A bit of a rant about charger recommendations.

[biggman100]

Every time I ask about a charger on here, I get told I just have to have the, in my opinion overpriced and, for my situation, unnecessary Hota D6 pro, so, would someone please explain to me what makes that charger the must have in my situation? It's almost like no one reads the entirety of what I post before insisting that that is the only charger I should ever buy, but why? I have no need for high wattage fast charging, since, every battery I own will ONLY ever be balance charged at 1C, and nothing else. I will never own anything bigger than maybe a 6000MAH or smaller 2S, so the fact that it will fast charge a 4S in 30 minutes I could care less about. I don't care if it takes a 5200MAH 2S an hour to balance charge, because that is the only way I will ever charge any of my lipo's, so explain to me why none of the 6A-10A dual chargers I post about are never good enough for my situation. If it isn't for the fact that running two of them at the same time is a pain anymore, I would still be running the same two IMAX B6AC's I used to use, and was perfectly ok using, so I can't see why it is so important for me to spend 3 times the price on the Hota.

 

[Lumikko]

Depending on the venue, charging currents could be limited to 2c, and economical chargers never have built-in dischargers that do 10–20 A.

In my mind, a dual charger that does 2c on your choice of batteries and a separate high-power discharger are enough for anything you need.

 

[biggman100]

Depending on the venue, charging currents could be limited to 2c, and economical chargers never have built-in dischargers that do 10–20 A.

In my mind, a dual charger that does 2c on your choice of batteries and a separate high-power discharger are enough for anything you need.

I only ever charge batteries at home. I don't race, only bash, and I always balance charge the batteries at home before I go run the cars anywhere, which is why I can't figure out why a cheaper solution than the Hota wouldn't work in my situation, but, no matter what charger I ask about, I get told I just have to spend the money on that one charger. Also, fast discharging isn't a consideration for me. In the last 6 years, I can only think of maybe 6 or 8 times where I have used the charger to discharge a battery.

 

[Littlemotor]

You mention several times that you “only balance charge”….

You also say that fast discharging is of no concern..

You DO understand that in order to “balance charge” your batteries, your charger IS discharging to make that possible, yes?

Buy whatever lets you sleep at night… I’ve read all of your threads regarding this, and it sure seems like you KNOW what you want, but are choosing to invite people to shoot down what you have in mind, instead of just going out and getting what you feel will work for you.

 

[biggman100]

You mention several times that you “only balance charge”….

You also say that fast discharging is of no concern..

You DO understand that in order to “balance charge” your batteries, your charger IS discharging to make that possible, yes?

Buy whatever lets you sleep at night… I’ve read all of your threads regarding this, and it sure seems like you KNOW what you want, but are choosing to invite people to shoot down what you have in mind, instead of just going out and getting what you feel will work for you.

What I want is a dual charger that will do 2S at 1C, but, every time I find one and make a post about it, I basically get told that it's junk, and the ONLY charger worth getting is the Hota. As for knowing what I want, I have no clue, which is why I keep asking about different ones. For example, I was looking at a Venom duopro, and then read a review about it burning a guy's house down. When it comes to chargers, I have used the exact same one for a long time, until I lost everything in a fire, and, unfortunately, so far, I haven't found a dual charger that will charge two batteries at the same time at more than 5A, unless I spend 100+, which I don't ever have, so, more than likely, I will just be buying 2 IMAX B6AC'S and running them off separate extension cords, since there are no electric outlets on my porch, and I won't charge lipo's in the house. For a long time, I charged 2S 5200MAH battery using an IMAX B6 at 5A, then was told that I needed something that would charge them at 5.2A (or 1C), so I bought the IMAX B6AC, because it would go up to 6A.

 

[Littlemotor]

What I want is a dual charger that will do 2S at 1C, but, every time I find one and make a post about it, I basically get told that it's junk, and the ONLY charger worth getting is the Hota. As for knowing what I want, I have no clue, which is why I keep asking about different ones. For example, I was looking at a Venom duopro, and then read a review about it burning a guy's house down. When it comes to chargers, I have used the exact same one for a long time, until I lost everything in a fire, and, unfortunately, so far, I haven't found a dual charger that will charge two batteries at the same time at more than 5A, unless I spend 100+, which I don't ever have, so, more than likely, I will just be buying 2 IMAX B6AC'S and running them off separate extension cords, since there are no electric outlets on my porch, and I won't charge lipo's in the house.

Again-as I said; I read all of your threads regarding this… You know what you want. Buy one.

I haven’t seen one single post/reply from anyone claiming what you’re interested in as being “junk”.. The Hota is a fan favorite around here. -so is the Imars D300.. As with any forum, or fakebook group; most people are simply going to recommend what works for them. You’ve seen this, and continue making threads expecting another answer.

