Charger
 

Can you guys reccommend me a battery charger in the $50-$100 area. Looking for one but not sure what to get. Thanks.

Hi,

Sorry i want to go right ahead and blow your budget.

Your charger is one of, if not the most important piece of equipment in your r/c world. It charges and is pretty much responcible for the proformance of your cells(usually a very expensive part of your r/c consumables).

Cutting costs in this area is just not a good idea if it can at all be avoided. If at all possible i.e you already have a charger and just want a new one, you should save alittle longer till you can afford some thing like the Orion Advantage which is $169 from speedtech.

If you really do have to go out and buy a charger in that price range i see you have two choices

1) go to local hobbyshop and pick up whatever they suggest as at that sort of money it really dosen't matter.

2)Take a look on the for sale section and see if you can find something alittle better for your money (Orion , CE pitbull or even a Much-more cell master might be picked up for around the $100 mark).

Got to be honest this is another one of the area's in r/c where it's really worth spending the $$ as in the long run it'll pay you back by looking after your cells better.

Don't forget most good charger's will also include a discharge feature which is great for once you've raced or finished playing before storing your battery's away to ensure there fresh and at there best for the next time you use them!

lrp pulsar 1 should be in your budget, if it was good enough for pros a few years ago, then it should be good enough for club racers now :spidey:

Make sure it charge Lipo's, the Orion does !

I think I'll just get the Orion.

If you can scrape up the $$ it's worth every cent :sneaky:

This guy is on a budget: do you think he wants to spend over 120USD for a single Lipo pack for clubracing? I think he has enough on a few good matched 3300-3800mah packs for stock or 19T racing. Lipo's are the future for us and now only used by the guys with the big bucks and the pro's!

And with the speed at which technology moves on reducing in cost as it goes within our sport, DO YOU think it'd be wise to advise him to buy a charger that is not capable of charging these new cells.As by the end of this year they will very probably be comparible in cost to good matched cells today if not cheaper !!

as I said to begin with spend what you can on the charger as it'll reward you in the long run, and probably save you money (your battery's will have a longer life span and you won't need to replace a good/quality charger so soon).

Why does a 19T or stockracer needs larger capicity batteries? Longer runtime or to overgear the tranny and burn up every run a motor and/or esc?. Ok if you run modified it is worth the money and this guy has to spent $100 MAX! Most high end chargers cost over $120
OUR HOBBY IS AL ABOUT FUN NOT THE MONEY!! :sneaky:

I think we are missing a key point. He probably doesnt have a power supply.

The Reedy Quasar Pro (SW 2.1) is a good AC/DC charger.

Also look at the Integy range of chargers, they have some good priced capably chargers.

If you want a DC only charger, you will need a power supply. 14a + would be a good start so you can add another charger if you need be. If you think you will be racing for a while, and may add a motor run in machine etc, maybe 23a+ would be better.

I would not personally, with the present situation, worry about the capacity to charge LiPos.

Therefore, have a look in the for sale thread on here, and remember to check Trader feedback!

DC:-
LRP Pulsar 1 or 2, both great.
Duratrax ICE
CE Pitbull
Novak Millenium Pro
Orion Advantage

There are of course a lot more than this, but these are all competant chargers that can be had for around $80

Under $100 is very hard, here is as close to that price as I could see you getting for a good quality charger...

1. Duratrax ICE ($ for $ best charger on the market) can be found on eBay for $130 shipped. Pyramid 20Amp Power Supply to run it can be found for around $50 shipped on eBay as well. Check the for sale threads but I rarely see these chargers for sale used.
2. LRP Pulsar 1 can be found used under $100 (I found one for $80). Again you will need a power supply but wont find a better deal than the Pyramid for around $50.

Yeah, Charger is just as good as a AMB PT.........last a long time, cause Charger is always a Charger...won't slow your car down or speed it up, just do only 1 thing...charging.

$100....you can only consider a used one, which is VERY VERY doable...look at Rctech, you can find some Quaster Pro ($180 when new) for $100 or less, which I am sure it will do MORE then what he need (except Li-po which I don't think he is using...)

The good thing about Quaster Pro is AC/DC, I have 1 for like 4 years now...stilll like new (except need to replace 1 of the fan for the 2nd time).

Other good and cheap used charger are like the LRP and the ICE...you should be able to find a good used one around $100 and lower, BUT...you need a $60-$100 power supply to power those chargers cause they are only DC charger. A cheap alternative of the power supply is your automobile JUMPER battery......I have a used one (free) and it is good enough to run the ICE to charge 3700mah........however, it is only good enough for 1 charger, you cannot run other things like tire truer, motor lathe and other stuff at the same time CHARGING your batteries compare to a $100 CE power supply does.

If you are still looking this guy is selling a Pulsar 2 for $100 which is a good price. I cant vouch for him as a seller or the quality of the merchandise but it seems like a good deal on a good charger.

http://www.rctech.net/forum/showthread.php?t=97428