Choosing my first charger

[StefanoL]

Hello, I am looking for a charger (last component before my first flight). Two are available at my location (not considering high-end models): Accucell s60 and iSDT D1. I have to say that instinctively I much prefer the latter, which however costs twice as much. What would you recommend? I would like to use the charger for my electric glider (2200mAh 3S) and, if that's possible. for any other small rechargeable battery at home (have no proper charger, only awful cheap AA/AAA small chargers).

[Geoff S]

I'm not familar with either of the chargers you mention but I'd be surprised if they didn't both have a NiMH mode. However, if you wish to charge separate AA/.AAA cells you'll also need some sort of holder to put them in and with a lead which will connect to your choice of charger.

Geoff

[Matt Carlton]

Whatever charger you choose, versatility is your watchword. There is very little point in buying a charger which won't grow with you. So I would venture to suggest that you look for one which will charge, balance and check up to at least 6S. It's really useful to have a variety of leads, as well as being able to use DC and AC power sources.

I use an Overlander RC6-VSR which will charge up to 6S Lipo at a max current of 7A, whilst also being able to balance, storage charge, discharge, monitor and check packs.

Does everything I need and more, as I can charge my Tx and Rx batteries and my 12v field battery.

It's all auto shut off and peak detect and is pretty good value at about £45.

Charging AA and AAA batteries for the home is probably better done on a Cheap charger that will charge 8+ batteries at the same time as the chemistry is a lot more forgiving than LiPo.

That's only my experience, do others may have an alternative view. I have no experience of the chargers you mention.

Cheers

Matt

Edited By Matt Carlton on 15/10/2020 17:16:16

[MattyB]

Nobody ever wished they had bought a smaller (lower wattage) charger, so if the two I would say the ISDT - you will lI’ve onto bigger packs and/or parallel charging at some point, and that extra power will be invaluable. However it wouldn’t be my first choice at that price point - that would still be the Turnigy Reaktor 300W model. These are essentially re-badged iChargers so they are a good quality unit; your charger takes a hammering if you are a keen electric flier, so I encourage you to invest that bit extra and get a device that will last and meet your need ms as you move on to bigger models.

Ps - You will need a suitable DC PSU to go with it - best option is an old server power supply. Lots of info on converting those elsewhere in the forum...

Edited By MattyB on 15/10/2020 17:16:31

[Chris Walby]

Hi, I can't see the Accucell s60 can run on DC, so if you want to charge a lipo from your car battery via the charger then the iSDT D1 is a better bet.

If you don't need the DC supply option I would go for the Accucell s60.

PS I haven't owned either so no idea on reliability.

[Richard Wills 2]

ISDT no question, night and day better than any of the standard 4 button chargers.

[John Lee]

I've an ISDT D2 charger which has charged 1,356 times so far without a problem.

[FlyinBrian]

I second MattyBs choice of Turnigy Reaktor charger.

 

Details on converting a server PSU here

Edited By FlyinBrian on 15/10/2020 18:08:38

[conrad taggart]

If i was limited to one charger it would be this one **LINK**

In-built 240 v power supply, two channels so can charge 2 batteries with different chemistry at the same time, and can be used as a field charger as it can also be powered by a battery. Plenty of power / flexibility in terms of future proofing.

If i had a power supply then I would go for :

**LINK** and given the price of them simply add additional units as needed. Safer than charging in parallel and should something go wrong you can simply replace the less than £25 charger.

I have both the above (plus the one Matt mentioned) and they all work well and a number of bigger more powerful chargers, but if I was to start again I probably would go the above route and not bother with the parallel charging / larger chargers.

Edited By conrad taggart on 15/10/2020 21:51:19

Edited By conrad taggart on 15/10/2020 21:52:13

[leccyflyer]

I think that is amongst the most ridiculous things I've ever seen - a charger with a specific type of connector for the charge leads hard wired into the frame of the charger.

[Jason Channing]

Although I use FMA and I charger the Hott 6 looks good value for money, as for the connector that is fairly common these days, simply plug in an extension if you want too, however most of the least common balance leads have dwindled off.

[MattyB]

Posted by FlyinBrian on 15/10/2020 18:06:34:

I second MattyBs choice of Turnigy Reaktor charger.

Details on converting a server PSU here

...and the definitive thread (including huge listings of usable server and PC PSUs) is over on RCGroups here...

