Originally Posted by
Pauly6401
I'm getting back into RC after an extended hiatus. When I was last active, I used a Team Checkpoint TC1030 Charger. With the external balancer, I could charge my LiPos at up to 10A, which didn't really matter because 1C was the acceptable rate at the time.
Now I am seeing all of these fancy iChargers with touch screens and massive charging capabilities. Other than the ability to charge multiple packs simultaneously and at rates higher than 10A, do they do anything better than my Checkpoint? Are they better at detecting and balancing? Or should I just save my money and go with what I have now? It's hard to read through all the marketing hype (and general shiny new thing hype), so I'm seeking some objective opinions. Thanks!
PS - I don't really want to charge my packs at super high rates, so please take that into account. I understand that some packs can handle them better than others, but I don't think I am at the point where I need that extra 2% punch out of the corners or the risk of setting fire to something.
If you don't plan on charging more than 1C, than you will probably notice zero difference from the high end chargers. But keep in mind that when cycling or depending how far you discharge your lipos, the time frame will be much longer since your max charge rate will be 10A. The newer chargers may have higher charge/discharge rates. On race days, I discharge(30A) to 3.1 per cell and recharge at 14.4 amps(2C) and it was still over forty five minutes to charge. This process naturally warms the cells and in turn lowers the IR and increases punch.