Post your charging setup

I bought this setup a few months back and it's been really good. Way more than I need, that is until they start making lipos over 20,000mah that'll fit in the p2de. ;)

Thunder Power RC TP820CD.

[IMG]http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2851/imagedlb.jpg[/IMG]

Specifications:
Type: Dual Port Multi-Chemistry DC Charger/Discharger/Cycler with Integrated Balancers
Battery Cell Counts/Types (Per Port): 1-8S LiPo/LiIon/LiFe (A123), 1-24 cell NiCd/NiMH and 6-30V Pb (lead-acid)
Balancer (Per Port): Integrated for 2-8S LiPo/LiIon/LiFe (A123) with balance connector adapter board for Thunder Power and JST-XH connectors
Input Power: 10.5-28.0V DC (40 amps max)
Charge Power: 800 watts max (400 watts max per port) w/24.0-28.0V input (see manual for additional information regarding input and output power)
Charge Current (Per Port): 0.2 to 20 amps in 0.01 amp increments
Charge Voltage: 50% storage and adjustable end voltage for LiPo/LiIon/LiFe (A123), adjustable delta peak sensitivity and end voltage for NiCd/NiMH and end voltage for Pb (Lead Acid)
Discharge Power: 100 watts max (50 watts max per port)
Discharge Current (Per Port): 0.2 to 10 amps in 0.01 amp increments
Discharge Voltage: Adjustable low voltage cutoff for LiPo/LiIon/LiFe (A123), NiCd/NiMH and Pb (lead-acid)
Cycles: 1 to 15 times with data stored for all cycles
Memories: 24 user-programmable
Firmware: User-updatable using USB

The power supply I bought for this charger cost me a little bit more than the charger did, which I didn't expect. But since my other chargers and devices that I wanted to run off this supply had different voltage and amperage inputs, I needed something that was fully adjustable in both respects.

The power supply is a ProTek R/C "Super Pro 1000" Five Output World Edition Power Supply w/USB (30V/40A/1000W)

[IMG]http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/6884/imagepwm.jpg[/IMG]

Power supply specs:

110-240V Input
Adjustable voltage or current
LED display
Internal cooling fan
LED power indicator lights
Short circuit protection
Overload protection
Over-voltage protection
Over-power protection
100% full load burn-in test
Input Voltage: 110-240V
Output Voltage: 12 - 30V DC (+/- 5%)
Wattage: 1000W
Current: 33A @ 30V / 40A @ 12V
Frequency: 47 / 64Hz
AC inrush current: Cold start: 60A @ 100%
Output Connections:
(1) High output 40 amp 4mm banana plug/binding post output
(4) 16 amp switched 4mm banana plug outputs
(1) 500mAh USB output
Size (LxWxH): 305 x 191 x 108mm
Weight: 5.9 lbs. (2.67kg)

Total cost of the charger and power supply with shipping was just under $700. I don't have it all set up nice and neat like paves tidy charging station yet, but I'm working on it...slowly, very slowly. With all the balance boards and adapters for charging multiple packs per port, it kinda looks like somebody chewed up a stand up arcade game and threw it up all over a desk. Lol.

And I still have my old reliable venom pro charger plus that I still use quite often when I take my p2de on the road with me to work so I can bash the partially developed drill sites. Lots of gravel piles everywhere. 


Sent from Dan's iPad using Tapatalk

i aint got nothing special, pair of onyx 230's and 2 blinky's. id like to pick up one of those powerlab's to have as a permanent bench charger and id like to pick up one of those new orion touch chargers for the track.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2hEGQ4zOAw[/url]

its on my to-do list when i get a more steady job and some decent cash flow. my 230's are still fine but id like a charger for home that can handle my bigger packs like my smc 9000's or even my 5200spc packs that can be charged at 2c. and id like more data and feedback then some blinking lights and the voltage reading on the 230.

im sure if i knew what i was doing (and 99% of the time i dont) i could mod them to charge at a higher amperage than the 7amps they do now.

