Help with selecting a lipo charger

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ATLbraapster

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Hi All, hoping for some input on the following chargers. I am brand new to the hobby and building my first 1/5. Sorry in advance for any stupid questions. I have done my best to utilize this forum and learn from previous posts, but the lipo battery/charging and discharging has me a little bit lost.

I already ordered the ISDT K4 charger
After ordering, I started finding posts about using a PSU from a computer to power something like the ISDT P30
I already have a Corsair 1200w PSU. Will that work with the ISDT P30?
Is there any advantage to the K4 over the P30, or vice versa?
 
Yeah, that PSU will do just nicely. I run a P10 and Q8 off the two 12V rails from an old 500W PC power supply. Both the K4 and P30 are solid chargers. The K4 has the advantage of having an AC connector. The P30 is DC only. Personally I prefer using DC power because you get a lot more output from the charger but, depending on your situation, having the possibility of just plugging direct into a wall socket could be useful.. I have a P20, P10 and Q8 and all of them are good. I got the ISDT 600W PSU for the P20.
 
@ATLbraapster ,

Excellent ISDT charger, BTW.
I recenty got the K2 Air , and run my 24v 400watt psu with it. Charges 2 Large 6s brick lipos well. Under 1 hour at a 1C rate. How I fly.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>That PSU you referred to is not correct for that charger. Will actually be a down grade from it's Internal PSU.
You want a 24v PSU at a minimum. And 24v is probably all you need for high Mah Capacity 6s lipos. 12v PSU is NOT what you want. ( no matter how many watts it outputs) The K4 internal PSU can supply/throttle from 10 -34 volts as needed.
And you would want a PSU that exceeds 1200 watts to get any advantage over the Internal one being 600 x2 (600w each channel) How I read the ISDT specs for the K4 in the manual. With PSU's, Volts matters, as much if not more than watt output. Many overlook this.;)
I would try using the K4 as a standalone, without an External PU. Should be plenty enough for your lipos if it can supply a steady 1C rate for your specific lipos in hand. If it cannot, try sourcing a better spec'ed PSU. I think The K4 will serve you fine as a standalone, without any External PSU.
Good luck.:cool:
 
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@ATLbraapster ,

Excellent ISDT charger, BTW.
I recenty got the K2 Air , and run my 24v 400watt psu with it. Charges 2 Large 6s brick lipos well. Under 1 hour at a 1C rate. How I fly.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>That PSU you referred to is not correct for that charger. Will actually be a down grade from it's Internal PSU.
You want a 24v PSU at a minimum. And 424v probably all you need for high Mah Capacity 6s lipos. 12v PSU is NOT what you want. ( no matter how many watts it outputs) The K4 internal PSU can supply/throttle from 10 -34 volts.
And you would want a PSU that exceeds 1200 watts to get any advantage over the Internal one being 600 x2 (600w each channel) How I read the ISDT specs for the K4 in the K4 manual. With PSU's, Volts matters, as much if not more than watt output. Many overlook this.;)
I would try using the K4 as a standalone, without an External PU. Shoud be plenty enugh for your lipos if it can supply a 1C rate for your specific lipos in hand.
Good luck.:cool:
Thanks for the great info!
I am trying to understand a little more about AC/DC vs DC only
I was thinking about returning the K4 and using the PSU with something like the P30, not using the PSU for the K4. But if I am understanding your post correctly, it sounds like that PSU won't work, or at least I would be better off with the K4 because of its superior voltage output?
 
Yeah, that PSU will do just nicely. I run a P10 and Q8 off the two 12V rails from an old 500W PC power supply. Both the K4 and P30 are solid chargers. The K4 has the advantage of having an AC connector. The P30 is DC only. Personally I prefer using DC power because you get a lot more output from the charger but, depending on your situation, having the possibility of just plugging direct into a wall socket could be useful.. I have a P20, P10 and Q8 and all of them are good. I got the ISDT 600W PSU for the P20.
He needs a 24v PSU at a minimum. The PSU he notes, will not be of any advantage over the Internal one. Quite the opposite.;)
 
He needs a 24v PSU at a minimum. The PSU he notes, will not be of any advantage over the Internal one. Quite the opposite.;)
Not sure I follow. It says DC input voltage 10-30V for the K4 and 10-34V for the P30.

