Hello all! Im looking to charge some batterys for my trucks and airplanes. All battery are between 2s and 3s and 1500 to 5000 MAH. I'm looking to buy either one of there two chargers. But one looks bigger and costs a but more. BUT what is the difference?!?! Thank you very much for your help!

Charger #1. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...dProduct=12105

Charger #2. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=7028

The more expensive one (according to the site) is good up to 200W, 10.0A. The smaller one is 50W, 6.0A.

So would I need the bigger one??

Charge rate would be a difference between the 2. Take for example a 3000mah pack: if the pack is 3C capable - you would be able to do 9.0A with charger #1. Charger #2 would only be capable of 2C as the max is 6.0A.

I personally only charge my packs @ 1C which equates to 5.0A (my biggest capacity pack is 5000mah)

Probably, well at least assuming your range includes a 5000mAh 3S. The smaller one is only capable of around 4 amps on a 3S due to the 50 watt power limit.

Plus generally better to buy a little extra if you can afford it (and why not at those prices), more allowance for future needs and such.

awesome guys! So that bigger charge will charge all my battery's up to 5000 MAH? Is this charger any better??


http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html <--- That charger seems really nice. But I dont know what im talking about lol.

The AC6 also has the 50 watt output power limit. Note it, as well as the first smaller one discussed, will charge the larger batteries, just not at the standard 1C rate, so it would take a little longer. Roughly 25% longer.

Ohhh I see what you are saying. So do you think I should get the bigger one from Hobby king or the AC6?

One more thing to think about is that chargers from HK will need a power supply. The last charger you listed is ac/dc but it has the same lower power output that the HK charger no.2 has.
If you want to charge at more than 1c, or @ 1c for the 3s packs, you would probably want charger 1 from HK. If you have extra time or don't want to have a separate power supply get the ac6 or the other HK charger.

So that chargers from hobby king I cannot plug into the wall??? OK. Since I cant plug hobby kings into the wall, will this charger be any good? ( I like how it is more powerful).

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

But with this charger do I need something extra, or is it plug and play? It says something about a " Muchmore Racing CTXW-PM Power Master Mini 7A Blue". And I don't see a spot for the balance plug to go into ( different size options for different battery's).

Im so confused.

bump

When chargers specs say "Operating Voltage Range: DC 11.0-18.0V" - that means its a DC powered charger so once again, you'd need a separate power supply to go with that one.

It takes 84watts of charging power to charge a 5000mah 4S lipo at 1C (5amps). Anything less charger output power wise will limit charging current to stay under its power limit and take longer to complete a lipo charge.

There are AC/DC powered chargers with more than 50watts. The prob is they get pricey real quick. the Triton EQ 2 (sold by Tower) is a 100 watt AC/DC charger with a max charge rate of 8amps, it also costs ~$200. Somewhat cheaper is the Dynamite Passport Ultra charger - it has about 90watts of effective charger power and also a 8amp max charge rate. Its about $130.

This is what I run :Thunderpower TPC610C-ACDC. Purchased it from my LHS (same price as online retailers).

It runs on both 12V power supplies or 120VAC. It is able to store different memory profiles - so all my batteries are covered (including my heli LiPo packs). It comes with a balancer board that plugs on the side. My charger came with a pair of banana plugs with bare ends - which allows you to solder a connector of your choice. It has a fast charge mode, storage mode and competition car mode. It works well for my charging needs. When I go out to the track, I just plug it in and charge as needed.

I also have one of the "squid connectors" - they are are pretty handy if you have multiple types of battery packs. Get a LiPo charging sack too (if you don't have one yet).

That TP610C AC/DC charger is an 80watt charger on AC. At 80watts, the charge current would be limited when the lipo voltage rises above 16.0v while on AC power.


Its also a $120 charger, another one of these expensive higher powered AC/DC chargers.