I only do NiMHs so I just have a Prophet Sport II from Dynamite.
[url]http://traxxastuesdays.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=151773226[/url]

I joined the Powerlab-6 bandwagon a couple months ago also. Once you owm one you wonder why you didnt spend the money in the begining. It'll be the last one that I own. I purchased my setup from Progressive RC. Very good bunch of folks over there. Powering this bad boy is a 600W PSU. No slacker in anyway. A couple weeks later i had seen a couple folks using Server PSU's so i flew to ebay and picked 2 up fairly cheap. I havent put them together yet. But i did fire them up and they purr like a kitten. They will supply me way more than i'll ever need. I think combined they will output 1150W if i remember right. KSB helped me out with that. I also spent the big bucks on their MPA parallel board. If you don't have one of those you don't know what you are missing either. I find it a very good investment also. The software is totally sweet, very powerful stuff there. I havent even tapped it. Anyways here's my setup. Oh and I parallel 6- 2S packs & balance them in 30-35 mins. ;)

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120225232134249.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120225232112207.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120227230837156.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120227231016371.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120225232143810.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m610/mustangkyng/FMA%20Powerlab%206%20and%20PRC%20600w%20PSU/CameraZOOM-20120225232419824.jpg[/IMG]

you elitist powerlab owners should be ashamed of yourselves. such bad influences on a poor dope like me.

for shame.




:p

^^ thats exactly how i felt when jakey and KSB were "all up in my face" about how great it was... I felt like so much less of a man I got one myself. Now I walk a little taller, smile a little brighter and get lots more looks from the ladies. All thanks to a PL6.

Screenshot of a real charge I just completed. Notice the "Output = 500 Watts" line. (It changed to 0.5 kW right after, but that was the limit.) If I want to pull more watts from my PSU, I'll need higher-count packs. I'm only halfway to its and the the charger's maximum.
[URL=http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s181/ksb51rl/PL6/half-kilowatt-charge2.jpg][IMG]http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s181/ksb51rl/PL6/th_half-kilowatt-charge2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Can somebody explain these fancy graphs and computer setups to me? Why is it more complicated than plugging it into the wall, plugging in a battery, and waiting for a beep?

I'm not sure they would matter at all if you are just charging some NiMH packs on the wall.
Either way, the details are probably better addressed in a dedicated thread.

I assumed they were more for lipos, and too complicated for a single post in this thread. Can you just tell me what the program is called and I'll go research on the internet? Or is it more complicated than just a program I can research... more like an entire concept I need to grasp?

[URL="http://www.revolectrix.com/CCS_Tour.htm"][COLOR="#0000CD"]FMA Charge Control Software Tour[/COLOR][/URL]
[URL="http://www.revolectrix.com/new_applications/software/PL6_software.html"][COLOR="#0000CD"]FMA Charge Control Software Download Page[/COLOR][/URL]
The Prophet Sport II manual is 2 pages. The PL6 manual is about 80 pages longer. You are absolutely right about not being able to cover it all in this limited space.

KSB it doesnt hiccup on 2s packs but when I put some 3S in there it really starts to draw some WATTS. Thats when the new PSU build would come in handy.

I need to pull some ideas on the best way to setup those 2 server PSUs. Being that i'm at work on standy for a Turnaround for the next 45+ days. Weekends tend to be really quiet here. I might have to drag my bag of goodies to work to wire and solder them up.

Just charging nimh's at the moment with a Dynamite.

I design power supplies, battery back ups, chargers, and LED lighting systems for a living. If I ever get some spare time, i will design my own charger for the hobby. I've done a li-ion backed up LED driver that included cell protection and charging that was fully adjustable via usb control. Wrote some PC side software for that as well as the firmware too :). That was a 3000mAh system. Biggest I've done so far.

How are you wiring them in series? I'm guessing 12v 30amps 360watt power supply should handle a Thunderpower T610 and a simple 2s 5300mah lipo at full 10amps. But I was looking at Thunder Power 820CD which is a dual port 20amp(at each port) charger with a total of 800amps or the larger TP1430C(30amps 1000watts). What would be needed to run this? I'm only going to be doing 2s lipos and maybe 3s but having the ability to do more is nice.

[QUOTE=Emaxx2.0;5140480]How are you wiring them in series? I'm guessing 12v 30amps 360watt power supply should handle a Thunderpower T610 and a simple 2s 5300mah lipo at full 10amps. But I was looking at Thunder Power 820CD which is a dual port 20amp(at each port) charger with a total of 800amps or the larger TP1430C(30amps 1000watts). What would be needed to run this? I'm only going to be doing 2s lipos and maybe 3s but having the ability to do more is nice.[/QUOTE]
Anyone? I purchase this. [URL="http://www.ebay.com/itm/140700184449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/140700184449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649[/URL] for my Thunder power charger. So is this capable of handling 20amp chargers?

