Bob Cotsford Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Posted by Eagle 899 on 21/10/2016 15:37:03: Posted by Bob Cotsford on 21/10/2016 15:24:08: XT60s can also be a pain to separate. I experienced that with XTs, then I read about a very good solution:- Carefully drill very small holes in each side of the XT and use outside circlip pliers to separate, works a treat. An excellent idea and one day I'll get around to it ... honest! It really is one of those simple solutions that would make life easier and I even have some small circlip pliers from the days when I rebuilt my own bike engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 This ain't going to the field, the only way to use it off the car would be to keep the engine running! I have some lesser chargers that I can now add to the field kit for the odd occasion that I need to top up a battery at the field. I prefer to buy enough batteries to last a day out, and as I usually take two or three models a couple of each battery size is enough for a normal day. I find half a dozen flights spread over the day enough lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Bob, just because your new charger is capable of delivering lots of current into high voltage LiPo packs doesn't make it any less able to be used at the field provided you don't exploit its high capacity. In fact it may well be more efficient and use less current than other chargers when used to charge smaller packs or bigger ones at lower currents. Of course taking enough charged batteries for the day's flying is another option and one I opt for myself quite often. Otherwise I take a charger and a 12v battery. I would never charge from my car battery - it's a long walk home Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Geoff, the H4 is quite a bulky beast and a moderate investment at £179 so I'd sooner take a smaller disposable B6 clone out to the field. I have on occasion topped up receiver packs from my field box starter battery using a B6 or A6-10 charger. I have one issue with the NiMh charge defaults on the A4, it appears to use a 15mV setting for end of charge peak detection. This value got a 3300 5 cell pack quite hot before it stopped with a stated 3960mAh put in! I always thought 6mV was the standard used for NiMh peak detection? Luckily it's easy to adjust the peak detection voltage and with the use of memories it's a one-off operation to set it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Hi, I have recently entered the world of larger batteries (6 cell 3000's) and can charge at a time with my current charger, but was wondering water the Hitex X4 or Hitex H4 as quad chargers would charge 4 large batteries at once? Would **LINK** this also fit the bill? How do I calculate what amps/watts I would need from a charger? Thx in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 To charge 4x 6S (25V) packs at 1C charge rate (i.e 3A per pack) you are going to need 25 x 3 = 75W per channel, or 300W (25V x 12A) in total if using a single output charger and parallel board. However I would recommend going even bigger - modern lipos are very happy charging at 2C with no negative impact on battery life, and 3000mah is relatively small for a 6S. If you moved up to 6S 5000s (a very popular size) you would need 500W total just to charge at 1C. Get a server PSU and a min 500W charger and you should be good to go, though a 24V dual server PSU/ 1Kw charger setup would be even more future proof. Edited By MattyB on 26/10/2016 22:45:08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Thx Matty, Could you/others point me in the direction of suitable chargers? Edited By Wes on 27/10/2016 09:26:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 I already gave my recommendations (I like the iChargers and currently have two) to the OP earlier in this thread. Go back and read from page 1, there are plenty of suitable recommendations in the wattage range you are looking for. PS - If you want info on converting server PSUs for a very cheap 500W/1kw supply then read this page. The PSUs he uses there are readily available on eBay for ~£20 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Thx again, Had read whole thread before but not gone over it again since my question.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 The other night I charged 4 3700 6S packs using the H4 with a 47A server psu as per Matty's link and the H4 didn't even blink. I'm quite happy with the H4 so far. I'm doubly impressed with how quickly it balances packs, the 300mA balance current really makes a difference compared to the 100mA available on budget chargers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Bugger...was interested in the Icharger 308 duo from Electricwingman, but it was out of stock at £219 Requested an email notification when back in stock, and now the same charger is £269! Edited By Wes on 28/10/2016 08:44:14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Posted by Wes on 28/10/2016 08:43:39: Bugger...was interested in the Icharger 308 duo from Electricwingman, but it was out of stock at £219 Requested an email notification when back in stock, and now the same charger is £269! Edited By Wes on 28/10/2016 08:44:14 Ditto. The 306B that I fancied is now £169 - was £119 from some sources not too long ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 So I decided to get a Turnigy Reaktor Quadkore 4x300w, so I can parallel charge my 6s 3000 and parallel charge my smaller batteries or charge 4 bigger batteries separately. I thought this gave me flexibility as well in case any cells are not within the .1v tolerance receommended fo parallel charging, so I can still charge at least 4 lipos at once. Also ordered an HP DPS1200 server PSU from eBay for £20 delivered. There are clear instructions on RCGroups for converting loads of PSU's. Whilst searching I noticed Robotbirds has a single Hitec H4 on special offer of £160 if anyone is interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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