timmosav

Can anyone give me any feedback on this charger.

Im finding in my r/c boats that Im currently accumulating a collection of chargers to handle Nicad, NiMh and Lead acid batteries in assorted sizes.

Saw an advert for this which claims that ALL of these batteries can be charged from it and that there is fast charge and discharge options (obviously the latter presumably for the nicads)

As a relative newby who is confused by a lot of the techy jargon around, is this suitable for my varied batteries and is it easy to use.

Are functions automated or are there technical formula I need to understand and input to use this item - what sort of problems am I likely to encounter with this item

Thanks
Andrew

Mad Wax

I have one. Battery voltage charge per cell can be left on auto or manual. However you do need to manually change to what the battery pack is (type,cell, capacity) It'll also come up with a warning if output voltage is too high (trying to charge a 4 cell pack with 8cell setting) errors if battery isn't connected etc.

It'll charge NIMH, Nicad, Lead Acid and lithium poly. Fast charge rates upto 7A, discharge 3A.

All you have to do is input the battery type (Nimh/Nicad/Lead/Lithium) cells (1-25) or voltage for lead/Lithium (2-12v, 3.6-14.8v) then charge rate, and capacity. Go to charge press select, wait for changing LCD to double check battery type, press charge.

If you've chosen discharge or cycle option you'll see on the top right the capacity of the battery, so if you've discharged your nicad pack (best method- cell voltage discharge is also adjustable, say .9v or 1v) before charging, and it only gives 50% of capacity (ir 400mah charge on 800mah cells) at least can make a decision about them- move from TX to non critical testing items (say house clocks) You can cycle the battery upto 5 times.

Buzzer has a few tone options, and can be disabled (quite loud so no beeps in middle of the night!)

Trickle charge is adjustable, I leave to "off" when charging NIMH, on and a low rate for 12v- once the charge is complete.

Only thing I give a -1 is it doesn't have dual outputs, so you cannot charge the receiver and transmitter at the same time.

I've also saved money because I'm using it to charge loose AA/AAA cells in battery holders - normally use a £50 Ansmann but this is superior as it'll give info about the battery.

The fan only comes on when discharge rate is around 500mah+, not whilst charging. Useful if leaving the charger overnight indoors to slowcharge a NIMH/Nicd/Lead acid pack. The Mercury EX charge fan is always on, even if just idling. The fans are quite loud.

It's not fully automatic, but a few minutes pressing buttons with no battery output connected is enough to get a idea.

You'll need a 12v lead acid or PSU for a power source. I have Ripmax Pro Peak PSU. You get Banana/Croc clips cable to Bananas to connet charger to battery/PSU, but you don't get any banana to receiver or banana to transmitter cables.


Purchased from Als Hobbies.

timmosav

Thank you ever so much for this detailed reply - it sounds like this is what I am looking for, and would be a worthwhile purchase.

I was also intrigued to note your comment about charging AA's etc - a good idea in itself, presumably you are just using a normal battery holder as fitted into boats and finding a suitable connector to join all up

At present my Nicads and Nimh batteries are on standard plastic connectors, but I had already purchased some gold connectors to change their wiring. My lead acid has spade connectors.

It wont be too difficult to make up some connector wires for the two types, and as you said its just one of those minor irritants that only one type can be charged at a time, but having said that, its quite an essential safety feature as well I guess.

Sounds brilliant, thanks again
Andrew

Mad Wax

yes I'm using the 8 cell AA pack with futaba connector that was supplied with the Futaba 3pk to charge nicad/nimhs that are being used around the house, so you can then look at C/D/AAA cages if you need them.

The Constellation does have automatic mode, it senses in both nicad/nimh. I guess it senses the voltage, starts slow charge rate and increases then also cuts off when the it detects end of charge. Or you could manually enter in specs/cells numbers.

Philip C

I've been looking at the Constellation and the Prodigy 2. Is the Constellation worth the extra £20? Main difference appears to be the fan and the 25 cell nicad capability compared with the Prodigy's 14 cell limit.

Philip

cowana

I know that this is a dead thread, but I will answer because I found this thread very useful when buying my Constellation charger (which I would really recommend, especially with the optional tempetature sensor (not made by ripmax)).

Differences between Prodigy 2 and Constellation:

...............................................Pro digy II........Constellation
Nicad/NiMh Cells........................1 - 14 cells.......1 - 25 cells
Lipo Cells..................................1 - 5 cells.........1 - 5 cells
Charge rate...............................0.1 - 5 A..........0.1 - 7 A
Discharge rate...........................0.1 - 1 A..........0.1 - 3 A
Cycle counts..............................2............. ........5
Cooling fan................................NO............. ....Yes
Temperature cut off....................NO.................Yes
Programmable memories............NO.................10
Capacity detection......................Yes................ Yes
Cell detection.............................Manual...... .....Automatic or Manual
Price......................................... £49.99 ..........£69.99

For £20 more, I would go for the constellation (and I did).

cowana

Philip C

Hi,

Following the resurrection of this thread, I have to say I bought the Prodigy 2 charger in the end and it has been fine.

Cowana, you stated that the Prodigy 2 doesn't charge LiPos, but, according to the manual which is in front of me now "The Prodigy II is capable of charging Lithium Ion and Lithium Polymer batteries of between 1 and 5 cells (3.6 to 18.5v)".

Philip

cowana

There you go - my message is edited. The instructions know better than I do.

One thing that I really love about the Constellation (which the Prodigy II probably has aswell), is the error messages. Battery too hot, battery disconnected input/output too high etc.

Makes it all feel safe!

cowana

stackerjack

Hi Cowana/Philip (or anyone else)
Could you tell me please, does the Constellation Charger/Discharger indicate the capacity of the battery after it is charged or before/after it is discharged?
Thanks
Stackerjack

cowana

Yes it does. It tells you the capacity when charging and discharging. You can set it to do up to five cycles (charge, discharge, charge, discharge etc) or the other way round (discharge charge, discharge charge etc).

At the end of this, it will tell you the capacity measured on each of the charges and discharges, as well as the maximum temperature, maximum voltage etc.

I strongly recommend getting the temperatrure sensor for it.

cowana

stackerjack

Thanks a lot Cowana,
Do you know who supplies the temperature sensor please. I am not familiar with the suppliers, as I am buying this unit second hand.
Thanks again
Stackerjack

cowana

http://www.technobots.co.uk/acatalog...argers_28.html at £3.83

http://www.modelhelicopters.co.uk/ac...s_ProPeak.html at £4.99

http://www.hobbystores.co.uk/asp/FS_...electedTab=086 at £4.99

These don't include postage.

Andrew

stackerjack

Thanks Cowana,
I fly my planes in West London near Heathrow at Hanworth AirPark.
Perhaps we''ll meet sometime.
Stackerjack