Or just run the two 12V rails in series 🤪 :ROFLMAO:
 
Thanks for the great info!
I am trying to understand a little more about AC/DC vs DC only
I was thinking about returning the K4 and using the PSU with something like the P30, not using the PSU for the K4. But if I am understanding your post correctly, it sounds like that PSU won't work, or at least I would be better off with the K4 because of its superior voltage output?
The K4 is fine Stay with it. It does both AC and DC.
The K2 Air price plus a decent PSU will cost the same if not more than that K4.
A decent high end PSU for can get quite costly.
Need to always check the Internal Charger's PSU Specs , before searching out a PSU.
You generally pay for what you get in PSU's.
With most any, a 24v PSU is a minimum requirement for Lipo charging, if the Charger supports it. Cheaper chargers don't always.
 
The K4 is fine Stay with it. It does both AC and DC.
The K2 Air price plus a decent PSU will cost the same if not more than that K4.
A decent high end PSU for can get quite costly.
Need to always check the Internal Charger's PSU Specs , before searching out a PSU.
You generally pay for what you get in PSU's.
With most any, a 24v PSU is a minimum requirement for Lipo charging, if the Charger supports it. Cheaper chargers don't always.
I charge lipos on my P10 that's powered by a single 12V rail from a 500W computer PSU. I do the heavier loads on my P20, but 6-10A is no problem.
 
Not sure I follow. It says DC input voltage 10-30V for the K4 and 10-30V for the P30.

Or just run the two 12V rails in series 🤪 :ROFLMAO:
That's above my pay grade right now . Pay me more and I can help further.:LOL:

The K4 specs I read show internal PSU outputs 10-34V DC.

https://manuals.plus/isdt/k4-smart-charger-manual#specifications

From my experience charging , my lipos want well over 12v. at a 1C rate. (my larger 6s bricks) But Rarely exceeds needing 24v. 24 volts is the sweet spot for any External PSU and attatched Charger. Yes, Technically you can run 2 x 12v rails in "Series"(=24v). Another topic altogether.
Why use a 12v PSU?
You just limited your charging capability. Sure, any external 12v PSU will still charge. But you are going backwards.:unsure:
A charger is only as good as it's PSU, whether External or Internal. Many shoot for higher wattage, neglecting that it only has 12v DC output. when Volts matter so much also. Limiting the DC "out" to 12v makes the charging less efficient.
This gets way more technical. Another topic.
Josh Bardwell explained it best.
 
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That's above my pay grade right now . Pay me more and I can help further.:LOL:

The K4 specs I read show internal PSU outputs 10-34V.

https://manuals.plus/isdt/k4-smart-charger-manual#specifications
K4: Input voltage: AC 100 ~ 240 V / DC 10 ~ 30 V.
That's above my pay grade right now . Pay me more and I can help further.:LOL:

The K4 specs I read show internal PSU outputs 10-34V.

https://manuals.plus/isdt/k4-smart-charger-manual#specifications
From my experience charging , my lipos want well over 12v. at a 1C rate. (my larger 6s bricks)
??? Maybe I'm blind, but the 10-34V is the input voltage spec when power is supplied DC side.
 
Model No.: K4
Input voltage: AC 100-240V/DC 10-34V
Output voltage: DC 1-34V
Max. input current: DC 45A
Charging current: 0.2-20A X2
Discharging current: 0.2-3.0AX2
Max. charging power: AC 400W / DC 6-00W x2
Max. Discharging power: 30W x2
Balance current: 1.5A/Cell Max


Read more: https://manuals.plus/isdt/k4-smart-charger-manual#ixzz7mLJDumMI

Did I miss something here??:unsure:
The best possible scenario for an External PSU, would be one with 34V/1200atts, for this K4. A $tall$ order finding one with 34V. Probably way more than the K4 costs. Lab type PSU's are large and costly.
Yeah the K4 charger is maxxed out at 1200w ( 2ch x 600) with an External DC PSU.
This would be some workhorse of a charging solution. (y)
A 24v/600watt PSU would be an easier find. And more than suitable for most 6s Bricks. 300w per channel is plenty enough when charging on both channels (2 lipos)
I still say as a standalone, the K4 should suffice just fine.
 
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Ok. You confused me with an inadvertent typo. You wrote 10-34V which is one line up in the DC input spec.

The Output is 1-34V. That's where we were talking past one another :)
 
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