What do you guys use to charge your Lipos?
06-11-2014, 10:20 PM
#1
Thread Starter
What do you guys use to charge your Lipos?
I have been using this one for a while, but after doing this review, I think I may need to branch out a bit and step up to a big boy charger.
I would love to have the option to step up to 4S and higher batteries too since I want to stay with just electric flight and move up to larger planes. I am stuck with 3S options with this charger currently.
What do you guys think and what do you guys use?
http://youtu.be/X9rNY_COW1s
I would love to have the option to step up to 4S and higher batteries too since I want to stay with just electric flight and move up to larger planes. I am stuck with 3S options with this charger currently.
What do you guys think and what do you guys use?
http://youtu.be/X9rNY_COW1s
06-12-2014, 04:58 AM
#2
I went ahead and purchased a HiTec X4acdc with built in power supply for my first charger. It was a great decision. When I first purchased it I was only needing to charge a 2s Life battery and could have picked up a $30 charger to meet the need. Subsequently over the last year I am now using more electrics from 1s to 4s and it seems every week I am finding a new use. Going to the field I just unplug the 120 and head out with the 12v cord for the truck battery. i know there are some more powerful chargers out there with 12 or 24 power supplies needed ... but this thing has met every need to date.
I can charge those two shown + six 1s for my micro helis + six 2s for my UMX planes and the transmitter batteries all at the same time.
on the mustang I made some long leads and can charge the two life flight batteries and the nimh gear battery at the same time between flights along with the sport trainer on the other side. It just goes everything I need (and more) and is the best hobby item purchase in a long time.
oh,,, about 5 months into it... I had one of the 4 stations quit working. I called technical support and they sent me a new charger with a return label to send the other one back. I was surprised and didn't miss a beat. Excellent company, excellent product and us support a phone call away with a real person.
I can charge those two shown + six 1s for my micro helis + six 2s for my UMX planes and the transmitter batteries all at the same time.
on the mustang I made some long leads and can charge the two life flight batteries and the nimh gear battery at the same time between flights along with the sport trainer on the other side. It just goes everything I need (and more) and is the best hobby item purchase in a long time.
oh,,, about 5 months into it... I had one of the 4 stations quit working. I called technical support and they sent me a new charger with a return label to send the other one back. I was surprised and didn't miss a beat. Excellent company, excellent product and us support a phone call away with a real person.
Last edited by ThunderBoat42; 06-12-2014 at 11:15 AM.
06-12-2014, 05:55 AM
#3
The next step up would be any one of the many " 4-button" chargers on the market . These can be purchased between $30 and $200 depending on the wattage,brand, etc... Most work well but you have to watch out for cheap copies .
Here are a few examples: http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...-chargers.html
Here are a few examples: http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...-chargers.html
06-16-2014, 12:43 PM
#4
Senior Member
I started several years ago with several of the infamous "wall wort's" supplied with RTF heli's and foamys.
That was not really suitable, so I bought a Bantam BC6. Managed to do it in (my fault!) and bought a pair of BC6DX-IIs.
Things went well, until I needed to charge more than two batteries at a time.
The next charger was a Vista Q6320 A/C DC quad 80w port charger that I often use.
Late last year, since I was getting into large models and Lipo's, I sprung for a Powerlab/FMA/Revotrix DPL-8
Looking around on Flea Bay, I found two surplus TDK-Lambda 24v 65A power supplies. They have floating outputs,
can be set between ~18 to 28V, and connected appropriately with the correct jumpers, can be safely used in parallel or series, if your A/C branch circuits
have the needed ampacity.
With the Vista charging four 4S3300 or 4 4S4000 lipos, and the DPL-8 charging 4 6S5000mah on one port, and 4 6S4400mah on the other,
I can charge the batteries I'm going to (hopefully) use the same day. The Lipos charge in about the same time it takes to load everything else
to go to the field. Obviously, I have plenty of additional capability with the DPL-8 that I'm not currently using.
A BC6DX-II is small, and is easily portable, so it often goes along for the ride.
A few words concerning not so obvious nit-noy details.
