Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Hi everyone. First post here. I was into rc flying about 10yrs ago, and recently was going to sell my equipment until I saw how little I could get for it and decided to give it another try....

I'm completely befuddled by all the options. When I last did this, I had (still have) a SuperBrain peak charger. After reading the directions (thank God I did that!) I found that I actually can't use that charger to charge my new lipo.

I bought a new plane and got an 1800mAh 1.8v 25-50C battery. It's 4 cell and 14.8v.

Now when I look for lipo chargers, all the ones I'm seeing have automotive style clamp leads, which won't work for my battery. Is this stuff not standardized? I assumed I'd be able to find a charger for what looked like a very normal lead. My SuperBrain 959 has a lead like that.

Any help on what charger will work? I'm not interested in spending more than I spent on the airplane on a charger since I decided to get back into this on the assumption that I could use the majority of my old gear.

Thanks for any help. This is very frustrating.....if this is what rc is like, I may just disassemble the plane and send it to ebay after all. :(

Here's a pic of my battery...<br type="_moz" />

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

any lipo charger capable of charging 4s should work, you might need a new adapter either 4mm banana to your battery connector, or deans to your battery connector.
the banana output is on the charger and you just swap around to what works with your lipo.
The clamp leads are for connecting to an automotive battery or some power supplies to power the charger.
Do you have a link to one of the chargers you seen, It may help as i'm confused slightly.

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Welcome back, you'll be back up in no time. This is probably the lead you need and many of the HK chargers include it. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...nana_plug.html

There IS a standard connector , but fortunately there are multiple standard connectors now. In this current class there has to be at least 5 popular ones. XT-60 is one of them.

Example of a cheap charger that will do the job for you. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...cessories.html

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll take a look at those options. Seems it's pretty much a decision over quality and cost.

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Make a run by your local hobby shop and take your battery with you. They will have the correct connector for your battery. The Venom Pro Charger is a good bet to get for less than a $100. It will charge your LiPos, LiFe, Nicad, Nimh and lead acid. It will have all the connectors that you will need and it's a AC/CD charger. You can plug it into the wall or hook it to a car battery.

It also has a screen that will tell you what's going on with your battery.

Frank

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

I have three of the Accucel chargers and they are great. The only thing I haven't been able to do is save/retrieve battery setups but once you understand the menu and how to toggle between manual and Auto modes you're good to go.

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

[8D] Just do yourself this one favor ............

Everyone seems to look at price first , and they always think "it'll never happen to me" when it comes to warranty returns . Well , broken electronics happens . It's a sad fact of life .

Now , the company that you've been recommended to buy from has a record of the WORST customer service in our hobby !

Before ya buy , do a quick search of the name "HobbyKing" , spend 20 minutes reading , and then tell me if that's a company you would want to give your money to ?

There are FAR better choices of who to spend your $$$ with .......

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

+1 buy cheap, buy twice. Have a good charger and feel safer knowing your lipos are being cared for with accuracy.
But on that note they sell a charger which is made in the same factory by the same people as a charger with one of the best names in the business, although you don't get the firmware updates or support by this company. So the build quality is there but not the firmware updates.

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

@init4fun: Totally agree. I bought a plane from them, and it took forever to be shipped. The only way I could find to contact them was via online chat (??) and when I googled the company, found that they seem to have quite a reputation. I'll definitely think twice before ordering from them again. <div>
</div><div>@countilaw: I did just that and the guy recommended a Venom charger that ws $60. Don't remember anything else about it. He said that finding a charger that would do 4-cell LiPos was going to be tough. I didn't think 4cells were that uncommon. :eek:</div><div>
</div><div>I like the idea of the Accucel one, but I'm not excited about buying from HK again. These guys seem to sell the Accucel stuff. Would this one work? (see my first post for battery type—it's all greek to me).</div><div>
</div><div>http://www.aprohobbies.com/turnigy-accucel6-battery-balancing-charger-discharger-cycler-p-42.html</div>

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Ignoring potential problems with ordering on Ebay, how about this one? Looks like the previous generation?<div>
</div><div>http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turnigy-Accucel-6-50W-6A-Balancer-Charger-with-Accesories-/221166102069?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&am p;hash=item337e86e635</div>

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Yup, that charger would work. Maybe worth buyhing a more expensive one if you are planning on ever using more than the 6 cells that it is capable of charging.

As the ebay listing states if you buy new you will also need a power supply that can supply at least 6amps (preferably 8) and the specified voltage output the charger requires.

The main advantage of lipo over what you are used to in nimh is more engergy per kg, faster charging times and high voltage output until the end (nimh voltage tends to tail off towards the end)

All the best, this forum will answer all of your questions (provided you give the correct details and try to do your homework i.e. dont be too lazy!)

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

Argh! Should have jumped on it—sold last night.<div>
</div><div>Oh well....</div>

RE: Noob here. LiPo battery charger??
 

I like my IMax B6 Ultimate real well so far. It is easy to use too. You can get one from Amazon.com.....


http://www.amazon.com/IMAX-B6-Ultima.../dp/B003ZZSD3S