BlackGoldPro1

I recently bought a new Rustler VXL and I bought 3 SPC 2S 6500mAh packs for it. I have been using the Traxxas EZ Peak Plus 6 amp to balance and store them, but they take an eternity with this charger. I'm thinking this charger is a little weak for these packs. What do you guys suggest as a better charger for these batteries?

sobiski racer

iTrader: (2)

You need more amps, check out powerlab 6

HBRob

iTrader: (61)

Depends on your budget. There are a ton of great chargers out there. Look for one with at least 10 amps of charge current.

Some options for ac/dc

http://www.amain.com/Dynamite-Passpo...A-200W/p223613
http://www.amain.com/Dynamite-Passpo...0W-x-2/p241162
http://www.amain.com/Team-Orion-Adva...pU9RoChITw_wcB
http://www.amain.com/ProTek-R-C-Prod...0W-x-2/p260576

BlackGoldPro1

Yeah, I definitely want AC/DC. I don't feel like dealing withe headaches of needing a power supply and all kinds of accessories just to charge a few batteries.

BlackGoldPro1

And I only need 6.5 amps of current, considering that is the max of my batteries. That first link you posted looks like something I'm looking for. Thanks for posting.

ElectricMann

straight from Batterys listing.."""6500mAh, 65C, 2S, 7.4V Hard-Case. Assembled with factory rated cells, graphite look case, rubber grommets on wire exits, high quality 10 Gauge leads (95mm long) & JST XH3 balancing connector. Up to 2C (13.0-Amp) charge rate!"""

so you need a 13amp charger.. try a AP 625 ..25 amp.. just need ps..

BlackGoldPro1

Alright so if I buy the PowerLab 6, what power supply and other accessories/wires would I need? Sorry I'm not new to the hobby, just LiPo packs and I don't want to mess my SPC packs up.

BlackGoldPro1

Anyone?

Dave H

Believe you need a set of main charge wires, banana to whatever connector you use on the battery packs. And a JST balance board or adapter. PowerLabs normally use a unique balance connection, but one for JST is available. If I remember correctly the charger needs to be set to JST balance mode too. Someone like ProgressiveRC can confirm and get you the correct setup.

Then enough power supply for whatever charge rate you plan on using, including possible future needs. If only charging 2S packs it doesn't need to be a huge supply, those are mostly needed for larger cell count/higher voltage packs. Experiment with this power supply calculator to see the minimum needed, a little extra is always a good thing though.

DWill

Go here www.buddyrc.com or progressiverc.com (I prefer buddyrc but are good). Either will have everything you need for the PL6 or PL8.

I was going to give you a link to Solid Hobby for a great power supply at a good price but I found he has closed up shop.

Too bad, he had a really good well made product. You can however can get the parts from ebay and build one yourself if you're handy with soldering and have a good basic understanding of electricity.

You'll need a power supply that has a little more than the max amps the charger can put out; in the case of the PL8 that's 40 amps. You'll also need enough watts to posh the current if you plan to push max amps out of the charger ( I do routinely when parallel charging multiple batteries for my helicopters)

The power supply I use is 24V, 47A, 1150 watts. It's two server power supplies in series. As I mentioned you can find the power supplies on Ebay and DIY. Just make sure you get good supplies with quiet fans or the fan noise will drive you crazy. If you don't mind the noise though, and, your comfortable doing the work yourself you can build a supply for less that 100.00.

You can also buy a power supply from buddyrc or progressive, both sell good power supplies.

I can tell you, you won't regret buying a Revolectrix charger. If you plan to parallel charge you might also consider getting the FMA para board. It's both electrically and thermally fused.

You can find the board, Pl6 or PL8 combos that will include the USB adapter for the charger as well as the proper balance cable to attach the board to the charger. For the PL8 you can find these combos anywhere from 320.00 - 360.00. The PL6 is a little less. Neither include a power supply.

I've had my PL8 for a little more than a year now. It's worked flawlessly. I use the software with it and have custom charge profiles for most of my packs. LiPo's for large heli's are very expensive and can be dangerous to charge the PL8 takes very good care of them and has a ton of safety features built in that help mitigate some of the risk of charging these LiPo's.

HighRevz

iTrader: (2)

icharger 306. 30 amps means p charching up to 6 5000mah 2s packs at once!