RC Accessories E-station 902

[WayneBrown]

I ordered the E-station 902 just before I had to head out of town, Evan Chapkis of RC Accessories took the order personally to help me make the right descisions and get everything I need.
Opening the box, I found neatly packaged, the E-Station 902, Two PB6 Balancers, adaptors, cords, and instructions.
Of course I did not open the instructions first, and powered it up. The menu is pretty intuitive, and After scrolling around a bit I connected batteries and balancers to the charger for a test run.
This charger is pretty versatile overall, Charging Lipos, Li-ions, Nicd's and NiMh cells as well as lead acid batteries. Having the second charge output means you can top off a transmitter or reciever pack, a glow ignitor, OR you can test a motor/esc at teh same time as charging.
We'll give this thing a workout over the weekend, and I'll actually read the manual to find out what else this charger can do.
A sub-$300 charger that supports to 12S LiPo's, and does other chemistry batteries is pretty handy to have.
Pics and more information after we beat it up for the weekend. :)

[tapeworm321]

Let us know what you think.. I'm in the market for another charger..

[WillJames]

I would also be interested to check it out Wayne.

[WayneBrown]

We tried 3S,4S, 6S, and 8S on it today. RUnning side by side with a TP1010, in normal charge mode it averaged 10 minutes faster for the same mAh put into batteries.
Still have NOT opened the manual, and only found one 'issue' on of the adapter cords has a loose connection, so we really only used the balancers for 6S or less.
We even tried the V Balance module with it, which is a charge through balancer, with similar results on charge times.
If you've used a different brand of computerized charger, this sucker is EASY!
one glance at the balancer instructions had it all hooked up and rocking, We could see with a key press what voltages were per cell with the link cable attached, and every time the voltages were within .01V of each other.
I rigged up a cable adapter for an ancient pack that I did not have a connector for, and was able to balance it within 15 minutes.. This on a pack with several hundred cycles and never ever balanced.
I can see a long future with this charger.. :D

[RC Accessory]

Wayne, glad you like it! The adapter cord replacement is already in the mail.

Here is a tip for you. The BC-6, BC-8, and 902 chargers have a Fast Charge Li-xx program. What this does is extend the CC portion of the charge and terminates the charge when the pack is 95% or so charged. If you have the balancers connected, the cells still get balanced. This will cut the charge time down further by about 20-30% depending on several factors including how far out of balance the cells are.

The CC/CV programming used by li-xx chargers, the last 5% of the charge takes the longest amount of time to complete per % of capacity.

This is a great way to charge if you are in a hurry or when you do not need to have every drop of power for a flight.

Glad your enjoying the charger. :D

[tppjr]

We tried 3S,4S, 6S, and 8S on it today. RUnning side by side with a TP1010, in normal charge mode it averaged 10 minutes faster for the same mAh put into batteries.
Still have NOT opened the manual, and only found one 'issue' on of the adapter cords has a loose connection, so we really only used the balancers for 6S or less.
We even tried the V Balance module with it, which is a charge through balancer, with similar results on charge times.
If you've used a different brand of computerized charger, this sucker is EASY!
one glance at the balancer instructions had it all hooked up and rocking, We could see with a key press what voltages were per cell with the link cable attached, and every time the voltages were within .01V of each other.
I rigged up a cable adapter for an ancient pack that I did not have a connector for, and was able to balance it within 15 minutes.. This on a pack with several hundred cycles and never ever balanced.
I can see a long future with this charger.. :D

Wayne,

Did the internal fan ever cut on when you were charging?

Thomas

[WayneBrown]

not that I recall..
remind me Saturday after I use it all day. :)

[tppjr]

not that I recall..
remind me Saturday after I use it all day. :)

I just did some tinkering and the fan comes on right away when you use the discharge mode. Maybe that is all it is for unless it gets real hot during charging. The most I have charged at once is two 3s in series which is the equivalent of a 6s at 2.1 amps and a TX Nimh pack at 1 amp so I probably have not taxed it enough for the fan to come on during charge.

Thomas

[WayneBrown]

well, even my old Triton fan would come on during a discharge, I would expect the fan to come on on this one too.. There has to be some way to dissipate the heat.
I guess during charging it could, I just haven't seen it yet/.

