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NEC TG-16/TE/TurboDuo => TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion => Topic started by: Duo_R on July 09, 2012, 01:05:56 AM
Title: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 09, 2012, 01:05:56 AM
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.
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
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: roflmao on July 09, 2012, 01:46:31 AM
ooOOOOoooo.... Looks awesome.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: turbokon on July 09, 2012, 04:09:34 AM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: soop on July 09, 2012, 04:20:55 AM
Nice mod.. but to me, it's still like giving Elle Macpherson cosmetic surgery...
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Drakon on July 09, 2012, 05:12:04 AM
That's awesome, I hate short lived battery life.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: FiftyQuid on July 09, 2012, 05:52:02 AM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 09, 2012, 05:56:19 AM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: c0ldb33r on July 10, 2012, 10:39:21 AM
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 :D
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 10, 2012, 10:50:39 AM
Curious: Does the battery cover fit easily on the Express and keep the battery pack from shifting around?
Thanks in advance. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcds.html)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 19, 2012, 07:04:50 PM
door does shut but you can tell it is pretty crowded in there.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 19, 2012, 07:13:06 PM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: esteban on July 20, 2012, 05:19:40 AM
door does shut but you can tell it is pretty crowded in there.
Thanks for the info. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.html)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 21, 2012, 03:11:35 PM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 22, 2012, 05:13:26 AM
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.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 22, 2012, 05:23:54 AM
Thanks duo :)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 23, 2012, 04:21:51 PM
Will add a charging port, battery will need to be removed to charge (similar to my old Gameboy Advance chargepack). Charging port wont be visible externaly. Also a quick disconnect will be added so battery can be removed when charging. I just need to get more battery covers now!
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 23, 2012, 06:25:02 PM
I'm really wanting a lowdown on total battery life on this after the mod is done. This is really slick.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 23, 2012, 06:49:54 PM
lol that is a 2000mAh battery. my NiMh are 2300mAh and should give about 1 more hour then your LI battery.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 23, 2012, 07:03:08 PM
my interest comes from the fact that i need 6 batteries for my gt, but my charger can only handle 4 at a time. Obviously the immediate solution would be to get a better charger. there is something sexy though about a removable battery pack.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 23, 2012, 07:05:23 PM
i just have multiple chargers. the beauty of LI is the charge rate. those can be charged fast.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 23, 2012, 07:10:03 PM
yea i got the same energizers you do and it takes 8 hours. not to bad if i pop them in over night. I"m currently using 8 batteries though in between three machines. i have my gameaxe, a game gear, and my gt. according to sanyo, nimh batteries can be rapid charged but it lowers there mAh rating. the eneloops say not to rapid charge them at all.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 23, 2012, 08:28:42 PM
12 batterys 3 chargers 2 or 3 expresses 0 or 1 gamegear
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 23, 2012, 11:49:17 PM
yea i got the same energizers you do and it takes 8 hours. not to bad if i pop them in over night. I"m currently using 8 batteries though in between three machines. i have my gameaxe, a game gear, and my gt. according to sanyo, nimh batteries can be rapid charged but it lowers there mAh rating. the eneloops say not to rapid charge them at all.
That's the beauty of these batteries, I can fully charge in about 3 hours. The pack is all set, she is charging right now and going to do bench test with a stock screen later today.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: soop on July 23, 2012, 11:58:43 PM
12 batterys 3 chargers 2 or 3 expresses 0 or 1 gamegear
I have an assload of Eneloops too - because they retain their charge so well, I can stuff 6 of them in the GT, and cycle them easy. I use them in the Wii, my wireless keyboard, Nomad, GT Gameboys, yada yada yada
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 24, 2012, 07:55:33 AM
eventually i will upgrade to eneloops.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 24, 2012, 10:13:30 AM
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 24, 2012, 01:10:29 PM
Ok got just over 5 hours gametime on stock screen. A more energy efficient screen the like the one that TheSteve installs should add a few more hours to that hopefully bringing 7-8 hours game time.
You are getting 5 hours with a new LCD? You should get more playtime with these and it is also a little lighter compared to 6 AA batteries.
He's been playing Gunboat and Falcon. Pumping out polygons is so taxing for TE, he's lucky to get more than an hour. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.html)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 24, 2012, 10:16:55 PM
it makes a huge difference what cart you run as well. running the neoflash64 i get 4-5 hours, but running the gameofyou flash cart gets me 6-7 official carts get me 5-6
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 25, 2012, 04:09:38 AM
that's interesting, yeah already an improvement with more energy efficient screen on the battery time. I will also do a test on normal AA's and some NIMH batteries that I have.
Also side note - if you are doing a test for time on a single charge, you have to have a button active or the screen will timeout. I used a small object and electrical tape on button I (with turbo switch on) similar to the Ys III cheat.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: thesteve on July 25, 2012, 05:04:34 AM
lol, i walk around and play the system till the picture dropps out (about 4.5V)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: soop on July 25, 2012, 05:06:44 AM
Also side note - if you are doing a test for time on a single charge, you have to have a button active or the screen will timeout. I used a small object and electrical tape on button I (with turbo switch on) similar to the Ys III cheat.
That will probably adversely affect the battery life too, but as long as you do the same for each test, we'll at least know the difference.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 25, 2012, 07:26:16 AM
You can see the internal charging port on the first photo, and there is a quick disconnect that can allow it to be removed from the Turbo Express.
Also another benefit of the mod is weight reduction, just weighed 6 AA batteries - came in at 5.2 ounces, the new lithium ion pack weighs 3.5. Unit doesn't feel weightless now, but you can tell the difference.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: BlackandBlue on July 25, 2012, 10:30:35 AM
That is pretty fantastic. This would be a great mod to get a little more out of the little fellow.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: esteban on July 26, 2012, 03:14:18 AM
That is pretty fantastic. This would be a great mod to get a little more out of the little fellow.
Absolutely. I am really diggin' this. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.html)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: HercTNT on July 28, 2012, 06:40:05 AM
Yea, me and a friend of mine are having duo-r do revision two on our gt's. Not having to hassle with 6 batteries and faster charging times will really improve my gaming. Thanks Duo :) when we get them back we will post pics for everyone.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: blueraven on July 28, 2012, 07:06:40 AM
:D
:clap: Job well done!
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: meka on July 31, 2012, 03:29:54 AM
Very nice!
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: turbokon on July 31, 2012, 04:03:34 AM
Awesome!! This will be my next project for my TE.
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on July 31, 2012, 08:19:31 AM
Video of the battery in action if you haven't seen it (and the last part is the controller mod)
Title: Re: More "juice" for the Turbo Express - Lithium Ion mod
Post by: Duo_R on August 18, 2012, 10:59:18 AM