Battery chargers

[WoodiE]

I seen an article somewhere in one of the many RC magazines discussing battery chargers and of course I can't find it now. At any rate, I currently have an old prophet charger that you plug in and press go and it does it's thing. Doesn't do lipo and probably doesn't do large battery packs.

What's a decent charger that I can use to charge batteries upto 7 cells and 4500mah. I'd also like it to have the ability to do Lipo - not a must have but would be nice. Suggestions?



-Michael

 

[robmob]

Duratrax ICE is an excellent choice, but you will need a power supply.

 

[WoodiE]

Duratrax? Are you being serious?

 

[NCNitro]

Hell yeah he is! I have the ICE and a 30 amp power supply, and it has been a great charger. It will do nicad, nimh, and lipo. It is a sweet charger!

 

[WoodiE]

NCNitro - what power supply are you using?



-Michael

 

[flm_savage]

i ran the novak ionic D charger\discharger for a long time and it was rock solid. Its an ac/dc charger but you only NEED the dc if you plan to charge 8 cell packs. It was very simple to use. choose nimh or nicd, charge rate, and number of cells.

 

[robmob]

Ed and I both use this 25amp supply from Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...ower+supply&kw=power+supply&parentPage=search

He runs 2 Checkpoint chargers and one Ice charger off of it on race day.

I run 2 Checkpoint and one Hyperion charger on race day.

Neither of us have had any issues with the supply.

FYI...the Checkpoint charger and the Ice charger is from the same OEM. The Checkpoint just has a few extra features which is why it costs more.

 

[flm_savage]

if you want the best charger that runs on ac/dc look no further than the Hyperion EOS0606i Thats what i use now and it charges EVERYTHING. up to 6S lipo

 

[WoodiE]

So about $250 for the ICE setup, that right?

 

[robmob]

If you go the ICE/Power Supply route, you should also pick up a distribution box so you can run other stuff off your supply at the same time.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLWE5&P=7

 

[NCNitro]

Woodie, this is the power supply I use (pyramid psv-300), and where I got it from. Great customer service nd fast shipping too! It has worked great for my needs.

http://buyreliant.com/psupplies/psv300.htm

I believe the ICE requires a minimum of a 20 amp power supply in order to fully utilize the charger.

 

[WoodiE]

haha, rob you're killing me Here I was thinking a decent lil charger for $100-150 and you keep adding to my shopping cart. What else do I need?

 

[robmob]

Look at it this way. If you are looking to buy from Tower, it puts you over the $149 mark so you get to use the $20 off code which almost makes the distribution box free.

If you are a saver member, there is a $25 off code and you get free shipping on orders over $149. This puts the charger and distribution box at $127.48 shipped.

 

[WoodiE]

Rob I like you.

 

[sweetdiesel]

I'll second the Hyperion line of chargers. Very easy to use and mine has never failed me.

Personally I don't like the ICE/Checkpoint/Triton chargers mainly because of that combination push/scroll button. I had one in the past and sold it because every time I pushed the button to select a menu or initiate charging, I would also end up scrolling a hair to the left or right.

With the Hyperion line this issue is eliminated by the use of simple intuitive up/down, left/right and enter buttons.

 

[robmob]

The older version of the Triton had the suck ass recessed button.

The new versions have a knob which eliminated the problem you are referring to Dom. I also had the older Triton and dumped it shortly after getting it.

 

[sweetdiesel]

Thanks for clearing that up Rob. I did not know they fixed the button with the latest models.

 

[WoodiE]

Ok well the damage has been done. I was sold on the ICE from hearing from Rob and Joe. Went to the hobby shop at lunch and they didn't have the ICE or any duratrax at all.

Continued to look around and noticed they had a few models of the Hyperion including the Hyperion EOS0606i. From the box it does charge all the batteries I need it to plus lipo and even has a lipo balancer already included. Picked up the charger and an Octopus-1 charger adapter for just over $140.



-Michael

 

[sweetdiesel]

Great choice Woodie. You will be happy with it. The neat thing about the 6060i is the data port. You can hook up it up via optional USB adapter to your computer and monitor individual cell voltage while charging lipos.

 

[robmob]

You can't go wrong with the Hyperion charger either.

I have one and love it as well.