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Battery Charger Recommendation

Roadking

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I have a Tinyhawk that came with a battery charger for the 1s batteries it uses, and it works fine. I'm thinking of getting my next quad and I'm sure there will be others in the future that will be using 2s, 3s, etc.
Is there a charger that could charge the different batteries? I'd like it if it could charge multiple at the same time, maybe 6 at once. I don't want to go crazy in price, but I'd also like it to be the last one I buy if possible.
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.
 
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To charge multiple batteries you will need a Parallel Charge board, and don't cheap out, get one that is a "safer" charge board with fuses or Poli-fuses (they are like a circuit breaker that pops on heat and resets once cooled. It is hard to beat the JB charge boards for price and quality (cost more because they have Poli-fuses) but are limited to one cell count so you would need a few of them. There is no board that has all the connectors and cell counts you will ever need, so you won't be able to get 1 board that fits all the bills.

I would suggest weighing these as they are the best/best bang for the buck.

XT60


XT30

You may need to shop for another board later if you get into newer/rarer options in the future like XT30 and 6s

For chargers it is hard to beat the iSDT line, look them up and compare the capability to others for the cost and let us know if you have questions.

Keep in mind, none of this stuff is cheap, you can always get an IMAX B6, but it will hit its limits early for you and you will need to buy another one anyway. You can plan on spending about $50-$60 for each charging port the charger has, and here is a good one in the ~$120 range.


I have multiple chargers and multiple parallel charge boards, because I have every connector type and cell count out there almost. Batteries are a big expense, and so is a decent charger that can handle the needs for parallel charging (lots of amps) and charging a few different types at once (multiple ports)

Try not to be shocked that these things aren't cheap, but look for sales and reviews, and then build over time what you need.
 
Very good information. Thank you. The X2 AC Plus looks like it may meet my needs initially since it can charge 2 at a time and handles everything up to 6 cells.

I saw the XT30 board and it would seem that paired with the charger I'd be set, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Just an FYI if you haven't seen this XT30 Safety Issue Not necessarily a knock out, just something to be aware of.

Thanks again. I appreciate the help.
 
I saw the XT30 board and it would seem that paired with the charger I'd be set, if I'm understanding this correctly.

It all depends on what you have on what you'll want/need. If you have any doubts, give a holler before you pull the trigger on a buy.

The XT30 board I recommended is NOT the one in the video, in fact (1s-3s), I have never seen a 1s battery with an XT30 as it is a very heavy overkill for the current that a 1s is capable of, and that is why they are not usually sold like that. The one I pointed out is 2s-4s and is not a knockoff sold on Amazon, but is instead a decent quality sold by one of the few companies that makes them. As far as the video, I can tell you this from just a couple of years in this hobby, NOTHING will prevent a mis-connection if you are not paying attention, there is enough play in the JST-HX, and too much tolerance difference in the XT's on the market. The kid who did the video might as well have been smoking while he filled his gas tank. These batteries have a huge power density, and extra care to check the cells for .2 volts or less difference, and great care in connecting them up correctly is critical, or it is just a matter of time before an accident.

Let me know of any specific questions or concerns, and I will be glad to flush them out with you.
 
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The more I read about charging Lipo’s the more confused I get.
What would you set the charger to for this Lipo ?
Why does it say 80C?
I thought:
-drained was 3.0 and full was 4.2.
-A 3S would be charged to 3 x that to 12.6
-Normal time to end flight is at 3.5
- A 300 mv would charge a a rate of 1 amp.
None of the numbers in the battery reflect any of that.
EA3F73C2-EB71-4B1B-8CE7-7D7A577E0994.jpeg
 
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You need to look at 2 things, the mah and the battery type which is either LiPo or LiPoHv. That battery is a 300 mah (mili-amps) or .3 amps and it is an HV (high voltage 4.35 instead of 4.2v) so you would charge it at .3 amps and charge it to 4.35 volts.
 
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By the way, the 80c and 160c are discharge rating meaning it can produce 80xmah rating continuously and can burst 160xmah rating for short periods, it has nothing to do with charge rate.
 
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You need to look at 2 things, the mah and the battery type which is either LiPo or LiPoHv. That battery is a 300 mah (mili-amps) or .3 amps and it is an HV (high voltage 4.35 instead of 4.2v) so you would charge it at .3 amps and charge it to 4.35 volts.
Would that be x3, @ 13v?
Would I charge it at .3 amps x 3, .9amp?
 
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No, the whole pack is rated at .3 amps (300 milliamps) so you would charge at .3 amps regardless of how many cells there are.
Given an example of a 1300mah 4s and a 1300 mah 6s, they would both be charged at a 1.3 amp rate regardless of cell count.
 
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could I see the balance lead you then use I just run mine down the parallel board then input each balance lead .. also very stuck for space ,, this looks cool

From what I could gather from your post, you are doing it the same way. Since there is no battery main leads connected to the XT60, the main banana leads have no voltage on them, so I just leave them unhooked. The XT30 goes to the charger, the parallel board balance lead goes to the charger, and here I have a 3s XT30 ready to charge. Questions?


IMG_0001.jpg
 

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