More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod

[Duo_R]

Ok, so after doing the Lithium Ion mod for the Nomad, decided to do the same for the Turbo Express. I have a set of NIMH AA batteries that I normally use for the express, but at most I get 3 hours out of those battiers.

 The goal: to find a better rechargeable battery source that weighs less than the 6 AA batteries, and has a much longer charge.

So what I did is I took this:



cracked it open and got this:



Hooked it up to the Turbo Express and powered it up:



 
These batteries in the stock form are too large to fit in the Turbo Express battery compartment. However, when the batteries are separated from the casing it is possible to fit. What needs to be done to make this work is the tabs in the battery tray, and tabs on the battery door need to be trimmed. It isn't a "perfect" solution yet since the door is able to lock, but you can tell that it is a tight fit by the slight gap between the battery door and the case. More to come on that one.

Here is an example of what tabs need to be removed:


 



The Lithium ion mod is a long time favorite for portable modders, the good news is these days the batteries are very cheap. I got a charger and two batteries for $20 on ebay. The battery is rated at 2500Mah and should provide a huge increase in playtime compared to my NIMH AA batteries. Benchmark test coming soon.




 Want to thank Bacteria for his website and tutorial on taking apart the batteries

[roflmao]

ooOOOOoooo....  Looks awesome.

[turbokon]

This is awesome. I've been thinking about this myself. Wonder if it possible to charge this battery in the TE thru the existing power jack without disabling the ability for it to run with ac.  Although I doubt it. Might be best to bypass the ac and hook the jack directly to the battery to enable charging.

[soop]

Nice mod.. but to me, it's still like giving Elle Macpherson cosmetic surgery...

[Drakon]

That's awesome, I hate short lived battery life.

[FiftyQuid]

I think it's a fantastic idea.  I can't wait to read about the long term test results.  I'm very interested to know how long this extends the battery life.

[Duo_R]

I will do a benchmark test soon, similar to the one i did for the Nomad. I estimate that it should get at least 5  hours with this battery and more with a more efficient LCD.

Turbokon - yes it would be ideal to keep battery and AC adapter capability. Got a couple ways i can do that just need to try a few things out.

[c0ldb33r]

Wow great job - I'm running an  LCD screen on mine and get good battery life with alkaline AAs, I wonder what LiOn would be like

[Duo_R]

Probably a couple more hours, maybe 3 more

Wow great job - I'm running an  LCD screen on mine and get good battery life with alkaline AAs, I wonder what LiOn would be like

[esteban]

That, comrade, looks pretty good.

Curious: Does the battery cover fit easily on the Express and keep the battery pack from shifting around?

Thanks in advance.

[Duo_R]

 door does shut but you can tell it is pretty crowded in there.

[thesteve]

i have considered something like this, only cutting the stock holder and installing a battery clip for the new.
that would allow for external charging as li batterys need a precision charger.
getting 5 hours+ on my NiMh now so not too enthused to upgrade them.

[esteban]

door does shut but you can tell it is pretty crowded in there.

Thanks for the info.

[Duo_R]

You bet working on a way to make it more of a stock fit

door does shut but you can tell it is pretty crowded in there.

Thanks for the info.

[HercTNT]

Please share whatever you come up with. recharchables are ok with me. but lipo would be better if i could work it into the system. I already have Thesteves screen mod and that alone as increased my battery life by atleast one hour. more would be icing on the cake.