PPower05

Hey guys,
First post on RCU. Iam new to Electric RC, and just getting back in the hobby from a glow plane Ihad 6 years ago... I currently own a Flyzone Switch. I currently have 3 lipo batterys, all 3 1800MaH, ranging from 15C to 25C. All output at 11.1V.... I think that means they are 3 cell?? Long story short, when Iwant to go flying, I have to spend an entire day charging the batteries.... Is there any way in which to charge my batteries faster?? I wouldn't think so, as they all need the same amount of current going in them.... However, I was wondering if there was any product out there that can charge multipule batteries at one time?? The only one that Ihave seen was from Hobby King, however, the reviews didn't look that great... Thanks for your time and knowledge!
Perry

guver

My Feedback: (325)

Current = charging speed. The stock charger is probably dog slow because it's charge current is low. Any cheap 50 watt charger will outpace the stock one and even single output chargers will do multiple packs (if they contain the same number of "series" cells which yours do) if set up properly. There are also plenty of dual output chargers and some 4 output chargers too.

Quorneng

PPower05
Most LiPo can be charged at 1C or in other words a current that fills them in 1 hour. For an 1800mAh battery that would be 1.8 amps.

However LiPos hate, and I do mean hate, being over charged so at this fast charge rate your charger <u>must</u> be able to recognise when the LiPo is full and stop.
Even a small over charge permanently damages the LiPo, a serious over charge and it can catch fire and they burn very fiercely.

Just to add a further complication each cell may require a slightly different charge to fill up completely so each cell has to be individually and accurately topped up or 'balanced' as well.

Now a good LiPo charger will do all this for you and in general you get what you pay for but if it can safely charge quickly and keeps your LiPos in good condition its worth it.

PPower05

Ok, so what are some good ones on the market??

rumbleb

My Feedback: (1)

http://www.hobbypartz.com/skychb6chdup.html

The sky Charger is the one I've used for sometime now. Charges one battery at a time, but that works fine for me.

As already noted, do not overcharge your batteries. I fly with three cell, four cell, five cell and six cell ranging from 3000 to 5000mah depending on the aircraft.

I never, ever, quick charge my batteries. And I never, ever charge greater than 1.0 to 1.5 amps, even for the large batteries. If you want your batteries to be safe (stable) and last for a long time, do not overcharge them.

Also, I buy my batteries (and almost everything else) from Hobby King. I do not however like their battery chargers. I'd go with Tower Hobbies, Hobbypartz, RCDude, or whoever you favorite is.

Good luck!<br type="_moz"/>

guver

My Feedback: (325)

The charger linked by rumbleb is a good value for a 50 watt AC/DC charger and will work identically to many other chinese chargers. I always quick charge my packs , and if you want to do them fast that simply means you need more current/power.

For your specific packs using a 1 hr charge (1C) you will need 1.8 amps for each pack and 20-25 watts of power. For doing multiple packs double , triple or quadruple these figures. Example would be doing all 3 of your packs in 1 hr would require 5.4 amps and about 60-70 watts. One of the cheapest chinese 50 watt chargers may do you a nice job and be quite the improvement over the stock charger. They can be had for about $20 +

PPower05

So I guess what Iam understanding here is the charger supplied is not charging my batteries at a high rate at all?? Iguess Iwas under the impression that it was charging somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.8, but it isn't?? And by purchasing this charger, Iwould be able to charge a single pack in about an hour??

Rodney

When charging at a 1 C rate, it will take a bit more than one hour to charge a fully discharged battery for two reasons; You always have to put more in than you take out as charging is not 100% efficient, and two, all the good chargers taper off the charge rate as the battery approaches full charge so it takes a longer time to put that last 10% of charge in than it did for the first 10%.

guver

My Feedback: (325)

Yep, I think the stock charger is 800 ma. If you get a 50 watt charger with a 5 or 6 amp rate then you can do 2 packs in an hr and 3 packs in slightly over an hr. If you are willing to charge faster than 1C then it can do the stock packs in less than 1 hr. I don't use the particular Flyzone 1800 pack , and have even heard of some poor results with the stock packs in the switch. The reports have indicated a poor quality pack. Flyzone recommends only a 1C max current. I do have experience with the flyzone 1300 pack and I can say it is a good quality pack that I charge at 6C even though flyzone recommends a 1C max with it too. Go figure.

PPower05

I don't know if I am brave enough to charge above 1.8, as the battery says....  Not trying to burn the house down!!  But if it only takes around an hour to fully charge a pack, that is much better than the 4-6 hours it is taking me right now!

cheezer1222

My Feedback: (3)

I don't think he'll be able to charge at a 5 or 6 amp rate. It's a 50W charger divided by the 11.1V battery, you get about 4.5A max.

Personally, I'd just charge them at 1C, but then again, I'm the type of person that does his charging the night before, and when the batteries are empty, I'm done flying for the day. If you do charge at above 1C, just keep a good eye on the battery, make sure it's not getting too warm.

guver

My Feedback: (325)

That might be about perfect for doing 3 packs in a bit over an hr. 2 packs would require something over 1C rate. Many are not willing to go over that magic number. In any case maxxing out the charger at 50 watts is quite easy. One thing is for sure doing 1 , 2 or 3 packs in "about an hr" is quite an improvement over the stopck charger. I think a 50 watt charger and some parallel leads would be a nice investment of $30-$50 for PPower05.

In fact , if He was my neighbor I'd have a 50 watt charger, leads and even a few extra 3sx1800 supertigre packs on the way to him right now.

PPower05

Guver, I really wish you where my neighbor!!  I have no need to charge my batteries at crazy rates, I think around 1C to 1.2 TOPS would be more than enough...  Like I said, as of now, I got 3 batteries and the stock charger.  It takes me approx. 6-10 hours to charge my batteries right now....  It would just be nice to have all the batteries ready to go within an hour or two would be a complete game changer.  Another weird thing, my charger keeps on giving me "error" messages on two of my batteries, so I have to unplug them and replug them in before they get a full charge...

guver

My Feedback: (325)

Unfortunately (even without the slowness) You'll probably want a charger that will give you a little more info than just leds. I'd start to be a bit leary of the packs and charger without knowing for sure what's going on with the packs. The "error" messages are probably there for a reason.

ps. I wish you were my neighbor too , maybe I wouldn't have to pay you very much to take these extra stock chargers off my hands. []