What Battery charger to buy

[Twiceblown351]

Well the time has come. My 90s novak charger can't charge thease 4500A batters. and all it can get in them is about 12 to 1600A which is about 2 min of run time on a 10 turn motor.

So what out there? I what a charger that can do them all. Becouse I think I'm going to try a Lipo or 2 now that i have a QC3 ESC. But for my son car and running them to play with NIMH is just fine.

But what the best bang for the buck. In all in one battery chargers.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

If you're wanting to save a few bucks, but still do everything this is a nice AC/DC. If you settle
for just DC you can get one from one of the Hong Kong stores for about $40. I bought a Hyperion EOS0606i for $109, but it's DC only. Here is the one I think I'd get if I needed one now.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXTCK1&P=SM

[klavy69]

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHDJ1&P=7
I put the link above to be different
the duratrax ICE is what I got off of ebay and really like it. Does everything I want but you also need a power supply for it...which I got with mine. They usually bring around 80-90 bucks for them used from what I seen when I was 'shoppin around' for them.
Todd

[Bongo Fury]

I couldn’t imagine buying a charger now that didn’t have a built in lipo balancer. One limitation of the ICE. For about same price you can get the new AC/DC Triton EQ (plus the higher power version 2 version). No personal experience, but the previous Triton seems to be well thought of.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0095P?FVSEARCH=triton+eq

If you already have the power supply, the Hyperion mentioned is a fine choice, have one of those myself, plan to get another, just need to decide if I’m going to get one of the bigger models.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/22872

Sticking with DC only, the overall value champ if you don’t mind buying from overseas, seems to be the Turnigy (and depending how quickly ya need it)

http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7373&Product_Name=Turnigy_Accucel-6_50W_5A_Bal/Chrg_(USA_Warehouse)

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

Disclaimer: links offered for reference only, I’m a LHS slappie myself.

[RER40]

I couldn’t imagine buying a charger now that didn’t have a built in lipo balancer.

I'm not going to say balancing is bad, but I think it's way overdone.
It's like matching your packs. Back in the day, though plenty of you guys bought matched packs did you send them back in after every charge to get rematched? Same deal. There are even a couple of manufacturers that even say balancing isn't needed, period.
I've been running LiPOs now for going on 3 years, 15 packs, and only this last year got a balancer.
I only balance my packs every 6-months maybe, and see no noticible difference in performance and (knock on wood) never had a pack puff or poof.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

I couldn’t imagine buying a charger now that didn’t have a built in lipo balancer.

I'm not going to say balancing is bad, but I think it's way overdone.
It's like matching your packs. Back in the day, though plenty of you guys bought matched packs did you send them back in after every charge to get rematched? Same deal. There are even a couple of manufacturers that even say balancing isn't needed, period.
I've been running LiPOs now for going on 3 years, 15 packs, and only this last year got a balancer.
I only balance my packs every 6-months maybe, and see no noticible difference in performance and (knock on wood) never had a pack puff or poof.

Yeah, but why not balance?? Because it costs a few bucks extra for the balancer? Seems a little silly and even hazardous to tell people not to balance. Just 'cause you haven't had a problem is no reason to recommend it. I generally enjoy your posts, but think of the children!!

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Well, after re-reading your post I guess it's unfair to say that you "recommend" not balancing. However, if I were sitting on an airplane next to you charging a Lipo w/o a balancer would you ask to be moved?

[scr8p]

i have my eye on this hyperion charger. mainly so i can unload my power supply. one less thing to carry to the track.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/18361

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

i have my eye on this hyperion charger. mainly so i can unload my power supply. one less thing to carry to the track.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/18361

I love mine, but would definitely get AC/DC if I had it to do over again. I was making the plunge into Lipo and a new charger all at once and was trying to save a few bucks. It's very user friendly and hi-quality. It's worth a few extra dollars.

[Bongo Fury]

I couldn’t imagine buying a charger now that didn’t have a built in lipo balancer.

