Freezebyte

iTrader: (3)

Ok, the more and more I research into Lipo and the appropriate charger to get for them, im finding that going cheaper is going to be a royal PITA. All the seperate balancer crap for cheaper chargers that don't have them built in, along with finding the limited max charge amperage on cheaper chargers. Which in turn would mean that when higher amp batteries come out, it will freaking take longer to charge the damn things, and thus kicking myself for not getting a more future proof charger in the first place. And all this in the name of powering my brand new Savage Flus, the more I'm thinking I should just say "Screw it" and do the expensive but right route and get this bad boy

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/32897

However, I MUST be able to plug into AC as I sure as hell an't dragging a car battery inside the house or dragging my batteries and charger outside to hook up to my damn car *why the hell are so many of these chargers DC only???!* and I sure as hell don't wanna drive somewhere and then wait for the batteries to charge instead of playing.

That being said, what kinda power supply can I get that will let me use this thing at home? Or is this even possible? If not, PLEASE direct me to something that WILL charge TWO Lipo batteries with balancer and AC capability *built in or not*

If this charger will suit my needs, PLEASE tell me this is the last charger I will ever need to buy for a VERY long time for this price! It had better be able to freaking charge 10000mAh LiPo batteries down the road so I can justify its $300 price tag

tom_chang79

iTrader: (13)

Not sure about the charger, but the spec says it will take up to 28V supply. Since it's able to source 360W in "Duo" mode, just look at the W (Watts) factor and use a good rule of thumb.

Watts = Volts * Current, so for something that's sourcing 360W, I like to use the times two rule, a supply that can source about twice the amount of power. At the bare minimum, you'll need a power supply that can do at least 1.5 times the power just to be on the conservative side.

So just try to find a supply that can do in the range of 25 to 30 amps @ 28V. 28V is one of the standard voltage used by the military, so plenty of power supplies out there exist for it.

If you don't want something humongous, make sure you get a switching supply and not a linear. A switcher is usually smaller and lighter. A linear one that can source 28V at these kinds of current can get pretty large.

I don't know if this is the charger you want. Seems like an overkill to me. Are you going to be using a 6S pack? Not sure what you're running, but even 1/8th scale buggies need at the most, dual 2S packs.

I would definitely look into a charger that's more correctly sized... Of course, you'll only need this 28V monster supply if you're going to be charging at high voltage and current (many-cell lipos)

Even for a switching supply, a 25 to 30 ampere 28V supply is cumbersome, you might get really tired of lugging it around...


Forgot to answer your other question, the reason why many chargers are DC-only is because the internal circuits of all of these chargers are DC circuits. The "AC" input chargers take AC power out of your wall and converts it to DC via a switching supply internally. It also drives up the cost as well. Often times, people hook up multiple chargers to single power supply, so it can get redundant.

99% of electronics and electrical circuits are DC circuits. There are AC circuits such as for power grids and RF/Microwave stuff, but even those have DC components in there since they are often integrated with digital control/monitor circuits. RF/Microwave circuits are "AC" circuits, but active RF/Microwave circuits still use DC to bias up diodes and transistors and etc...

I personally run both my Pulsar chargers off a single, 12V 25Amp supply.

rearviewmirror

iTrader: (17)

The DUO II is a great charger, honestly I think it is the last charger I'll need for a long time. I run 5S in 8 scale buggy, if I ever jumped to 6S I can still charge those, I don't think cars will go beyond 6S lipo for a while. Planes will, but most likely not cars, and if they do, it doesn't mean you have to.

At the track I run the EOS 610i Duo II and the EOS 610i off of the same power supply. It's a 30 Pyramid car audio setup, works awesome, and delivers clean power. http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-PSV300...0660399&sr=8-1

Excuse the messy looking wires, it's got some spare leads lying it. The power supply is under small shelf in the box, this setup is very portable, it makes it easy to charge at home or at the track.

Freezebyte

iTrader: (3)

OMG, this is starting to become more of a money dump and pain then I thought the Baja 5T would be..................

JVGotti

Best bet is like he said the Hyperion charger, they have a new one out that is AC/DC and can charge up to a 6cell lipo off AC power. If you don't need to do anything over a 3cell lipo just buy 2 "onyx 230" duratrax chargers for 80 bucks and charge away. The new Hyperion AC/DC that does up to 6cells is 139.99

Freezebyte

iTrader: (3)

Right, but what about balancing in cause the Onyxs don't do that?

alphanut

iTrader: (1)

I have the duo and here is a link to the PS I bought. http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/30116

This is a pretty good match 360watts 29amps.

This would let you charge at home "AC"

Freezebyte

iTrader: (3)

Ouch, damn near $400 for a freaking charger setup.....

JVGotti

The new hyperion ac/dc does come with its own balancer included with that charger for 139.99. I personally use a blinky balancer to balance my batteries at home after a day of racing and charging and then leave my packs at about half charge until I am going to race again.

Duster_360

iTrader: (21)

If anyone is looking for a solid deal on a power supply, try one of these 30a Pyramids supplies -


http://store.buyreliant.com/servlet/...itching/Detail

rearviewmirror

iTrader: (17)

That is the same one I posted above.

thecman26

iTrader: (112)

Wow, to save all that trouble I would just buy 2 of the Hyperion chargers that have built in power supplies, the EOS 0606i that is. Just my $0.02

CClay1282

iTrader: (4)

You dont need a 28v power supply unless you plan on charging 6 cell lipos. You can run it on a 20 amp computer power supply if you want cause in "duo" mode it can only charge each batt at 8 amps anyway. If you are just charging 2 or 3 cell lipos you can buy any 12v 20-30amp power supply and be just fine!

rearviewmirror

iTrader: (17)

The AC/DC version is significantly lower in wattage. I believe it's a 50W charger, the EOS 610i DC charger is 250 watts. The extra wattage will make a huge difference in charging large capacity packs. The 610 could technically push 10A to a 5S battery. No such luck with an AC/DC version..... All AC/DC chargers are low wattage, that's why almost every runs an external PS.

Mickey Silver

iTrader: (9)

I use thiis power supply, works great.

http://www.hobbyroom.ca/p-403-much-m...-24a-blue.aspx