cheap lipo charger

**moe323** · 10-10-2010 07:59 PM

i've just been looking around Ebay for a cheap lipo charger after getting sick of it taking to long for me to charge my batteries and i came across this charger. has anyone used this before? or is it something to stay away from. i am just wanting to charge 2s lipo batteries. by the look of it is doesnt come with the cable to balance the lipo batteries but has the plugs on the side so i would need to get another cable as well. here's the link to the charger

http://cgi.ebay.com/imax-B6-2-6-cell...item20b24c9afe

**GlowThunder** · 10-10-2010 08:14 PM

il keep this simple.

you get what you pay for. i would not trust that at all. plus you might need a power supply also.

**IndianChief1000** · 10-10-2010 08:43 PM

Was my very first Lipo charger and it was great starter unit. I never had any issues with it, and it balanced just fine. I used it for a year and just recently got rid of it. Don't expect a bunch of extra features, but it charges and balances just fine.

Yes you will need either a DC adapter or you'll need to plug it into a DC power supply. The DC adapter can be found on eBay for about 10 bucks.

**moe323** · 10-10-2010 08:58 PM

thanks IndianChief1000. sounds like it is what i am after then. all i really need is a charger that will charge and balance. i'm just sick of having to wait for hours after using my RC's waiting for batteries to charge again. so a basic charger is what i am after. my other chargers are hooked up to a computer PSU would this charger be the same?

GlowThunder thank. yes it is always you get what you pay for. but it is also a matter of funds. and for me being in Australia and adding the cost of postage to what i buy makes this a very expensive hobby. the cheapest lipo charger i can buy from our local hobby shop is $200 for a basic charger and that is more than i can afford.

**rustler09** · 10-10-2010 09:37 PM

i have no idea what shipping would be but you could check out hobbypartz.com they have a couple charger's that are cheap but they charge a couple different types of batteries.

**CarGuy7a** · 10-11-2010 12:20 AM

The words "cheap" and "charger" are not good together. The best way to get a good setup that will last and do what you need now and in the future is to drop the $$$ down.

I recently bought a Hyperion 720inet3 AC/DC charger and that thing rocks. It can charge up to 20A out of the wall. It was $179 but it was worth it and I doubt I will ever need to buy another charger ever again.

**nsufferablynumb** · 10-12-2010 01:53 AM

I currently have this charger. It has many different names but they all end with B6. It works great. I just run it off a car battery in my garage, since I have a few laying around. No complaints, charges fast and reliably so far. and lipos just plug into the side, so its quick and easy.

**bjazi023** · 10-12-2010 04:46 AM

Great charger, google away... There are extensive reviews on it...

Cheap does not mean crap...

**bjazi023** · 10-12-2010 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by GlowThunder

il keep this simple.

you get what you pay for...

Ever owned a Range Rover ?

Paid $77000 for mine and gives me more problems then you can imagine !

**NStampede Freak** · 10-12-2010 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by GlowThunder

il keep this simple.

you get what you pay for. i would not trust that at all. plus you might need a power supply also.

One word: Nope.

There are PLENTY of name brand chargers out there that aren't worth near the price they are asking for them. Duratrax chargers come to mind. Overpriced and overrated for what you get.

I have been using a ******* accucell-6 that I bought 3 years ago and it still works great. Even charges ener-G packs nicely and peaks them at the proper temp.

I would not buy a charger from ebay though. It's a major source of crap. Buy from hobby king or hobby partz.

**Dadx2mj** · 10-12-2010 08:17 AM

I am of the belief you get what you pay for with chargers. Sure there are exceptions to the rule but I have a closet full of chargers I tried to save a few bucks on that failed me in one way or another. I finally bought a decent charger and it has been worth every penny.

**NStampede Freak** · 10-12-2010 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by Dadx2mj

I am of the belief you get what you pay for with chargers. Sure there are exceptions to the rule but I have a closet full of chargers I tried to save a few bucks on that failed me in one way or another. I finally bought a decent charger and it has been worth every penny.

Please list the chargers that have failed. Then at least we know what to avoid.

**Dadx2mj** · 10-12-2010 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by NStampede Freak

Please list the chargers that have failed. Then at least we know what to avoid.

