I'm new to the hobby. I am almost done building my FT TC5. Motor, esc, & rx/tx get delivered tomorrow. I need advice on a charger. I want something that is ac/dc, charges all types of cells, built in balancer and peferably charges a couple at a time. What do you recommend that isn't super expensive?

Thunder AC6 from Hobbypartz -

http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html

What about the AC680 Professional?


Is it worth the extra $15?

Only if you need the extra power - 680 is an 80watt charger with a max charge rate of 6amps, AC6 is a 50watt charger with a max charge rate of 5amps. If you're only charging 2S lipos, AC6 is plenty unless your 2S lipos are greater than 5000mah capacity.


680 is a bargain though for the money getting that added power and increased charge rate.

Is this pretty easy to use? What do you think of the hitec one that does 4 batts at once?

If you think you are going to stay in RC for a while you should really think about getting a DC only charger. When limiting yourself to AC/DC chargers you pay a premium for the sub-par AC capability compared to an external power supply. If you are looking for a dual channel charger that is relatively cheap, I recommend the Hitec Ultima X2:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXAYVD&P=ML

With Tower coupon you can get it down to around $125.

For the power supply, see the following page on how you can use a high powered server one for around $25:

http://sites.google.com/site/tjinguy...projects/HP47A

Its easy to use once you understand the menu system these use.

If you're considering a multi battery type charger, you will be looking at a DC powered charger. The Hitec one you mention is DC powered and requires a separate power supply. Its limited to 50watts per port and 5 or 6amps max charge rate. Unless you really need to do 4 at once, the Hitec X2 is a better charger with more power and more flexibility.

http://www.hitecrcd.com/products/cha...ipment/x2.html