Charger reccomendations ?

[ohiochris]

Hello ,.....new to these forums. I bought an AMP MT for my son for christmas and it looked so cool I got one for myself as well. But being new to all this I am confused about certain terms and descriptions while looking for a different charger. I plan to eventually buy some 2S lipos to run in these cars , I know I have to get low voltage alarms before installing lipo batteries. What I am looking for now is a charger that will charge the stock batteries and also the lipos when I get them. Something that will work on both types if that exists. But I need something low to moderately priced. With all the experienced people on this forum I am wondering if you guys might have some suggestions on more affordable options I could look into for a charger that would do what I want it to at a good price. Thanks....

 

[Jerry-Rigged]

For you and your son, you will be wanting to charge 2-4 batteries quickly, so you will want a charger that can charge more than one battery at a time. Most basic duel chargers run about $100-$150. Hitec is a great company - quality stuff. here is their latest model 2 channel charger -
https://www.horizonhobby.com/HRC442...585032207780681&utm_content=Ad%20group%20%231
It will do good for both Nimh and Lipo. Plus it has all the different lipo programs you will need - balance, discharge, storage.

Last - beware lipo chargers with no storage / discharge mode.

 

[ohiochris]

For you and your son, you will be wanting to charge 2-4 batteries quickly, so you will want a charger that can charge more than one battery at a time. Most basic duel chargers run about $100-$150. Hitec is a great company - quality stuff. here is their latest model 2 channel charger -
https://www.horizonhobby.com/HRC44232?utm_medium=Product_Search&utm_campaign=CA_Bing_shopping&utm_source=HRC44232&CAWELAID=320011980000535726&utm_term=4585032207780681&utm_content=Ad%20group%20%231
It will do good for both Nimh and Lipo. Plus it has all the different lipo programs you will need - balance, discharge, storage.

Last - beware lipo chargers with no storage / discharge mode.

Thanks for the info Jerry-Rigged ,......I will look into that one. Was kinda hoping there was a lower cost alternative though , if I have to break down and put up $100 for one I will....eventually ,.....but the higher the cost the longer I have to go before justifying it unfortunately. But even if I could only charge one to two batteries at a time its still better than these lame trickle chargers that came with the truck. Are there decent lower cost ones that wont charge multiples at a time ?

 

[Jerry-Rigged]

All you really need is a basic 50w multi-chemistry charger. Lots of them out there. Some of the cheaper ones are hit-or-miss on quality, but if you get a good one that lasts a month, chances are it will last for years. A 'cheap' ones I see people talking about -
Hobbyking p405 - 45w, basic charger. Probably a copy/clone of another popular charger.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-p405-dual-input-ac-dc-45w-digital-balancing-charger.html

iMax B6AC - 50w, good quality, often copied.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/imax-b6ac-v2-professional-balance-charger-discharger.html

"Copy" B6AC - like I said, often copied, sometimes rebranded, sometimes counterfeit.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/imax-b6-ac-dc-charger-5a-50w-with-us-plug-copy.html

Dynimite has a full range of chargers too, but I dont' generally like their cheaper charges, because they don't have all the lipo options, like discharge and storage. But - HH does provide good support.
https://www.horizonhobby.com/produc...port-mini-50w-multichemistry-charger-dync2030

 

[i_r_beej]

Hitec makes some good single port chargers that are moderately priced. I have the RDX 1 and really like it. It also has a USB port for charging mobile devices (or anything that charges via USB). It's US$60 and you can find it at local hobby shops. Hitec also has really good service.

 

[ohiochris]

Hitec makes some good single port chargers that are moderately priced. I have the RDX 1 and really like it. It also has a USB port for charging mobile devices (or anything that charges via USB). It's US$60 and you can find it at local hobby shops. Hitec also has really good service.

Does this charger also work with nimh batteries ? and can you charge more than one at a time ?

 

[X]

Does this charger also work with nimh batteries ? and can you charge more than one at a time ?

As you can see in the link he placed, it is a single output charger and can do Nimh.

