MORNING STAR OBSERVATORY
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WINDCAMP 3000mah LiPo Battery and Stand

This is the 3000mah Lithium Polymer (3S) battery from WINDCAMP. It included a new battery door cover with charging port and a wall-wart charger. It doubles the battery capacity of the FT-817 compared to the original NiMH battery, but has certain limitations. According to the instructions the radio can run from either the LiPo battery or external power, but the battery switch MUST be off when external power is connected to the radio. The battery can only be charged through the charging port in the battery cover, and NEVER from the radio's built-in charging circuit. And it should be charged using only the supplied charger unit or equivalent LiPo-capable charger.
Picture
Picture
The battery and cover install in place of the NiMH battery. The new cover is aluminum and good workmanship, although the English instructions printed on it are a little "confused". 

With the cover open the charging board is visible, mounted to the back. The wiring needs to be stuffed down in the space under the board and beside the battery to get the cover to snap closed.

WINDCAMP FT-817 Acrylic Stand

I also purchased the WINDCAMP black acrylic stand for the FT-817. It angles the display up from the table, making the FT-817 much easier to see and operate. It's a nice quality stand and has a cutout in the base specially to access the charger port and battery switch for the LiPo battery.
Picture

Picture
On the rear of the stand there is a small vertical piece of acrylic that acts as a backstop for the radio. When I added the heatsink to the rear of my FT-817 it butted against this backstop keeping the radio from sliding far enough onto the stand to allow the LiPo charger to be connected underneath.
To fix the issue, I laid a small block of wood across the piece of acylic "fin" and knocked it off with a "fine adjustment tool", otherwise known as a hammer. I reglued it to the stand in the open space between the heatsink and SO-239 connector. The glue marks where the fin was originally attached are visible to the right in the photo. Now the radio slides in as originally intended.

The "glue" is really a solvent that melts the acrylic pieces together.
Picture

Picture
After moving the backstop the charger port and battery switch are easily accessible from the bottom of the stand.

Last updated 4/29/2017
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  • Home
    • About
    • Contact
  • Astrophotography
  • The Observatory
    • The New Observatory
    • - About the ExploraDome
    • - About the Lancaster Dome
    • - Building the Lancaster Dome
  • Equipment
    • CCD Cameras >
      • Orion Starshoot Pro
      • QSI 683WS
      • ZWO ASI-178MM
    • Eyepieces
    • Filters
    • Mounts >
      • Orion HDX-110 (EQ-8) >
        • New HDX-110 Setup
        • Orion HDX110 EQ-8
    • Observatory Computers
    • Telescopes >
      • Astro-Tech AT6RC
      • Celestron C-11 XLT
      • Zhumell 152mm Refractor
  • Projects
    • Arduino Focuser
    • C11 XLT Mods
    • Orion SSPRO Camera >
      • Disassembled Views
      • Noise Reduction Mod
      • Temp Controller Mod
    • Ultima 8 Mods
    • Zhumell Refractor Mods
  • Non-Astronomy
    • Amateur Radio >
      • Boat Anchor Radios >
        • BC-348N Receiver
        • Collins 51J4 HF Receiver
        • R-392 HF Receiver
      • DIY >
        • Station Boom Microphone
      • Ameco >
        • Ameco AC-1
        • Ameco OCM
        • Ameco PT-2
        • Ameco R5A
      • Heathkit >
        • Heathkit SB-102 Station
      • Knight-Kit >
        • Knight Kit Span Master II
      • Yaesu FT-817 >
        • Yaesu FT-817ND
        • LDG Z-817 Autotuner
        • Windcamp LiPo Battery
    • Antique Radios >
      • Building A Radio Workbench
      • Radio Dial Neon Clock
      • Radios >
        • 1938 Zenith 6-S-254
        • Echophone EC-1
        • Eltz Radione 2
        • Panasonic RF-5000A
        • Silvertone Model 4465
    • Geiger Counters >
      • AN/PDR-27G Radiac Set
      • Lionel CD V-700 Geiger Counter
      • RCA WF-12A Geiger Counter
    • Test Equipment >
      • DIY Test Equipment >
        • DIY Curve Tracer
        • DIY Signature Tracer
      • Military Test Equipment >
        • BC-221-AF Frequency Meter
        • LM-21 Frequency Meter
        • TS-323/UR Frequency Meter
        • TS-465 C/U Sweep Generator
        • TS-505D/U VTVM
        • TV-3C/U Tube Tester
      • Tube Testers >
        • Alternating Current Sink
        • Drug Store Tester
        • EMC Model 200 Tube Tester
        • Hickok Model 6000A Tube Tester
        • Hickok OZ-1 (550X)
        • Precise Model 111 Tube Tester
        • Precision Model 10-12
        • Supreme Model 385
        • TV-3C/U Tube Tester
      • VTVMs and Multimeters >
        • B&K Model 290 Hi-Low FET Multimeter
        • Hickok 225K VTVM
        • McMurdo Silver VOMAX 900
        • Micronta 22-220 FET Multimeter
        • Simpson 360-2 Digital FET DMM
        • TS-505D/U VTVM
      • Hickok >
        • Hickok 19X RF Generator
        • Hickok 225K VTVM
        • Hickok 288X RF Generator
        • Hickok OZ-1 (550X)
        • Hickok 6000A Tube Tester
      • Simpson >
        • Simpson 360 DMM
        • Simpson 360-2 DMM
        • Simpson 480 Genescope
      • Supreme Instruments >
        • Supreme 385 Automatic
        • Supreme 560 Vedolyzer
        • Supreme 560A Vedolyzer
        • Supreme Model 561 AF/RF Generator
        • Supreme's Model 562 Audolyzer
        • Supreme Model 562 Audolyzer circa 1941
        • Supreme Model 562 Audolyzer circa 1946
        • Supreme Model 563 Audio Generator
        • Supreme Model 576 RF Generator
      • Other Test Equipment >
        • Heathkit IT-28 Capacitor Tester
        • Rider 162 Chanalyst
        • Tektronix 326 O'scope
        • VU-Data Model 941B Oscilloscope
    • ---------------
    • Fossils
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Star Trek >
      • Star Trek Rock Mood Lamp
      • Star Trek Communicator