can i use a 12v battery charger

[twinkle]

hi all,i dont think i explained this right,but my balancer/charger has a 11v-15v 60w input ,so could i use my mates 12v battery charger to put through my lipo balancef/charger and charge my battery packs this way,sounds too easy to me,i dont want to blow the b/c up,many thanks for any help guys,bob

[forjer]

I don't believe it's a good power supply for your charger. Too many surges in voltage or amps. Someone else can verify this though...I'm more mechanical than electrical.

[twinkle]

thanks very much,so its ok to use a 12volt battery,but not the battery charger itself:confused::confused:. well i went to the UK store "maplin's" and they have pages of transformers,this is the nearest i could see, thats near the input my balancer/charger needs,any comments please,bob i copied this spec >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
13.8V Regulated Mains Power Units



A range of four power units with a fixed 13.8V output, ideally suited for powering CB radios, communications transceivers and other devices that require a 13.8V supply. The power supplies are available in 3A, 5A, 7A and 10A versions (50% duty cycle rated output current). All four power supply units are finished in a smart black steel enclosure, with illuminated rocker-type on/off switch and two binding posts (black and red) for the 13.8V output. A mains protection fuse is housed in a fuse holder on the rear panel. The power supplies have short-term overload and short-circuit protection to guard against momentary accidental misconnection, but the units can be damaged by prolonged abuse. Please note these power supplies are designed for use in well ventilated areas.

[HPSOV2]

Many chargers now state they are not covered by a warranty of you try and use a battery charger as a power supply. The output voltage is not correctly regulated and may damage the charger. You can however use the 12v charger if it is connected to a 12v battery (like your car battery) and your charger is also connected to the battery at the same time. However this is a little complicated and risks overcharging the car battery.

The easy colution is to get a 13.8v power supply like the ones you have posted. In theory the 5A or 7A will be enough, but I would be tempted to get the 10A one, as this will allow some 'extra' and will also allow you to uprage or add another charger in the future. Many of the more 'serious' fliers are using 20A-40A supplies to run the high end chargers and 6S packs.

[Mercuriell]

In a word NO - the current supplied by most car battery chargers is <5A and charging lipos can take up to 20. The output is also noisy and unregulated and most of our chargers are sensitive to this - I blew up my AStro 109 charger by hooking it up to the "12V" output on a generator - I later measured it and found it 18V

[MarkD]

This is the one I use from Maplin

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=231&doy=8m3

It's a Bench PS not a charger

[twinkle]

thanks very much guys,this has been a great help to me,i even consulted a mate who's a spark,and he was a bit confused,so its top marks to helifreak pilots,happy flying guys,i'll soon be joining you all,:thumbup::thumbup: bob