Charger question

[supersavage]

This might be a silly question but can I use my RC charger for my airsoft battery's? The only reason I ask is because the guy in the shop said I couldn't but I get the feeling that was just because he wanted me to buy a charger while I was buying everything else. 

This is my charger 

Apologies if its a daft question. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

there's nothing special about airsoft batteries, so yes you can use it.

only point of note is check the polarity if you're using stock connectors, iirc airsoft runs reverse battery polarity to rc stuff

 

[Sitting Duck]

if you can adjust settings to suit then yes if it based on the usual B6 type

RTFM - Read The F*cking Manual

what RC batteries do you charge & what Airsoft batteries you got ???

Smart Nimah trickle chargers just trickle charge and stop

(unlike cheapo china chargers than you have to turn off yourself supplied with china guns)

B3 type LiPo chargers charge SLOOOWWWWLLLLYYYYY through LiPo balance lead

(NB LiPo batteries & LiFe's have very different charge settings)

B6 type - you set cell & capacity (mA's) to each battery and usually you are good to charge

(assuming the battery type LiPo/LiFe/Nimah is selected)

Google manual - ensure you got correct connectors/polarity and it "should" work me thinks 

 

[supersavage]

Thanks guys. I've been charging lipos for years (not going to lie but I still don't trust lipos, never had a lipo fire personally but I've seen my fair share of them) however it was the reversed polarity that confused me so unless I can program the charger (I'll check the manual tomorrow) for that I don't think it'll work. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Thanks guys. I've been charging lipos for years (not going to lie but I still don't trust lipos, never had a lipo fire personally but I've seen my fair share of them) however it was the reversed polarity that confused me so unless I can program the charger (I'll check the manual tomorrow) for that I don't think it'll work. 

Click to shrink...

if you charge via the balance port it should be ok, a decent charger will warn you. it's only the main plug is refersed

 

[Sitting Duck]

Are you using ye old RC Large Tamiya connectors

& airsoft small tamiya connectors or something ???

Coz old LARGE Tamiya RED is SQUARE & BLACK is ROUND connectors

But Airsoft small Tamiya RED is ROUND & BLACK is SQUARE - REALLY WTF ???

Now Deans is Deans coz the top of the T is positive, should even have a + on the connector

unsure if there are other variations but polarity of square/round connectors changes on small/large tamiya

(f*ck knows what drugs some people were on when they started wiring up $hit a while back on RC/Airsoft)

but they never kept any consistency or common sense between two tamiya connections

Unless RC also use same colour coding for small tamiya as RC large tamiya

(if both large & small tamiya's used in RC have Round black negative etc...)

This might explain the confusion and why some small tamiya adapters to deans/xt60/large tamiya leads

bought off fleabay from cheapo china sellers come with wrong polarity for airsoft small tamiya ???

but for peew peew using small tamiya - red is round as left example shows....

just check polarity and you will be fine - always check red to red & black to black at connectors

I plugged in a cheap adapter and wondered why gun locked...

turns out gun was trying to run in reverse from polarity being out of whack not checking

luckily I then noticed the black to red & vice versa & AR Latch stopped the gun from running in reverse

 

[supersavage]

if you charge via the balance port it should be ok, a decent charger will warn you. it's only the main plug is refersed

Click to shrink...

Unfortunately the charger won't charge via the balance lead it just balances the battery. 

 

[supersavage]

Are you using ye old RC Large Tamiya connectors

& airsoft small tamiya connectors or something ???

Coz old LARGE Tamiya RED is SQUARE & BLACK is ROUND connectors

But Airsoft small Tamiya RED is ROUND & BLACK is SQUARE - REALLY WTF ???

Now Deans is Deans coz the top of the T is positive, should even have a + on the connector

unsure if there are other variations but polarity of square/round connectors changes on small/large tamiya

(f*ck knows what drugs some people were on when they started wiring up $hit a while back on RC/Airsoft)

but they never kept any consistency or common sense between two tamiya connections

Unless RC also use same colour coding for small tamiya as RC large tamiya

(if both large & small tamiya's used in RC have Round black negative etc...)