I'd rather not turn this into a brand war. Not all of the cheap chargers I have owned failed some would false peak or over heat or other various issues. My point and opinion is that when it comes to chargers you do get what you pay for in most cases. Quality chargers cost more and tend to treat packs better making them last longer and perform better and a quality charger tends to last longer, this has been my experience.

**dkrhardy** · 10-12-2010 04:18 PM

There are certainly good and bad ones out there. If I may make a small point here ..... cheap and inexpensive are different words that have different meanings. I have bought many things both ways and inexpensive has usually been the winner. Some name brands have been disappointing for sure.

**NStampede Freak** · 10-13-2010 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by dtnel

Venom batteries aka venom group has a new single battery coming out any day now. It's a 15amp charger with storage mode and a usb port for things such as charging your ipod. It's 69 dollars and I can't wait for mine to show on my door step. I will convert a old computer power supply to power it to save money since I've been out of work 6 months due to back problems related to failed surgery on the Drs mistakes from the original surgery in Oct 09. THis charger will be my 3rd lipo charger.

I have a triton eq charger and a onyx 230 and they're both good but I ordered this one so I could charge some of my batteries at a true 2C. THe onyx is a 7 amp charger and the triton is a 5 amp. THis 15 amp charger will be a big jump and a much needed addition when it comes to cycling some of my other 15 plus batteries also.

You have a link? Sounds like a decent deal if it's wattage rating is high enough.

**IndianChief1000** · 10-13-2010 02:30 PM

Yeah I gotta admit - that new Venom one is pretty cool.

I use this in conjunction with a 25A Team Checkpoint Power supply:

http://www.hobbypartz.com/75p-t6-multi-charger.html

Love it! I have a Team Checkpoint TC1030 as a backup or when I want to do some more advance things. But at the track, the Quad Charger is the cat's meow!

**GlowThunder** · 10-13-2010 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by bjazi023

Ever owned a Range Rover ?

Paid $77000 for mine and gives me more problems then you can imagine !

i rebuild alternators and we do a lot of range rover ones.

**ArmyofDarkness** · 10-13-2010 05:11 PM

^Wrong thread

The venom ultimate charger has decent enough specs though, could be interesting but its nothing new really- plenty of existing chargers that do the same thing like the hyperions & iChargers etc etc..

**streetdemon** · 10-13-2010 05:50 PM

I have owned and still own the following LiPo chargers...
Accucell 6
Accucell 8
GT A6-10
Indi- something (typical 50 watt 5 amp, up to 6s blah blah blah, no balancer though)
Triton Jr
Hyperion 0615 Duo 3

That being said not one of them has ever given me an issue. The specs on some of the INEXPENSIVE chargers are fairly impressive. All chargers were 75 bucks or less with the exception of the hyperion (209).

I have to say, the Hyperion takes the cake hands down. Especially since myself and a friend run 5s in our E-Maxxes, we can both charge a 5s on either side of the charger at the same time at about 8 amps. Goes up to 15 amps or 180w per side. When you consider the fact that it was basically 105 per charger (since it's basically 2 chargers) it's a pretty sick deal. Plus I can link to my PC and track the performances of my packs if I want to.

I am selling all of my other chargers now (except maybe one for charging little stuff) to get another Duo, and a stronger power supply.

**brushlessbandit** · 10-13-2010 11:21 PM

the USB feature looks useful on the venom, I'll have to look into that one.

**IndianChief1000** · 10-14-2010 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by dtnel

What's the max amp output per battery if all 4 batteries are charging at once. It doesn't really state it ?

24A. You can do up to 6A per "node" as long as you have the power supply to handle 24 AMPS. I run 2-cell batteries; I have no problem charging two 5000mah and two 5200mah batteries all at the same time at 1C (5 and 5.2).

It's quiet, easy to use, and I've not had any issues with it. It's nice to only have to take one charger to the track now.

I think the only bummer is that you don't get enough wire whips included. I had enough so it wasn't a big deal for me. They do include a decent amount of whips, but they're all different. So if you are like me and only use one type of connector (traxxas) you'll need to convert some. Same thing with the balance boards; you'll have to get those separate. I think they're like 8 bucks each.

Neither are deal breakers for 99.00 shipped!

**Wolfjon** · 10-14-2010 11:05 AM

Dtnel, that venom looks good but it does not balance charge..so you will need and external balancer=min $25 extra.

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