[RC Accessory]

The fan will come on when charging, all depends on the heat. Discharging, the units heats up quicker hence the fan comes on earlier.

I just charged my wireless starter, 8 cells 2400 mah batteries. I kicked the BC-8 to 5 amps and the fan came on. At 2.4 amps, it did not. Oh, at 5 amps, the charging wire did not like it. :glasses2:

[tppjr]

The fan will come on when charging, all depends on the heat. Discharging, the units heats up quicker hence the fan comes on earlier.

I just charged my wireless starter, 8 cells 2400 mah batteries. I kicked the BC-8 to 5 amps and the fan came on. At 2.4 amps, it did not. Oh, at 5 amps, the charging wire did not like it. :glasses2:

Evan,

Yes, my BC-8 fan would come on when charging my Rex batteries but would not with the CPP batteries. I have yet to get the 902 fan to come on when charging even charging three batteries at once, two 3s 2150's at 2.1 amps and one TX with out 2 at 1 amp. Must say something for the large cooling fin it has.

GREAT CHARGER and thanks for all your help!!

Thomas

[n1lul]

I have been using the 902/PB-6 system for a couple of months now and I LOVE it!

I use for everything from my 2 cell Blade CX 850 Mah to my 4 cell 3700 Lepton batteries, as well as my Tx batteries.

The computer interface is great. I have a graphical record of every charge so I can track battery health over time. Very cool.

Evans customer service has been top notch each time I have dealt with him.

Ray

[Davin 5]

Can someone advise on an AC power supply that can deliver 20-25A to the 902? Thanks.

[RC Accessory]

You'll need every bit of it too if you are running larger packs or multiple chargers from the power supply.

http://www.rcaccessory.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=221
These are on back order now, due in about 10 days.

http://www.rcaccessory.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=216
I have 1 of these left in stock now.

I personally use a 45 Amp model, but that is really over kill.

[Davin 5]

Thanks for the quick reply! Those look perfect. Any advantages to using those over a computer power supply?

[RC Accessory]

I don't see a computer power supply being able to give enough power. Some of the better ones will put out 12 amps, but that is about it.

[Racer38]

Thanks Wayne, Just what I didnt need a new charger, but I couldnt stand it and ordered one with a balancer and charge leads to do everything I own, including my TX and RX Batteries. It sure is gonna be nice to have a Charger that does it all and you can keep a computer log of it as well for tracking purposes..

Cant wait till it gets here, I have a 25 amp Radio Shack PS that should do the trick as well..

L8R Craig

[WayneBrown]

You'll love it man!
If you keep the NiCds in the tx, and plug it into output 2 while you are charging a lipo on output 1, it automatically starts charging the NiCds.
the more I use it the more I like it, and to be honest, I've still not read the manual.. :)

[RC Accessory]

You'll love it man!
If you keep the NiCds in the tx, and plug it into output 2 while you are charging a lipo on output 1, it automatically starts charging the NiCds.
the more I use it the more I like it, and to be honest, I've still not read the manual.. :)

lol.... Love it! :glasses2:

[Animal]

i love my 902

Now to just find a way to get it upgraded to accept the A123 batteries

[RC Accessory]

i love my 902

Now to just find a way to get it upgraded to accept the A123 batteries

The upgrade to the charger is free from Bantam. The charger will have to be sent back to Bantam for the update. You can contact Bantam directly,www.bantamtek.com or your dealer can send it back for you.

[Animal]

Thanks

tried to email them over two weeks ago, when you told me that in an e-mail, never heard back from them.

So im on my own i guess

[RC Accessory]

When dealing with Asian companies, one of the things to be aware of are their long holidays. I have been waiting for an order from one of my Hong Kong suppliers for over 6 weeks. 4 of the 6 weeks they were closed for the Chinese New Year.

Email bantamtek@bantamtek.com

You also may want to contact your dealer from whom you got the 902 from.

[Animal]

i'll send another thats the address where i sent the last e-mail on April 2nd :dontknow

[WayneBrown]

i love my 902

Now to just find a way to get it upgraded to accept the A123 batteries

The upgrade to the charger is free from Bantam. The charger will have to be sent back to Bantam for the update. You can contact Bantam directly, www.bantamtek.com or your dealer can send it back for you.