Recommend me a battery charger

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@Bearcats Yes I did but didn't do anything to my setup.
It was more out of curiosity.
Process is easy once you understand it. I believe they have a 1 liner document on 'how-to'. There is no reason to update imho.

I kinda figured that given my experience with items of this nature from the past. Appreciate the feedback.
 
Got my PSU yesterday. Tried running a cycle at 20A on both chargers and found that my charge leads are lacking... they got really hot to the touch for about the first 10 inches of wire. I had longer leads on it because the packs are about 15 inches from the charger. :(
2020-0611-PSU-Dell-N870P-Dual-72A-12V%2624V.jpg

2020-0611-Chargers%26PSU.jpg


The PSU is 2 dell N870P 72A/875W in series for 24V. Oddly, the fans run at full tilt with no load, which is very annoying for discharge/storage, but when charging and pulling 30 amps, they drop in speed and are almost inaudible. Not sure what the deal is with that.
 
Got my PSU yesterday. Tried running a cycle at 20A on both chargers and found that my charge leads are lacking... they got really hot to the touch for about the first 10 inches of wire. I had longer leads on it because the packs are about 15 inches from the charger. :(
2020-0611-PSU-Dell-N870P-Dual-72A-12V%2624V.jpg

2020-0611-Chargers%26PSU.jpg


The PSU is 2 dell N870P 72A/875W in series for 24V. Oddly, the fans run at full tilt with no load, which is very annoying for discharge/storage, but when charging and pulling 30 amps, they drop in speed and are almost inaudible. Not sure what the deal is with that.
Server power supplies behave kind of odd when operated at low power levels. I had a HP PSU that did the same thing. Also produced more heat idle than it did at 300w usage. Switching PSUs are odd.
 
Server power supplies behave kind of odd when operated at low power levels. I had a HP PSU that did the same thing. Also produced more heat idle than it did at 300w usage. Switching PSUs are odd.
I was trying to find info on it to see if there was a pin/jumper setting you could change to make the fans work based off temp. I can't find anything definitive for these specific ones, just ones like it. But lipoconnectionsolutions bent a few of the pins and soldered them to ground. From what I can find, one of the ones he soldered was the fan and I'm not sure I want to fiddle with it as the way he did it, it's down inside the plug housing. Probably quick/reliable to do for him, but makes it difficult to alter. The fans really are annoying. lol!
 
I was trying to find info on it to see if there was a pin/jumper setting you could change to make the fans work based off temp. I can't find anything definitive for these specific ones, just ones like it. But lipoconnectionsolutions bent a few of the pins and soldered them to ground. From what I can find, one of the ones he soldered was the fan and I'm not sure I want to fiddle with it as the way he did it, it's down inside the plug housing. Probably quick/reliable to do for him, but makes it difficult to alter. The fans really are annoying. lol!
The fans do work on temp, but the PSU controller doesn't expect low-power loads. If you load the PSU at a high level, you'll hear the fans ramp up.

You could go in there and try to add a resistor to the fan power cable to reduce the speed, but you risk overheating the PSU if you run it at high loads. Fan noise is a side effect of using compact PSUs with high outputs.
 
The fans do work on temp, but the PSU controller doesn't expect low-power loads. If you load the PSU at a high level, you'll hear the fans ramp up.

You could go in there and try to add a resistor to the fan power cable to reduce the speed, but you risk overheating the PSU if you run it at high loads. Fan noise is a side effect of using compact PSUs with high outputs.
I expected that when under load, just didn't expect the fans to run WOT when there's no load or very little load. It's one thing to have to listen to it for the first 10 minutes as the chargers are pulling a lot of current until balancing, but to hear it the entire time except for those 10 minutes is a bit annoying. Will have to keep researching to see what I can find.

At least I know it's cooling well. lol!
 
Some interesting numbers I found today. I was curious to see how much current my power supply pulls on the a/c side before entering. To my surprise, it was no more than 5~ amps or so, while charging 2x2S 7200mah and 2x3s 7200mah batteries from storage to full.
The spike in this list, was when I finally realized I was recording but didn't even turn on my clamp meter.

The list shows mV, that's how my clamp meter measures it. But the conversion is 1mv=1A
Numbers were confirmed with a second clamp meter. Both on the same a/c line splitter, where the power supply would plug in. This gives me more confidence that I could do some pretty spicy charging should I so choose.
Charger current 2.jpg
Charger Current.jpg

20200612_214318.jpg
 
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Just because it's raining and I'm bored ;)
You are pulling 120V*5A = ~600W
and you are using
2x2(S)x4V * 7.2A =115.2W
and
2x3(S)x(4V)*7.2A = 172.8W
Total= 288W

Efficiency = 288/600 = 0.48
which is pretty bad in general but not surprising. I'd suspect that it would improve at higher S-levels.
At least you are running a 300W space heater as a result as power has to go somewhere.

