Please recommend me a charger

[Roog]

I have a 4s LiPo battery and I need to charge it from the mains supply, (I would like it to be able to charge 3s and 6s too for future) I don't need fast charging but I do like to know what is going on, battery cell voltages current etc.

My battery is 5000mhr capacity and has a XT90 connector (most chargers seem to be XT60 compatible) and another single in line connector which I believe is for monitoring.

I am guessing this has been asked lots of times but my searches didn't find what I was looking for.

Your help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[DavidB1126]

I have a skyrc t200. 1-6s. 12A charger. I mostly charge my 2s packs on it. Pretty good cheap charger.

Other chargers like
- gensacearespammers D300
- Hota D6 Pro
- HiTec X2
can also charge 1-6s.
You would need a XT60 to what ever plug you need (XT60 to XT90 charge lead for example)
Some chargers like the HiTec are a little bit older and use 4mm bullet plugs, so you would need a 4mm bullet to XT90 charge lead
You don't need external balance extensions, or boards, but I use them so I can have enough length wire to reach from my charge bag.

 

[WickedFog]

Hota D6 Pro. Only one you need.

 

[Tunedfrog]

I use and like the Hitec x2.

 

[Jeckler]

Hobbymate Speed H6. Single charger, but has 200w on AC. Less than $70 on Amazon.

 

[WickedFog]

Hobbymate Speed H6. Single charger, but has 200w on AC. Less than $70 on Amazon.

That's actually a pretty good charger. Single battery, but it has pretty good specs.

 

[bill_delong]

As a bare minimum, make sure it offers an IR meter to check the overall health of your cells, more info here:

• Which charger is the best?

 

[rcbowla]

I just got the gensacearespammers imars d300. 300 watt dual charger. Has all the info you want and comes with ec3, ec5 and deans to xt60 adapters. It's also ac/DC. Nice charger but it's also new to me

 

[Roog]

Thank you very much I will check em out.

 

[RustyUs]

Electronics > sticky thread... What battery charger do you recommend?

 

[RustyUs]

Hobbymate Speed H6. Single charger, but has 200w on AC. Less than $70 on Amazon.

That's actually a pretty good charger. Single battery, but it has pretty good specs.

The Hobbymate is a rebranded Hota H6 Pro. The only thing I don't like about it is the angle of the screen, but...

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably buy two of the Hota H6 Pros over one Hota D6. Meh, I love 'em both. The Hobbymate's price... even better!

 

[Roog]

The Hobbymate is a rebranded Hota H6 Pro. The only thing I don't like about it is the angle of the screen, but...
View attachment 180673

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably buy two of the Hota H6 Pros over one Hota D6. Meh, I love 'em both. The Hobbymate's price... even better!

Very smart modification
Thank you for all of your recommendations in the end I went with a Overlander RC6-VSR 80W 7A AC/DC Charger which seems to have the features I needed/ wanted and wasn't too expensive!

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

I have a skyrc t200. 1-6s. 12A charger. I mostly charge my 2s packs on it. Pretty good cheap charger.

Other chargers like
- gensacearespammers D300
- Hota D6 Pro
- HiTec X2
can also charge 1-6s.
You would need a XT60 to what ever plug you need (XT60 to XT90 charge lead for example)
Some chargers like the HiTec are a little bit older and use 4mm bullet plugs, so you would need a 4mm bullet to XT90 charge lead
You don't need external balance extensions, or boards, but I use them so I can have enough length wire to reach from my charge bag.


View attachment 180327

You reminded me of one of the questions I have been waiting to ask. I've heard mixed opinions on charging bags. Some say must have, some say not necessary. Thoughts?

 

[DavidB1126]

You reminded me of one of the questions I have been waiting to ask. I've heard mixed opinions on charging bags. Some say must have, some say not necessary. Thoughts?

I only use charge bags because the tracks require them, does safety.

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

I only use charge bags because the tracks require them, does safety.
View attachment 182721

Ooooh on. I didn't think about that. I've yet to make it to the track for the first time. I'm THAT new.

 

[WickedFog]

Very smart modification
Thank you for all of your recommendations in the end I went with a Overlander RC6-VSR 80W 7A AC/DC Charger which seems to have the features I needed/ wanted and wasn't too expensive!

It's your average run of the mill charger. It has a 1A balance current as opposed to the Hota D6 Pro which has a 1.6A balance current. It means your batteries will take a lot longer to charge if you're doing the bigger packs. 80w chargers are pretty weak.

 

[Doom!]

You reminded me of one of the questions I have been waiting to ask. I've heard mixed opinions on charging bags. Some say must have, some say not necessary. Thoughts?

I've watched a few vids where the batteries burn the charging bag right up. But it's probably another layer of safety, and they are not that expensive. The best choice is maintaing your batteries properly and checking them for damage regularly.

 

[WickedFog]

As long as your batteries aren't sitting near anything flammible, a bag isn't going to do you much good. The smell is worse than the flames in that case, and a LiPo bag isn't going to prevent that.

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

I see this recommendation a lot and I'm curious about something. How does a charger actually test IR? Is it loading or charging each cell individually?

 

[WickedFog]

I see this recommendation a lot and I'm curious about something. How does a charger actually test IR? Is it loading or charging each cell individually?

Yeah, each cell is charged individually. And it will test the IR by putting a load on the individual cells.

In a perfect world the charger will charge all cells evenly. But since each cell will have slightly different IR's, capacities, etc, when one cell gets topped off it continually drains that cell to keep it from overcharging. It does this with each cell as they get full. It's why having a good balance circuit is important. The better it is, the faster your charger will perform this charge/drain (balance) cycle.