Charger Recommendations

[Heli-Noob]

Hey guys,

I am looking to get a new lipo charger. Right now I am only using 3S packs with my Trex450 but eventually I plan to move up to a Trex600, which I think uses 6S packs (correct me if I am wrong please).
I'd like to only buy one charger and have it be as user friendly as possible.

So, what chargers would you recommend, and what are the pros and cons to them?
And thanks for the info.

[ghtracey]

Well up to 6S, the e-Station BC6 comes very highly recommended. It has a built in DC power supply and balancer. Chances are good though that with a 600, you will eventually want to go over 6S, possibly even up to 10S, so your charger cost will rise in comparison. You need to decide if you want to buy a charger that won't need upgrading, or one that will meet your needs for some time and then upgrade. Just remember that you also will need a balancer and a 12V power supply with most chargers, so you have to factor in those costs when making your decision.

[tppjr]

If you are going to go to a 600 then a Bantam BC-8 is the minimun (in the Bantam line) you want to look at. While the BC-6 will charge a 6s it take a long time because of the amp limit of the BC-6. The top dog 902 will charge up to a 12s.

Check out RC Accessory from the vendor page for prices and more info.

Thomas

[RC Accessory]

Thanks Thomas!

He is correct. If you are getting into a 600 class heli, the BC-8 is a great recommendation. The BC-6 is limited to 50 watts and while it will charge a 6S pack, it can only do it at 1/2 C.

Thomas, how do you like the Air Thunder 2200's 4S packs?

[ChasHeliCop]

Hey Heli-Noob,

Check out this thread with a great review by KGFly..........

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=40467

[T-wrecks450]

thanks ChasHeliCop, lots of good info there, I think I am going to go with the Hyperion 1210 and 2 - LBA10 balancers... thank you everyone for the input

[ChasHeliCop]

That's what I bought and I am very happy with it. The only short coming is that it is not "field" upgradable, meaning you can not download "firmware" updates. Overall, it has met every need I required. I can charge two packs at once, big plus, and I am about to do 2x 6s packs today. I have another thread on here so you can get a peek at the actual charger, screens and set up. If I can help, don't hesitate to PM me.

http://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=41658

[tppjr]

.........................Thomas, how do you like the Air Thunder 2200's 4S packs?

Well Evan, I guess the right question is "how do you like the Air Thunder crash replacement policy?"

I bought the 4S batteries for a FunJet and it blew off the canopy on the maiden 4S run, then promply proceded to plow itself into the ground at around 100mph. It was only the second flight for the plane too.

Rats!!! It was an expensive crash to say the least. FunJet, AT 4s, Spektrum 6100, eagletree LCD panel, Flycamone camera (was recording but did not get the file)........

Thomas

[kgfly]

The new Hyperion EOS 0610i NET looks very appealling. Essentially a 1210iA + LBA10 integrated into a single package with upgraded output stage to provide 250W which means up to10A all the way up to 6s. You can network two together to get 12s @ 10A (500W!). The 0610i is about $170, say $200 with a few adapter cables.

The new FMAdirect Cellpro10s is due out in January and also looks appealling with dual 5s/220W outputs allowing charging of up to 10s @ 10A. Pricing not announced but expected to be ~$200.

[ghtracey]

That Hyperion EOS 0610i NET is a nice looking charger. I may have to rethink the BC6 I was about to order. I like that the 250W output, but it needs a seperate DC supply. The EOS 0606 looks not too bad as well, being like the BC6 with AC/DC but only 50W output. I suppose for someone like me who is not really planning on going over 3S (maybe 4s with a mini-titan) either of the smaller ones would do.

[kgfly]

The BC6 still comes out ahead of the 0606iAD on features including:

* 5 battery model memories (vs none)
* optional temperature probe (vs none)
* optional PC USB interface (vs none)

The battery memories are very convenient, particularly if you charge a wide variety of cell counts or chemistries.

[ghtracey]

Thanks for that kgfly, the PC bit also came to mind when I was reading a thread about logging your battery usage. So far the BC6 is still in the lead in my book.

[RC Accessory]

The BC6 still comes out ahead of the 0606iAD on features including:

* 5 battery model memories (vs none)
* optional temperature probe (vs none)
* optional PC USB interface (vs none)

The battery memories are very convenient, particularly if you charge a wide variety of cell counts or chemistries.

There other differences too:

No Storage charge program
No Fast Charge program
No Lipo Cycling.
No Capacity safety cut off
No Timer safety cut off
No cell count validation prior to charge for lithium. MAJOR SAFTY ISSUE IMHO. This is where human error is avoided.
No Li-ion (3.6V) capability.