What charger and power supply are you using? I'm almost questioning these numbers as 300W in loss is fairly high.
 
Just because it's raining and I'm bored ;)
You are pulling 120V*5A = ~600W
and you are using
2x2(S)x4V * 7.2A =115.2W
and
2x3(S)x(4V)*7.2A = 172.8W
Total= 288W

Efficiency = 288/600 = 0.48
which is pretty bad in general but not surprising. I'd suspect that it would improve at higher S-levels.
At least you are running a 300W space heater as a result as power has to go somewhere.

What charger and power supply are you using? I'm almost questioning these numbers as 300W in loss is fairly high.
I'm glad you replied to this, because I don't know squat about it. Just measuring stuff blindly. This was a pretty patchy experiment. Something seemed weird but I wasn't sure.

What do you recommend I watch, and or meter for more accurate results? The number do move around a lot as it's charging, but I try to catch the numbers on both the power supply in a sort of close time.

In the photo below, you'll see how I set it up. From the main 120v ac line, I have a splitter. In the the splitter, I have a Fluke I410 clamp attachment running to the fluke 289. As a secondary reading, there is a Klein CL800 clamp meter.

Power supply is a chargery s1200, and charger is powerlab 8x2.
20200612_214511.jpg

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20200612_184926.jpg
 
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Setup looks pretty impressive and I can't find anything wrong. What are you trying to accomplish?

By all means, all your equipment is rated at 'output power' i.e. what is usable for your application.

On your setup:
Your Fluke is one of the better ones and more precise than the rest of your setup but measuring with a current clamp has some build in inaccuracies. You are probably very close to the actual current going in but you are not capturing the input voltage. Since you are going through an extension cord and splitter I doubt you are at 120V.

Some evidence of measurement inaccuracy but nothing surprising on the rest.
Your power supply displays 23.3V/20.4A as output, while you charger states 23.4V/21.2A as input. Nothing unusual as the power supply is not a 'precision' instrument, it's more a yard stick, nothing to worry about. Your charger input is therefore 497W
Channel 2 is using 301W (display) and channel 1 (23.3*8.3=193W), which is ~ 494W combined and that matches (almost) your input power.

For a closer value for input power, I'd use a wattmeter (https://www.amazon.com/watt-meter/s?k=watt+meter). It plugs in directly in line and measure both simultaneously.

Your Fluke is a great tool, you could measure teh input voltage to get the same measurement for calculation but you would have to measure at the input terminal of your power supply, not recommended as you are dealing with 120VAC.

Overall, nice setup, your main concern is at the batteries and you have good measuring capabilities in the charger.
 
Setup looks pretty impressive and I can't find anything wrong. What are you trying to accomplish?

By all means, all your equipment is rated at 'output power' i.e. what is usable for your application.

On your setup:
Your Fluke is one of the better ones and more precise than the rest of your setup but measuring with a current clamp has some build in inaccuracies. You are probably very close to the actual current going in but you are not capturing the input voltage. Since you are going through an extension cord and splitter I doubt you are at 120V.

Some evidence of measurement inaccuracy but nothing surprising on the rest.
Your power supply displays 23.3V/20.4A as output, while you charger states 23.4V/21.2A as input. Nothing unusual as the power supply is not a 'precision' instrument, it's more a yard stick, nothing to worry about. Your charger input is therefore 497W
Channel 2 is using 301W (display) and channel 1 (23.3*8.3=193W), which is ~ 494W combined and that matches (almost) your input power.

For a closer value for input power, I'd use a wattmeter (https://www.amazon.com/watt-meter/s?k=watt+meter). It plugs in directly in line and measure both simultaneously.

Your Fluke is a great tool, you could measure teh input voltage to get the same measurement for calculation but you would have to measure at the input terminal of your power supply, not recommended as you are dealing with 120VAC.

Overall, nice setup, your main concern is at the batteries and you have good measuring capabilities in the charger.
Not trying to accomplish anything really, it was more out of curiosity. I'm sure as heck no electrician, and barely understand the numbers. But it's something I hope to learn. My dad was really good with this stuff, when he passed- it made me realize that I should have learned more of what he wanted to teach me. So here I am with fancy tools.

Voltage at the splitter is around right around 120v last I checked. Haven't confirmed recently, but I have in the past. I have another meter I could hook up for voltage at the splitter. The extension cord is pretty hefty- 10ga if I remember right. Was actually the biggest one I could find at the time.

Is there a specific wattmeter you recommend?

