I have to choose between a Robbe Infinity 2 and a Shulze Chamaleon isl 6-330d. Prices here are exactly the same. Lists of features and internet reviews are very similar. I would appreciate any coment on how do they compare.

I would also thank any comment on the following specific issues:

1 - Robbe's manual states: "The cell capacity should be within the range 0.1 to 3.0 Ah, which covers most types used in modelling." This worries me since I'm going to use 3300 mAh packs (and higher in the future, I expect).
- Is this a real limit to be considered?
- What is Shulze's limit?

2 - Robbe's manual states that a regulated power supply may be used without problems, whereas Shulze's strongly disencourages using it. This is a very important point for me.

3 - Second output in Robbe is a dumb constant 250 mA source capable of driving up to 8 cells, whereas Shulze's is smarter but has a limit of 6 cells, that precludes using it to charge the transmitter pack.
- Which one should be more useful?
- Is this relevant?

Thanks in advance,
Juan.

Hands down the Schulze!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Spend the money, get both and tell us YOUR conclusions!

Hola Juan,

if you want a charger out of these two I would take the schulze. I had never a problem with a schulze charger (ISL6-430d and Ultra Duo Plus II). And the new 330d is a modified Graupner Ultra Duo Plus II and seems to be absolutely reliable (some friends of mine are using it). I also used a 240V power supply for all my chargers without any problems over the years. But consider Orbit. The Orbit microlader V6 could be an alternative (maybe it is a little bit higher in price). Orbits have got the advantage of the Reflexcharging to avoid memory effects. I have got a microlader pro and this ist a great charger.

MfG,
Armin

Thanks fot the replies.

Any comment on the points of my message?

Does someone have any experience using the Schulze with a power supply ?

Regards,
Juan.

Hi all,

I own both, so I can give you an unbiased opinion of them.

Just to address a couple of points raised by other people. First off, the Graupner unit is a relabelled Schulze, not the other way around. Graupner doesn't actually make many electronic bits in-house, they farm that work out to other companies.

Second, memory effect is a ancient, largely unproven pheomenon. It's only ever been observed in satellite batteries, which have the exact same charging cycle every day due to the solar pannel chargers being exposed to the same amount of light each day. Eventually, the batteries "learn" the duty cycle that is expected of them, and become reluctant to push past this limit. It's never been duplicated in a lab on Earth, last I'd heard.

The "phenomenon" that usually causes batteries to lose capacity is simply abuse, whether from hard use or (primarily) through overcharging. Cells that are charged too hard or too fast, or those that are discharged too quickly, or those that are overcharged, will tend to lose electrolyte. This loss results in a loss of measurable capacity, but it isn't "memory". This isn't to be confused with cells that have been improperly stored, which may take a few cycles to come back up to capacity (like most 1st/2nd gen Ni-Mh).

I believe that reflex or pulse charging isn't meant to eliminate "memory", but rather to help balance the cells in a pack. Delta peak chargers look for a dip in the peak voltage of a pack, which can be prematurely set-off by a weak or overcharged cell in a pack. Reflex and pulse chargers use some other way of measuring a pack's peak, though I have no idea about the exact mechanism's involved.

So, enough rambling, down to a direct comparison between chargers.

The Schuzle is a fabulous unit from both a quality and performance perspective. It will handle a number of exotic cell chemistries that the Robbe won't, and has even been used around here to charge the new Li Poly cells. It's user friendly, and comes with a decent manual. It's charging algorithm is absolutely phenonemal for Ni-Cad's, and just as good as the Robbe for Ni-MH's. I don't use the second output on either charger, so I can't comment on their usefulness. The lack of a cooling fan on the Schulze limits it to a max 1A discharge, vs the 5A discharge ability of the Robbe.

The Robbe charger is also very good, but has a number of quality control issues (hardware-wise). The buttons have a tendancy to become sticky, and twice have stopped working on mine (requiring replacement). I also had to take my first one apart to reinstall the cooling fan, since it was blocked from moving at the factory (QC!!!). That said, it's a more adjustable unit than the Schulze, with current limits from 1-5A by 0.1A (vs stepwise changes on the Schulze, 0.1-0.25-0.5-0.6-1-1.5 etc). It will also discharge to an adjustable voltage cutoff, and will cycle cells up to 99 times (only once or three times on the Schulze). The thing that really makes mine lovable is the fact that it will discharge one or two cells, which is very useful for adding cells to a pack or for cycling cells before making them into packs (good for choosing cells for competition packs).

Basically, I use my Schulze for Ni-cads, and my Robbe for Ni-Mh's (it's on my desk here at work, merrily charging away).

Both chargers work fine off of my regulated 12A power supply.

I've easily charged my motor pack of 12 x GP3300's on both chargers, and my radio pack of 6 of the above cells is fine as well.

Hope that helps!
Adam

FINALLY!!!!! Someone who knows about REAL chargers!!!!!!!!!!!
I am impressed!!!!!!!
Of course you could ALWAYS end the problem by implementing the trusty isl8-936!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't think I haven't tried! I was debating joining the Canadian F5D team (e-pylon, for those that don't know), and I had a line on a great deal for one of those. It was "only" going to be about $800 Cdn, but fell through in the end. <sniff>

Unforunately, I don't have the money this year. I'm a recently graduated mechanical engineer, and am presently in "job hunt" mode. Next time, I guess.

Best of luck!!!!!!!!

Hi,

of course I know that the Ulta Duo Plus II is a Schulze charger. But the Ultra Duo was there before the 330d. And the little Schulze ia a little bit more complex. It can charge from 1-30 cells, the Graupner only 4-30 cells.
Just for interest, the new Ultra Duo Plus 30 is not a Schulze as usual.
@Juan:
For what kind of use do you want it? Big flightpacks or the absolutely control over all your batteries? Á very important point is the charging performance measured in W(att). The higher it is the higher is the current with higher numbers of cells.


MfG,
Armin

Thanks again for the replies.

I don't expect to have high voltage packs in a near future. I want to have complete control over my batteries (all my batteries, not only flight ones, i.e., toy cars, GPS, digital camera, VCR...).

By the way, are Lithium polymer batteries going to be The Next Big Thing for flight that will replace right now NiCd and NiMH, or should we expect these ones will survive and will be mainstream for a few year to come?

What are the specific requirements of the new batteries? In other words, what makes Schulze tell they support them while Robbe doesn't mention it?

Regards,
Juan.

Buenos dias.

I think that the Orbit microlader V6 and microlader pro are two of the little number that can charge nearly everything. And in Spain they won't be as expensive as in the US. Just take a look at heir homepage: http://www.orbitronic.de/

MfG,
Armin