Lipo charger arghhh help

[Pollynator_bravo2]

Hey folks. So after having a battery go nice and crispy on what I thought was a top notch lipo smart balance charger I’ve left myself short of confidence in knowing good from bad. 
can someone suggest a good balance charger and where to get said item from. Also some tutorials on how to use them properly would be amazing ? 

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[Rogerborg]

a top notch lipo smart balance charger

Ouch, which Nuprol were you using?

Sorry that happened to you.  It's a salient reminder to charge inside an Explosion Containment Pie Dish.

I'm using an old SkyRC Imax B6.  Last I heard, the RC Master Race were still recommending SkyRCs, e.g. the S65.

 

[concretesnail]

I use skyrc and idst chargers. If you want a easy to use charger the skyrc units are solid. Idst adds a lot more functionality but as the cost of setup needs.

As to where to purchase, I use hobbyrc.co.uk for lots of my quad parts and service has always been great.

Tutorial wise. Look up Joshua Bardwell on YouTube. A lot of the quad flying folks use his guides and he has a few on batteries and chargers.

 

[Speedbird_666]

As to where to purchase, I use hobbyrc.co.uk for lots of my quad parts and service has always been great.

+1 for HobbyRC. Always had great service from them.

I have a IDST D2 Mk2 which I like very much - but complete overkill for Airsoft batteries - I also use it for RC (Aircraft) packs so it justifies the expense for my needs.

I would go SkyRC S65 if I didn't have an existing 12v DC Power supply, or the more feature-rich IDST Q6 Nano if I did. The SkyRC T100 is a basic, but compelling (for the price) option for dual-channel charging and worth considering

@Pollynator_bravo2 What charger was it? Would love to find out.

 

[Pollynator_bravo2]

Ouch, which Nuprol were you using?

Sorry that happened to you.  It's a salient reminder to charge inside an Explosion Containment Pie Dish.

I'm using an old SkyRC Imax B6.  Last I heard, the RC Master Race were still recommending SkyRCs, e.g. the S65.

IMAX B6 was the charger I was using. It was a stick 11.1v lipo I can’t remember the mah but think it was 1400 possibly 

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+1 for HobbyRC. Always had great service from them.

I have a IDST D2 Mk2 which I like very much - but complete overkill for Airsoft batteries - I also use it for RC (Aircraft) packs so it justifies the expense for my needs.

I would go SkyRC S65 if I didn't have an existing 12v DC Power supply, or the more feature-rich IDST Q6 Nano if I did. The SkyRC T100 is a basic, but compelling (for the price) option for dual-channel charging and worth considering

@Pollynator_bravo2 What charger was it? Would love to find out.

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[Speedbird_666]

Knew it.

I know of two Imax B6 charger-related fires within a 5 mile radius of my house. One fire gutted a garage full of RC planes - the other an entire room of a house with all his RC cars with it.

You were lucky.

 

[concretesnail]

Those b6 chargers are a liability. There's so many clones and poor qc. One of our quad group stripped one and pictures of the internals were shocking.

 

[RostokMcSpoons]

I bought one of these... https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/444856 - SkyRC T100 dual channel charger.

I don't know if it's the batteries or the charger's fault, but when I plug in the balance leads on a couple of my batteries (notably the Titan 11.1v) it complains and won't start charging.

So even though I went "top of the line" (relatively speaking, for me!), it's still not plain sailing ?

 

[Rogerborg]

Those b6 chargers are a liability

Yup, I'm long past recommending them.

If you do have something labelled as a B6, I'd definitely check the authenticity (not that it guarantees a no-pyro experience):

https://www.skyrc.com/antifake/public/

 

[Leah]

How common is it for batteries to do this? I live in an apartment, and don't want to risk burning it down. Should I just stick with Gas maybe?

 

[concretesnail]

If cared for and treated with respect, good quality lipos should be fine, with early signs of degradation showing so they can be disposed of safely. 

For charging peace of mind you can use a batsafe box.

https://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/bat-safe?gclid=CjwKCAjwvsqZBhAlEiwAqAHElX2T_9NKuIuG2vme8rRhfg1GS7-mgRvmUDgyS89SZQIQcqabdr1OcRoCoAkQAvD_BwE

Can be found with other retailers too. I use one while parallel charging 4s or 6s batteries.

 

[Lozart]

How common is it for batteries to do this? I live in an apartment, and don't want to risk burning it down. Should I just stick with Gas maybe?

Not very.

If cared for and treated with respect, good quality lipos should be fine, with early signs of degradation showing so they can be disposed of safely. 

For charging peace of mind you can use a batsafe box.

https://www.hobbyrc.co.uk/bat-safe?gclid=CjwKCAjwvsqZBhAlEiwAqAHElX2T_9NKuIuG2vme8rRhfg1GS7-mgRvmUDgyS89SZQIQcqabdr1OcRoCoAkQAvD_BwE

Can be found with other retailers too. I use one while parallel charging 4s or 6s batteries.

Like he said

 

[Rogerborg]

It's not something that overly concerns me, as the worst brew ups seem to happen to RC lads charging eleventeen chonky batteries in parallel.

That said, I do actually put the lipo and charger into a ceramic pie dish, and keep the route to the back door clear in case I need to hurl them outside.  And at the first sign of puffing or damage, don't risk it, not at the price of £10-£20 for a new one.