Charger Question

[Battery Guy]

Greetings Everyone

I have always had the benefit of having high quality, Maccor programmable cell cyclers at my disposal for doing battery testing. Therefore, I have never owned a hobby battery charger for the home. Then again, up until I recently got hooked on flashlights and CPF, I never really had much of a need for rechargeable batteries.

Ideally, I am looking for a "universal" charger, that could be programmed to charge any cell I want. Something with a USB interface and its own software would be great.

What are you "advanced" hobbyists using nowadays?

Cheers,
Battery Guy

 

[recDNA]

Greetings Everyone

I have always had the benefit of having high quality, Maccor programmable cell cyclers at my disposal for doing battery testing. Therefore, I have never owned a hobby battery charger for the home. Then again, up until I recently got hooked on flashlights and CPF, I never really had much of a need for rechargeable batteries.

Ideally, I am looking for a "universal" charger, that could be programmed to charge any cell I want. Something with a USB interface and its own software would be great.

What are you "advanced" hobbyists using nowadays?

Cheers,
Battery Guy

 

[Mr Happy]

There are many choices, and many opinions. I think the best information in terms of analysis and test reviews is found on the RC forums.

Some brand names to consider include: Turnigy, IMAX, Bantam, GT Power, iCharger, Hyperion, Schulze.

Most of the above come out of China/Hong Kong and are at the lower end of the price range. The Schulze range comes from Germany and is more expensive. SilverFox always has good things to say about Schulze chargers.

 

[45/70]

I have one of these. I can't recommend one though. As Mr H suggested, I had read through the R/C forums first and discovered that a lot of the inexpensive chargers have QC problems. Mine for example had poor heat sinking of the power transistors. Easy enough to fix and it has been working quite well now for some time. I rarely use it with an output of more than 10-20 Watts though, and I'm sure the higher end (read, more expensive) chargers would do a better job at higher outputs.

Dave

 

[core]

Ideally, I am looking for a "universal" charger, that could be programmed to charge any cell I want.

Depends how "universal" and what your definition of "programmed" is.

Nearly all of these chargers that are frequently recommended, you can select LiIo, LiPo, Pb, or NiMH. That's it. And then it does its thing the way it wants to. At predefined voltages only.

My idea of a universal programmable charger is being able to select say CC/CV and give it an arbitrary voltage, charging current limit, and a termination current. At the very least. I should be able to charge cells that the thing has never heard of, as long as I know the proper charging regime.

Maybe the silly expensive ones are programmable, I don't know. But definitely not these affordable [brandhere]DC6/AC6 type of deals.

 

[Meterman]

After having done some market investigation I had decided that the Orbit Pocketlader would satisfy my personal needs in all battery matters in the best possible way. I've not been disappointed up to now.

You may find a seller in the USA here and at the page of Orbit in Germany you'll find complete informations including the detailed manual in english, too. (See > Products > Battery Chargers)

Wulf

 

[45/70]

After having done some market investigation I had decided that the Orbit Pocketlader would satisfy my personal needs in all battery matters in the best possible way. I've not been disappointed up to now.

Sorry BG, maybe a bit OT, but those Orbit Pocketladers do seem to be a really nice charger. If I were to have spent more on a hobby charger, I think that's what I would have gotten, instead of the "cheapie" I did get. I'm not complaining, except for having to re-heatsink the transistors, it does everything I need it for quite well.

Meterman, are they actually made in Germany? Even if they're not, it may make no difference. I have a Behringer bass amp that's actually made in China, but I really like it. It would seem that Behringer anyway, watches production very closely.

Dave

 

[Stereodude]

There are many choices, and many opinions. I think the best information in terms of analysis and test reviews is found on the RC forums.

Some brand names to consider include: Turnigy, IMAX, Bantam, GT Power, iCharger, Hyperion

What's the deal with most of them being only DC powered? :thinking:

 

[Mr Happy]

What's the deal with most of them being only DC powered? :thinking:

They are normally used in locations where AC power is not available. In addition having the power supply separate reduces problems of size, cost and heat generation compared to packaging it inside the case.

 

[Stereodude]

They are normally used in locations where AC power is not available. In addition having the power supply separate reduces problems of size, cost and heat generation compared to packaging it inside the case.

I guess... I've bought NiMH / NiCad RC chargers in the past and never even considered the DC models. The Thunder AC6 looks interesting for $55 though for those of us looking to plug our charger into the wall.

 

[Meterman]

Sorry BG, maybe a bit OT, but those Orbit Pocketladers do seem to be a really nice charger. If I were to have spent more on a hobby charger, I think that's what I would have gotten, instead of the "cheapie" I did get. I'm not complaining, except for having to re-heatsink the transistors, it does everything I need it for quite well.

Meterman, are they actually made in Germany? Even if they're not, it may make no difference. I have a Behringer bass amp that's actually made in China, but I really like it. It would seem that Behringer anyway, watches production very closely.

Dave

Hello 45/70, I could reach the owner of Orbit only today, and I wanted to give an absolutely correct answer.

Yes, the Orbit Pocketlader is produced 100% in Germany.


And BTW it only needs a small power supply delivering 12V at ~ 1.5 to 2.0A (like the one of the MAHA MH-C9000 for example) if you just don't charge battery packs.

Wulf

 

[purduephotog]

After having done some market investigation I had decided that the Orbit Pocketlader would satisfy my personal needs in all battery matters in the best possible way. I've not been disappointed up to now.

You may find a seller in the USA here and at the page of Orbit in Germany you'll find complete informations including the detailed manual in english, too. (See > Products > Battery Chargers)

Wulf

Thanks. On the Orbit page it defined 'Lithium Ion' as :

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1][SIZE=-1]The POCKETLADER is a powerful charger for Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh), Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), lead (Pb), and Lithium-Ion/ -Polymer/-Ferrophosphate-A123 batteries, and simultaneously serves as a precise measurement device for the battery condition . A clearly arranged LCD display informs you at any time about the battery voltages, the charging current, the charging time, and the capacity/charge (in mAh). [/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT]

Which answered my question about LiFePO4 batteries.

I'm still trying to find a decent, cheap charger. I know that may be difficult- but knowing it can take 12V 1.5A DC supply too is useful- I've got one or two of those laying around.

 

[45/70]

Hello 45/70, I could reach the owner of Orbit only today, and I wanted to give an absolutely correct answer.

Yes, the Orbit Pocketlader is produced 100% in Germany.

Thanks, Wulf. :thumbsup: If I decide to get another one, the Pocketlader is definitely on my list.

......but knowing it can take 12V 1.5A DC supply too is useful- I've got one or two of those laying around.

Most any hobby charger will accept a less powerful PS. It all depends on the power required to accomplish the task at hand. For example, if you are using a 50 Watt charger at max, you'll need a 12 Volt 5 Amp PS. If you are only going to be charging with a 10 Watt power requirement, a 1 Amp PS will work. I often just use my 3A bench supply for charging, as I rarely ever need more than 20 Watts.

Dave