Lipo Charger/Balancer

[little_006]

I am looking into chargers for a 3s 11.1v lipo battery. Does anyone have any recommendations for lipo chargers/balancers? I am finding most stuff is very very expensive for a combo unit. Thanks.

[dash8]

Best bang for your buck,

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7028&Product_Name=Turnigy_Accucel-6_50W_5A_Balancer/Charger

Outstanding Charger and Balancer!

[waylander]

It's not "outstanding" it's ok for something made in china...

It can handle 50w which is ok to charge a 3S 5000mah battery at 1C but at 6S you can only charge a 2500mah battery at 1C. Also keep in mind that many new batteries can be charged at 5C which means you can only charge a 3S 1000mah battery at 5C.

There are many chargers out there that can handle 80 to 150w for under $150.

I've never owned one so can't say how well it works but I've got the guess the warranty and customer service are lousy.... standard for chinese knockoffs.

My personal choice is the Thunder Power TP610C, 80w of power, balancing board for both align and tp taps and awesome customer service. I shorted out the balancer once and they sent me a new one, no questions asked, didn't even ask for the old one.

[dash8]

It's not "outstanding" it's ok for something made in china...

It can handle 50w which is ok to charge a 3S 5000mah battery at 1C but at 6S you can only charge a 2500mah battery at 1C. Also keep in mind that many new batteries can be charged at 5C which means you can only charge a 3S 1000mah battery at 5C.

I've never owned one so can't say how well it works but I've got the guess the warranty and customer service are lousy.... standard for chinese knockoffs.

.

So you've never owned one, nor used one, but they are cheap knockoffs?? Umm, NOPE... Actually, Warranty AND customer service are excellent (yes, yes, yes, you have to send it back to Hong Kong if it is defective, but when you are Saving 100$+ dollars, big deal). I have ordered over 1300$ worth of stuff in the last year and only 1 ESC has had problems, and then replaced it no questions asked.

I Charge my 3S 2200+ at 5C with no problem what so ever.

You will argue and have all kinds of reasons why your Thunderpower at 150$ is the best thing out there, but cost wise, for most people, this is it. It does the job and does it well, at 1/4 of the cost.

[little_006]

I have one in the mail, had one coming before I posted this actually.....for that price even if it is a POS I could care less. I have a buddy who wanted to check one out too so works out good. I'll be charging 3s 5000mah lipos with it as well as 2s ones. I never charge any battery past around 1.5 - 2 amps to increase the life of the battery so as long as it can do that I'm happy.

[Midair]

...Actually, Warranty AND customer service are excellent (yes, yes, yes, you have to send it back to Hong Kong if it is defective, but when you are Saving 100$+ dollars, big deal). I have ordered over 1300$ worth of stuff in the last year and only 1 ESC has had problems, and then replaced it no questions asked...

I agree. I passed the "$1300.00 in purchases" point a while ago and have had to return only a $22.00 2.4 GHz receiver and a $9.00 ESC programming card. Both items were quickly replaced, no questions asked. Give the Chinese another couple of years and we won't be talking about cheep knock-offs from that part of the world. I'm sure that there are many on this forum that remeber how we once discussed "made in Japan" crap ;)

Peter

[waylander]

Sorry but while there are some things I'm willing to buy for a good deal my lipos and chargers are not one of them. With the number of issues that are possible with lipos taking a chance with them interest me not at all.

[Midair]

We all must live within our own comfort zone...:D

Peter

[marcham]

I have one in the mail, had one coming before I posted this actually.....for that price even if it is a POS I could care less. I have a buddy who wanted to check one out too so works out good. I'll be charging 3s 5000mah lipos with it as well as 2s ones. I never charge any battery past around 1.5 - 2 amps to increase the life of the battery so as long as it can do that I'm happy.

Charging at lower current may infact negatively impact cycle life. everydayflyer on rcgroups has proven that charging at 3C has no measurable impact on cycle life. If you want to improve the cycle life, reduce the max charge voltage to 4.15 to 4.17V/ cell OR increase the charge current.

Charging at 2 or 3C actually puts less energy back in the pack (end of charge is usually 1/10C ... so charging a 5000mah pack at 15A (3C) finishes the charge at 1.5A vs 0.5A if charging at 1C. The higher charge current makes the charge less complete (same effect as reducing the voltage for the CV phase).

The Accucel-6 costs (shipped) about $0.90 / watt. The iCharger 106B+ for comparison costs $0.44 / watt. To me, that makes the Turnigy a very expensive charger for what you are getting.

dash8, When you say saving $100 on the Accucel-6, what are you comparing to? The iCharger is about USD100 but is a 250W charger ... are you comparing apples to oranges? A used TP-1010 with balancer is about $140-150 but it's a 220W charger with a very powerful balancer...

3s 5000mah will charge at max 4A with the Turnigy charger. I have 4-5 buddies that have one, out of those, 1 went bad after 3 charges. Costs $20 to return to China (HK requires that it be returned insured). Note that you can get that charger in the US for about $50, $55 with a power supply, and US warranty/service.

http://www.helidirect.com/fflying-b6d-multifunction-balance-charger-16cells-with-adapter-combo-p-13058.hdx



When I did use it, it worked reasonably well, no major complaints. it's perfectly suited for 3s 2200mah and below.

[little_006]

This is my first run with lipos so I appreciate the input. The batteries I am charging basically say they are only safe/capable at a charge rate of 2c on a 4000mah battery...not a 5000mah, decided to go with a bit lower capacity due to a sale. I will maybe do a bit of a review once I get everything. Its my first brushless setup, rustler vxl heh.