[ghtracey]

I knew some of those were missing but I never noticed that many features that the BC6 has over the 0606iAD. Thankd for that. Some of those are features that I'd really miss. I guess when I had decided on the BC6 earlier I made the right choice. :P Considering these list at about the same price, the Bantam charger seems much better.

[ChasHeliCop]

Unless you compare it to the EOS0610i ............. DC only charger $169.95

http://www.allerc.com/product_info.php?cPath=9&products_id=3366

You really aren't comparing apples to apples

[ghtracey]

Which still doesn't have a lot of its features. The only improvemtn over a BC6 I see with that charger is that it can 2C charge a 6S cell.

[kgfly]

It is not an apples-to-apples comparison between the BC6 (ac/dc, 50W output) and 0610i (dc, 250W output), but from a features point of view, the 0610i is very close to the BC6/BC8 with the exception of cycle/discharge modes which are missing from the 0610. IMO this is not a big issue if LiXx is your primary battery technology rather than NiXx.

Comparing 0606 to 0610
No memories -> There are 10 in the 0610
No temperature probe -> Optional temp prob supported for 0610
No PC interface -> Optional PC interface supported for 0610
No Storage charge program -> Use TCS feature
No Fast Charge program -> Use TCS feature
No Lipo Cycling. -> No discharge/cycle features at all on the 0610
No Capacity safety cut off -> Yes there is in the 0610
No Timer safety cut off -> Yes there is in the 0610
No cell count validation prior to charge for lithium. MAJOR SAFTY ISSUE IMHO. This is where human error is avoided.-> Yes there is in 0610
No Li-ion (3.6V) capability.-> Yes there is in the 0610

Where the 0610i has an advantage over a BC6 or BC8 is for high power charging. The BC6 is only 50W so in a different league, where IMO it is still the best of breed. The BC8 is 150W and a great charger, but tops out around 6A for 6s LiPo/7s A123. It has the advantage of supporting balancing for 2s-8s so for A123 users that need 7+s A123 for 6s lipo replacement, that is important. On the other hand, a big benefit of A123 is safe charging up to 10A, which you cannot do with a BC8 (even at low cell counts) as it is limited to 7A max output. So it is a matter of determining what is most important for your range of charging needs. Overall I think the 0610i is quite impressive, but certainly not ideal for all users.

With a number of new chargers appearing from both well known and lesser known brands, perhaps we will see some price movement for the older models :dontknow:

[ghtracey]

I think for smaller 450 size birds running 3S or 4S, tghe BC6 still looks like the top of the hill. Actually wishing I had one right now, my cordless phone is being a *^&#(* and I want to cycle the NiMH battery in it. LOL

[stikflyer]

It's too bad that Hyperion went with the built in balancer on the 0610. If i could use two balancers on that one I would buy it in a flash. I don't want to but two chargers to do what the 1210 can do with two LBA 10's.

[kgfly]

The whole point of the 0610i is that it is an integrated balance charger which makes it simpler, more convenient and safer to use. It is true that you loose some flexibility.

You can of course still use external balancers with it if you like.They would just not communicate with the charger.

If you want to charge two 3s packs that are closely matched in spec., age, usage and level of discharge you can simply use a 2x3s-to-6s balance lead and charge the two packs in series on the 0610i as you would have done on the 1210i.

[stikflyer]

If you want to charge two 3s packs that are closely matched in spec., age, usage and level of discharge you can simply use a 2x3s-to-6s balance lead and charge the two packs in series on the 0610i as you would have done on the 1210i.

How closely matched would the two packs voltage have to be? And what does this 2X3s-to-6s balance lead look like?
Thanks,
Kevin.

[RexChop]

Here is the balance adapter.

You can say it berrer than me.

[RC Accessory]

Here is the balance adapter.

I don't know how close the voltages have to be but I do know on my EOS0610 when I charge my FP 6s 5000, it will stop charging the cells that are full and only charge the cells that need more at lower amps when it is close to finished.

That is not correct. The pack is charged as whole pack, the internal balancer bleeds off the high cells at 300ma to maintain the 4.2V per cell. Each cell is not charged individually.

[kgfly]

How closely matched would the two packs voltage have to be? .
If the packs are not close then the balancer may struggle to bring the high pack down to match the low pack. This can take a long time since the balancer can only drain the cells at a few hundred milliamps. I have not thought about it deeply but I would guess that within 0.5V.

Really I would only do this where the packs were discharged in parallel in a 3s2p configuration in which case their voltage and state of discharge should bel be very closely matched.

And what does this 2X3s-to-6s balance lead look like?
Here is one example: http://www.wattsuprc.com.au/product_detail.asp?pid=EAB103