I’m not even going to mention the charger I prefer as it’s light years ahead of what you’re looking for, and therefor would be of no benefit to you.

So again-buy what suits your needs, and if you don’t like the answers to your query, ignore them, and buy what you think will work for you. Literally asking for arguments, or asking everyone that steps in to help, “why do you think those people that replied in all my previous threads hate my charger plan???” is counterproductive, and does not get your batteries charged, and you back out RC’n…

 

[biggman100]

Again-as I said; I read all of your threads regarding this… You know what you want. Buy one.

I have no clue what will work for me, but, what I do know is, there has to be something I can afford, that will work for me for around the $80 mark, but, like always, if you aren't willing to spend a bunch of money needlessly, it's never good enough, so, I'm just gonna end up doing what I always do, and settle for what I can afford. If it doesn't work, then the cars can just go back to sitting on the shelf like they have since December.

 

[Littlemotor]

I will just be buying 2 IMAX B6AC'S

 

[biggman100]

You DO understand that in order to “balance charge” your batteries, your charger IS discharging to make that possible, yes?

No, frankly, I have no clue what you mean, since, how is it discharging if you start at say, 3.4V per cell, and finish at 4.2V per cell?

These are just a few of the chargers I have asked about on this and other forums,
LiPo Charger RC Dual Battery Charger Discharger 10A Fast Balance Battery Charger for RC 1-6S LiPo LiHV Li-ion Life 1-15S NiCD NiMH PB Smart Battery RC Car Drone Boat https://a.co/d/cKeUJ6F
https://rcbattery.com/hota-p6-2-x-300w-1-6s-dual-smart-charger-discharger-dc-only.html
https://www.motionrc.com/products/t...-quad-port-lipo-ac-dc-battery-charger-tk12000
Venom Power Pro 4 Battery Charger 60 Watt, 6 AMP - AC Balance Charger/Discharger - 3 Modes for LiPo, LiHV, Life, Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries - Monitor Cell Voltage Readings https://a.co/d/9GkYAod

And, maybe in here they are too polite to outright say they are junk, but, on other places I have asked, they sometimes aren't that polite, and I would simply like to know, what, using my situation, justifies the need to spend way more than I can afford for that one specific charger. Nothing about it makes me think that there is any reason why I have to spend that much for something that I will never see the full benefit of.

 

[Littlemotor]

No, frankly, I have no clue what you mean, since, how is it discharging if you start at say, 3.4V per cell, and finish at 4.2V per cell?

These are just a few of the chargers I have asked about on this and other forums,
LiPo Charger RC Dual Battery Charger Discharger 10A Fast Balance Battery Charger for RC 1-6S LiPo LiHV Li-ion Life 1-15S NiCD NiMH PB Smart Battery RC Car Drone Boat https://a.co/d/cKeUJ6F
https://rcbattery.com/hota-p6-2-x-300w-1-6s-dual-smart-charger-discharger-dc-only.html
https://www.motionrc.com/products/t...-quad-port-lipo-ac-dc-battery-charger-tk12000
Venom Power Pro 4 Battery Charger 60 Watt, 6 AMP - AC Balance Charger/Discharger - 3 Modes for LiPo, LiHV, Life, Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries - Monitor Cell Voltage Readings https://a.co/d/9GkYAod

And, maybe in here they are too polite to outright say they are junk, but, on other places I have asked, they sometimes aren't that polite, and I would simply like to know, what, using my situation, justifies the need to spend way more than I can afford for that one specific charger. Nothing about it makes me think that there is any reason why I have to spend that much for something that I will never see the full benefit of.

If I were you, I’d do some homework, and learn how, and why a LiPo balance charger does what it does then.. YouTube is a great place for that..

When your charger is balance charging your pack, it’s bringing all of your cells to the desired safe charged voltage of 4.2v per cell. When those cells charge at different speeds than each other, some will hit that 4.2v before the others. The charger must continue to charge, so the circuitry within the charger recognizes this, and “bleeds off” excess voltage to that cell so that you don’t damage the cell(s) or have a fire by DIScharging the cell that reaches 4.2v until the other(s) catch up, and each cell is at the desired safe charged voltage of 4.2. This is precisely why it’s called a balance charger. Most low end chargers are simply not equipped to discharge at a high rate, so this takes time. Also produces HEAT.

I understand that you don’t care how long it takes to balance charge your stuff, but MOST folks do. That being said-you can buy a high amperage/wattage charger, expecting to balance charge your stuff quickly, and still take forever because the DIScharge capability is subpar. Happens to people allllllllll the time… So it’s important to understand how these chargers work, and what the specs actually mean-prior to buying one.

