TOPIC:

hi guys

is this charger any good

www.modelsport....cts/365880

I just realised the last time i charged a stick battery was when i was 15.

Im a bit rusty to say the least,i dont know much about batteries and charging them,which aint that good if you have 5 restos on the go and you want your cars as runners

can anyone shine some light on this subject for me?

not to technical please lol

many thanks

Jon The Fox

Hi Jon.
I have not tried the charger you link to but the spec seem ok. It can charge the required types of batteries (LiPo and NiMH are most used) and it has a built in balancer which is important for the LiPo's. Also it has a mains cord connection, which is very useful at home.

From "back then" you probably only had NiCD (Nickel Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel Metal Hybride) batteries.
The latest and best technology is the LiPo's which have some nice characteristics:
- high power output (20,30,40 C)
- high capacity (usually 4-5000 mAh (this is the "C"), your old stickpac has possibly 2000mAh ?)
- no charging thresholds (meaning they do not have "memory")
- very light
- can be charged at high rates, max 1C

Some things to be aware about LiPo's:
- Can only be charged by charger designed for the LiPo's
- may explode if charged wrong
- 7,4 (yes...) LiPo's have two cells, which need to be balanced (charged individually) in order to keep the battery healthy.
- never leave a LiPo to charge by it's own. IF thing go wrong, you should be there to put the fire out... (you can buy "charging bags" where you put the LiPo's that will prevent desaster if thing go wrong.)

This is what can happen:


And here is a LiPo bag shown doing it's work.



Maybe a bit too much about LiPo's, but they are the best choice these days.

-Lars

For a start, what sort of batteries are you planning on using?

NiCad - used to be the only choice, but technology has moved on ... they get the job done, limited capacity (& therefore run time) is the probably the only drawback.

NiMH (nickel metal hydride) - pretty much entry level now, various capacities, but probably the best value is around 3700mAH. If you don't look after them - i.e. charge & use them regularly, lifespan can be much shorter than NiCad.
Larger capacity packs have been known to explode during fast charging & use
Still, this is my choice - I'd recommend Vapextech

LiPo (lithium polymer) - can provide an awful lot of power, which is great if you're going racing with mad brushless motors, but for "play" I just don't see the point. Also have issues with fitting in "old" cars, and need to be charged in a special airtight sack, as if they catch fire you can't put them out


LiFe (lithium something or other). A good analogy would be video cassette formats ... VHS quickly became the standard ... LiFe isn't even Betamax - it's Video2000



My first charger was a slow charger, then I upgraded (this was 1984/5) to an Acoms 12v/clockwork fast charger that put 15 minutes worth of fast charge into your 1200mAH hump pack whether that was what it needed or not ... now I have 4 variations of "Pro-Peak" 2500 charger, which do me & my NiMH packs fine ... but I would like the facility to "cycle" batteries. I notice that charger you asked about does have that - but the discharge rate is pants - it would take a full day to condition an average pack TBH I have no idea beyond that.

The last charger I was genuinely impressed with was the Etronix Powerpal 4 - essentially 4 nicad/nimh chargers/dischargers in one, but at 120 GBP it's a lot of gustings

Nice clips, Lars

Found a pic of the aftermath of a NiMH cell letting go:

Looks like a nice charger. I've heard Imax is good value for money. Lots of options too.
But there are some cheap specimen on eBay that aren't genuine... so be careful of that.
This is what I use myself :


An Lrp Pulsar 3 with Graupner power supply. Doesn't have an integrated balancer though.
Nice feature about it is that is can function as it's own digitally adjustable power feed.
Very handy for running in motors (under water) for example...

thanks everyone for your help again.sorry for the late reply

Im planning to run NiMH batterys,i did have ni-cad 15 years ago,lol,i got about 10...15 mins of runtime,i also had the acoms 15 mins fast charger jonny r,they were great.
wot is the run time i would get out of a 3700mAH Nimh battery...roughly?

thanks lars for that eye opener .im not going down the LiPO route i cant afford a brushless motor or esc.im mainly going on dirt so a nice brushed dirt motor for me,maybe a 25 or 27 turn,would that be ok for off road?

jr are the vapextech batterys good,they seem great value for money?

il look out for Imax on the bay Edou,lovin your set up bud

how do u know if there fake,is this one?

www.ebay.co.uk/...2a103b9c2e

Thanks again

jtf

With a motor that's doesn't draw too much current, I'd say you could run your car about 30-45 minutes on a 3700mAh.
Your plan for a 25-27T motor sounds very suited for general off road use.
Vapextech are great batteries. Too bad they're twice as expensive in the country where they're produced.
Which happens to be where I live...

Hope to see your car running soon!

jon_the_fox wrote:

how do u know if there fake

The only way to be really sure is to get one from here for example :

Hobbyking Imax B6 ACDC

There are two versions btw - might be best to get the one with the integrated power transformer.
If you want to get it on eBay... too cheap is an indication but you could also check the seller's feedback for faulty wares.

I've been very impressed with the Vapextech batteries, people I've met using them at bashes/events also think highly of them. I think any doubts about them usually come from the price being about the same as some of the unbranded junk seen on eBay


Run times vary, but I guess 20-25 minutes in a 2WD car, off road with a Tamiya "Sport Tuned" 23T motor, an ESC & full bearings is about average

im looking at putting this in my boomer project

www.ebay.co.uk/...1423.l2649

ive just ordered a couple of 3700mAH Vapextech batteries,still decideing on the charger.

jtf