I need a charger!

[Scratch]

I have all my parts for my first quadrotor build, and it's just about done....

But I forgot to get a battery charger.

I know Lipos are different than my RC cars but I'm not sure what to get. I'll probably getting some bigger batteries in the future but I know I need it to charge my Turnigy 2200 mAh 3s 25C Lipo's.

Got any suggestions for a good one to be used on this and other batteries also... Maybe even the rechargeable pack that a lot of people put in their TM?

 

[xuzme720]

Many good things have been said about the Accucell 6 which is a 50w charger that balances, discharges, and does it all automatically.

http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor..._6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_accessories.html

 

[whiskeyjack]

Hi Scratch,
The Accucell 6 is a great charger for the money. It can charge differant types of batteries as well. I've had mine for a couple of years now, no complaints. WJ.

 

[Scratch]

Ordered one, thanks for the input all.

 

[Patnaude_av8r]

Hi all. I'm also new to hobby and on a strict budget. I'm trying to decide if I should get a simple balance charger like this one

which is a 2-3 cell balance charger that cannot discharge for storage. OR. the typical
IMAX
[URL="http://www.lazertoyz.com/EMAX-balance-charger_p_197.html"]
which can do everything but I would need to buy a power supply for $10USD.

I'd like to get your input in the subject. At some point I definitely will get the IMAX or similar charger for its ability to do everything needed. But to get into the hobby with the least amount of investment required I'm on a strict budget and the first plane is the most expensive. Between the power pack and tx/rx charger and all the little extras definitely add up. I'm definitely a Bixlerite. I'm CHEAP or as Chad says thrifty. I need my money to go as far as possible so I can get into the hobby quickly and have the most fun.

Patnaude_av8r

 

[Scratch]

I just placed my order for that Turnigy charger, but I just noticed it says no power supply included....

Does that mean it has no way to plug into a standard US wall plug?

Do I need to get something else to!?

 

[earthsciteach]

Scratch - It does mean that there is no outlet adapter. You can charge with a car battery, but that is not very convenient. Chances are, though, that you have a wall plug from some unused electronics that can be used. All you need is a wall pack that puts out direct current around 13-14 volts. You can cut off the pack's adapter and solder on the one that plugs into your charger.

 

[earthsciteach]

Patnaude - It is worth the extra money to by a programmable balance charger, in my opinion. Think of it as protection for your batteries. The cheap charger may not balance the cells correctly and you will have no way of knowing that.

Here are a couple of options:
http://www.hobbypartz.com/thac6smbachw.html This one is a bit more expensive than the next option, but it does come with a cord so you can plug it into an outlet.

http://www.hobbypartz.com/60p-dyc-1004.html I have this one and am happy with it. It does not have an a/c adapter, but I was able to modify an a/c adapter that I wasn't using. It is very simple to do. All that is required to to cut off whatever plug is on the end of the adapter and solder on the one that plugs into the charger.

 

[Patnaude_av8r]

I found a power converter on amazon for $7.75

http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-M...7128271&sr=8-9&keywords=15v5a+power+converter

Probably the cheapest I've seen. Also has good reviews from rc hobbiest with the charger similar to the turnings charger.

 

[Scratch]

Scratch - It does mean that there is no outlet adapter. You can charge with a car battery, but that is not very convenient. Chances are, though, that you have a wall plug from some unused electronics that can be used. All you need is a wall pack that puts out direct current around 13-14 volts. You can cut off the pack's adapter and solder on the one that plugs into your charger.

I have a few transformers that put out 12VDC, one with 300 mA and one with 600 mA.... Will one of those work or do I need a little more voltage?

 

[Halcyon25]

I have been using this one for the last 4 years for my airsoft lipos and absolutely love it and Recommend it to anyone that wants a basic Balancer/Charger... I have seen it go for about $45 bucks on ebay and amazon when their there...

http://www.all-battery.com/ComboTenergyVantageB6sAdvancedBalancingChargerandPowerSupply-90252.aspx

 

[earthsciteach]

I have a few transformers that put out 12VDC, one with 300 mA and one with 600 mA.... Will one of those work or do I need a little more voltage?

Mine puts out 13.5V, 1.5 amp, max. Since a car battery is 12 v and these chargers operate off of those, I would think that power supply should work.

 

[xuzme720]

I have a few transformers that put out 12VDC, one with 300 mA and one with 600 mA.... Will one of those work or do I need a little more voltage?

No, that one won't work. The voltage is fine but the amperage is really low for charging lipo batteries. Depending on what size batteries you are charging, you'll want to have a minimum of 2-3 amps and if you have any really high mAh packs, even more. You won't be using all that amperage but you want a little headroom so you don't burn up the power supply.
An old computer power supply would work great and are really cheap if you know anyone that repairs computers.

 

[earthsciteach]

I forgot to mention that electricity is not really my thing.

 

[xuzme720]

I forgot to mention that electricity is not really my thing.

It's ok, Teach. I think you were focused on the voltage, which you were spot on correct. It was just the amperage that threw ya!

 

[Scratch]

I have a Toshiba power supply that puts out 19VDC with 3.9A... That sounds like it's too high though huh...

I'll see if I can find anything else. I know I have another laptop power supply around here somewhere, and I think my brother has one too I could check. So I'm looking for a 12-15 VDC power supply, putting out at least what... 3A? That sound good enough for up to maybe 3000 mAh battery packs? Like I said I'm only using 2200 mAh batteries now, but I'd like to be covered for future.

 

[xuzme720]

The 19V is a bit too high but if you can find one with the specs you listed, it should work great. Just make sure that the polarity is correct. You are dealing with D/C after all.

 

[Scratch]

Great, thanks. If I can't find one today, I'll probably just order that one that Patnaude posted.

 

[jhitesma]

I use the power cube from an Energizer NiMH charger I had laying around. Don't remember the full specs off hand but it's 12v and a couple of amps. For charging a single 2200 at a time it's just barely adequate with the Accucell 6. I'm getting tired of charging one at a time though and will probably be upgrading to a higher power charger soon and adding a paraboard so I can spend less time waiting on my batts to charge