Go Back  R/C Tech Forums > General Forums > Radio and Electronics
airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion >

airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion

airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion

Old 05-17-2014, 08:36 PM
  #1  
Tech Addict
Thread Starter
iTrader: (31)
 
kinetisist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 540
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
Default airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion

Well I finally finished my 2.4 Mod on my M8. I got the idea from another person off RCgroups. I had to do some digging to get all the details so this is quite a bit of effort on my part to get to this point. Seeing that there is no one making a Module for the M8 that can come under 50 for all the needed parts I went after this. I bought the a XP3-ss Tx and rx for 30 shipped and went to work. The steps are pretty easy.
1 open both tx up
2 remove antenna from both
3 remove module from both
4 cut base of antenna of XP3 off .. take car not to nick the antenna wire
5 pull the antenna apart at seem on XP3 antenna by twisting and pulling
6 install upper half of Xp3 antenna in M8
7 install lower half of Xp3 antenna in M8
8 snap together and feed wire behind antenna
9 hot glue antenna inplace or some other way to keep in place
10 drill hole in M8 top right corner of module bay
11 put M8 back together feeding wire into hole
12 diassemble M8 module
13 drill hole in top right corner
14 feed wire into and snap am/fm M8 module into radio
15 at this point you have a few options
you can install Xp3 module and be done but you can't program other recievers because the bind button is on the inside
you can bind a few recievers with the XP3 tx / rx system before disassembly so you won't need to do the next step.
16 remove and install a bind button on oposite side of module
17 install Xp3 module into M8 module bay ....
18 test system
if all goes well cut the back of the Xp3 out and make a cover for the M8 module bay ...if yo do this correctly it will all snap in and be fully removable.
One note .. the rx needs a power cap for most RC applications
Attached Thumbnails airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion-m8-2.4.jpg   airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion-step-6.jpg   airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion-step-7.jpg   airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion-step-8.jpg   airtronics sanwa M8 2.4 conversion-m8-remod.jpg  

kinetisist is offline  
Old 06-01-2014, 07:12 PM
  #2  
Tech Addict
Thread Starter
iTrader: (31)
 
kinetisist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 540
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
Default

I would input from those that have read this or tried this. thanks ...98 views and no comments yet?
kinetisist is offline  
Old 06-01-2014, 09:37 PM
  #3  
Tech Rookie
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 6
Default

Originally Posted by kinetisist
Well I finally finished my 2.4 Mod on my M8. I got the idea from another person off RCgroups. I had to do some digging to get all the details so this is quite a bit of effort on my part to get to this point. Seeing that there is no one making a Module for the M8 that can come under 50 for all the needed parts I went after this. I bought the a XP3-ss Tx and rx for 30 shipped and went to work. The steps are pretty easy.
1 open both tx up
2 remove antenna from both
3 remove module from both
4 cut base of antenna of XP3 off .. take car not to nick the antenna wire
5 pull the antenna apart at seem on XP3 antenna by twisting and pulling
6 install upper half of Xp3 antenna in M8
7 install lower half of Xp3 antenna in M8
8 snap together and feed wire behind antenna
9 hot glue antenna inplace or some other way to keep in place
10 drill hole in M8 top right corner of module bay
11 put M8 back together feeding wire into hole
12 diassemble M8 module
13 drill hole in top right corner
14 feed wire into and snap am/fm M8 module into radio
15 at this point you have a few options
you can install Xp3 module and be done but you can't program other recievers because the bind button is on the inside
you can bind a few recievers with the XP3 tx / rx system before disassembly so you won't need to do the next step.
16 remove and install a bind button on oposite side of module
17 install Xp3 module into M8 module bay ....
18 test system
if all goes well cut the back of the Xp3 out and make a cover for the M8 module bay ...if yo do this correctly it will all snap in and be fully removable.
One note .. the rx needs a power cap for most RC applications

I had the idea of converting my m8 to 2.4ghz after I managed to find it after all these years buried in my store room.....your instructions on doing this really helps..thanks a lot. ..now i will start to look for the module. I saw someone using frsky needs to solder...your seems easier..
whitefangz is offline  
Old 06-01-2014, 11:01 PM
  #4  
Tech Addict
Thread Starter
iTrader: (31)
 
kinetisist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 540
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
Default

the frsky is a good way to go but quality can be an issue .. the AE radios are easier to get and are cheaper ..you can also get them from you LHS or find a used one on EBAY or ask around at the local RC club someone usually has one from an RTR car also the frsky is not designed for ground, it works but the recievers are not pin up

If you have questions feel free to ask. I check this most evenings.
kinetisist is offline  
Old 06-08-2014, 03:57 PM
  #5  
Tech Addict
Thread Starter
iTrader: (31)
 
kinetisist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 540
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
Default

well I have some more news ... not good news at not for me .. this modification is not working like the peron I got it from told me it would .. the AE module is over heating and shutting down .. my guess is ... it is getting too much voltage and then it looses signal .. so I am not sure what the deal is .. the originator of this information used it on a M11 so I figured it would work on a M8 it does for about 10 minutes and then it shuts down.
kinetisist is offline  
Old 07-10-2014, 08:28 PM
  #6  
Tech Champion
iTrader: (2)
 
snoopyrc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Tunnel Hill GA
Posts: 5,046
Trader Rating: 2 (100%+)
Default

I have done a couple of conversions, but I always used an frsky kit. I never did one on that radio either. Good luck in getting your issue sorted out.
snoopyrc is offline  
Old 07-11-2014, 06:31 PM
  #7  
Tech Rookie
iTrader: (1)
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: south central PA
Posts: 14
Trader Rating: 1 (100%+)
Default

Good luck with the mods. I am very interested in the results as I have an M8 that I would love to convert to 2.4 but the only out of the box solution seems to be the RadioPost modules but everything I've read says stay away from them. So if there is an alternate way of modernizing my M8, I'd love to know how it works out. Keep us posted.
Superdenk is offline  
Old 11-03-2016, 06:01 PM
  #8  
Tech Master
iTrader: (5)
 
mustangkillaz's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,155
Trader Rating: 5 (100%+)
Default

I'd like to convert my m8 but see several choices on the market. Any new updated info on this? Which of the brands are more reliable?

Last edited by mustangkillaz; 11-03-2016 at 07:21 PM.
mustangkillaz is offline  

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.