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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 13, 2009 19:47:44 GMT
Looking for some advice here ladies and gents,
Can you tell the difference between a lipo charged on a "cheapo" charger in comparison to an "expensive" one?
Also what chargers have you tried, and how have you found them??
thoughts?
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Post by darrenoakley on Dec 13, 2009 20:18:27 GMT
From and electrical point of view (and I mainly work with AC but the basic principals will be the same) the best way would be to check the individual voltage on each cell. I do it with my work electrical tester, that i have to have for my job and that by law has to be calibrated yearly. It can be done with any multi meter but you would need to be sure that it is spot on calibrated or you check it on a known voltage ie a battery you are sure has been charged with a "good" charger. My tester is always in the van if you need it one night  . From the looks of things most of the ones on the market are based on the same unit ie 4 buttons across the bottom like the core rc. I got a cheap one and its within 0.003 of a volt per cell so that will do me. As i say this is just an electrical point of view as i haven't been racing long enough to comment on anything else really. Hope this helps mate. |
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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 13, 2009 20:30:50 GMT
cheers mate, I'm aware of voltage checking per cell, and having calibrated equipment.
Interested to see if anyone has noticed a change in the feel of their packs through different chargers...
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Post by paul waters on Dec 13, 2009 20:34:04 GMT
im using the team orion advantage clubman lipo which is one of the cheapest ive seen and works a treat. got my charger and 2 lipos for £80 bargain
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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 13, 2009 20:45:09 GMT
bought in the UK?
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Post by Simon Crabb on Dec 13, 2009 20:57:16 GMT
To answer Matt's original question: I've used a couple of chargers and can't tell any difference, but that doesn't mean there isn't a difference....
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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 13, 2009 21:02:00 GMT
Thanks Simon  |
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Post by paul waters on Dec 13, 2009 22:01:08 GMT
yer bought from modelsport its also got a built in balancer to well worth it if your on a budget like me
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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 13, 2009 22:33:17 GMT
I have two of the Orion Chargers already.. thanks for the info.. - Doesn't really answer my question tho!
can any of you tell the difference between a pack charged on something like an overloader or ultramat in comparison to a cheap generic "4 button" charger as Darren rightly described them??
Matt
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Post by oldtimeracer on Dec 14, 2009 9:21:11 GMT
I have been using a Demon cheapo charger ever since I switched to Lipos. Have just recently bought a Bantam BC6 charger which is 4 times the price and I have to say there does appear to be no difference whatsoever. As Simon rightly says that does not mean there IS no difference but if there is I am not good enough to tell. My packs seem to get to the same voltage and seem to perform the same. They take about the same time to charge as well.
I do wonder if the difference in chargers is more the external appearance rather than the internal set up. Maybe the components are of a better quality or maybe they are all the same. Who knows.
There are more functions on the BC6 but apart from that it appears to be the same.
Guess you pays yer money and takes yer choice.
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Post by yellowshark on Dec 14, 2009 12:47:28 GMT
I have two of the Orion Chargers already.. thanks for the info.. - Doesn't really answer my question tho! can any of you tell the difference between a pack charged on something like an overloader or ultramat in comparison to a cheap generic "4 button" charger as Darren rightly described them?? Matt Blimey not sure I would call the BC6 cheap - you guys must have some walletts  |
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Post by Simon Crabb on Dec 14, 2009 12:53:19 GMT
Blimey not sure I would call the BC6 cheap - you guys must have some walletts I don't think any of us were calling the BC6 cheap, Pete! I think the cheap 4 button chargers are the dozens of Chinese / Hong Kong / Taiwan copies that are out there. |
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Post by darrenoakley on Dec 14, 2009 16:13:19 GMT
I think i understand what you were asking now matt.
As long as a cheap charger and the expensive charger where charging correctly and the final reading were the same i cant see how you would be able to tell the difference between the two batteries charged on different charger. The reason i say this is basically because all electric is the same regardless of what charger put it into the batteries.
I dont know if there would be a long term deference to the batteries though.
Hope this is more along what you need mate.
Maybe it would be worth a few of us swapping chargers for a couple of charges to see if we notice any change.
Your welcome to have a go on mine (Charger Les) ;D
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Post by mattsedgley on Dec 14, 2009 17:30:12 GMT
hahaha i love the (Charger Les) bit..
here's an interesting question for you then.. A very very well respected top racer (who drives an Mi4) suggested that his cells felt better when they'd been charged on with the same settings on the charger, except the supply was different, one on 12v the other from a 240v supply??
Also what about charging at 1c,2c,3c etc.. I've recently seen a LiPo charger that can charge at 20A..
Personally I always charge at the highest amperage I can get away with.. so 6A for most things has anyone noticed a difference when charging at a lower amperage???
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Post by darrenoakley on Dec 14, 2009 19:45:06 GMT
OK to charge from the mains it would be converted to dc via a power supply Transform,rectify,smooth,regulate, If the adaptor supplying the charger was rubbish then this may be what could account for a difference in feel once charged.
But i would doubt that a very very well respected racer would use a bad adapter though. Even if he does have bad choice in cars. Thats for the broken matt ;D
But seriously mate if its not that then you have finally got me on this one. Made me scratch my head though.
See you all wed night.
ps
Sorry to all the schumacher drivers too, Only joking about the bad car comment before i start a war.
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Post by lesbaldry on Dec 14, 2009 19:59:53 GMT
Your welcome to have a go on mine (Charger Les) ;D Steady up old chap ...you'll have the lads thinking us Ex Paras are "unusual"....mind you I heard that 2nd Batt were a bit dodgy anyway,More like Marines  ........ ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by gwesty on Dec 14, 2009 20:47:44 GMT
matt , my charger can do a fast charge at 10 amps ! to be honest tho with lipos they peak at between 8.35 and 8.45 v . the only time you ever noticed more punch or run time was with cells because they relied on the amp settings and discharge rate .
gw
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........ ;D ;D ;D