If you need to be able to charge two at a time, I'll recommend the Venom Pro Duo.

 

[ohiochris]

As you can see in the link he placed, it is a single output charger and can do Nimh.

If you need to be able to charge two at a time, I'll recommend the Venom Pro Duo.

Ok. I think Ive seen where there are optional charging boards for some chargers that expand how many batteries can be charged. Is that generally for only certain chargers or can most be expanded that way ?

That Venom Pro Duo looks like a good charger. I need to find a way to squeak a couple lipo batteries into the budget too though so Ive been considering lower priced chargers.

 

[i_r_beej]

I would recommend against parallel charging multi-cell batteries, especially since you're new to this. It might be too easy to ruin the battery if you're not sure of what you're doing.

Ok. I think Ive seen where there are optional charging boards for some chargers that expand how many batteries can be charged.

That's a good price on the Venom charger. Hitec makes a similar two-port charger (the X2) for the same amount of cash. Honestly, though, any of these chargers would be fine. Pick a feature set and compare across brands and you'll find that they are all comparably priced.

As an aside, if you see something significantly cheaper... buyer beware. You'll get lots of suggestions for "off brands" from folks and that's perfectly okay...IF you know what you are doing and are familiar with the principles and operation of the device (charger, radio, servo, etc).

Take some time Educate yourself about battery chemistries (LiPo/Lithium, NiMh, etc.), best practices for charging, what can go wrong and what happens.

Here's a good basic primer on LiPo batteries; here's another; and here's the "deep dive" on battery technologies.

 

[Jerry-Rigged]

Ok. I think Ive seen where there are optional charging boards for some chargers that expand how many batteries can be charged. Is that generally for only certain chargers or can most be expanded that way ?

That Venom Pro Duo looks like a good charger. I need to find a way to squeak a couple lipo batteries into the budget too though so Ive been considering lower priced chargers.

While you can use a "Parallel board" to charger to charge several (identical) batteries at the same time, you really need a charger that can push big watts to do this. For 1C charging of a 5000mah 2s battery, you need 37w - which most basic chargers will do, as they are normally 50w. To charge 2 at the same time, you now have a 4s pack, and need 70W. To charge 3 at the same time, you need 100w, and so on. Add to this - you want to have a 'safety factor' of extra wattage available, to keep from over heating your charger... Because of all this, people that plan on using parallel boards for charging will often buy chargers that can push 300w-400w per channel. (Something like THIS.)

With all that said, is it much easier & safer to charge 2 at a time with a 2 channel charger, which will cost about the same as a big amp, single channel charger.

 

[Tamyosho]

Thanks for the info Jerry-Rigged ,......I will look into that one. Was kinda hoping there was a lower cost alternative though , if I have to break down and put up $100 for one I will....eventually ,.....but the higher the cost the longer I have to go before justifying it unfortunately. But even if I could only charge one to two batteries at a time its still better than these lame trickle chargers that came with the truck. Are there decent lower cost ones that wont charge multiples at a time ?

I have two old hobbyking chargers from when I started getting back into RC. They work and were cheap.
You could get several decently fast chargers that will handle 2S and 3S to charge multiple batteries at once, they can be had for 25$ each.

 

[ohiochris]

Thanks for the help guys. I was gonna get a venom 2 but at the last minute I backtracked and ordered the hitec RDX1. If its not sufficient for my needs I can upgrade later but with quite a few chargers in the price range that seem pretty much equal I just picked what seems easiest to use. Even if I can only charge one battery at a time , the speed difference between this and the trickle charger that came with the truck should help us get more play time in between charges.

 

[i_r_beej]

You'll like the RDX so don't worry about "buyer's remorse." Hitec's service is fantastic. I sent them two older, out-of-warranty chargers the middle of last week. Their standard line is "We'll service the product and charge you at our discretion." (I was told that if I was to be charged that they'd let me know so I could decide to repair or have them recycle the unit.)

Well, I just got notification that the chargers are on their way back to me! So that was about a 10 day turn around.