When you say measure at the power supply- do you mean right where it plugs in? I'm sure I could jerry rig something with a split in the live line. If the clamp meter is even remotely close to the correct current reading of 5-6 amps, the meters rated 10amp constant should handle it if I measure direct.

Thanks, I have several Flukes, but the 289 is my flagship. Love the charger, might add a Powerlab 6 down the line, so I could also plug that into the bump controller. Hanging around here too much, is making me want way more cars than I have the time to drive.
 
What's a recommendation for a charger for a newb to dual charge 3s lipos but able to charge different batteries as well. Looking for something to plug in the wall.
 
I’m really liking my new Turnigy T240 charger. Its a dual charge and really compact it works great and I can bring it with me easily everywhere. its also great if you want a good budget priced charger
 

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Hey guys, my buddy bought me a kraton 6s blx that will be here in a few weeks. over the last few days i have done a ton of research on batteries and chargers. maybe you guys could give me some insight on chargers.

I was leaning between getting 2 3s batteries so i could run at 3s or 6s in series. but since i did some research and pricing i think i will go with a 6s and a 4s battery to give me double the run time basically if i was to rip it. i decided on the youme batteries since the price is decent and i have read some good things.

On to the charger, id like to just charge on AC and not have to mess with the dc power supply. i was reading some good things on this charger and was dead set on it but now i am thinking it might be too weak. i don't mind if it takes awhile to charge i just want it to be safe and reliable.
HTRC LiPo Charger Dual 1-6S Balance Battery Discharger Duo C240 AC150W DC240W 10A for Li-ion Life NiCd NiMH LiHV PB Smart Batteries
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQ9K5V7/?coliid=I2UR0ZNNLN01TW&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

i also saw
HOTA D6 Pro Charger AC200W DC650W 15A for Lipo NiMH Battery Phone Wireless Charging RC Car Drone Parts
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXFR15K/?coliid=I1GWQVCC62DHNM&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

Venom Pro Duo LiPo Battery Charger | 80W X2 AC DC 7A NiMH LiHV LiPo Balance Charger Discharger with Charger Adapter | LiPo 1S to 6S Airsoft, Drone, RC Battery Charger
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXFR15K/?coliid=I1GWQVCC62DHNM&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

any suggestions would be great.
Thank you
 
Hey guys, my buddy bought me a kraton 6s blx that will be here in a few weeks. over the last few days i have done a ton of research on batteries and chargers. maybe you guys could give me some insight on chargers.

I was leaning between getting 2 3s batteries so i could run at 3s or 6s in series. but since i did some research and pricing i think i will go with a 6s and a 4s battery to give me double the run time basically if i was to rip it. i decided on the youme batteries since the price is decent and i have read some good things.

On to the charger, id like to just charge on AC and not have to mess with the dc power supply. i was reading some good things on this charger and was dead set on it but now i am thinking it might be too weak. i don't mind if it takes awhile to charge i just want it to be safe and reliable.
HTRC LiPo Charger Dual 1-6S Balance Battery Discharger Duo C240 AC150W DC240W 10A for Li-ion Life NiCd NiMH LiHV PB Smart Batteries
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQ9K5V7/?coliid=I2UR0ZNNLN01TW&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

i also saw
HOTA D6 Pro Charger AC200W DC650W 15A for Lipo NiMH Battery Phone Wireless Charging RC Car Drone Parts
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXFR15K/?coliid=I1GWQVCC62DHNM&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

Venom Pro Duo LiPo Battery Charger | 80W X2 AC DC 7A NiMH LiHV LiPo Balance Charger Discharger with Charger Adapter | LiPo 1S to 6S Airsoft, Drone, RC Battery Charger
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KXFR15K/?coliid=I1GWQVCC62DHNM&colid=7J1J6GBI9XCT&psc=1

any suggestions would be great.
Thank you

None of those chargers will be able to charge a 6S 5000mAh at 1C. A 6S 5000mAh Lipo will pull about 120watts when charging at 1C. If you don't mind charging them a little bit slower then you can grab the Hota D6 Pro from amazon.

I suggest this one though - https://www.smc-racing.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=541&search=hota+d6
Its capable of 150watts per channel on AC power.
 
Hota D6 Pro
Hey Knxwledge, thanks for the reply. So basically if you cant charge at 1c you cant charge the battery i guess? The hot d6 pro vs the plus is the extra 100w of charging? are there other reasons i should consider that one over the regular pro?
 
Hey Knxwledge, thanks for the reply. So basically if you cant charge at 1c you cant charge the battery i guess? The hot d6 pro vs the plus is the extra 100w of charging? are there other reasons i should consider that one over the regular pro?

You can still charge them, it’ll just be a little slower. For $20+ more, I’d rather get the Hota D6+ so you can charge them at a normal rate
 
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