Toolkit RC M9

[John Lee]

I'm afraid I can't help you with that question Ken. All my charging is done in a Bat-Safe which physically limits the number of batteries I can charge at any one time, so I don't use its full charging capacity.

 

But right now for today's flying session it is happily charging 7 batteries simultaneously using 2 parallel charging boards.  Channel 1 is charging at 7.8 amps 12v (3x2600 3S) & Channel 2 is at 5.2 amps 12v (4x1300 3S), the AC circuit is showing a reading of 24.12v to power these.

[RottenRow]

11 hours ago, KenC said:

Thanks Brian , my query was the "dual" output. On  AC it quotes 200w max , do you think its internal electronics can handle  full 200w on both outputs concurrently with AC ?

 

Hmmm… the manual is confusing, as you suggest.

 

On page 6 (Product Description) it does say 200W AC power supply, whilst in the specifications (page 36) it states 110-250V at 2.5A max. Even if they mean 2.5A at 110V (for the USA for example) that is 275W so more than 200W.

 

Perhaps they are meaning that the power supply can supply 200W continuously.

 

Whatever they do mean, that 200W will be the total power available, ie 200W for one output, or a total of 200W for both outputs (eg 100W + 100W or any other combination). I think that is a safe assumption.

 

Brian.

[KenC]

Exactly my belief Brian,  so though you feel you have bought a "dual" charger  you are in fact only able to charge 6s 5000 at full tilt 1c  on a single channel. If you connect two batteries together your best choice is 4a at 6s on the pair.  Another thing I have noted is the rather strange changes to the M6 over time and not just the AC addition, but the change in balancing charge level from 800ma to 1 amp ..... which is still quite low, and would slow the charge at that stage.   I also came across a few noted battery types that nobody knew about when reviewing on a few chargers , and some including (M9) greater than 6s abilities.  So I am now wondering as many of the units considered are 2 years old or more, what re releases are we about to see.  I think I am very tempted to just get a Toolkit M7AC for £48 on Bangood  knowing that it is a slow single , that when I am ready to replace it can sit as a field battery unit and system checker.  If you look back at the crop of chargers released 4 to 5 years ago the growth in ability and tech for the buck is amazing. 

[Dickw]

5 minutes ago, KenC said:

........................... but the change in balancing charge level from 800ma to 1 amp ..... which is still quite low, and would slow the charge at that stage.  .............................................

I believe that is the "balance current" they are referring to rather than the charge current, i.e. the difference between the charge currents being put into the individual cells during balancing. That is how my Chargery and iChargers work anyway.

A balance charge of 1 amp is actually quite high compared to many chargers out there.

 

Dick

[RottenRow]

15 minutes ago, KenC said:

If you connect two batteries together your best choice is 4a at 6s on the pair.

Yes I agree, actually a little bit over 4A.

 

However, that is for charging at home, using the built-in mains supply, and will only extend the charging time by a few minutes. As the battery approaches full charge the current will fall anyway.

 

As you previously realised, when field charging, the maximum current (and hence wattage) with be determined by whatever your power source is (eg a 12V leisure battery), but with a suitable source you could charge 2 x 5000mAh 6s packs at the full 5A.

 

Dickw has already commented regarding the balance current, and to be honest if you have a battery that requires anything like an amp of balancing current then it is probably well past its best anyway.
 

Brian.

[KenC]

Thanks to all of the posters that have given me so much knowledge and advice in this thread, its a big climb for an old IC user to get a grip on. I very much appreciate all your comments.