Regenerative discharge into the typical automotive 12v lead acid battery is not as useful
as it might be. The majority of the Pb batteries will only accept a charge current of a few amps,
due to the CV limit of about 14.8 v or so. But, if you just happened to screw up, and
drain the Pb battery below what is needed to start a vehicle, the ability to move energy
from the lipos back to the Pb battery can be a real benefit!
The other under mentioned and perhaps seldom used capability is discharging to storage.
Many of the chargers have a limited discharge current and wattage capability.
The PL-8 and the DPL-8 have better than average capability in this mode, but there are a few other chargers that
have the same or more discharge capability.
If you really need to discharge lipos to storage, light bulbs
or a non inductive resistive load (Parts Express, 100 & 200W audio load resistors, 4 & 8 ohm)
work well, and are far less expensive than dynamic loads.
That was not really suitable, so I bought a Bantam BC6. Managed to do it in (my fault!) and bought a pair of BC6DX-IIs.
Things went well, until I needed to charge more than two batteries at a time.
The next charger was a Vista Q6320 A/C DC quad 80w port charger that I often use.
Late last year, since I was getting into large models and Lipo's, I sprung for a Powerlab/FMA/Revotrix DPL-8
Looking around on Flea Bay, I found two surplus TDK-Lambda 24v 65A power supplies. They have floating outputs,
can be set between ~18 to 28V, and connected appropriately with the correct jumpers, can be safely used in parallel or series, if your A/C branch circuits
have the needed ampacity.
With the Vista charging four 4S3300 or 4 4S4000 lipos, and the DPL-8 charging 4 6S5000mah on one port, and 4 6S4400mah on the other,
I can charge the batteries I'm going to (hopefully) use the same day. The Lipos charge in about the same time it takes to load everything else
to go to the field. Obviously, I have plenty of additional capability with the DPL-8 that I'm not currently using.
A BC6DX-II is small, and is easily portable, so it often goes along for the ride.
A few words concerning not so obvious nit-noy details.
Regenerative discharge into the typical automotive 12v lead acid battery is not as useful
as it might be. The majority of the Pb batteries will only accept a charge current of a few amps,
due to the CV limit of about 14.8 v or so. But, if you just happened to screw up, and
drain the Pb battery below what is needed to start a vehicle, the ability to move energy
from the lipos back to the Pb battery can be a real benefit!
The other under mentioned and perhaps seldom used capability is discharging to storage.
Many of the chargers have a limited discharge current and wattage capability.
The PL-8 and the DPL-8 have better than average capability in this mode, but there are a few other chargers that
have the same or more discharge capability.
If you really need to discharge lipos to storage, light bulbs
or a non inductive resistive load (Parts Express, 100 & 200W audio load resistors, 4 & 8 ohm)
work well, and are far less expensive than dynamic loads.
Last edited by chuckk2; 06-16-2014 at 12:49 PM.
06-19-2014, 06:49 PM
#6
Thread Starter
The next step up would be any one of the many " 4-button" chargers on the market . These can be purchased between $30 and $200 depending on the wattage,brand, etc... Most work well but you have to watch out for cheap copies .
Here are a few examples: http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...-chargers.html
Here are a few examples: http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...-chargers.html
I started several years ago with several of the infamous "wall wort's" supplied with RTF heli's and foamys.
That was not really suitable, so I bought a Bantam BC6. Managed to do it in (my fault!) and bought a pair of BC6DX-IIs.
Things went well, until I needed to charge more than two batteries at a time.
The next charger was a Vista Q6320 A/C DC quad 80w port charger that I often use.
Late last year, since I was getting into large models and Lipo's, I sprung for a Powerlab/FMA/Revotrix DPL-8
Looking around on Flea Bay, I found two surplus TDK-Lambda 24v 65A power supplies. They have floating outputs,
can be set between ~18 to 28V, and connected appropriately with the correct jumpers, can be safely used in parallel or series, if your A/C branch circuits
have the needed ampacity.
With the Vista charging four 4S3300 or 4 4S4000 lipos, and the DPL-8 charging 4 6S5000mah on one port, and 4 6S4400mah on the other,
I can charge the batteries I'm going to (hopefully) use the same day. The Lipos charge in about the same time it takes to load everything else
to go to the field. Obviously, I have plenty of additional capability with the DPL-8 that I'm not currently using.