 

[biggman100]

If I were you, I’d do some homework, and learn how, and why a LiPo balance charger does what it does then.. YouTube is a great place for that..

When your charger is balance charging your pack, it’s bringing all of your cells to the desired safe charged voltage of 4.2v per cell. When those cells charge at different speeds than each other, some will hit that 4.2v before the others. The charger must continue to charge, so the circuitry within the charger recognizes this, and “bleeds off” excess voltage to that cell so that you don’t damage the cell(s) or have a fire by DIScharging the cell that reaches 4.2v until the other(s) catch up, and each cell is at the desired safe charged voltage of 4.2. This is precisely why it’s called a balance charger. Most low end chargers are simply not equipped to discharge at a high rate, so this takes time. Also produces HEAT.

I understand that you don’t care how long it takes to balance charge your stuff, but MOST folks do. That being said-you can buy a high amperage/wattage charger, expecting to balance charge your stuff quickly, and still take forever because the DIScharge capability is subpar. Happens to people allllllllll the time… So it’s important to understand how these chargers work, and what the specs actually mean-prior to buying one.

And, apparently, there is absolutely nothing under the $130, or even the $100 mark that will do that, since everyone insists you just have to have the $130 Hota, so, as far as I'm concerned, they can just sit on the shelf, because I have a max budget of $80 to spend on a charging solution, and no more than that, and, apparently, there is nothing out there that will work. It's why I said I'll just buy two of the IMAX, like I had before, and go from there.

 

[Littlemotor]

And, apparently, there is absolutely nothing under the $130, or even the $100 mark that will do that, since everyone insists you just have to have the $130 Hota, so, as far as I'm concerned, they can just sit on the shelf, because I have a max budget of $80 to spend on a charging solution, and no more than that, and, apparently, there is nothing out there that will work. It's why I said I'll just buy two of the IMAX, like I had before, and go from there.

Good luck.

 

[biggman100]

Good luck.

Hey, the last ones I had worked for more than 5 years with no issues. It's just going to be a bit harder doing it that way now is all, but, like everything else, I'll figure it out.

 

[Lumikko]

I only ever charge batteries at home. I don't race, only bash, and I always balance charge the batteries at home before I go run the cars anywhere, which is why I can't figure out why a cheaper solution than the Hota wouldn't work in my situation

Sounds like a very basic charger would do everything you require.

For discharging, you can use your high-power discharger. The one with wheels on it.

You also say that fast discharging is of no concern..

You DO understand that in order to “balance charge” your batteries, your charger IS discharging to make that possible, yes?

That’s correct, but I think it’s only relevant if he wants the batteries to reach full charge more quickly. Charging at 1C doesn’t sound like fast charging is a requirement.

For faster balanced charging, the charger should indeed have a fairly fast discharging feature. When the first cell reaches full charge, the charging current of the entire pack is limited to the rate of discharging the full cell.

 

[biggman100]

Sounds like a very basic charger would do everything you require.

Yeah, but which basic dual charger? Every one I have looked at, I get told, it either won't work, or it's known to catch on fire, or, some other reason why I just have to buy a Hota. Locally, guys swear by the HTRC C240 DUO, but, there were reports recently of it catching on fire, same with the Venom Duopro. As for how it charges, frankly, I never tried to understand it. My first charger was an IMAX B6 that I got off Amazon for $35 and used for almost 3.5 years, and, then was told that, because it only has a 5A capacity, it's better to get the IMAX B6AC, because it will go up 6A, and all my batteries were 5200Mah 2S, so, I have literally no clue what to get. All I know is, any RC purchase I make, I have to be able to justify the expense to myself, and, so far, I have not found one justifiable reason to spend that much. I keep getting told about it being able to fast charge 6S and 8S, and how the higher wattage is useful for that, but, since I will never have a need for that, or any of the other reasons people keep pushing that one charger, I can't justify spending that much, especially on something that will sit on a table collecting dust for months at a time.

 

[majin]

I have no clue what will work for me, but, what I do know is, there has to be something I can afford, that will work for me for around the $80 mark, but, like always, if you aren't willing to spend a bunch of money needlessly, it's never good enough, so, I'm just gonna end up doing what I always do, and settle for what I can afford. If it doesn't work, then the cars can just go back to sitting on the shelf like they have since December.

i got my hota d6 for right around 80 just saying took about a wqeek to get it.
I've been using an el cheapo charger from amazon for a year, finally got this d6, its really different, i am able to control a LOT more wiht this d6. the el cheapo was just plug it in when light turns blue unpolug it, but i was gettting horrible charges and didnt know it.
i agree with @Littlemotor you gotta buy what is best for you, this was highly recomended by MANY more knowledgeable people than i. so i took their advice which i was looking for and am happy with my purchase even tho i dont understand HALF of what this charger will do lol


https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...fLXs3Isi&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from:

Sounds like a very basic charger would do everything you require.

