Chargers & Batteries

[martyjward]

Right so after 18 months or so of wanting a good heli (after flying toys around the living room) I am finally in the position to get one

So I have decided on starting with an mSRx I think (open to other options). Can't make up mind quite make my mind up. I will probably take the mSRx, mCPx, 130x using a DX6i route and on (if the cash lasts).

Deciding on a heli and controller was tough, but batteries and charging is even more confusing . 1s charger, 3s charger 1 - 6s chargers, balancing chargers, parallel charging - its baffling, there are so many options & it seems if you treat your lipos wrong it can go bad.

Can anyone recomend a charger and all required bits for my (changing in the future) battery requirements and allow me to accuratly get them to storage charge and charge multiple batteries?

Are there any charging / battery guides that would help me?

[vinny155]

i would just stick to something that charges 1-3s for the moment,that way you are covered for a 450 if you go that route,not much point getting a 6s charger as they can be quite expensive,you will know yourself when the time comes if you are going to go bigger than 450,not sure whats out there for parallel charging 3s

[cjcj1949]

EFLC1004 - Celectra 4-port 1-Cell 3.7v 0.3a DC Li-Po Charger

If you go down the msr/msrx route you'll need one of these and 4 batteries. One came with my msr. You just plug the battery in after you've used in, let the motor cool down and take the next charged battery out. No fiddling at all. You'll see lots at any indoor meet in use and spare slots being borrowed. Don't run the lipos until the heli stops or they won't last.

[450man]

i would just stick to something that charges 1-3s for the moment,that way you are covered for a 450 if you go that route,not much point getting a 6s charger as they can be quite expensive,you will know yourself when the time comes if you are going to go bigger than 450,not sure whats out there for parallel charging 3s

Well, my charger cost me about £40 and it will charge 6S batteries. I also can parallel charge 2 x 2200mah 3S at 1C so it is an excellent first general charger. Not only that but it is mains and 12V so I don't even need a power supply. I would recommend this charger as an all-round, general purpose charger that will charge everything from a 1S MSR battery right up to 6S.

My charger is a LX60B... if you look around they are under £50 which when you consider that you need no power supply that is a good price.

BTW I parallel charge 4 x 2200mah 3S with balancing with this charger. OK, it can only deliver 4.5A so that is about 0.5C but it saves hours. 4.5A or about 50W is about what most cheap chargers are so you aren't likely to get much better for the price.

As for bits... that depends on what model you get. I would get a parallel charging cable for the battery you model takes so you can charge several batteries at the same time. Have a read up on parallel charging first though as there are a couple of things to watch out for if you are to parallel charge safely.

[450man]

EFLC1004 - Celectra 4-port 1-Cell 3.7v 0.3a DC Li-Po Charger

If you go down the msr/msrx route you'll need one of these and 4 batteries. One came with my msr. You just plug the battery in after you've used in, let the motor cool down and take the next charged battery out. No fiddling at all. You'll see lots at any indoor meet in use and spare slots being borrowed. Don't run the lipos until the heli stops or they won't last.

OK if you only want to fly the MSR. If you then get another heli you will need another charger. The LX60B is a general purpose charger that will charge all Lipo batteries up to 6S and even if you don't get a LX60B then I would still recommend a general purpose charger rather than one that charges a single battery type.

[p41mer]

I had no issues with an Imax B6. It was great for charging 3s 2200 for my 450. You can pick them up pretty cheap on ebay from Hong Kong.

[450man]

I had no issues with an Imax B6. It was great for charging 3s 2200 for my 450. You can pick them up pretty cheap on ebay from Hong Kong.

Yup... +1 for the Imax B6... I am looking for one now as I want a smaller charger to take to the field instead of having to unplug and take the LX60B.

EDIT: Regarding the ones from China and Hong Kong... many of them (but not all) are not original IMax and are substandard. just a heads up

[tomatwalden]

Personally I would advise talking to electriflyer as they specialise in electric RC stuff. They sell the icharger line which I use and recommend.

Homepage

t