Li-Po/Ion Charger?

[GilBeQuick]

I'm looking for the cheapest charger that will charge a 3 cell Lithium battery. It has to be AC. What do you guys reccomend?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[retarded pilot]

sorry all i know is what not to get....the super brain 969 i have one and it works great but i only use it for nimh......the 969 says it will charge li-po's but i read everywhere that you should not

anyone with a sugestion for what he should get?

 

[madnking]

At my LHS there is a very small charger if I remember right it was called the Apache. It was like $55. I was looking into getting a pack and charger a few weeks ago. They also had small inline voltage regulator the dropped the voltage to 5 volts. Is this necessary? What is the main advantage of a li-po battery?

Sorry about the last post I see now you want Ac this was only DC.

 

[Rolex]

They are smaller, lighter, and the run time is amazing. Where a NiCad will give you about 15 minutes of run time, the LiPo will give you about 45.

 

[scottm]

OK the good news is the Apache 2500 is fairly cheap here. The bad news is no charger that I know of is AC powered. Most modern chargers are coming DC only to make them cheaper and to get away from UL approval hassles. A great all purpose lipoly charger is the Triton, I recommend it all the time, here.

I almost like them being DC only, because I have fun making charger power supplies from computer power supplies. I started a thread

here.

 

[Rolex]

I use the rechargable 'jumper pack' that you put in your car trunk. It has 2 110v sockets for emergency lighting, and a cigarette lighter jack. I got the male jack at Radio Shack and connected it to my charger.

 

[GilBeQuick]

So I'm pretty much stuck with dc huh.... dang.

Rolex, I though about using the jumper pack too. Does it last long (can you charge many batteries with it?

Scott, thanks for the reccomendation. I would love to pick up the Triton, but it's a little out of my price range right now. $55 isn't bad. For about the same price I can pick up this charger at the LHS.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[StrechM]

I know old thread but if you have not purchased a charger you may want to look at this one that I have ordered. Works off of AC or DC.
http://www.ehobbies.com/dyn4053.html

Extended Product Information:
If you only have one charger, this is the one. It charges virtually all 1 to 8 cell NiHM or NiCD batteries and 1 to 3 cell Li-Po packs.
Features include:
110 volt AC or 12 volt DC input
Adjustable charge rate from .1 to 2.5 amps for Li-Po batteries
Adjustable charge rate from .1 to 5.0 amps for NiCD and NiMH batteries
Automatic trickle charge
LCD display shows charge time, current, voltage, and peak voltage
LED indicator and audible beep for charge status
Fuse protection on inputs
Ventilated case with cooling fan
Limited 5 year warranty

The street price is $89 and I managed to order one through the lhs for $70 plus tax.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

sorry all i know is what not to get....the super brain 969 i have one and it works great but i only use it for nimh......the 969 says it will charge li-po's but i read everywhere that you should not

anyone with a sugestion for what he should get?

I would caution you so much with that charger and Li-Poly's and Li-ion batts. They are not proper for these batteries. I ruied 3 batteries and one almost exploded and caught fire, the battery swelled 4 times it's size!

REad these!

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17163&highlight=superbrain

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=171768&postcount=22

Kokam makes a nice charger, you just need a power supply, you can use the one from the 969. https://www.fmadirect.com/site/home.htm Here is the charger https://www.fmadirect.com/site/fma.htm?body=Store

I got the $99 one cause can can charge 5 batts at once! There are 2 $30.00 options though.

 

[StrechM]

Good info HB. The next part that I purchase will be this;
SAFETY GUARD-VOLTAGE LIMITER

Overview
Prevent potentially dangerous overvoltage when charging Li-Po packs with a current-regulated Li-Po charger. The new Safety Guard from Kokam limits charge voltage to 4.2 volts per cell, ensuring the Li-Po pack won’t become overcharged and cause damage or destruction to the pack.
...
The above is an understatement of a lipo pac's ability to do severe damage when handled incorrectly.
Regardless of the chargers stated capability it is a good idea to have a Safety Guard that matches the amount of cells that you are charging, i.e. 2, 3 or 4 cells.

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Gil, they have a 10amp ac/dc power suppy, dunno why you require one (maybe I missed it) but that might be of use to you. It converts AC to DC.

 

[retarded pilot]

hb..i dont get what your trying to tell me?

did you get my name mixed up with another.......i think one of us had to start their weekend drinking early cause i dont get it

nevermind i see its changed

 

[GilBeQuick]

Gil, they have a 10amp ac/dc power suppy, dunno why you require one (maybe I missed it) but that might be of use to you. It converts AC to DC.

I'm missing something....What has a 10a ac/dc power supply?

 

[HumboldtBlazer]

Check my link to the Chargers, they have a AC Power Supply for chargers.

 

[StrechM]

Would a 12v automotive battery charger work as a power supply? Just a thought, many of us have one in our garages.

 

[scottm]

Stretch, RC chargers need pure dc power to work properly. The output from a regular car battery charger is unfiltered and unregulated, so an rc charger will not like it. If the car charger is connected to a car battery, the battery will filter the power well enough for the rc charger. Radio shack, Frys electronics, and I heard Home Depot sell dc power supplies. You need a regulated 12v power supply like people use for home CB radios and stuff like that.

 

[StrechM]

Thanks scott!

 

[scottm]

Sure thing! And don't forget you can make a power supply from a computer power supply:
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17026