REVIEW: DX7 AV Upgrade from gtronics

A few weeks ago we reported on the DX7 AV Upgrade from gtronics. Well, I received my unit a couple of weeks ago. Shipping took about 13 days to get to me, not bad considering Gabriele sent the package from Italy. So, I finally had some spare time today to install the unit and I must say this is a great upgrade to have.

Here is a review of the DX7 AV Upgrade installation, complete with pics, tips, impressions, and opinions. Continue through to check out how the install went.

DX7 AV Upgrade from gtronics

Packaging

Gabriele used a bubble wrap lined shipping envelope with the actual unit enclosed in a yellow plastic (about 1mm thick) sleeve which was heat sealed so the unit would not come out during shipping with a small opening for the wires to come out.

Tools to complete the installation

After reading the installation instructions a few times to familiarize myself with the process, I gathered the tools I would need to complete the installation. I used:

- philips screwdiver
- double sided tape
- wire stripper
- soldering iron
- solder
- 5 minute epoxy
- toothpick
- used envelope (to mix the epoxy on)
- small piece of 60 grit sandpaper

Prep DX7

To start the install, I ensured my DX7 was turned off. I then removed the battery and proceeded to remove the 6 phillips screws attaching the back cover to the front cover.

My DX7 all opened up

Here is a look of the back cover removed and my DX7 all opened up.

AV Upgrade Unit Attachement

Next, I removed the 4 phillips screws holding tranmitter signal board. I then removed the AV upgrade unit from its plastic sleeve. First impressions: the unit is small and light, there was no damage to the unit so the packaging did its job to protect the unit during shipping. Then, I attached the AV Upgrade Unit to the back of the transmitter signal board using some double sided tape.

Soldering Begins

I started the soldering, following the installation instructions, with the purple and white wires and using my wire strippers to take off about 1/8″ of insulation.

Next, I soldered the black wire to the power board.

The grey and orange wires were next to be soldered onto the board for the transmitter on/off switch.

Then, I soldered the yellow and red wires to the throttle stick board for the auto timer start/stop via throttle stick movement.

In my opinion, the soldering was pretty straight forward. I think I am fairly good at soldering, but I did find the soldering took a little longer due to the small areas to solder the wires to and ensuring I do not burn/melt any other wires near by. Overall, I think anyone with a steady hand and patience can do the soldering required for this upgrade.

Vibration Unit Attachment

Here is where I went away from the installation instructions a bit. Instead of using a blade knife to scratch the surface of the inside back cover, I used a small piece of 60 grit sandpaper. I felt it would be faster and easier to use the sandpaper. I also placed a small piece of electrical tape on the inside of the back cover to keep the vibrating head away from the cover and to give me a reference point for placement for the vibrating unit.

I then mixed up a small amount of 5 minute epoxy and applied the epoxy, using a toothpick, to the rough section I just made with the sandpaper. I held the vibrating unit in the epoxy with my finger and used the toothpick to press the vibrating unit wires into the epoxy.

Closing up the transmitter

Here are the final pics after soldering of the AV Unit wires and attachment of the Vibrating Unit.

Reattachment of the transmitter signal board and the back cover.

Testing

I re-installed my lipo and turned on my DX7. There was three beeps and a vibration. So far so good for the installation.

I then went into my timer screen to change the timer to 20 seconds for the test. After exiting the timer screen, I advanced the throttle stick from zero and the timer automatically started along with a beep. I then moved the stick back down to zero and the timer stopped along with a beep. That was great, so now I don’t have to use the “Increase” button to start/stop the timer.

Next, I continued the countdown timer by moving the throttle stick up. At 10 seconds left in the countdown, my DX7 still beeped every second warning me of my time. At zero of the countdown timer, my DX7 had the long tone as usual, then at approximately 4 second intervals my DX7 would vibrate 3 short bursts and continue until I brought my throttle stick down to zero. One thing I did observe during each 3 short bursts of vibration was the voltage dropped momentarily by .1V, indicating not a whole lot of power consumption by the AV Unit Upgrade. Pressing the “Clear” button resets the timer as it did before. So far the AV Upgrade works as intended.

The next thing to test was disabling the AV Unit by holding “Clear” button while turning on my DX7. This step passed with flying colors.

Then, I tested accessing the System Parameters Menu by pressing the “Down”, “Select”, and “Clear” buttons simultaneously as I turned on my DX7. To no surprise, this part of the test worked. I was able to access the System Parameters Menu with all functionality . . . changing models, copying models, etc.

DX7 AV Upgrade To DX8 Comparison

In comparison, when the timer comes down to 10 seconds on my DX8, it vibes and beeps every second there after, like a heartbeat. When the timer reaches zero there is a long beep and vibration. But, there is no further vibe warning as with my DX7 with the AV Upgrade. The vibration feel of DX7 AV Upgrade is not as intense as my DX8.

Final thoughts:

Gabriele did a great job with this DX7 AV Upgrade unit. He packaged everything adequately for shipping. The unit itself is light weight and consumes very negligible battery power when the vibration motor is activated.

If you are used to soldering, then the soldering requirements should be easy for you. Otherwise, just take your time and be patient when you solder the wires.

The DX7 AV Upgrade does its job of warning you when your timer reaches zero with further vibe warnings after zero. The start/stop of the autotimer via throttle stick works as intended.

If you have a DX7 which is past its warranty period and don’t mind soldering and working with epoxy, then the DX7 AV Upgrade from gtronics is a worthwhile investment. Note: If you have a DX7 still in its warranty period, installing this upgrade will void your warranty. Support from Gabriele is great, he replied to my emails within a few hours.

Packaging: 5
Instructions: 5
Quality: 5
Easy/Time Of Installation: 4
Support: 5
Price: 5
Overall: 4.83

To order the DX7 AV Upgrade or DX6i AV Upgrade, please go to the gtronics website HERE.

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