[QUOTE=Emaxx2.0;5145934]Anyone? I purchase this. [URL="http://www.ebay.com/itm/140700184449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/140700184449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649[/URL] for my Thunder power charger. So is this capable of handling 20amp chargers?[/QUOTE]

Its got enough power to easily run a 20 amp charger, with power left over. Whether or not it will work to provide that power steadily for the entire charge process without overheating is something nobody but the manufacturer can tell you. But I've seen guys running chargers off of computer power supplies, x box power supplies and many others than I didn't think could handle it, and they have been successful with those setups, so I'd imagine you'll be fine. Be sure to post your results using this supply, cuz it looks like a good setup with all those easy connection points. good luck!

Never regretted getting this combo:
[IMG]http://www.beeracing.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/o/-/o-fs-l702bp.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.beeracing.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/o/-/o-fs-ps600adj.jpg[/IMG]
Most fancy function is that it says my name when it starts up:p

^^^ Say what??? In a female voice, " Hi, *your name here* ". LOLOLOL I'm jealous.

[QUOTE=BaldyDaniels;5146691]Its got enough power to easily run a 20 amp charger, with power left over. Whether or not it will work to provide that power steadily for the entire charge process without overheating is something nobody but the manufacturer can tell you. But I've seen guys running chargers off of computer power supplies, x box power supplies and many others than I didn't think could handle it, and they have been successful with those setups, so I'd imagine you'll be fine. Be sure to post your results using this supply, cuz it looks like a good setup with all those easy connection points. good luck![/QUOTE] I did use it on my Thunder power t610c(10amp 80watt max). The power supply can be set to 14.8volts and was ice cool. Now seeing as I used 2s only and maybe plan on using 3s lipos it can handle the Thunder Power TP1430C(30amps 1000watts) while charging at full 30amps (IDK if my actually doing the math right). 8.4volts x 30amps is only 252watts and using a 3s is 378watts(ok but it will easily handle a 20amps charge). Other option was Thunder Power 820CD which is a dual port(400watt 20amps per port) and using a 2s lipo 8.4v x 20amps is 168watts x 2 is 336watts total. If I'm not doing this right let me know.

Something to remember about charger and power supplies is that the charger will step down or step up the voltage from the PSU, depending on the pack being charged. This has a direct effect on the amperage needed. Running a 24V PSU (assuming your charger can accept that input) will greatly reduce the amperage needed vs. a 12V PSU.
When I set my charger for a 40A charge rate for parallel charging a bunch of 3S batteries, the maximum amperage the 24V PSU output a maximum of 23.10 amps.

This is why I feed my charger 24V.... less heat build up for "large" charges.

I use the Venom pro charger and it's pretty sweet. I only paid 100 bucks and it will do every battery I own, including my lawn mower if need be:thumbup:

I just bought an Onyx 200, since I only have NiMh batteries. I just plug it into an outlet and set it on the side of our grill, doesn't really need a picture. Haha

[QUOTE=ksb51rl;5147101]Something to remember about charger and power supplies is that the charger will step down or step up the voltage from the PSU, depending on the pack being charged. This has a direct effect on the amperage needed. Running a 24V PSU (assuming your charger can accept that input) will greatly reduce the amperage needed vs. a 12V PSU.
When I set my charger for a 40A charge rate for parallel charging a bunch of 3S batteries, the maximum amperage the 24V PSU output a maximum of 23.10 amps.[/QUOTE] Wow thank you for making that easier to understand. I was looking at your power supply setup and was wondering what exactly is needed that the author on the tutorial site didn't include. Is it as simple as bridging and can you go from 12volt to 24volt with a switch of a wire?

guys im wondering what power supplies you use... like the IBM FRU number... i work with them all day. i can possibly get someof them for cheap.

[QUOTE=Jimmie Neutron;5020173]iCharger 206B
Converted Server Power Supply; 2 in series for 24v/75a/1800w
ParaBoard

I have not found a tool/storage box that will house the PS and the iCharger yet.
Starting to consider making my own.

