All around good charger!

[Gary Maker]

I have several chargers/cyclers but none are rated to charge LiPoly cells.

This has probably been covered before and my apologies but I am looking for a good all around charger to do Ni-Cad, NiMh, LiPoly etc. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks!

[Nuker]

Hi Gary,

I had the same problem in the spring when I got some lipos. I bought my Hobbico MKII quick field charger (replaced to old field charger). It does Li-ion, Nimh and Nicad. The best thing is that you can set the charge rate manually so you can adapt to varioys Mah as well. Cost is about $90 but, as you asked for, it will do everything.

On a quick note, the charger says it works for Lithium Ion batteries but a lot of us locally have used it on Lithium Polymer with perfect results. Same results I've seen on the web. Just an opinion

Bob

[recon]

Doesnt the Great Planes Triton charger charge pretty much everything? NiCd, Nimh, Lipo, li ion, lead acid, etc.

[salty morgan]

the hobico mk 2 is a good charger, the triton is (i think i read it somewhere) the be all, end all of chargers. it costs about $200, i think it may be down 10 or 20 in the latest flyers though.

i own the hobbico, and it does more than i will use. having said that, i wouldn't scratch the surface of all the functions of the triton. lol

[Frank Klenk]

I ordered the Great Planes Triton charger, should be here soon I hope. From what fellas say it's a good charger. I talked to a chap at the Oakville/Sheraton college indoor fly a couple weekends ago, he was using one. When using the default settings for charging the Li Pos he couldn't get them 100%. So, he just went into the programming and selected his own, and "viola", works perfect. I think Jim Moss bought one too. I wonder how he likes it? I'm flying indoor this winter too and I feel this charger will fit all my needs. I'll let you know when I use it.

Frank :)

[JimMoss]

Hi Frank

To cold out right now to check the charger out. :shock:

I have both the Triton and the Mark II, thing I like about the Mark II is that it will do 2 batteries at once and is about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the Triton, If all you want one for is charging. :wink:

[Gary Maker]

Thanks Guys, I just talked to Brian Facey who receintly purchased the Triton. I guess everyone is in the same position. He hasn't had opportunity to try his out yet either. When you do, please let me know what you think.

Jim, is the Mark II strictly a 12v charger like the Triton?

[JimMoss]

Yup!

[4*60]

And I just bought a MKII at 71.95 when the original Hobbico was sitting beside it at 69.95. Couldn't pass it up and it works great on NICAD and will try the other types some day.

[Fodder]

I also just picked up the MKII, but forgot that I needed special leads for the li-poly. So still waiting to put humming bird in the air.

[Gary Maker]

Thanks for the input fellows.

I just ordered the Hobbico MK II. The price is much more reasonable than the Triton for now and it looks like a good all around charger. I have two other AC chargers that will cycle so its not a problem for me to not have that option available at the field.

Was just wondering, does anyone really need to cycle batteries at the field? I could see this maybe being a necessity if one was flying electrics.

Other than the connectors to hook up to the LiPoly cells is there anything else special about the charger leads for these packs?

[JimMoss]

Good choice for Gary, as you say no need to cycle at the field ....... don't think I've ever seen anyone cycle a battery at the field though? :wink:

[can773]

Was just wondering, does anyone really need to cycle batteries at the field? I could see this maybe being a necessity if one was flying electrics.



I think the only advantage to using a charger like the Triton (I use the Super Turbo, close enough) vs. a conventional fast charger is the ability to see the amount of charge put into the pack, so that you can establish a baseline per flight mah usage which is nice so you can tell quickly if something is wrong and drawing more current than it should. Otherwise the MK2 should be all you need at the field.

The only time I ever cycle with it is at home overnight.

[Shaunrbell]

This is another good charger that will fill just about any tank. It's nice that you can upgrade as things change. I've got a couple coming in the next day or so, they're replacing my Alpha 4.

Shaun Bell