Multi Charger Question
 

Hi Everyone:

I'm looking for a good AC multi charger where i can charge all my planes.

I fly RC and 99% of my planes have NIMH and i only have 2 lipos i use for a starter and my field box power panel.

I'm tired of having 4 or 6 regular chargers laying around in order to charge my rx/tx batteries all my equipment is futaba.

I have a hobbico accu-cycle elite which is great but that only charges 2 things at the same time.. I'm looking for something that charges at least 4 at one time.

i have a budget of $200 max. Any help, ideas, suggestions? and from where to buy would be appreciated.

This is the one I use..http://www.horizonhobby.com/x4-ac-4-...arger-hrc44167
Great charger charges 4 batteries at once and about 200 dollars.

Yeah, that's what I use as well. A great charger and its both AC and DC so you can charge at the field as well. Comes with a bunch of cables and even balance boards for your LIPOs.

With a little soldering you can do parallel charging. Ohm's law says that current will flow to the lowest voltage first, so you can hook up 4 batteries to one output and they'll all finish at the same time. The only limit on that is they have to be the same kind of batteries and the same cell count.

Yes the four port Hitec is excellent and I use one example of it on my main charging table which I use in a roll around fashion. This is fine for the batteries that are removeable and can be charged at the charger station. This however also presents a use problem that anyone considering a four port charger needs to understand and that is if any of your airplanes use non removable batteries and many do especially glow, gas as well as turbine flyers. The ability to charge two or more at a time becomes compromised because of the horrendously long patch cords that may be required.

I use this roll around station mostly for batteries that can be placed close to the chargers and also have three other basic four button chargers placed in other areas of the shop and even one in the house.

John

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2128752

I have a drawer full of servo extension cords from old deceased planes. I just add them to the cables that come with the Hitec and have no trouble charging the 3 batteries in my Extra and my radio at the same time. However, I usually move a plane to a charging table rather than moving the charger to the plane.

OK that's wonderful for your one single airplane! My X4 is also wonderful for one of my jet turbines that uses four separate batteries how ever not everyone may charge just a single airplane at a time.

Lets suppose that the OP may want to charge four, heck even pretty small airplanes at a time that may happen to have buried batterys then yes horrendous patch chord problems occur and shops (even large ones) become immobilized from crowding around the charger or wherever the heck you put it. This particular problem is often overlooked. The point is quit valid and not everyone may operate or fly in the same way as you.

Its important for someone considering a four port charger to understand and mull over how they are going to use it and does it create problems or solve them.


John

For the same money you can own 4 standalone chargers with power supplies. You don't need full featured ones, just peak detection and balancing for lipos. One full featured charger with discharge/cycle testing is helpful, as is one extra high powered one if you need it.

Apparently you did not read the OP's first post.

I did read it. I assumed by "regular chargers" he meant wall warts. If that was right, he wants the option to charge all his batteries at the same time with a computerized charger. I think multiple peak detecting chargers is a more practical solution than a single big multicharger.