foo
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 50
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Post by foo on Jan 27, 2010 16:23:56 GMT 1
I can't find the info anywhere, but is the stock hobbyzone charger for the Super cub LP a balanced charger?
Would you trust it with your 2200mah batteries?
Also, do you get chargers that charge 2 x 3S lipos at the same time, or are you better off buying 2 chargers?
And finally, are there any reasonably priced chargers ($20-$30) on HobbyKing that are balanced, 3-4S and 2amps output at least?
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Post by flydiver on Jan 27, 2010 18:12:53 GMT 1
Yes
No
yes but depends on the output.
No - you get what you pay for. IMO you should not scrimp on TX or chargers. They are the foundation for your whole fleet. They are not disposable, though some models are such crap they are.
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Post by cubster on Jan 27, 2010 18:30:00 GMT 1
sorry to hear Flydiver you don't trust your's... my 2 cents if I may.... I have had mine for a long time now, and with my 1300,1500 and 1800 mah turnigys(max I use in my sc's, I have others for my P51BL, BF109) they are fine and balanced to this day, wouldn't know why then a 2200 wouldn't be the same, if used properly, and charged properly even the stock charger is ok until you can get something better and more versatile... this is a VERY popular unit and strongly suggested and great price too: www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=7028&Product_Name=Turnigy_Accucel-6_50W_5A_Balancer/ChargerEither way, Happy Flying!  |
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Post by flydiver on Jan 27, 2010 19:03:46 GMT 1
I've had 5 PZ chargers fail, only one was the stock lipo charger. They are the same quality as the stock Cub electronics-functional but low end. If they work and stay working they are probably OK.
A known problem with that charger is it never seems to finish balancing on some lipos. A disturbing flaw but does not impair function near as I can tell. Certainly makes you think something is terribly wrong but hard to tell what.
It gives no information at all about what it is doing-personally I want to know.
I have an AC-6. Decent but doesn't hold a candle to the Cellpro 4S for park flier lipos. It is limited to 50A so in spite of the fact some folks use it to charge 2 x 3S 2200 (or larger) it is maxed out and will be slow (er). If you really want to charge larger lipos consideration for a better charger needs to be weighed and it just won't be $20-30 plus you need a power unit to feed it, more than the cheap 5A ones. The power supply alone will cost more than that unless you do the computer power supply mod.
AC-6: the cooling fan sucks-howls like a banshee > frequent and well known problem.
They give you a bunch of connecting wires which excites the hell out of people. None of them are balance tap wires they are all power wires and the wire + connectors are cheap clones. Only a couple are actually of any use. I've had to solder my Deans plug back on 2x in as many weeks since the stiff wire keeps breaking.
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Post by patmatgal on Jan 28, 2010 2:45:00 GMT 1
Shout out for the Cellpro 4s! Woo Hoo... Best charger I have, way better than anything else... (wait, flydiver you pushed me in that direction so that's like preaching to the choir). foo For $20-$30 what you'll get is a charger that will probalby stop working soon after you get good & familiar with it, not that you will, just probably (like a pair of cheap sneakers, soon after they're broken in & comfy the sole cracks). Check out this charger www.fmadirect.com/detail.htm?item=2360§ion=45it looks really nice. It's more than $30 and with a balancing tap adapter will be $65 and you still have to get a power cord (but if you can rig up one up on your own you're $30 richer). |
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Post by flydiver on Jan 28, 2010 3:57:36 GMT 1
I agree, the Cellpro is still top charge near as I can tell. I got the AC-6 because the 'cheap seats' crowd is sssooo enthusiastic about it. I was curious. Decent charger, pretty good bang for the buck but has a number of issues that the owners don't seem to want to acknowledge, but then none of them own the 4S.
There is a HUGE thread on it in RCGroups with lots of questions like, 'how do I charge my lipo?' But they still love it.
