devo7e

For those who attempted the Devo 7e range mod and did not succeed. You can purchase one of the upgrade module made for the Devo 8 and 12 to get your Devo 7e up and running again. With full range. :)

BangGood still carries it for < $15.

Here’s a picture of it installed. I removed the original and installed it in it’s place.

(updated 2014-10-22):
For those who needs a visual guide on how to wire up the WK-DEVO-S-MOD Upgrade Module…

I am going to hack another module into the Devo7e running the DeviationX firmware. This nRF24L01 module will allows me to run WLToys new protocol, HiSky and a host of others. It has the PowerAmp circuit for longest range. See this protocols spreadsheet for more info.

Here’s the schematic:

And here is how I wire it up to the Devo7e.

Keep in mind, there are two locations you can connect the CSN (yellow) point to on the Devo7e. Either to TMS or TCK. If this will be the first addon module you install into your Devo7e, then connect to the TMS location. If there’s already a module installed, then you will use the second point: TCK.

Then put your Devo 7e into USB mode, connect to computer and open up the drive. Locate hardware.ini (tx.ini on older firmware). Enable the newly installed module so that the radio recognize that the module has been installed and remove the * from the protocol selection box. (Remove the semicolon that proceeds the line to enable it.)

If you installed to the TMS location, then A13 is what you need to type in.


enable-nrf24l01 = A13
has_pa-nrf24l01 = 1


If this is your second addon module and you installed it to the TCK location, then A14 is what you need to type in.

enable-nrf24l01 = A14
has_pa-nrf24l01 = 1


Check with the DeviationX manual for more info. Hope this helps.

The Walkera Devo 7e is a good compact transmitter. Install the Deviation firmware, and you have an unbeatable transmitter that supports many protocols. The one wishlist item that owners have is that the TX can be use for longer range flying. Fortunately, the gurus hacking on the Devo 7e found that by shorting a single diode, you bypass the intentional handicapping of the radio transmission, and increase the power output by 10x. Making it on par with it’s full range siblings, the Devo 10 and Devo 8s.

All it takes is to remove the metal shield to access the diode that needs to be bypassed.

I start by putting on eye protection. Then add some additional solder to each of the two corners you’re going to remove first. The additional solder helps the solder blob stay heated and molten. Then quickly, move your solder iron back and forth between two points. Use a hobby knife or tweezers to lift one side of the shield. Then simply repeat for the second pair of solder joints and the shield will come off quite easily.

Then it’s just a matter of identifying the diode and shorting it. Before doing so, it’s a good idea to do a range test to get a reference of how far the stock radio transmission is able reach. Important for testing whether your mod was successful at the end.

/update 2014-01-01
The safest way we have found to accomplish this is to use a conductive ink or compound. Such as the stuff used to repair the defogging lines on a automobile rear window. These can be found for about $8-11 at most automotive parts store. With the conductive ink, you can just paint diode and make sure it’s covered well enough so both ends of the diode is now electrically connected.

I have seen circuit writer pens with conductive ink. Generally pricey at $20. You press the tip in to release the ink. However, do not press inward over the circuit board. A flood of ink may pour out. So press over a piece of scrap plastic to see how much flows out or create a drop. Then just transfer and short the diode. Build it up to ensure you have good coverage.
/update end

Now, for those who intend on soldering because it’s what they already have on the bench and do not want to buy conductive ink…please take note to help mitigate accidents and increase your chances of being successful.

Note: the area is very cramp with surrounding SMD. I suggest you use tape, such as Kapton, or liquid electrical tape, or something that will help mitigate unintentionally removing of a surrounding SMD.

There are several methods to short the pads the diode is soldered to. Nowadays, the community feel it’s best to steer people towards the use of conductive ink. (See the updated section above.) It’s easier to get right and not risk accidentally and unintentionally desoldering the surrounding smd components.

Alternatively, you can simply solder a thin wire on each end of the diode. This way, you can reverse the changes. This is how I am modding Devo 7e nowadays:

And here’s a photo of how I first did the mod. I’ll include it for historical purpose. Hidden by default so it doesn’t clutter this post and confuse newbies with too many optional ways to accomplish the mod.

Once you are done bridging the two points, test the radio and ensure you are still able to bind to and control the R/C. Once you deem the mod has been successful, it’s important to put back on the RF shield.

I do this by cleaning up any solder so the shield can sit flat. Then it’s just a matter of adding new solder so everything looks the way it did before you removed the shield.

Lastly, make sure you edit your tx.ini file and enable the additional power.

/update 2014-02-16
The latest Deviation firmware have moved  the [modules] section from the tx.ini to a hardware.ini file. So locate and edit the [modules] section in the appropriate file depending on which version of Deviation you are using.

/update end

(Tip in layman’s term: A semicolon preceding the line means that line has been “commented out,” therefore it’s not read. Remove the semicolon to “activate” the line)

[modules]
has_pa-cyrf6936 = 1

Finally, do another range test to ensure your mod is successful before you close everything up.

Here’s a thread discussing the mod with some graphs of the increase in power output.

Removing shield and diode 7E for better reach

Yes! Just received my Walkera Devo 7e from BangGood. I was surprise to see it arrive in only 14 days all the way from China. I have been wanting to try DeviationX out for a long time. With the release of DeviationX 3.0 and support for WLtoys v929, v949 and v959 triggerable accessories, not to mention the Hubsan X4 support and SkyArtec support, the Devo 7e had to be a part of my collection.

The size of the Devo 7e makes it very portable. And it feels very solid in the hand. The areas where your palm and finger grip are greeted with rubber. So it’s nice. The sticks are made of aluminum instead of plastic like I thought it would be. And inside, I see ball bearings on the gimbal. A nice surprise.

Anyways, one of the first thing I did was look up tutorial on how to add the FlySky A7105 module to the Devo 7e. This will allow you to use the Devo7e to bind to FlySky protocol and Hubsan protocol. Thrilled to be able to fly my WLToys v911, v929, v949, Xieda 9958 and Hubsan X4. After the successfully mod, I put together the following images to help anybody looking to do the same. Make sure to read through the official Deviation document on how to install the module. Or you can just flex a little brain power and the color dots guide below to complete the mod.

After the hardware has been installed, make sure to open up the hardware.ini with an editor like Notepad++ (Don’t use the built into Windows Notepad. It changes the formatting and the .ini file will no longer be readable by the Devo transmitter.)


enable-a7105=A13
has_pa-a7105=1


Note: there are no semi colon ; preceeding the lines? The semi colon will tell the TX not to read that line, disabling the command. So make sure you remove the semicolon to “enable” the newly installed module. 

The first line enables the module if pin 1.SCS was soldered to the TMS position. If you already have an addon module installed to the TMS position, and have the A7105 module soldered to the TCK point. Then enable-a7105=A14 is what you would enter into the hardware.ini.

The second line has_pa-a7105=1 enables the power amp (PA) support if your A7105 has the PA circuit. Otherwise, leave it as has_pa-a7105=0.