For discharging, you can use your high-power discharger. The one with wheels on it.


That’s correct, but I think it’s only relevant if he wants the batteries to reach full charge more quickly. Charging at 1C doesn’t sound like fast charging is a requirement.

For faster balanced charging, the charger should indeed have a fairly fast discharging feature. When the first cell reaches full charge, the charging current of the entire pack is limited to the rate of discharging the full cell.

I'm dead ... the high power discharger with weels... lololol this is the methoid i used, id just drive em till they hit cut off alarm and then throw em in the ammo box lol

 

[332_RC]

Even other brands with lower wattage dual ports are in the same price point.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2960522234...q7FPNHENTvG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1845426242...q7FPNHENTvG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

 

[majin]

Even other brands with lower wattage dual ports are in the same price point.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2960522234...q7FPNHENTvG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1845426242...q7FPNHENTvG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

that imr looks like an old nintendo controller lol

 

[biggman100]

I'm dead ... the high power discharger with weels... lololol this is the methoid i used, id just drive em till they hit cut off alarm and then throw em in the ammo box lol

Frankly, that is all I ever do to discharge batteries. I will typically take 4 batteries, and 6-8 cars with me, that way, if one breaks before the battery hits LVC, I can just toss that battery in another car. I rarely, if ever, use the charger to discharge batteries. The only times I have ever done that was when I broke 4 cars in one day, and still had a battery that hadn't hit LVC yet.

My biggest issue with asking about anything on the forums anymore though is simple. I will make a post about an item, for example, the SkyRC T100, and instead of people replying with their real world experience with it, they just immediately jump to recommending the more expensive option. Well, I didn't ask for the more expensive option, I asked for people's experience with the item I posted about, and, it doesn't matter what I post about, almost every time, all I get are recommendations about what they are currently using, and, frankly, it gets annoying, especially when I know there are other, cheaper options for what I'm looking for, that people have actually owned and used, but, no one can bother to ever answer questions about the specific item I posted about.

Even other brands with lower wattage dual ports are in the same price point.

Actually, there are quite a few dual chargers in the $80 and under range. SkyRC, HTRC, Venom Power, HitecRc, ToolkitRc, and several others all make dual chargers in the $80 and under range.

This is a perfect example of a under $80 dual charger, https://www.amainhobbies.com/toolki...rger-workstation-6s-15a-250w-tlk-m6d/p1236929
But, when I asked two simple questions about it on other forums, they were outright ignored, so, I have pretty much stopped asking questions on the forums about anything.

 

[majin]

Frankly, that is all I ever do to discharge batteries. I will typically take 4 batteries, and 6-8 cars with me, that way, if one breaks before the battery hits LVC, I can just toss that battery in another car. I rarely, if ever, use the charger to discharge batteries. The only times I have ever done that was when I broke 4 cars in one day, and still had a battery that hadn't hit LVC yet.

My biggest issue with asking about anything on the forums anymore though is simple. I will make a post about an item, for example, the SkyRC T100, and instead of people replying with their real world experience with it, they just immediately jump to recommending the more expensive option. Well, I didn't ask for the more expensive option, I asked for people's experience with the item I posted about, and, it doesn't matter what I post about, almost every time, all I get are recommendations about what they are currently using, and, frankly, it gets annoying, especially when I know there are other, cheaper options for what I'm looking for, that people have actually owned and used, but, no one can bother to ever answer questions about the specific item I posted about.

i hear you bro, this is the 30$ charger i used from amazon for a solid year with no issues, it worked great maybe this will work for you. I'm not into competitions or anything just a guy climbing some rocks. i plug it in eait for light to change then trust that its correctly charged. its worked fantastic for me, but I'm starting to want more control over my charging as I've noticed a few of my batteries are having issues, so igot the d6 to see if i could bring one back to life with the nimh charging and charge my cells more fully
but all that aside, i=the amazon special lasted mne a solid year and is still kicking jst fine. if not for my personal CHOICE to upgrade my charger id still be happily using the el cheapo.
id suggest checking that one out
it would work just fine for you i think as your not trying to min max the batteries

i think people keep suggesting it based on THEIR real world experience with it tho, and they want you to get something that will suit your needs and this d6 seems to check all the boxes. but some of those boxes are irrelevant to me like it seems they are to you as well. i allso dont care if it will charge a 6s ( which i have none of) in 30 mins.. i just want my damn battery to charge. but most of these guys rock the d6 so is why people keep chucking it at you. i hope you find the charger you need bro. good luck on it.