How do I use my Bantam BC6-DC charger?

[Noctis]

So I bought a brand spanking new Bamtam BC6-DC charger off of eBay to charge the 26650 battery I will be getting from FiveMega, along with my host.

Only thing is...I didn't find a wall plug with it. I thought someone was playing a practical joke on me. But no, I look at "input", follow the wires, and I end up staring at two ALLIGATOR CLIPS. :thinking:

Okay, am I supposed to stick those into the wall socket?[/sarcasm] Because the last time I tried that when I was 6, I don't seem to remember much after that, other than a vague recollection of my brother laughing at my spiked hairdo.

Also, since I'm charging a single lithium cell, I suspect I'll need two magnets that are electrically conductive unless I want to press the wires against the batteries for two hours.

I just need the basic requirements:
1) Ships from the US. Anywhere else takes too long, especially China.
2) Ships with USPS. Any other shipping service will insist that they can't get inside the building complex, and will nag me to march 10 miles down to the airport to pick up the package.
3) Specs say that I need a 12V DC supply. I also assume the current must be at least 2A to make it worth it.

I'm also hoping that nagging feeling at the back of my head that I might spend another $100 on the power supply is just my imagination.

 

[Black Rose]

Depending on the voltage and amperage specs, a power adapter for a laptop computer may be sufficient.

Check with Luxluthor to see if he can get you set up with magnet based charge leads.

Right now you say you only want to charge a single cell, but I suspect that will change over time as you get used to what the charger can do, as well as the variety of lights that are powered by Li-ion cells.

 

[Russel]

Here is the Bantam BC6-DC manual.

In order to use the full 80 Watt charge capability of the charger you need a 12 volt 8 amp power supply. But, you could get by with a smaller power supply if you are only charging one Lithium Ion cell at a time.

If you read through the manual you will see that it is possible to charge up to 6 cells at a time with balancing leads. If think you want to try that I suggest you get an 100 watt 12 volt power supply. (8 Amps at 12 volts)

[edit]

Here is a Balancing plug with leads if you should decide to try charging more than one cell at a time.

and Wiring diagram

[end edit]

 

[Anders]

Hello Noctis.

you can also use a clamp.

See Cy:s improved batt charging clamp instructions

Anders

 

[Noctis]

Here is the Bantam BC6-DC manual.

In order to use the full 80 Watt charge capability of the charger you need a 12 volt 8 amp power supply. But, you could get by with a smaller power supply if you are only charging one Lithium Ion cell at a time.

If you read through the manual you will see that it is possible to charge up to 6 cells at a time with balancing leads. If think you want to try that I suggest you get an 100 watt 12 volt power supply. (8 Amps at 12 volts)

[edit]

Here is a Balancing plug with leads if you should decide to try charging more than one cell at a time.

and Wiring diagram

[end edit]

The power supply specs seem fairly simple to figure out. The problem would be figuring out how it all fits in with the alligator clips.

I've contacted the original seller, but his replies were far from illuminating:

Hello, the unit is DC powered only and the description in the listing indicates this in a couple of places.

- DC Input Power
The Bantam e-Station BC6DC is operated with DC power only. For AC operation a power supply of 11V to 18V with 100 watts of power or 8 amps is required. As a result it can charge up to 15 cells of NiCd/NiMH and up to 6S of Lithium batteries with maximum current of 5.0A or 80 watts, whichever ocuurs first.

Your local radio shack will have a AC-DC power supply for you. This is what you need, For AC operation a power supply of 11V to 18V with 100 watts of power or 8 amps is required.

The people at your Radio Shack appear to have no clue. Put whatever connectors you need on the DC input lines of the charger.

He pointed me over to a power supply that seemed even more difficult to use than the charger itself, and the person who was selling that power supply said that he wouldn't recommend it, saying that it wouldn't come with a wall plug and is meant for professionals only.

Depending on the voltage and amperage specs, a power adapter for a laptop computer may be sufficient.

Check with Luxluthor to see if he can get you set up with magnet based charge leads.

Right now you say you only want to charge a single cell, but I suspect that will change over time as you get used to what the charger can do, as well as the variety of lights that are powered by Li-ion cells.

It's doubtful I'll be charging more than one cell at a time. Even taking every possible opportunity to use my light in a day, I hardly ever use more than half the capacity or run the light for longer than 10 minutes.

The laptop charger seems pretty close to the mark, as a few of them have two metallic connectors that are spaced far enough apart for me to use the alligator clips on them. However, the output voltage doesn't match the required amount(the manual seemed to make it pretty clear that it needs to be 12V and no more or less).

Hello Noctis.

you can also use a clamp.

See Cy:s improved batt charging clamp instructions

Anders

Sounds great, I'll just need to see if the "RatShack" has them.

 

[hawkz]

Wow, BC6, eh? Nice charger, though it's more for the hobby crowd than anything else. I think the charger you meant to get is the BC6DP which is dual powered and can get power from a power supply or the wall. Since you only have a BC6, then you'll need a power supply like others have mentioned. You can get some quality PS from rcgroups.com's For Sale forum. Here's an example of a 30A server power supply adapted for RC hobby use for $40:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1051873

PM me if you need individual help as I don't frequent the Flashlight Electronics - Batteries Included subforum much.

 

[ronkar]

If you want to save money...
Get a new (or free old) PC internal power supply (aka PSU). They can be had for very little. This one is under $22, and will be more than happy to deliver 8 amps out of 3 possible 12V rails.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Coolmax-V-500-Series-500W-120mm-ATX-Power-Supply/8245532

Specs for the unit:
http://www.coolmaxusa.com/productDe...etails=spec&subcategory=120mm&category=single

This is one way to rewire it for a bench supply, or you can do it with the bare minimum, too, with the +12V wires coming out through the original grommet:
http://web2.murraystate.edu/andy.batts/ps/powersupply.htm