[MattyB]

Posted by conrad taggart on 15/10/2020 21:50:28:

...If i had a power supply then I would go for :

**LINK** and given the price of them simply add additional units as needed. Safer than charging in parallel and should something go wrong you can simply replace the less than £25 charger.

I have both the above (plus the one Matt mentioned) and they all work well and a number of bigger more powerful chargers, but if I was to start again I probably would go the above route and not bother with the parallel charging / larger chargers.

I can see you point as in parallel charging you can't monitor the individual cell voltages of every cell being charged. However, it's only really safer if you setup those individual chargers so they all work at the same time, and then charge at the same effective rate as you would have been doing in parallel. By that I mean if you were charging 3x 3S 2200s at 6.6A (1C/pack), you'd need to have three chargers set up at the same time all charging at 2.2A each.

In practice I've observed that people who avoid charging in parallel for "safety" often use a single, more powerful charger instead and charge their packs individually at a higher rate (3-4C). This is because they still want to get out of the door and go flying in a similar period of time. At that point any safety benefits of individual charging are (IMO) highly questionable; over lots of cycles you are going to do more damage to your packs because of the increased charge rates which in turn increases the chance of unbalanced cells, internal shorts etc that could lead to a fire during charging. Higher charge rates (anything above 2C) will also shorten the life of packs too, especially if they were only used minutes before and have not cooled to ambient temperature.

Personally as I have already gone the big charger/big PSU route I will continue to charge in parallel. Yes, you do have to make sure you check cell voltages carefully before connecting and always connect the main leads before the balance plugs, but I've never experienced any issues in thousands of charge cycles, and I always charge on a concrete floor with fire precautions to hand. YMMV!

Edited By MattyB on 16/10/2020 09:54:20

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Guest]

Overlander RC6-VSR 80W 7A AC/DC Charger (good for top-up charging the car battery too!)

Comes with a range of leads and connectors all ready made shown here:

https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/237607/

[MattyB]

Posted by Doc Marten on 16/10/2020 10:24:02:

Posted by leccyflyer on 16/10/2020 07:52:16:

I think that is amongst the most ridiculous things I've ever seen - a charger with a specific type of connector for the charge leads hard wired into the frame of the charger.

I kind of get what you're saying but aren't all chargers hardwired with a specific connector, usually banana plugs? It doesn't chain you to XT plugs, the purchaser just makes up leads to suit their own purposes.

The ToolkitRC range of chargers, (from 150 to whopping a 400W I believe) come with the same, they also have a servo checker with visual display, ESC checker, go up to 8S and a 7V to 30V input, it's just a case of soldering you own choice of plug to the output lead, which we do anyway.

I quite like the idea of having an XT60 or similar on the output side - 1) they are polarised to prevent mistakes during connection, and 2) banana plugs are not the greatest and sometimes get a bit loose over time. I have had an issue where I moved my balance board with a battery connected and one banana plug came out of the (admittedly ancient) charger, exposing a life contact - not ideal! XT60s/90s or an EC5 has a lot more inherent friction at connection so that shouldn't happen.

PS - Those ToolkitRC chargers seem extraordinary value for money given the feature set - has anyone tried one? I might be tempted for a field charger for parkfliers with with a big capacity 6S in the back as the power source...

[leccyflyer]

Posted by Doc Marten on 16/10/2020 10:24:02:

Posted by leccyflyer on 16/10/2020 07:52:16:

I think that is amongst the most ridiculous things I've ever seen - a charger with a specific type of connector for the charge leads hard wired into the frame of the charger.

I kind of get what you're saying but aren't all chargers hardwired with a specific connector, usually banana plugs? It doesn't chain you to XT plugs, the purchaser just makes up leads to suit their own purposes.

The ToolkitRC range of chargers, (from 150 to whopping a 400W I believe) come with the same, they also have a servo checker with visual display, ESC checker, go up to 8S and a 7V to 30V input, it's just a case of soldering you own choice of plug to the output lead, which we do anyway.

Edited By Doc Marten on 16/10/2020 10:46:16

Exactly - bog standard banana plugs have been the de-facto standard for a couple of decades - they are independent of any particular housing, so why on earth change to something that will result in users having to come up with new specific leads or change connectors on their packs?

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[MattyB]

Posted by Doc Marten on 16/10/2020 12:42:50:

Posted by MattyB on 16/10/2020 12:27:09:

PS - Those ToolkitRC chargers seem extraordinary value for money given the feature set - has anyone tried one? I might be tempted for a field charger for parkfliers with with a big capacity 6S in the back as the power source...

