Yet another post. Fast Charging

[Coyote8]

Ok, so I have another question. Couldn't find it in the searches or an appropriate forum for this.

1. What is the fastest charger out there. I basically want to be able to live with 2 batteries. When one dies, charge it and have it be done by the time the second one dies.

2. Is there truly a 15min fast charger out there?

3. Is there a fast charger that can do both NiCad, Lipo, and handle both at the same time?

Obviously I know the higher MAh the longer the charge will take. so let's assume I'm running an 8.4v 4800MAH. Or a 2s 4800MAH LiPo (no clue if the LiPo stats are right)

[zball94]

1. By the battery examples you have given, anything that can charge at 4.8A would be fastest.
2. Yes they are out there. No they are not good or safe to use.
3. There are several. What's your price range?

[SFT2]

It's not just the charger that determines how fast you can charge a lipo, it's also the lipo itself. I have some that can only be charged at 1c (5 amps for one hour on a 5000 mAH pack) and some that can take up to 5c (25 amps for 12 minutes with the same pack). Almost all batteries can be charged in an hour, quite a few in half an hour. My general rule of thumb is 1c charge rates for lipos, 2c for NiMH, but for the Gens Ace lipos I'll go to 2c if I'm in a hurry. I highly recommend the AC680 charger. Works great. I also have a Passport Ultra that does just as good, but is much louder and cost 3 times as much. Both will charge any pack I own.

[Jakey]

Ok, so I have another question. Couldn't find it in the searches or an appropriate forum for this.

1. What is the fastest charger out there. I basically want to be able to live with 2 batteries. When one dies, charge it and have it be done by the time the second one dies.

2. Is there truly a 15min fast charger out there?

3. Is there a fast charger that can do both NiCad, Lipo, and handle both at the same time?

Obviously I know the higher MAh the longer the charge will take. so let's assume I'm running an 8.4v 4800MAH. Or a 2s 4800MAH LiPo (no clue if the LiPo stats are right)
Take a look at the FMA PL8 charger. It will do all you asked and more.
http://www.fmadirect.com/

[The VXL]

honestly you can charge your batt in 15 mins if you want but you'll almost certainly kill it unless it's a really high quality lipo but even then you run the risk of causing a fire and anyway if you want a charger that charges your 4800mah batteries in 15 minutes you're going to need something like this and i don't know about you but i think most of us don't have 400$ to spend on just a charger that will kill your batteries best stick with something like this
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/fusion-lx60b-elysium-pro-intelligent-balance-charger/rc-car-products/30776
a 6 amp charge rate is all you'll need and a balance board for a dollar or two to complete

[crusey]

Certainly dont need a $400 charger to charge at 20 amps

$200 for charger and power supply would be plenty

As suggested, only a few brands of batteries are able to be charged in 15 mins (4c charge rate)

30 mins (2c charge rate) is almost the norm these days for any decent lipo pack

Cheers

[Jakey]

honestly you can charge your batt in 15 mins if you want but you'll almost certainly kill it unless it's a really high quality lipo but even then you run the risk of causing a fire and anyway if you want a charger that charges your 4800mah batteries in 15 minutes you're going to need something like this and i don't know about you but i think most of us don't have 400$ to spend on just a charger that will kill your batteries best stick with something like this
http://www.modelsport.co.uk/fusion-lx60b-elysium-pro-intelligent-balance-charger/rc-car-products/30776
a 6 amp charge rate is all you'll need and a balance board for a dollar or two to complete
Who said anything about $400 and killing packs? You and only you.
A good quality, matched Nimh pack can be charged at 6-Amps or so and many LiPo's are safe to charge at 2C and up.
As the OP reguested, I posted a link to a GREAT charger that will safely charge packs at higher rates. If you don't like it or don't ever plan on buying one fine, but please keep the negative false comments to yourself.

[candy76man]

Here's what I use (http://epbuddy.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17_1&products_id=106)...it'll charge at up to 30 amps (You need a really good (hi spec) power supply to do that though) and if you want to charge multiple packs of the same specs at once you can pick up one of their paraboards (http://epbuddy.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=110) which make it safe and easy.
The only way your gonna be able to charge two different chemistry packs (ie-lipo and nimh) at the same time is with one of the dual chargers or just get two separate chargers.

[sapperc]

No battery made today will stand up the general abuse of the RC community. Probably never will. As batteries get better, we'll find more ways to abuse them.

The useful life of any battery is greatly reduced by rapid charging and rapid discharging. Simply because a battery can be abused, does not mean that it should. There is not much you can do about rapid discharge if you want to get the most excitement from your RC model. However, there is considerable that you can do to lessen the strain and extend a battery's useful life simply by charging it at 1c or less. That means it will take an hour to charge your battery -- any battery. Overnight trickle charging at very low amperage is even better, but most folks will not or cannot wait that long.

Everyone is right here. Today you can find batteries that as long as they are relatively new and in good condition you can safely charge in 15 minutes. Just realize that regardless of advertising hype you will significantly shorten battery life by fast charging. You will also reduce the actual mah you pack back into a battery the faster you charge it. That's a recipe for less punch and reduced run time. RC batteries are doomed to live a shortened life as compared to other uses for rechargeable batteries. How short really depends on how tough you are on them.

To be sure, there are some really trick, really expensive chargers being produced these days. On the other hand I still use an old 10 amp MRC 989 and a 2 amp Common Sense RC for my modern lipo batteries. They work fine. I can still charge up to a 10,000 mah battery at 1c. I could even charge a 5000 mah battery at 2c, but I usually don't charge above 1c with the MRC 989. Fine tuning the balance between cells and packing the maximum mah into a multi-cell lipo requires a very small charge individually adjusted and monitored in real time for each cell. That's where the Common Sense RC charger still shines. I use it to finish charging my lipos. I can only charge up to 2 batteries at one time, but I'd rather spend money on more batteries rather than more charger :) To be fair, I don't know what they would cost today. If I had to buy now I would certainly look for a smart-sensored single charger solution.

I get 20-30 minutes run time on a 5000 mah lipo even when I run hard. With only 3-4 batteries I could run all day. Seriously, though, who can last that long. I'm spent after an hour or 2 of continuous driving. It's your money, do it your way, and enjoy.

[Coyote8]

Whoa, thanks for all the answers guys. One more on the subject, will dis-chargers do anything for the life of my batteries? Or do they fall under the abuse section of the comments and actually kill my battery faster?

[crusey]

No reason to discharge a lipo unless you are taking it down to storage voltage, just a waste of cycles

Cheers

[Flyer]

I'm a little late to the show as usual ... but I really like my ProTek 610 Duo charger.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1574_116/products_id/187710/n/ProTek-R-C-Prodigy-610-DUO-LiPo-LiFe-NiMH-DC-Battery-Charger-6S-10A-200W-x-2

I origianlly bought a Tenergy charger, it's nice but only charges at 5 amps and 1 battery at a time. The only bad thing about this ProTek charger is it will kill the car battery quickly.