help me choose a charger

[datboi]

so i just spend hours looking at all the SKYRC chargers, why do they make so many? most of them are extremely similar to each other.

i'm looking for a charger with a lot of functions if not more like the B6 i have. i don't charge battery pack's most of the time keep in mind.

i charge lipo's liion's nimh and pb.

out of all of their range, i recon the e680, s65 , and T100 are the best

the t-100 is definitely appealing to me as it has 2 charging ports, of those is pretty similar. what do you guys recommend between those 3?

is it just me or mostly they have the same functions, and the biggest difference is the charging power?

i'm also looking for this charger to last me a long time. not looking to buy a new one anytime soon

 

[datboi]

just realized the s65 and t100 can't charge single batteries.

seems like the only series ones that can charge single cells are the b6 series and the e680, which is better?

can someone tell me the difference between the e680, b6 v2, b6 evo, and b6 v2 AC (i'm guessing it's equal to the b6 v2 only it's a/c?)

 

[Rob Campbell]

What size batteries are you looking to charge? You don't need a lot of power for altimeter batteries. Check out the Turnigy chargers at Hobby King.

 

[Kelly]

I don't know much about the e680, but I have the b6 and it does everything I want and need for rocketry. If you already have a b6, what do you need, that you can't do with it?

 

[datboi]

What size batteries are you looking to charge? You don't need a lot of power for altimeter batteries. Check out the Turnigy chargers at Hobby King.

what do you mean by size? MAH? sorry a bit new to this.

 

[datboi]

I don't know much about the e680, but I have the b6 and it does everything I want and need for rocketry. If you already have a b6, what do you need, that you can't do with it?

realized it's a clone so i wanna get the real deal. but i'm unsure between the b6 range and the e680

 

[Rob Campbell]

Number of cells, and capacity, expressed in mah. I don't recommend charging faster than 1C. For a 200 mah battery, that means charging at 0.2 amps.

 

[datboi]

Number of cells, and capacity, expressed in mah. I don't recommend charging faster than 1C. For a 200 mah battery, that means charging at 0.2 amps.

cells? it depends. most of the time tho i find myself charging single cells.

capacity? usually never above 10000mah for nimh and lipo's

if i'm charing pb like a car battery then even 60000mah? but that's rare.

 

[Rob Campbell]

cells? it depends. most of the time tho i find myself charging single cells.

capacity? usually never above 10000mah for nimh and lipo's

if i'm charing pb like a car battery then even 60000mah? but that's rare.

Are you sure about those numbers? Those seem very extreme.

 

[datboi]

Are you sure about those numbers? Those seem very extreme.

When im saying 10000, taking about maybe parallel charging 2 or more lipos

For the PB, most car batteries will be around 50a....

Pretty sure the b6 evo and v2 has the same max capacity cap of the e380

 

[Banzai88]

For over a decade the B6, or any of the various knocks offs of it, have been the de facto charging standard for RC.

That is to say, capable, rugged, cheap, easy, flexible, and down right reliable.

 

[datboi]

For over a decade the B6, or any of the various knocks offs of it, have been the de facto charging standard for RC.

That is to say, capable, rugged, cheap, easy, flexible, and down right reliable.

I see, what's the difference between the b6 evo, v2, and v2 a/c?

From what i can see the only thing the Evo has extra is the bluetooth

 

[KC3KNM]

For over a decade the B6, or any of the various knocks offs of it, have been the de facto charging standard for RC.

That is to say, capable, rugged, cheap, easy, flexible, and down right reliable.

GitHub - stawel/cheali-charger: cheap lipo charger

cheap lipo charger. Contribute to stawel/cheali-charger development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

There's some really neat open source software for the B6. Made it quite a capable little charger.

 

[Banzai88]

I see, what's the difference between the b6 evo, v2, and v2 a/c?

From what i can see the only thing the Evo has extra is the bluetooth

Primarily, the first two need a stand alone DC input supply, whereas the A/C versions use AC input.

Most folks choose a DC input since it's conveniently 12Vdc, which is easily sourced with cheap converted server power supplies or a commercial unit....but the DC versions also allow for easy tap into the 12Vdc cigarette lighter ports in most cars to be able to charge in the field.

AC units are typically dual power, accepting AC or DC input, but they're heavier and bulkier.

I have never opted for an AC unit. They're targeted to the casual RC crowd and typically the AC to DC power converter is not up to the task of providing enough current flow for the current crop of multi cell RC car or airplane or drone batteries.

That, and the fact that the AC-to-DC converter in most of these (in my experience at the RC track) is fragile and short lived..

If I were only using it to charge small form Rocketry batteries, I might opt for an AC unit and have a DC adapter handy.

 

[DragonRocketry]

sorry miss read what you are trying to charge.

 

[datboi]

Primarily, the first two need a stand alone DC input supply, whereas the A/C versions use AC input.

Most folks choose a DC input since it's conveniently 12Vdc, which is easily sourced with cheap converted server power supplies or a commercial unit....but the DC versions also allow for easy tap into the 12Vdc cigarette lighter ports in most cars to be able to charge in the field.

AC units are typically dual power, accepting AC or DC input, but they're heavier and bulkier.

I have never opted for an AC unit. They're targeted to the casual RC crowd and typically the AC to DC power converter is not up to the task of providing enough current flow for the current crop of multi cell RC car or airplane or drone batteries.

That, and the fact that the AC-to-DC converter in most of these (in my experience at the RC track) is fragile and short lived..

If I were only using it to charge small form Rocketry batteries, I might opt for an AC unit and have a DC adapter handy.

i was actually thinking that... the ac version just has one more component that can fail so i'll opt for DC

 

[Tractionengines]

When im saying 10000, taking about maybe parallel charging 2 or more lipos

Don't parallel charge lipo's! You need each cell to charge separately.

If you have a few 1S cells and want to charge them at the same time: Make a harness that puts them in series, that also has a balance plug, so the charger can "tweak" the charge on each cell.

There are schematics for this out there, or if needed, ask and I (or someone else can post here).

EDIT: You can parallel charge BUT make sure the starting point of each battery being paralleled is within .1V/cell of each other. If not the batteries will try to self balance, with large currents that can exceed the charge rate of the lower voltage battery.

 

[Handeman]

I got a SKYRC B6AC V2 a couple of years ago. I only charge a couple 1S cells for my GPS tracker, but it allows me the convenience of using AC the night before and topping off in the field using my 12V car starter.

 

[DaHabes]

This one, from Hobby King. It charges everything and has every function needed for managing your batteries, especially LiPos. You MUST have a balance charger for multi-cell LiPo's. This will do 1S to 6S batteries. It comes with a good number of charging cables and I made my own for the battery connectors it didn't provide. $30 (seriously inexpensive for the features).

 

[hobie1dog]

Likely the last charger you'll ever need. Hook it up to your laptop and get a reading of every cell.

Revolectrix Cellpro PowerLab 8 v2 8S/40A/1344W BATTERY CHARGER

nitrohobbies.com

 

[lakeroadster]

help me choose a charger

Opinions Vary... but IMHO, this was the best Charger ever.

 

[Fishhead]

Opinions Vary... but IMHO, this was the best Charger ever.
View attachment 515245

I tried to post a 72 Super Bee the other day, but the forum didn't like the pic.