That would seem a shame for such a capable charger Matty, watching the video reviews on these would equate that to a Professor of Mathematics teaching Arithmetic to primary school pupils!

Maybe, but I already have plenty of charging capacity already for at home - what's attractive about this is it's much more capable than my (pretty naff) field charger, very compact but could double as a backup at home charging. For the price it does look a bit to good to be true, though...

Edited By MattyB on 16/10/2020 16:19:09

[conrad taggart]

Posted by MattyB on 16/10/2020 09:51:36:

Posted by conrad taggart on 15/10/2020 21:50:28:

...If i had a power supply then I would go for :

**LINK** and given the price of them simply add additional units as needed. Safer than charging in parallel and should something go wrong you can simply replace the less than £25 charger.

I have both the above (plus the one Matt mentioned) and they all work well and a number of bigger more powerful chargers, but if I was to start again I probably would go the above route and not bother with the parallel charging / larger chargers.

I can see you point as in parallel charging you can't monitor the individual cell voltages of every cell being charged. However, it's only really safer if you setup those individual chargers so they all work at the same time, and then charge at the same effective rate as you would have been doing in parallel. By that I mean if you were charging 3x 3S 2200s at 6.6A (1C/pack), you'd need to have three chargers set up at the same time all charging at 2.2A each.

Yes this is what I was advocating and the route I will go down more as now more viable given the price / performance of the ISDT nano chargers - indeed probably less expensive and is something goes wrong / breaks replacement is cheap

In practice I've observed that people who avoid charging in parallel for "safety" often use a single, more powerful charger instead and charge their packs individually at a higher rate (3-4C). This is because they still want to get out of the door and go flying in a similar period of time. At that point any safety benefits of individual charging are (IMO) highly questionable; over lots of cycles you are going to do more damage to your packs because of the increased charge rates which in turn increases the chance of unbalanced cells, internal shorts etc that could lead to a fire during charging. Higher charge rates (anything above 2C) will also shorten the life of packs too, especially if they were only used minutes before and have not cooled to ambient temperature.

Agree and it is something I would never do

Personally as I have already gone the big charger/big PSU route I will continue to charge in parallel. Yes, you do have to make sure you check cell voltages carefully before connecting and always connect the main leads before the balance plugs, but I've never experienced any issues in thousands of charge cycles, and I always charge on a concrete floor with fire precautions to hand. YMMV!

Same here but it only takes the once even when you are fairly careful (checking the battery cells at the start etc.) - though stepping out of the room even for a short while is never good
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?719116-Lipo-Fires-Are-Real%21%21%21%21/page372

Edited By MattyB on 16/10/2020 09:54:20

[conrad taggart]

Posted by MattyB on 16/10/2020 16:18:47:

Posted by Doc Marten on 16/10/2020 12:42:50:

Posted by MattyB on 16/10/2020 12:27:09:

PS - Those ToolkitRC chargers seem extraordinary value for money given the feature set - has anyone tried one? I might be tempted for a field charger for parkfliers with with a big capacity 6S in the back as the power source...

That would seem a shame for such a capable charger Matty, watching the video reviews on these would equate that to a Professor of Mathematics teaching Arithmetic to primary school pupils!

Maybe, but I already have plenty of charging capacity already for at home - what's attractive about this is it's much more capable than my (pretty naff) field charger, very compact but could double as a backup at home charging. For the price it does look a bit to good to be true, though...

Edited By MattyB on 16/10/2020 16:19:09

Matty - Lots of poor reports about the Toolkit chargers re accuracy and failures .... see last few page here ...and do some other checking - you shouldn't have to look too hard **LINK** Even Painless 360 hints at some of their problems on one of his reviews

 

Edited By conrad taggart on 17/10/2020 13:11:37

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[conrad taggart]

Doc think the difference is, is that the Turnigy ones are more likely to work than not for a reasonable period, whilst the Toolkit RC ones aren't. Certainly in a different league when it comes to the number and frequency of the complaints ...

[StefanoL]

I have to confess I'm a little bit confused, probably because I haven't read the guidelines for safe charging (yet) and I am not familiar with balanced charging.

Why can't we monitor the individual cell voltages of every cell being charged when we charge in parallel? Some of the parallel charging units which have been recommended here (thanks to all, it's been really helpful!) have large touch displays, why shouldn't they display separate data for the, say, two batteries being charged in parallel?