I have about $175 into this setup.

For now, I am running a MERV that uses 2S 2200mah 20C LiPo's in parallel.
I can charge all 6 of my batteries in about an hour at 1.5C.
This charge time allows me 3 hours of play time.

High amp chargers are the way to go!![/QUOTE]
What power supply are you using?

[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7103567327_7630d27679_z.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Jimmie Neutron;5147480][IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7103567327_7630d27679_z.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
OK cool. But how do you have it wired? Can you take pics and what was involved?

Lets try to keep this thread a bit more on-topic.
Modification of power supplies is a big topic. Additionally it has some very real dangers.

understood. Just looking for a future charger that can easily handle charging 2 3s lipos at 20-30amps(for each pack) without a sweet. But you'll need a power supply to handle it. I'm extremely good with wiring just trying to see what else is involved.

I plan on doing a build thread over in the off-topic discussion area soon. I just need to tear it down and get some pictures... Oh, and finish the project. lol It is useable the way it is, just not very pretty. ;)

[QUOTE=Jimmie Neutron;5147559]I plan on doing a build thread over in the off-topic discussion area soon. I just need to tear it down and get some pictures... Oh, and finish the project. lol It is useable the way it is, just not very pretty. ;)[/QUOTE]
That would be really helpful!

Here's what I know... the Powerlab 6 with a 57amp 12volt PSU can charge at a full 40amps without stressing the PSU or the charger. This is with 2X 2S packs... I don't know what difference charging 3S packs would make, but for $175 for the charger, $50 (built, much less if you build it yourself) for the power supply and $10 for the parallel harnesses I needed I have less than $250 into a charger that is WAY more powerful than ill ever need.

That is what I know for sure.

[QUOTE=pavmentsurfer;5148420]Here's what I know... the Powerlab 6 with a 57amp 12volt PSU can charge at a full 40amps without stressing the PSU or the charger. This is with 2X 2S packs... I don't know what difference charging 3S packs would make, but for $175 for the charger, $50 (built, much less if you build it yourself) for the power supply and $10 for the parallel harnesses I needed I have less than $250 into a charger that is WAY more powerful than ill ever need.

That is what I know for sure.[/QUOTE]Wonderful news. So my little 12volt(adjustable to 14.8Volt) 30amp 360watt regulated switching power supply should handle a 30amp Thunderpower charger on 2s or the thunder power dual charger charging 2 2slipos at both full 20maps?

Well... a 30amp PSU isnt going to allow you to charge 2X 2S lipos at 20amps each, but a 30amp 12volt PSU will be more than enough to charge 2s lipos at 20amps total on any charger. I would imagine you'd be able to squeak out about 25amps on the single 30 amp charger. There are ineffencies in every charger/power supply setup so if it says 30amps, you may get 25 out of it. maybe more. But if you have 30 and your only looking for 20... you'll get all 20 no question.

I feel like a little boy with my IQ605 pluged into my wall. lol

[QUOTE=pavmentsurfer;5148787]Well... a 30amp PSU isnt going to allow you to charge 2X 2S lipos at 20amps each, but a 30amp 12volt PSU will be more than enough to charge 2s lipos at 20amps total on any charger. I would imagine you'd be able to squeak out about 25amps on the single 30 amp charger. There are ineffencies in every charger/power supply setup so if it says 30amps, you may get 25 out of it. maybe more. But if you have 30 and your only looking for 20... you'll get all 20 no question.[/QUOTE] OK. The batteries I have can only handle a max charge maps of 26.5 amps. The power supple I have been known to push over 30amps and can be adjusted to 14.8volts easy. But I don't want to under power a high end charger. I'm looking into those cellpros. I love the idea of having posted graphs.

Guys. Here a amazing deal. [url]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280848875490[/url] Now That should easily power almost anything out there lol.

Now i need to build something to house this.
IQ605, modded sony PS3 psu.
[IMG]http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1378/chargersetup.jpg[/IMG]

I have the Onyx-245 dual charger. It can charge at 5A for 2s packs, but with 3s, it drops to about 3.6A due to it 40W limit per channel.
All in all, it's a great 2S Charger, but it takes too long to charge 3s packs.
I usually charge my 3s 5400mAh and 8200mAh packs the night before, I just don't like the time it requires my attention.