What a nightmare...:(

[Bobmic]

So I am rushing to put the planes together and setting things up for tomorrow and my transmitter battery have died.
Since I still had things to setup I took it out and decided to charge it directly on a stand alone charger set ti NiMH charging at 1C.
After it was done I put it in my beloved JR radio and the menu was very wired first I noticed that the names of the models had significantly more characters than I could enter myself and beside that the had all kind of strange characters.
Once entering the model the menu was completely out of whack and nothing made sense.
Tried to turn it on an off a couple of times but nothing help, last try with the power switch left the back light on with the power off and had to take the battery out. Checked the voltage with a meter and was around 11V - seemed a bit high for a 9.6V NiMH, discharged a bit but now the transmitter wouldn't turn on - the there are some strange black marking on the LCD but no back light.
Tried another battery from my old Futaba which was working fine on the Futaba and the same thing. I don't know if it is a voltage regulator or anything else but the bottom line is that everything is gone (no SD card on the JR...)
Two questions:
1.) Any suggestions?
2.) If I need a new Transmitter which one to go with I love the programming and the large screen of the JR and don't realy know anything about Spektrum Transmitters. I have many spectrum receivers and I don't really want to change them now so I will be looking at another JR9503, and Maybe the the 11X or the DX18 - I didn't realy like the feel of the DX8 when originally checking it out.

Thank you./..... 
Bobby

[Ededge2002]

I doubt it is over voltage at just over 11 volts. Most transmitters can tolerate over 12 volts ([email protected]) and lots of people run lipolys in regulated too.
Is there any possibility you hooked the battery up backwards?  Did you charge the battery through the port on the side of the TX or remove the battery to do it?

[Skyking]

Hi Bobby,

Sorry to hear about your problem. I certainly don't know how to fix it.
I am  replying because I am selling my Spectrum DS7 (the older model) for $75 if you wanted it.

[Bobmic]

Hi Ed,
I took the battery out and couldn't flip the power as I used the JR connector and it fits only in one direction.
Beside that it turned on when I hooked the battery.

Thank for the 7s offer but it will not work

[Ededge2002]

Hot off the charger it might have been as high as 16volts.  With the tiny load of the radio it might not have been able to pull the voltage down enough to save itself.   If anything I'm sorry for your loss.

[Bobmic]

So with which one to replace it JR or Spektrum?
Or maybe I will rephrase - I prefer JR, what's the benefit o Spektrum over JR?

[pmackenzie]

This is a known flaw/issue with the 9503/9303.
The generally accepted view is that it is result of turning it on when  the battery  gets too low. Which from your OP sounds like it might be the case?
The memory gets corrupted and you start seeing all kinds of odd characters. It goes down hill from there

Good news is that Horizon will fix it, and probably for free.  All you will have to pay is shipping. Contact them via email and they will give you a RMA number.
Doesn't matter where or when you bought it, or even if you bought it used. 

http://www.horizonhobby.com/content/_service-center_render-service-center

But don't keep turning it on, at some point it will die completely. Then they might have to replace the encoder board.

How do I know all this?  I sent 3 radios in DEC 2011, all had this issue.
One was mine, two belonged to others. They fixed them all for nothing. 2 of the 3 were completely dead.

Since then I am very careful not to let my battery get low. If in doubt I swap in a fresh one.

The 9503 is a great radio both in build quality and capability. Changing to something else will in most cases be a step down.

Pat MacKenzie

[pmackenzie]

So with which one to replace it JR or Spektrum?
Or maybe I will rephrase - I prefer JR, what's the benefit o Spektrum over JR?

Many of the newer "JR" radios are DMSS and will not work with Spektrum receivers.
There are still some DSM2/DSMX JR radios, just be sure you know what you are getting.

If you decide to send in your tx, but don't want to be grounded while it is away getting service then send me an email.
I might have something you could use. (8103 with a Spektrum DM9 module)

If you are not going to send it in, then let me know what you want for it "as is" 

Pat MacKenzie

[Bobmic]

Hi Pat,

Thank you for the reply - ... I did try a few times to turn it on and off after it happened and connected another battery that worked had enough power.
The first time it happened just after charging.. and the Tx turned on with strange behavior but after turning it off the next times I tried there was no sound or back light just some black lines on the LCD.
One big mistake is that I did not write down any of the programs and now I understand that I definitely need a back up radio which will be an 11x or DX18. I played with the DX8 a bit before I got the JR and personally I did not feel it to have the same quality of the 9503, but I never touched the DX18 and not sure what are it's benefits over the 11x.
I will let you know what I decide to do with the 9503

Thank you for the offer
Bobby

[pmackenzie]

If you want a backup transmitter the solution is obvious - buy another 9503 and send this one in to be fixed.
That way you can backup one onto the other with just the trainer cable.

[Bobmic]

Hi Pat,

After looking around I almost bought a second 9503 but somehow got a great deal on an 11X.
Thank you for the advice - I am sending the 9503 to Horizon Hobby and will see how it goes in the upcoming weeks.

On a second note, is there another source for Tx NiMH batteries beside the regular store that charge $30-$80?
I know about the LiPo option with diodes etc. and I have done it on an older Futaba but I don't want to go this route as I prefer to charge the Tx from it's power port.

Thanks,
Bobby

[Polecat]

Bob
Check out Batteries America in the US, I have purchased all my RX/TX packs from them for many years.

Ken

[pmackenzie]

I use eneloop packs in mine. I susually pick them up in Toledo, but  Batteries America sells them.

http://store.batteriesamerica.com/sanyoenelooptransmitterbatterypack-96volt2000mahni-mhretainschargeandreadytouse.aspx

A bit more expensive than the cheap Lipo packs that many use but:

much safer
will last way longer - 1000 cycles
You can charge with the wall wart
Self discharge is extremely low, just like Lipo.