A BC6DX-II is small, and is easily portable, so it often goes along for the ride.
A few words concerning not so obvious nit-noy details.
Regenerative discharge into the typical automotive 12v lead acid battery is not as useful
as it might be. The majority of the Pb batteries will only accept a charge current of a few amps,
due to the CV limit of about 14.8 v or so. But, if you just happened to screw up, and
drain the Pb battery below what is needed to start a vehicle, the ability to move energy
from the lipos back to the Pb battery can be a real benefit!
The other under mentioned and perhaps seldom used capability is discharging to storage.
Many of the chargers have a limited discharge current and wattage capability.
The PL-8 and the DPL-8 have better than average capability in this mode, but there are a few other chargers that
have the same or more discharge capability.
If you really need to discharge lipos to storage, light bulbs
or a non inductive resistive load (Parts Express, 100 & 200W audio load resistors, 4 & 8 ohm)
work well, and are far less expensive than dynamic loads.
That was not really suitable, so I bought a Bantam BC6. Managed to do it in (my fault!) and bought a pair of BC6DX-IIs.
Things went well, until I needed to charge more than two batteries at a time.
The next charger was a Vista Q6320 A/C DC quad 80w port charger that I often use.
Late last year, since I was getting into large models and Lipo's, I sprung for a Powerlab/FMA/Revotrix DPL-8
Looking around on Flea Bay, I found two surplus TDK-Lambda 24v 65A power supplies. They have floating outputs,
can be set between ~18 to 28V, and connected appropriately with the correct jumpers, can be safely used in parallel or series, if your A/C branch circuits
have the needed ampacity.
With the Vista charging four 4S3300 or 4 4S4000 lipos, and the DPL-8 charging 4 6S5000mah on one port, and 4 6S4400mah on the other,
I can charge the batteries I'm going to (hopefully) use the same day. The Lipos charge in about the same time it takes to load everything else
to go to the field. Obviously, I have plenty of additional capability with the DPL-8 that I'm not currently using.
A BC6DX-II is small, and is easily portable, so it often goes along for the ride.
A few words concerning not so obvious nit-noy details.
Regenerative discharge into the typical automotive 12v lead acid battery is not as useful
as it might be. The majority of the Pb batteries will only accept a charge current of a few amps,
due to the CV limit of about 14.8 v or so. But, if you just happened to screw up, and
drain the Pb battery below what is needed to start a vehicle, the ability to move energy
from the lipos back to the Pb battery can be a real benefit!
The other under mentioned and perhaps seldom used capability is discharging to storage.
Many of the chargers have a limited discharge current and wattage capability.
The PL-8 and the DPL-8 have better than average capability in this mode, but there are a few other chargers that
have the same or more discharge capability.
If you really need to discharge lipos to storage, light bulbs
or a non inductive resistive load (Parts Express, 100 & 200W audio load resistors, 4 & 8 ohm)
work well, and are far less expensive than dynamic loads.
GB
06-20-2014, 01:47 PM
#7
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Sydney, AUSTRALIA
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I have been using this one for a while, but after doing this review, I think I may need to branch out a bit and step up to a big boy charger.
I would love to have the option to step up to 4S and higher batteries too since I want to stay with just electric flight and move up to larger planes. I am stuck with 3S options with this charger currently.
What do you guys think and what do you guys use?
http://youtu.be/X9rNY_COW1s
I would love to have the option to step up to 4S and higher batteries too since I want to stay with just electric flight and move up to larger planes. I am stuck with 3S options with this charger currently.
What do you guys think and what do you guys use?
http://youtu.be/X9rNY_COW1s
https://www.master-instruments.com.a...0006/TReX.html
Not cheap at $150 in Australia but I have three of them and they have had frequent use for almost 4 years without missing a beat.
It displays battery % so after a flight you can immediately see how much your battery has discharged - I try to avoid discharging mine below 20% for normal use.
Also the Swallow is a good charger - it does 6S and comes with inbuilt power supply.
These models may not be available in the USA but there are literally dozens of great chargers and you would be pretty safe with anything recommended here by others.
