Syma X5C Battery Hack guide

After one of my X5C’s battery died, I had two options: to order a new one (and wait for it 3-4 weeks) or hack a generic LiPo battery to work with the Syma X5c quadcopter, typically for me. I chose both.

As a backup plan, if my battery hack will not work, I ordered a new 600mAh battery for my X5C at a very affordable price (only US$ 4.39) from BG. I received the battery very quickly and it works perfectly with my quadcopter.

I will start with the results that were, unfortunately, very poor and it was not worth spending time and money to reproduce a hacked X5C battery.

As usual, for all DIY projects, it was fun the research and the soldering part but, the test flight was very disappointing. I couldn’t fly more than 2-3 minutes with the new battery.

Some disclaimers before you start the Syma X5C battery Hack:

Soldering irons can cause severe burns and fires!

There is a scary problem with LiPos, though they have the tendency to explode when being used, manipulated, hacked, or charged incorrectly.

I am not responsible for any damages to you or your Syma X5C quadcopter.

A not long time ago, I found an article about such a project but he used a different and bigger sized Li-Ion battery, probably from a cell phone.

The original battery of the Syma X5C is 25C.  Most of the Li-Ion batteries used for cell phones and digital cameras don’t provide enough discharging rate, usually, they are rated under 5C, because they can’t provide enough power to fly your quadcopter with full throttle.

So, I gave up using Li-Ion batteries and looked up in a local hobby store for generic Li-Po batteries. The battery must meet certain conditions:

• 1 cell LiPo battery;
• voltage: 3.7 volt;
• current: 500 – 700 mAh;
• size: must be approximately the same as the original battery, I don’t want to make any modification on the X5C body;
• high discharge rate, unfortunately, not even on one battery was specified this parameter;
• must be cheaper than the original Syma battery.

I found quickly a 700mAh that fits perfectly on the X5C quadcopter’s body and the price was very attractive, only $3.

Now I had everything that I needed for this hack. I started quickly because I was curious about the results.

Syma X5C battery hack step-by-step:

• Prepare the tools (soldering irons, wire cutter, duct tape, voltmeter);
• Remove the wires from the old dead battery;
• Solder the wires to the new LiPo battery and make the first test. Because of the protection circuit from the battery, the power was enough only for the LED lights. When I pushed the throttle stick, everything stopped like there would have been no battery;
• I removed the protection circuit from the battery in order to get a higher discharge rate;
• Solder the wires back, and test again. This time the S5C ‘s motors are started without any issues;
• Adding some duct tape to the battery to secure the wires and make a greater look;
• Go out to make some serious tests, measuring the time of flight. That was disappointingly short: only 2-3 minutes.

In conclusion, next time, before I start something like this, I will look for a battery with a discharge rate over 20C because most of the batteries can’t handle the power-hunger of the motors.