ParaCharging Noob Question

[PilotMM]

Hello Helifreaks!

Let me start with a little introduction before I get to the nuts and volts of my question...
I decided that after years of being interested in RC flying I was going to jump in feet first and yesterday purchased a Blade 120 SR. After 3 flights I knew I needed to do something about power. After lurking on this site and reading as much as I can (understand) on TjinTech's website I have some questions.

Not all of this falls under the lipo charging and battery section but the bulk of it is related. If mods need to move this thread please do.

Ok first: my first 3 flights I limited to no more than 6 minutes before pulling the battery out and throwing it on the charger. This was before reading that I should only run them for 3 minutes and then time the charge to calculate my 80/20 rate. But this got me thinking. Of all the flights I did not one was even close to 3 minutes of actual flight time because as a noob my main focus is to learn how to hover. I would get distracted and mess with the trims or wait for the wind to die off but as soon as my timer rang I pulled the battery off and put it on the charger. 30-40 minutes later I was flying again. So question 1 is: should the 6 minute flight time be cumulative flight time or from the time you plug the battery in to the time you pull it out?

Question 2: (again forgive the noob factor but) Am I correct in thinking that I shouldn't leave a battery charging overnight? And does the charger that was supplied with the 120SR (Celectra 1S 3.7 Variable DC LiPo Charger) automatically stop charging once it indicates complete?

Question 3: I see a LiPo voltage checker on HH's website; is this something I need or will my standard multi-meter work for checking stuff like that?

Question 4: (now my Paracharging questions) after feeling frustration of having only 6 minutes of flying time and an hour wait I went to my LHS and purchased 3 more LiPo's. They recommended this Paracharger to me (http://www.horizonhobby.com/celectra...mbo-eflc1004ac). After poking around this site it dawned on me that I might want to eventually move up in Heli's down the road and that the next heli that I want doesn't use the little LiPo that's in the 120SR. It would probably be beneficial to get a charger that can do something larger. A lot of what I am seeing is DIY Parachargers with the exception of that iCharger thing that Slyster has a video about. So my question is, if I don't really want to DIY what should I be looking at that I can use now and eventually grow into? Am I correct in thinking that I could charge all 4 LiPo's in the time it would take to charge a single LiPo? And ultimately fly while charging 3 and when I am finished have 3 to fly while one is charging?


Thanks for taking the time to humor a noob and if your in Vegas lets meet up and fly sometime. I would love to learn from one of you steady hands.

-MM

[Toocool4]

1 Your 6 minutes is the actual time you are flying more or less, I say more or less because if you plug it in and don’t fly it it’s still using some power to keep everything on.

2 Do not leave Lipo’s charging over night, in fact you should be near them while charging just in case anything goes wrong then you can take appropriate action. Yes the charger will stop when the battery is full.

3 With a battery checker that is designed to do the job, it’s easier.

4 Yes getting a specific charger like the one recommended means you are stock with those batteries. Your are better getting something that can charge other sizes then when you do start flying other heli’s with different batteries you will not need a new charger.
Yes you can charge all those batteries in the time it takes you to charge one.

I like Slyster am using the iCharger 40410 Duo with 36V @ 57.3A, I have 6 x 6s 5000mah batteries per side so I get 12 batteries done in the time it take to charge one.

[Slyster]

This is what I use for 'dome flying' in the winter. Up to 6 small packs at a time for my MCPX and 130X.. minutes per pack Need one larger lipo to power it.

[PilotMM]

Thanks guys! I just finished my first full 24 minutes of hovering bliss! By the last battery I was able to keep the bird up the whole battery. It was not perfect but I was happy to keep it on the same room lol.

Ok so I briefly went to look for the iChargers and the website I found was in mostly Chinese or broken English. Any domestic sites where I can get info from? And purchasing info?
Shyster that set up looks right up my alley. Does it come with an AC adapter so when I finally move up to bigger batteries I can charge it from a normal outlet? Is that (IIRC) the 360b device? (Googling now while I wait to fly).


Also the "cell spy", recommendations on which and how much? I just pulled out my Multi-meter to check voltage of the 4 batteries and they were all between 3.72-3.8. that's pretty good right?

Thanks for your help with all of my questions

-MM

[CrashNburn420]

Progressiverc.com is a good supplier for ichargers. They have really good customer service.


Helidirect.com is another good place. Plus they have a 10% off sale this weekend.

[PilotMM]

Ok I think I found what I need but want a little more guidance.

