Bantam BC8 Question regarding Power supply

[Carbon Copter]

Ok, I decided to buy the BC 8 charger. I wish to soon buy a second one and want to purchase a dual power supply which offers 2 connections which provide 18amps for each connection. Will this be enough for this charger to charge 2 6s packs at one time? Again, something not covered in the manual included with the charger...

[Vantskruv]

I think that should be enough (though check what the total effect your PSU can give). I think you need at least 150W for each pack to charge the battery:

25V x 5A = 125W
(I make a raw assume that 25W will go for heat, maybe less or more)

The current needed from your power-supply should be about:
150W / 12V = 12.5A

And you have 18A. Remember that some power-supplies don't like to be pushed at maximum effect in a long time. Also maybe the values are a little overstate from the manufactor. Make sure you have good enough power to drive your charger. For every pack needs about 150W which sums up to about 300W power which your powersupply have to give. So it's a good choice to buy a 400W power supply. If your powersupply are able to give 18A on each rail, the PSU should have a total effect of:

2x(18A x 12V) = 416W

Note I'm not an expert, but this is how I would calculate (maybe I forgot something?).

Edit: The current needed for charging is calculated on a 1C charge of 5Ah pack. If you don't know what 1C means it tells you you are charging 5A of a 5Ah pack, 2C means you are charging 10A of a 5Ah pack. Or if you are having a 4Ah pack, 1C means you are charging 4A on that pack.

[RC Accessory]

What I suggest is a 40+ amp power supply. The Pyramid PSK46 I use has dual outputs and the voltage is adjustable up to 15V. The higher the voltage the better. The e-Station BC-8 can handle input of up to 18V.

[cudaboy_71]

don't limit yourself to power supplies with 'dual output'. you can wire that up yourself. just get a power supply with double the capacity you want for each 'output' (i.e. a 36amp power supply will give you enough current to power the two 18A loads) and make yourself up a cable with two connectors.

FWIW, i have a 29A power supply and have put a set of banana plugs on it for output. i then soldered up a cable that has two Deans Ultra outputs on it so i can power both my BC-8 and my Astro 109. Both can run all day at 5A to my FP packs.

[cbdane]

Ok, I decided to buy the BC 8 charger. I wish to soon buy a second one and want to purchase a dual power supply which offers 2 connections which provide 18amps for each connection. Will this be enough for this charger to charge 2 6s packs at one time? Again, something not covered in the manual included with the charger...

I run two BC-8's with an Alinco 33A supply, no problem. I charge two 6S packs at 5A. The supply reads around 28A delivered at peak draw. I wired up a set of banana plugs like Cuda and that works well. I used the Astroflight zero-loss connectors between the banana harness and the chargers to avoid accidentally confusing the leads to the batteries which have Deans.

By the way, the Alinco is a beautiful supply for its price. Its very stable and compact (a bit bigger than the BC-8).. It is designed for HAM radio operators.

Here's a picture of my setup. I install my own balance connectors since I prefer this very secure locking design. I use the same balance jack on all of my packs, from 2 to 6 cells.

http://www.helifreak.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17225&d=1174362099

[Carbon Copter]

I run two BC-8's with an Alinco 33A supply, no problem. I charge two 6S packs at 5A. The supply reads around 28A delivered at peak draw. I wired up a set of banana plugs like Cuda and that works well. I used the Astroflight zero-loss connectors between the banana harness and the chargers to avoid accidentally confusing the leads to the batteries which have Deans.

By the way, the Alinco is a beautiful supply for its price. Its very stable and compact (a bit bigger than the BC-8).. It is designed for HAM radio operators.

Here's a picture of my setup. I install my own balance connectors since I prefer this very secure locking design. I use the same balance jack on all of my packs, from 2 to 6 cells.

http://www.helifreak.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=17225&d=1174362099

Awesome -and thanks so much for the great picture. You have answered all of my questions as usual CBDANE -You da man.

[Big Fil]

Cdbane - Nice setup man, I really like the balance connectors your using. Much cleaner than the dual sets plus the balance board. Where did you find the connectors?

[byHISgrace]

Where did you find the Alinco(sp?) power supply and how much did you pay for it? Thanks!

[Carbon Copter]

Where did you find the Alinco(sp?) power supply and how much did you pay for it? Thanks!

Hey -I just ordered mine from: http://www.cheapham.com Never ordered there before, but they take paypal, so it is insured. Seems like a good company though. Price (it was also the cheapest I found) was 129.00, plus 9.50 to ship to me. Pretty good. Most sell for like 168.00 or more.