We need another charger

[Lostinthewoods86]

So this is our typical battery haul as of late

And we would take more but 8 is time consuming with a single hota d6

Needing another to speed the process

This is currently what I’m considering…

https://www.helidirect.com/products/hota-f6-ultra-1000w-60a-1-6s-quad-channel-ac-dc-smart-charger

Is there anything else out there that I should consider? At least 4 channel, I’ll keep the current charger too. We run stupid batteries so smart features aren’t needed.

 

[majin]

o man i have the same question lol, i can only charge 2 at a time and pack out at least 10 when we go for a hike, its so annoying having to start the charging process 4-5 hours before the hike

 

[RustyUs]

So this is our typical battery haul as of late

View attachment 273859

And we would take more but 8 is time consuming with a single hota d6

Needing another to speed the process

This is currently what I’m considering…

https://www.helidirect.com/products/hota-f6-ultra-1000w-60a-1-6s-quad-channel-ac-dc-smart-charger

Is there anything else out there that I should consider? At least 4 channel, I’ll keep the current charger too. We run stupid batteries so smart features aren’t needed.

I'm guessing you are doing only 1C charge rates when you say, "time consuming". Step up to 2C charge rates. Is your Hota D6 or the D6 Pro? Either way, to get the maximum charging power out of it, you would need at least a 24v power supply. A 12v power supply will only get you 168-ish watts per channel for the D6/D6 Pro chargers.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

I'm guessing you are doing only 1C charge rates when you say, "time consuming". Step up to 2C charge rates.

I did start doing that recently, but i would still like to be able to charge more then 2 batteries at a time

 

[RustyUs]

So this is our typical battery haul as of late

View attachment 273859

And we would take more but 8 is time consuming with a single hota d6

Needing another to speed the process

This is currently what I’m considering…

https://www.helidirect.com/products/hota-f6-ultra-1000w-60a-1-6s-quad-channel-ac-dc-smart-charger

Is there anything else out there that I should consider? At least 4 channel, I’ll keep the current charger too. We run stupid batteries so smart features aren’t needed.

A lot of companies will list or name their chargers for what they are at maximum DC voltages. Just beware of that. The F6 Ultra will give you 500 watts (125 watts x 4 channels) on AC power and 1000 watts (250 watts x 4) on DC power. You might be able to distribute power. I don't know. You would have to look in the manual. If you like your D6, then the F6 Ultra should be right up your alley. I see the F6 Ultra as two D6 chargers with a bit more power but giving up a bit less balancing drain current. You just have to decide if the numbers/spec are okay with your wants/needs.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

A lot of companies will list or name their chargers for what they are at maximum DC voltages. Just beware of that. The F6 Ultra will give you 500 watts (125 watts x 4 channels) on AC power and 1000 watts (250 watts x 4) on DC power. You might be able to distribute power. I don't know. You would have to look in the manual. If you like your D6, then the F6 Ultra should be right up your alley. I see the F6 Ultra as two D6 chargers with a bit more power but giving up a bit less balancing drain current. You just have to decide if the numbers/spec are okay with your wants/needs.
View attachment 273905

Is there any other comparable charger that you would consider?

I just stuck with hota since I was satisfied with the current d6.

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

Maybe this will tie someone over.

Back when I only had one, single channel charger I would use one of these parallel charge boards on a pair of matched packs.

Progressive RC

When I sold my Summit a handful of years ago I included that original charger setup with the batteries.

Like I said, I would only use it on matched packs and you need to ensure they're at the same state of charge. For example, starting both (or more) packs from storage voltage of 3.8v.

Not one at 4.0 and the other at 3.5, I believe it'll have an issue balancing.

Good luck with your charger search!

 

[RustyUs]

Is there any other comparable charger that you would consider?

I just stuck with hota since I was satisfied with the current d6.

That pretty much says it all. I've not gone down the four channel charger rabbit hole in a long time. I don't even know what's out there anymore. All I know is, I wouldn't get any old school 4 button chargers that are still out there like the ProTek Prodigy 610 that have only a 250mA balancing current . For the money, and if it meets your needs, I think the four channel Hota charger is a great choice.

 

[majin]

Maybe this will tie someone over.

Back when I only had one, single channel charger I would use one of these parallel charge boards on a pair of matched packs.

Progressive RC

When I sold my Summit a handful of years ago I included that original charger setup with the batteries.

Like I said, I would only use it on matched packs and you need to ensure they're at the same state of charge. For example, starting both (or more) packs from storage voltage of 3.8v.

Not one at 4.0 and the other at 3.5, I believe it'll have an issue balancing.

Good luck with your charger search!

this would solve MY issue i believe yeah, i typically charge the same type most all of my batteries are the same brand and copies of one another. ( they work well for me and i havent tried any others lol) but i just need to charge say 8 3s batteries for my crawlers, id be able to charge 4 at once vers the 2 at a time I'm currently limited to, then if i wanted i could daisy chain the coard letting me charge 7? at once? assuming the daisy is coming off one of the available 4 plugs. do i have that right?

 

[HPIguy]

As others have stated above, parallel charging boards and a good high output charging setup is some of the best money you can spend in this hobby. I've been using the same iCharger and power supply for over ten years now. Like the OP, between ground and air rigs it was taking all week to charge up packs to play on the weekends.

 

[dustyroller]

Parallel charging should only happen when the packs are within 0.0x volts of each other.

My vote Hitec quad charger

 

[RustyUs]

Again, dig into the specs of a charger when shopping. A 100w 6A four channel charger is not in your best interest @Lostinthewoods86

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

yeah I saw that, and appreciate everyone’s input .

Still leaning towards the Hota at this time

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

yeah I saw that

What?
So like 100 ÷ 4 = 25 w
Am I reading that correctly?

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

What?
So like 100 ÷ 4 = 25 w
Am I reading that correctly?

That’s how I read it as well

 

[RustyUs]

yeah I saw that, and appreciate everyone’s input .

Still leaning towards the Hota at this time

I think you're leaning in the right direction. You probably won't find a more powerful AC/DC 4 channel charger at this price point. If indeed the F6 Ultra will do 125 watts x 4 on AC power, and you're continuing to do just 1C charge rates, the only lack of power will be seen if any 6S LiPo batteries greater than 5000mAh are introduced. As I try to show below...

But, if the Ultra is like the F6 and F6+ chargers, you should be able to combine the power of two channels for a single battery, or go to a 24v power supply if extra power is needed.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

You probably won't find a more powerful AC/DC 4 channel charger at this price point.

This right here is what I was hoping to get from this thread

Was curious if there was something else out there that offered the “bang for the buck” so to speak, for a casual user. We aren’t racing or anything, just looking to add more capacity since there are multiple vehicles and multiple drivers when we go out to play.

 

[CreepyQuarryCrawler]

I think you're leaning in the right direction.....

But, if the Ultra is like the F6 and F6+ chargers, you should be able to combine the power of two channels for a single battery, or go to a 24v power supply if extra power is needed

Dude, thanks for the information and putting up the UI picture.

Chargers are one of those pieces of tech in RC that has seen huge advancements in the last ten years.

 

[WickedFog]

That F6 looks nice except it inly has a 1A balance current.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

That F6 looks nice except it inly has a 1A balance current.

Is there anything you know of that would be better for the $?

the d6 is fine and I’m good with 30-40 minute charges. Just looking for more capacity, if I could charge 3 times as many batteries at the same time it would be great.