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Post by Dillzio on Jan 28, 2010 8:47:07 GMT 1
I think my stock LP charger works quite well, I'd have no hesitation in using it to charge my 2200mah batteries, other than the fact that it would take almost 2 hours. If you want to charge multiple batteries at the same time, and you know how to solder, I would recommend checking out this thread: supercubclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=batt&action=display&thread=2542It shows how I made my parallel charging array, which works fine with my stock charger. |
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foo
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 50
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Post by foo on Jan 28, 2010 9:00:21 GMT 1
Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated! I was mostly worried that the stock charger would dramatically reduce the lifetime of my batteries, but looks like this won't be the case. At $12 a Lipo for a Zippy 2200mah, I'm not too concerned about the od exploding battery for now Having had my cub for less than a month and having replaced almost all the electronics I'm pretty broke right now I agree with Flydiver, bought a DX7, made me feel more secure flying because I knew the bulk of my investment was safely on the ground ;D I will consider buying that Turnigy charger as a temporary measure until I can afford a decent one, I had my eye on it for a while. About the parallel charging, doesn't that just take twice as long anyway? |
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foo
Flight lieutenant
Posts: 50
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Post by foo on Jan 28, 2010 9:11:10 GMT 1
patmatgal - sorry, missed your reply! Thanks for the advice. Part of the reason why I don't want to buy an expensive charger right now is that that risk of shipping to South Africa is a little high, so I'd rather buy expensive items from a hobby shop where the prices are hyper inflated, so I'll prob end up paying more than double for it! And yes, I buy only cheap sneakers and I love them ;D
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Post by ginginho on Jan 28, 2010 10:10:58 GMT 1
[snip] I have an AC-6. Decent but doesn't hold a candle to the Cellpro 4S for park flier lipos. It is limited to 50A so in spite... [snip] Wow, 50A!!!  I think you mean 50 W don't you Fly? Only pointing this out so others don't think it's capable of this output. |
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Post by ginginho on Jan 28, 2010 10:45:36 GMT 1
[snip] About the parallel charging, doesn't that just take twice as long anyway? I don't know the specs of the stock charger so can't say if it will. However, if you are to charge a pair of 2200mAh @ 1C then the charger will need to be able to output 4.4Ah. I doubt the HZ one is capable of that. BTW, if you are tempted to go the parallel charging way, read up a lot on it first (the RCG thread is long but full of invaluable information). Dilz setup works for him. As stated in his thread I'd be concerned of pack-pack discharge when initially connecting them up, so would recommend also hooking up the power leads separately so that the link between the packs is capable of handling the large currents that can flow. I originally suggested this practice to Dilz, so feel a bit responsible for anyone else who goes this way. For reference, this is the build thread of mine: supercubclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=batt&thread=2148&page=1 |
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Post by Dillzio on Jan 28, 2010 17:39:11 GMT 1
The stock power pack puts out 1.3 amps, which is 1C for the stock 1300mah battery. It will only be .6C for one 2200mah battery (and about .3C for two). This just means that it will take almost twice as long to charge one 2200mah battery, there's no reason why you HAVE to charge your batteries at 1C, it's just a guideline as a maximum charging current. Most batteries are rated to max 2C charge these days, but it's still best practice to only charge at 1C. I have never found the pack-pack discharge thing to be a problem. Ging is referring to a phenomenon where lipo batteries of different charge levels are hooked up in parallel (for charging together), and electricity flows from the more full battery into the less full battery. Some people have claimed that because of the low resistance of lipos, the current flowing between the batteries may exceed the recommended 1C charge rate, or exceed the maximum meant for the skinny little balance connector wires. I've measured the current flow between two batteries before, and it wasn't enough to worry me, although I've forgotten the specifics of what the voltage difference was and how many amps were passing between them. In an attempt to hopefully put this myth to rest, I've just tested it myself with a multimeter. I took one battery at 12v, and another one at 11.3v, both were Zippy 2200mah 15C batteries. I first hooked the earths to each other, and then connected the positives through my multimeter while reading the amps. When it was first connected, it peaked at 1.18 amps, and then steadily went down. Based on that, I can't see the "pack-pack discharge" thing causing any problems unless you were to have multiple full batteries hooked in parallel, then you connected an empty one. As long as you don't go mixing up your full batteries with your empty ones it won't pose a problem. Get in there mate and go for it, make the most of every outlet this hobby has to offer. Don't be discouraged by the typical whinging pom!  @ging |
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Post by cubster on Jan 30, 2010 16:02:09 GMT 1
Shout out for the Cellpro 4s! Woo Hoo... Best charger I have, way better than anything else... (wait, flydiver you pushed me in that direction so that's like preaching to the choir). foo For $20-$30 what you'll get is a charger that will probalby stop working soon after you get good & familiar with it, not that you will, just probably (like a pair of cheap sneakers, soon after they're broken in & comfy the sole cracks). Check out this charger www.fmadirect.com/detail.htm?item=2360§ion=45it looks really nice. It's more than $30 and with a balancing tap adapter will be $65 and you still have to get a power cord (but if you can rig up one up on your own you're $30 richer). DISAGREE mate with all your comments! I too, like cheap sneakers,,,,,,and that AC charger is not any better mate in fact its TWICE the cost, maxs out at 4 amp, the other is 5 amp and half the price and NO, has not worn out like sneakers...yikes! I know many with it, and works great, dunno anyone with the accucell thats looks like it does JUST the same thing, and is double the price,,,not for me anyways! buy what you want,,,and please keep the info 'honest' cheers |
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Post by patmatgal on Jan 30, 2010 20:26:20 GMT 1
That's fine. Just giving an honest reply to the 4th question foo had. PS Cheap sneakers? After a while they may not look very good or have the arch support they did when new but that doesn't mean they aren't good for something. Would wear my EZ Striders to take the trash out right now but it's snowing and my feet would get wet & cold.  |
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Post by Dillzio on Jan 31, 2010 3:29:56 GMT 1
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I think you mean 50 W don't you Fly? 
@ging