I like this model because it comes with a JTA board (http://www.progressiverc.com/icharger-106b.html) the next Heli I am interested in takes 800mAh 3s batteries. It looks like this will charge those too. The question I have is about the included JTA board; will it fit my batteries? Will that one JTA board allow me to charge all 4 of my batteries or will I need something additional? Lastly a power supply for this particular charger. Could I get an 800 mAh 3S battery to power this and charge all of my 1S LiPo's? Is there a way to power that charger with an AC adapter?

Thanks gents. I appreciate your help so far.
-MM

[CrashNburn420]

It looks like the 120 you have uses a jst connector. You would need a parallel cable to charge multiple batteries at once. I linked one below.

The charger you're looking at comes with a balance board. That will be used when you move up to the 3s batteries. You don't need it for 1s batteries.

Technically you could use a 3s 800 mah battery to charge the 1s lipos. Just don't drain it down too low.

You can use computer power supplies to run the 106b at home or off a genny. There are lots of choices. I like the dell700ab. It's a server power supply you can get for $15. Simple to setup with a charger.


http://www.progressiverc.com/index.p...rge-cable.html

[PilotMM]

Originally Posted by CrashNburn420

It looks like the 120 you have uses a jst connector. You would need a parallel cable to charge multiple batteries at once. I linked one below.

The charger you're looking at comes with a balance board. That will be used when you move up to the 3s batteries. You don't need it for 1s batteries.

Technically you could use a 3s 800 mah battery to charge the 1s lipos. Just don't drain it down too low.

You can use computer power supplies to run the 106b at home or off a genny. There are lots of choices. I like the dell700ab. It's a server power supply you can get for $15. Simple to setup with a charger.


http://www.progressiverc.com/index.p...rge-cable.html

thank you sir!
-MM

[PilotMM]

Hey what about this?? http://hitecrcd.com/products/charger...harger/product

They have it in stock at my LHS and the price is reasonable (under $70)
-MM

[CrashNburn420]

Yeah that works too. That charger is less powerful, 50 watts vs 250watts. Not a big deal at all for 1s but when you start charging bigger batteries it will limit how fast you can charge them.

This is another charger worth looking at. It's a clone of the icharger 206b. Under $60 but you need a power supply.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...e_Charger.html

[PilotMM]

Hey guys I am back. Planning for future purchases and found this (not sure if someone else suggested it or if I found it either way). http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=78380

I was wondering if I can power this with this power supply (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html) Ultimatly my question is can you supply a 250 W charger with a 350W power supply or is it too much for the charger.


If I buy both items the only other thing I will need to Para Charge 6 LiPo's is this charging board right? (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html)

Lastly, because I will probably get this set up before my next heli, what would I need to Para Charge 1S packs on this set up?

~MM

[kirby_]

Originally Posted by PilotMM

Hey guys I am back. Planning for future purchases and found this (not sure if someone else suggested it or if I found it either way). http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=78380

I was wondering if I can power this with this power supply (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html) Ultimatly my question is can you supply a 250 W charger with a 350W power supply or is it too much for the charger.

Yes, you can. A 350W PSU will output only as much as the charger needs up to a maximum of 350W

Originally Posted by PilotMM

If I buy both items the only other thing I will need to Para Charge 6 LiPo's is this charging board right? (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html)

Well, you'll need a power cable for the PSU.. Look carefully at the description of the PSU. Last line says: "Power Cable not included"

[PilotMM]

Originally Posted by kirby_

Well, you'll need a power cable for the PSU.. Look carefully at the description of the PSU. Last line says: "Power Cable not included"

Damn! Glad you mentioned that. I would have been upset when I opened all the boxes. So your Power Supply needs a "Power Supply"... Cheeky

-MM

[PilotMM]

Thanks for taking the time to spoon feed me guys I am looking at a power cable for the power supply. Is this the right one??

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...arehouse_.html

~MM

Again thanks a million guys

[kirby_]

No! That isn't it. If you look closely at the pictures for the power supply you can see the socket where the power cord goes in. It looks like a standard 3 prong "mickey mouse" power socket like you see on Dell laptops. Something like this from Amazon should work:

http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimte.../dp/B000234TYI

I'm not 100% sure it's the correct cable, I'm just making my best guess.

[PilotMM]

That's what I thought but can anyone else chime in here? I don't want to spend $100 on my first charging set up and fry power supply before I even get my first charge in. Thanks guys

-MM