Charger for Featherweight GPS?

[RocketRoll]

Can anyone who has a Featherweight comment on what charger they use and if this seems like a good charger? The charger on the Featherweight website does not provide a readout for current voltage and I don't see a way to use it to charge the battery to the proper long-term storage charge (~40%).

I launch very infrequently and the Featherweight is the only LiPo device I have, so I'm not looking for anything crazy. Just a smart charger that will allow me to see the current voltage and place the proper long-term storage charge on it.

Right now I'm looking at this charger (link): Tenergy TB-6AB

 

[Adrian A]

Can anyone who has a Featherweight comment on what charger they use and if this seems like a good charger? The charger on the Featherweight website does not provide a readout for current voltage and I don't see a way to use it to charge the battery to the proper long-term storage charge (~40%).

I launch very infrequently and the Featherweight is the only LiPo device I have, so I'm not looking for anything crazy. Just a smart charger that will allow me to see the current voltage and place the proper long-term storage charge on it.

Right now I'm looking at this charger (link): Tenergy TB-6AB

Be careful because there are two different standards for polarity for the JST 2mm connectors, and the RC chargers are likely the wrong one.

Lithium polymer cells lose very little capacity when stored at 100% state of charge. Cells that have been stored that way for multiple years have worked fine for me.

 

[BEC]

I would generally agree with Adrian about storing fully charged or nearly fully charged LiPoly cells long term. BUT - I have some Korean cells that are well over a decade old that are fine and some Chinese ones that barely lasted a couple of years before puffing up.

I also agree that RC models seem to have one polarity convention for those 2mm connectors and Arduino and other users including rocketry electronics use the opposite one. So be careful and be prepared to create an adapter or modify the charger output cable.

That Tenergy charger looks like it does the charging through the banana plug sockets and the JST is for a balance lead. So you'll be making up an adapter lead in any case....and since the Featherweight uses a single cell you won't be using the JST on that charger at all.

 

[Adrian A]

For a little less money you can get the Featherweight charger that "just works" for the tracker battery and a Blue Raven battery, and it's small enough that it takes up effectively zero storage space. If you use the Featherweight charger and want to know what the voltage is, there are several options: 1. You can solder 2 wires to the plated holes in the charger and plug them into the power terminal block of your tracker, and turn it on and get the real-time voltage readout on your phone. If you have a spot for the charger in your av-bay then you can fly the charger and you don't need to ever plug or unplug the batteries. 2. Use an inexpensive multimeter that you will need for other things anyway. 3. Or just wait for the charging LED to turn off to know it's done.

But whatever makes this fun for your is the right answer.