I'm not going to say balancing is bad, but I think it's way overdone.
It's like matching your packs. Back in the day, though plenty of you guys bought matched packs did you send them back in after every charge to get rematched? Same deal. There are even a couple of manufacturers that even say balancing isn't needed, period.
I've been running LiPOs now for going on 3 years, 15 packs, and only this last year got a balancer.
I only balance my packs every 6-months maybe, and see no noticible difference in performance and (knock on wood) never had a pack puff or poof.

No, actually it's not like matching round cell packs. It has nothing to do with performance, or run time, or avoiding reversing cells, but rather not having the battery burst into flames because one cell is too high in voltage. I'll wager that you are buying good quality packs, apparently aren't using them all that many times based on the 15 number, you take good care of them, don't run them down too far, right? Same here, and balancing hasn't been needed yet, to be honest I still have more non balancing chargers than balancing, and also went for over a year without.

But, that is not always the case for everyone reading these posts, and eventually won't be true for us as the batteries age. And since balancing jobs are readily available at similar prices these days, including one of the cheapest chargers out there, why not? BTW have you ever used an equalizing tray with round jobs?

Plus one overwhelming benefit to balancing chargers, they charge faster, they finish the CV portion of the charge cycle much quicker. Also it helps to use short charge leads, longer leads will force the charger into the slower CV portion sooner, and slow it down, due to the larger voltage drop.

[RER40]

Well, after re-reading your post I guess it's unfair to say that you "recommend" not balancing. However, if I were sitting on an airplane next to you charging a Lipo w/o a balancer would you ask to be moved?

I wasn't recommending NOT balancing, all I was saying was that "I think" it's premise is being WAY overstated by a bunch of guys newly into LiPO. It's like everything else, they equate their own "lack of problems" as being ralated to balancing - and I'm saying, "that's not it."

LiPO cells are not nearly as unstable or inconsistant as older-style NiMH or NiCD batteries, and honestly I wouldn't appreciate you charging ANY kind of battery next to me (airplane or not). Nearly every product we use today in ordinary life that contains a LiPO battery, and their consistancy and performance is the primary reason they've replaced ordinary batts in that capacity.

As I said earlier, I've been pretty much LiPO exclusive for about 3 years now - and I've heard all the rumors and worries about exploding and catching fire, and yet the only guys in which I've witnessed it happening to are the ones that overdischarge their packs or abuse them by overcharging, and meanwhile at least once a month I've witnessed NiMH packs exploding from routine (followed the directions) use and charging.

Balancing is fine, occassionally, but are not a "every charge" neccessity.

In addition, all-in-one AC/DC chargers with power supplies included are convenient but not optimum.... just as they've always been.... because the heat that is generated by the internal power supply is detrimental to the charging unit itself and causes all sorts of false/inaccurate peaking problems.

[RER40]

Also it helps to use short charge leads, longer leads will force the charger into the slower CV portion sooner, and slow it down, due to the larger voltage drop.

x1
The other catastrophy waiting to happen I see more often than not is people having their charging set-ups made up of all sorts of long leads, alligator-clipped, multi-plugged/adaptored, this plugged into that, before finally plugging into their battery pack......IT'S BAD

[Twiceblown351]

i have my eye on this hyperion charger. mainly so i can unload my power supply. one less thing to carry to the track.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/products_id/18361

That's what I been looking at. Evey thing I read says there the best ones and ever one that has one love them. I thing I'm going to get a 6060 or the 6010.

I'm not a really big fan of Lipos But the NMHI just don't have the power or run time with the stupid fast motor I like to run. And the charger I have can't charge the 4500 NMHI i have. and its killed 2 or 3 of them now to the point that they will only hold 2000mA or lower.

[shodog]

For the bulk Of my charging I use reedy quasar pro's. they won't do lipo but they are great for NiCd and NiMh

don't buy an MRC 989, it's the worst charger

[Twiceblown351]

Thats the super Brain Right? I've here there not all that good. And thats the only charger that are LHS sells.