Bamaengineer

Hey all,

What’s the top LiPo charger (dual or quad) you like out there? I like a quality display screen too if you’ve found any.

TIA!

Jeff

Silverbullet555

iTrader: (16)

For racing. icharger 406duo.

DirkW

iTrader: (1)

Spent all that money on it years and years ago... still happy i did. Although I got a Junsi X6 in addition to that a while ago, for when I'm going to the track with "light luggage" only

Roelof

Basically any LiPo charger is running the same CC/CV charging program, so on that level there are no special charging programs like we had with Nixx like reflex (discharge pulses) and other pulse charging tricks.

The differences are with the controll, display and charge/discharge currents. For sure most races look at the current specs where the 406 is a master in but if you are limited with those currents (like we have over here in Europe) then just look what is suitable for you.

gigaplex

iTrader: (2)

There's a bit more to it than that. The 406 has much more accurate balance charging than any other charger I've tried, plus being able to measure IR is useful to gauge the wear of the pack. My last charger was so bad that it kept overcharging one cell and under charging another, despite the packs being healthy.

Roelof

There are some complains about the balancers on the mainly cheap fake B6 chargers but for sure there are no complains about any decent charger from brands like Orion, Muchmore SkyRC, IDT etc.
IR measurement is available on many of todays chargers, even my SkyRC S60 and Venom Dual media I can do IR readings. You want a nice graph of how the battery is charged, my old Robbe Infinity-III has such a possibillity but what does that show?

I can only say that the most used B6 style menu is sometimes hard to understand and very confusing so we do see more and more chargers with a more graphical menu structure

rustyus

iTrader: (1)

For me, it was all about one spec when I went shopping for a new charger... Balance Current. Having a charger that has a higher balance current does wonders when it comes to finishing up a pack that has cells out of balance during the constant voltage (CV) part of the CC/CV charging process. My past LiPo chargers, from 2010 to a few years ago, had balance current specs @ the 300~500mA range. With that low of balance current, even a two cell LiPo battery could sometimes take a long time to finish a balance charge when cells would be "finalizing" after one cell reaches 4.2 volts. Nowadays, I won't consider a charger that has a Balance Current spec under 1500mA.

My chargers that I have now ...



Picking out a dual port, or quad port charger may limit the power output that you're after if wanting an AC/DC type of charger. I don't know what your needs are, or what charge rates you are comfortable at charging batteries. I like to have enough power to charge my largest 6S packs ≥ 2C charge rate. Everyone's needs are different. If you are into stock/spec class racing, and want to push battery limits, then possibly you'll be needing to look at DC chargers and having a separate power supply to get the job done.

Cromulent

iTrader: (8)

What chargers are those that you have shown?

I can't find a balance current spec for my Hitec X2, only a balance drain current spec (of 500mA). I wonder if they balance by reducing charge current to all cells, while loading the high cells and waiting for the low cells to come up... I would have expected it to feed only the low cells for balancing. I might have to make a breakout cable and run some tests on a crappy pack to see what it is really doing.

billdelong

iTrader: (33)

• Which charger is the best?

Bamaengineer

thanks! What chargers do you have now?

mrreet2001

iTrader: (9)

Isn't that pushing the balance connector a bit hard?

Cromulent

iTrader: (8)

JST XH 2.5mm connector is designed for up to 3A.

https://www.jst-mfg.com/product/detail_e.php?series=277

rustyus

iTrader: (1)

By no means are my chargers "the best", but they the best for my needs at the moment. I got a Hota D6 awhile back. I liked it so much, I knew I had to get another Hota for some 6S packs that I'd be using late last year. I ended up getting a Hota H6 Pro mainly for my 6S packs as well as having it for a back up charger/third port. The smart touch controls are nice on the H6. Screen is a tad bit small compared to the D6, but everything stands up to the super hot asphalt driveway all summer long.


I had looked at a lot of chargers when I went to upgrade my old school "4 button type" units. ISDT, iCharger, and Hota were my top choices. External discharge capabilities, and internal resistance readings were some of the other "must haves" on my list besides balance current specs. Lots of great chargers out there these days. You just gotta figure out what YOUR charging needs are.

RCBuddha

iTrader: (40)

I’m a fan of the icharger 4010 (I also fly planes); but the 406 and 308 work just as well for most rc car applications. Second place would be the power lab 8 or power lab 6 (as I understand it, the company has folded). Good luck on your decision.

DirkW

iTrader: (1)

Compared to my 406 Duo, the 4010's case is just too large for my taste - and I will likely never need to charge any 10S batteries. 6S hasn't happened yet either, but is way more likely.