage selection, pick ~3.6V (3S).

You manual isn't really helpful but all these chargers are usually just rebranded with the same electronics,

All charging is safe regardless of mode, Lipos become unstable only if you use a higher than normal charge rate or end voltage is higher than spec (4.2V/cell)
NiCd mode doesn't ramp up like Lipo mode, in the beginning,g and with an empty battery that could cause issues, hence the 0.5C. Nothing exciting just less cycle life.

Anything above 3.4V should enable you to use Lipo charge mode.

Thanks. Changing the setting did it.

 

[Mike-h]

Had a couple of 2800mah batteries arrive today... cant remember what site I ordered them from
they fit without foam

here is a comparison size shot

the new battery even has a servo plug on it for alternate use

 

[Greengaunja]

Had a couple of 2800mah batteries arrive today... cant remember what site I ordered them from
they fit without foam

here is a comparison size shot

the new battery even has a servo plug on it for alternate use

Nice. That 2800 was made to fit, as evident in the markings. If you end up recalling where it came from, post a link.

 

[RCSid]

Nice. That 2800 was made to fit, as evident in the markings. If you end up recalling where it came from, post a link.

Looks like no matter where you order from, it will come from China

AliExpress RC8X Lipo

 

[DavidB1126]

Some of you might know me from RCTalk and the Official RadioLink group on Facebook.

I been having tons of issues with my rc8x. Started noticing them last September. Lots of people on the FB Group page also have this same issue.

Signal loss, cutting out, freezing. And range is super low.

For example. When im at the track, on the further parts of the track, the signal bars would be 1 or no bars. and rssi would be -65 to -75 or sometimes to NULL as it "went too far". Also I notice cutting out which when it does cut out, it will stick at the last input you made on the radio. And like a few milliseconds later you gain back control.

This has happened on every firmware I tried on. 1.1.8, 1.2.0, 1.1.5, and the newest 1.2.5. This has happened on every receiver I have, which is R8FG V2.0, R4FGM V1.1, and multiple R6FG V4/V5 receivers.

For my updating process when changing firmware's, I like to format both drives and freshly install the update onto the radio. By doing this, it wipes all your settings and model memory so I usually redo those once I upgrade, or downgrade in firmware.

Yesterday, went out with my Mini B. I was on the street doing a mini speed run. the radio and car cutout when it was like 60 ish feet away. The car stayed at full throttle for like half a second before I gained control again. Good thing I didnt crash and no cars were coming at the time. Pretty scary. Had this issue and problems multiple times when bashing and at the track since SEPTEMBER!! From what I seen, lots of people had these issues.

I tried everything I could to solve this issue. It is not antenna placement. Its not FHSS V1 / V2 modes. Its not BEC voltage or any ESC issues. I recently got a glitch buster cap for my race buggy so ill see if that helps. Probably won't tho.

It has to be the RC8x radio. As when I bind my old 4gs v3 with the same receiver setup in the car and same settings. I have no signal loss, cutouts or range issues.

I emailed radiolink several times, and also replying to them on FB. Its like that they don't know what the issue is and they always respond with antenna placement or rssi testing. Antenna placement is NOT the issue. RSSI is the issue as its pretty low and kinda at risk. Even with testing in my house, when being 20 feet away with me with the radio and the car sitting on the other side of the room, it reads 1 or 2 bars and -65 rssi. Ideally, it should be 4 or 5 bars and -30 to - 40 rssi for it to be "good"

Tried so much to fix these issues. Its been no help for the past 6 months of this issue.
Going to test it at the track again later this month and see if it still has issues. Most likely it will so ill be selling it. Ill post it up on here if anyone wants it.
Planning to switch to the new NB4+ from flysky.

Setups in my cars

B74.1: R8FG V2.0 receiver. Dual antenna wires. each antenna is wrapped up. One is pointing up and taped down near my battery. The other is pointing down and taped near my servo. Had the same results with a Hobbywing XR10 Pro Legacy and a new XR10 Stock Spec G2 100A. Xpert 4000LV servo, ProTek HV fan. Mylaps transponder. BEC running at 6V. Will also be shortly running a protek glitch buster just to see if it solves any browning out issues.

Mini B: R4FGM V1.1. BEC running 6V. Amazon King Val esc. Savox micro servo.

Rustler: De-cased R6FG V4. BEC running 6V. Traxxas 2075R servo. Hobbywing Max10 G1 ESC. (antenna wrapped up in rx box)

Slash: R6FG V4 (or V5, can't remember) BEC Running 6V. Amazon 20kg servo. Hobbywing Max10 SCT esc. (antenna wrapped up in rx box)

 

[razorrc]

Ok, I’m not trying to be rude, but do you have a question? I don’t know why some people have problems, and others don’t. My RC8X works perfectly.

 

[jkflow]

Try a simple range check and ignore all those measurements. I'm frequently in the -90dB at range ~ 800ft but never had signal loss.
Only done the full install once, everything else was 'upgrade'.
Rule #1 Ignore Facebook

Unrelated: The latest update (V1.2.5) scared me though. They introduced a new setting for channel delay and it came at max 4s default. Good thing I always check before I go out.
Easy to change to zero but a little annoying to change on 10 models.

 

[DavidB1126]

but do you have a question?

Yes. When they are going to fix the issues. It's been going on for 6 months so I just gave up currently. Waste of my time trying to help them solve it as it looks like they don't have any IT people.

I don’t know why some people have problems, and others don’t. My RC8X works perfectly.

Idk why either. I noticed issues when I first upgraded to 1.1.8 in September. But from I seen other people start having these issues without updating. Most of my buddies I talk to sold theirs and moved to a different brand.

Try a simple range check and ignore all those measurements. I'm frequently in the -90dB at range ~ 800ft but never had signal loss.

My radio goes to negative 80 dB and any further I go it goes too NULL and cuts out. I have to walk a few feet to get signal back. Feels like 4 years ago when I was still using my old traxxas rtr radios.

Edit. Maybe it was because of that 1.1.8 update. One person pointed out that they removed it online a few days after I updated to it. But that still doesn't explain why others were having the same issue with not even updating the firmware.

 

[DavidB1126]

Here are some reviews I pulled off from Amazon. Exactly what I'm experiencing right now.

 

[jkflow]

Had this from early on and went through every update, no issues. Only issue I have is my non-functioning USB port.

 

[Greengaunja]

Perhaps I've been lucky but my RC8X has been almost perfect. It gets alot of use too as it's my primary for 7 separate RCs. Dunno what uodate is installed as I haven't done any. Only complaint I've had really was the range for the AV receiver doesn't match the control range and lack of mounting options for the AV receiver.
Possibly this is just a case of a bad batch of transmittiters.

 

[razorrc]

I’m guessing most people don’t do a full format/wipe before installing a new firmware. I certainly don’t, maybe that is the problem.

 

[kaladeth]

This is after a full Discharge and Balance Charge cycle:

 

[jkflow]

What did you discharge them down to? 3.7V, 3.6, 3.5V? This is ~ 77% ) which would be expected ~ 3.7V roughly 80% of the usable charge.

Just curious. Will probably check mine as well.