Lipo Charger Questions

[SLiM2775]

Hey everyone I just bought my first Arrma RC Car, it's the Kraton 6s. I just got back into RC Cars and I have never used a lipo battery or a lipo charger. I ordered a Venom Pro Duo 80W AC / DC Charger COMBO. Is this a good charger for someone that has never owned or used a lipo battery? I know that they can catch fire or go bad if not used correctly. I have done some research online but it is still a little confusing. I haven't received it yet so hopefully it's manual will have info on how to use it properly. Thanks in advance.

 

[Unusual RC]

No worries if you read yourself in about lipo batteries and charging them online.

I have no personal experience with this particular charger, but for 6S this one is a bit under powered: It will take a while before 2x3S lipo's will be fully charged (or charge them one by one, which will take as long).
But it will work!
I would recommend start charging the day before due to the time it takes.
Unless you have a fireproof place, I would not recommend unsupervised charging like overnight!

And remember the two charging options you should use:

Charge: Lipo balanced charging
For storage: Lipo storage charging

Never ever use any other type of program to charge a lipo battery!

...and read the manual

 

[lonee]

Right, I am also with Unusual RC.
Just think about charging time. 2 x 3s and maybe 5000mA
It means at minimum 22V x 5A = 110W with 1C charging power.
I use charger with 2x 200W or more to have the option to charge with 2c or more; because I can't see in future when I will have time to drive.
So I store my lipo´s after driving with storage voltage and in case I will go out for having fun, I charge the LiPos to max.
Ok, In case that my girlfriend will also drive her Nero, here are working more than 4 or 5 chargers to put the battery´s full... Sometimes noisy...

Take care to make no shortcut and take a look for a fireproof Box or something like that. I had already puffed LiPos while charging and I can tell you.. It is not funny!

Regards,
lonee

 

[travis328]

My friend just bought the same charger you are talking about. It is a nice little charger for the money. It can very easily charge 2-6s lipos. The charge rate on a 6s lipo will be a bit slower than a more expensive charger, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker for you.

 

[SLiM2775]

No worries if you read yourself in about lipo batteries and charging them online.

I have no personal experience with this particular charger, but for 6S this one is a bit under powered: It will take a while before 2x3S lipo's will be fully charged (or charge them one by one, which will take as long).
But it will work!
I would recommend start charging the day before due to the time it takes.
Unless you have a fireproof place, I would not recommend unsupervised charging like overnight!

And remember the two charging options you should use:

Charge: Lipo balanced charging
For storage: Lipo storage charging

Never ever use any other type of program to charge a lipo battery!

...and read the manual

Thanks for the info. I charged 2 3s batteries with it and it took a little over an hour to charge both. I also bought a lipo bag to use when charging them and I charged them on the concrete floor in my garrage making sure nothing was around it that's flammable.

 

[Unusual RC]

Thanks for the info. I charged 2 3s batteries with it and it took a little over an hour to charge both. I also bought a lipo bag to use when charging them and I charged them on the concrete floor in my garrage making sure nothing was around it that's flammable.

Nice to hear you did your research concerning the dangers and annoyances of lipo batteries

I never had any issues when charging my five lipo batteries I have for over two years. But you should always be careful.

Two hours to charge your batteries is quite fast for 80watts maximum output. I think they were brand new (never been used)?

A good reference will be when you charge them from storage level. And after a session charge to storage level will take some time too.

My 3S 5000mAh battery with my 80W charger takes average 1,5 hours to go from storage to fully charged (from 3,8 to 4,2V per cell)

My solution was to buy the same charger (at the time there was an option for a good rebate for it) twice to reduce my charging times
Often cheaper than a single AC/DC charger with double 80W output (which enables you to charge two lipo's independently at the same time.

 

[typhon34]

Thanks for the info. I charged 2 3s batteries with it and it took a little over an hour to charge both. I also bought a lipo bag to use when charging them and I charged them on the concrete floor in my garrage making sure nothing was around it that's flammable.

I ended up buying a lockable metal cash box and i run my wires from the charger into that for my lipos. Always good to be safe