This might explain the confusion and why some small tamiya adapters to deans/xt60/large tamiya leads

bought off fleabay from cheapo china sellers come with wrong polarity for airsoft small tamiya ???

but for peew peew using small tamiya - red is round as left example shows....



just check polarity and you will be fine - always check red to red & black to black at connectors

I plugged in a cheap adapter and wondered why gun locked...

turns out gun was trying to run in reverse from polarity being out of whack not checking

luckily I then noticed the black to red & vice versa & AR Latch stopped the gun from running in reverse

Click to shrink...

The airsoft is using the small tamiya connectors, I moved away from the big ones for RC years ago. The majority of my RC battery's uses xt60s/xt150 (overkill for airsoft) as they are far easier to solder than deans, though if space is a premium then it's either deans or a bullet style connector. 

I have to agree with you on the people being on something funny when they came up with reversing the polarity as there are many different sized battery's from both RC and airsoft that could be used for either. 

 

[Sitting Duck]

Well if you can solder ok-ish then you can knock up an adapter quickly if the polarity varies....

Now on a iMax B6 if you needed to reverse the polarity....

on the odd rare occasion say tamiya's polarity was reversed as we said....

Well on iMax B6 the output leads are banana

Ahem - banana leads so you can unplug & swap them over

Though this would be a quick bodge to get you out of crap at a push

and not recommended for long term use running incorrect colour leads to charge regularly

(long term use use an adapter and keep correct colours plugged into charger)

Don't know if your charger has leads you can remove swap over like B6

but just saying there are numerous work arounds....

The above is correct polarity but you "could" swap the output leads at a one off push

to alter the polarity SHOULD the rare needs ever arise on a B6 charger

TBH most on here run with deans - key the surface, bit of flux maybe

decent iron & solder etc.... secure the connector

heck plop the deans in a set of molegrips taped to table at a push to free up a hand

(I've done that a few times)

Get a mini table vice - friggin' Aldi did a couple of them for about £7 - well worth it

(used that for many things as well as deans n stuff)

Was a good deal at the time

As you work on stuff you tend to acquire more little bits n bobs for your mini tool box

vice - files (large & small craft files) - rotary drill - digital calipers etc...

but soldering - secure the connector to free up a hand helps 10x

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Unfortunately the charger won't charge via the balance lead it just balances the battery. 

Click to shrink...

fair enough, duck has the issue covered.

tbh i get around it by just using deans, although anything will do as "better than tamiya" isn't a hard bar to beat so use whatever connector you feel comfortable with.

rc is just a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to this sort of thing.

 

[Sitting Duck]

Adapters are easy to knock up if you got some old connectors and a bit of time

but DO NOT get THIS BLOKE to carry out ANY electrical or soldering work....

This guy is a legend, plus watching him often cheers me up if I'm having a bad day

 

[E21A]

1 hour ago, Sitting Duck said:

Adapters are easy to knock up if you got some old connectors and a bit of time

but DO NOT get THIS BLOKE to carry out ANY electrical or soldering work....

Click to shrink...

Literally in tears watching this bloke ??

 

[Lozart]

2 hours ago, Sitting Duck said:

Adapters are easy to knock up if you got some old connectors and a bit of time

but DO NOT get THIS BLOKE to carry out ANY electrical or soldering work....

Click to shrink...

He really is a special kind of stupid, isn't he?

 

[Sitting Duck]

Legendary stupid I'd say

In the back of my sick/twisted mind I wonder after all them shocks...

If the guy ever suffered a cardiac arrest a regular AED Automated External Defibrillator

just wouldn't cut it to jump start his heartas he is probably immune by now to most shocks

He would need to be plugged into the main national grid to jump start him after all those experiments

ahh wtf - still find this funny too....