Last edited by Rob2160; 06-20-2014 at 01:55 PM.
06-22-2014, 02:56 AM
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I made the following video for HK support and after they watched the vid (plus a few extra photos) I was given a refund.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbP5FcU53zc The first Accucel 6 is still working great though the fan is a bit noisy.
Last edited by Rob2160; 06-22-2014 at 03:31 AM.
06-22-2014, 09:57 AM
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A friend gave it to me but I'm pretty sure its an older version of this one
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...age_Alarm.html
I compared its readings against a multimeter and it was accurate enough to check Lipo voltages at the field.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...age_Alarm.html
I compared its readings against a multimeter and it was accurate enough to check Lipo voltages at the field.
Last edited by Rob2160; 06-22-2014 at 10:00 AM.
06-24-2014, 06:43 PM
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I use the Electrifly Polycharge 4 and an Equinox balancer. Bought it in 2008. It's still working. You can charge 4 different LiPo batteries up to 4S at 3000ma. I run it off of a Werker 12V 33AH AGM battery (will get a bigger one next time) that is charged by a 5A Deltron smart battery charger as commonly used for trolling motor batteries. The battery fits in a "6-pack" cooler with room to spare to keep it cool in the summer or warm at night. The 12V battery also powers an astronomical telescope on a computerized Go-To mount and its several dew heaters, which was the main purpose for buying it. If charging large airplane batteries all day long, you will need a bigger battery to power the Polycharge 4. I'm not running anything larger than a Rimfire .32 motor at this time, so I do not charge large battery packs over 4500 mAh.
Polycharge 4 does not check battery capacity by discharge, but that is best accomplished in your aircraft on the ground at a normal flight throttle setting and a watch. You should know how long a new battery would last, and compare your result to a new battery. Most battery packs are considered consumed at 70% of a new pack capacity.
Discharging and charging a lightly used and relatively new pack may boost capacity, but I have NEVER seem it work on old batteries that got regular use. As long as it is a "smart" charger that checks to see the battery is OK and then charges it properly, that is all you need. I checked and replaced HUNDREDS of batteries of several types on biomedical gear, and the super fancy battery chargers and testers proved not too useful. Every piece of equipment placed a different demand on a battery. Recognizing the good brands of batteries versus the junk brands cut down on battery failures more than anything else. Chinese batteries were by far the worst, often being low capacity right out of storage where Japanese and American batteries stored under similar conditions tested full capacity almost every time. Like in model aircraft batteries, the premium brands are the least expensive in the long run. I never once replaced a Hewlett-Packard heart defibrillator battery within its two-year recommended change-out date, and they usually still tested over 100% of specification after two years of service. You will see similar results among premium RC brands and "no-name" brands being sold by RC shops to pinchpenny customers. I have FlightPower 3S LiPo packs bought in 2008 and stored in the refrigerator when not in use that are still good.
Polycharge 4 does not check battery capacity by discharge, but that is best accomplished in your aircraft on the ground at a normal flight throttle setting and a watch. You should know how long a new battery would last, and compare your result to a new battery. Most battery packs are considered consumed at 70% of a new pack capacity.
Discharging and charging a lightly used and relatively new pack may boost capacity, but I have NEVER seem it work on old batteries that got regular use. As long as it is a "smart" charger that checks to see the battery is OK and then charges it properly, that is all you need. I checked and replaced HUNDREDS of batteries of several types on biomedical gear, and the super fancy battery chargers and testers proved not too useful. Every piece of equipment placed a different demand on a battery. Recognizing the good brands of batteries versus the junk brands cut down on battery failures more than anything else. Chinese batteries were by far the worst, often being low capacity right out of storage where Japanese and American batteries stored under similar conditions tested full capacity almost every time. Like in model aircraft batteries, the premium brands are the least expensive in the long run. I never once replaced a Hewlett-Packard heart defibrillator battery within its two-year recommended change-out date, and they usually still tested over 100% of specification after two years of service. You will see similar results among premium RC brands and "no-name" brands being sold by RC shops to pinchpenny customers. I have FlightPower 3S LiPo packs bought in 2008 and stored in the refrigerator when not in use that are still good.
