Lipo Charger Advice

[Hotweeweejef]

Morning all. 
 

Just looking for a quick bit of advice as I’m new to the world of lipo cells and their subsequent charging and care requirements.

 

I’ve been doing a bit of research and think I’ve got my head around most of it but would just like to confirm that this would be a suitable charger for

the types of lipo batteries that we use in airsoft. 
 

https://www.toolkitrc.com/m4ac

 

Out of stock here but available elsewhere

 

From my understanding this should be suitable but would just like to confirm before purchasing…

 

Are there any other chargers i should be considering at this price point, Or if this isn’t suitable, recommendations would be great 😄

 

Thanks in advance! 

 

 

[Lozart]

Personally I'd say get something with a bit more grunt if you're planning on using higher capacity LiPos. That one tops out at 2.5A so anything over 2500mA/h is going to take upwards of an hour to charge. I would suggest the SkyRC S65/Turnigy Accucell S60

[Rogerborg]

The SkyRC S65 is a popular choice, but it's actually overkill for airsoft batteries.

 

That M4AC looks fine. Nice simple interface (read the manual though regarding voltage!).  I'd like a bit more granularity in the charging current, but unless you're in a real hurry, 1A is going to be OK for most airsoft batteries, and 2A for big ones.

 

[EDIT] Lozart is right that if you're running something really meaty then you might want more than 2.5A, but I never run batteries that big, and in any case, it's not like you're going to need to charge them more than once a week or fortnight anyway, so it wouldn't put me off.  I'd always err on the side of under-amping during charging rather than trying to rush it.

 

 

[Speedbird_666]

ToolkitRC are a bit hit and miss with their gear (particularly with cell voltage calibration) - but they have improved over the years.

 

The unit is very cheap  (£17 here) and miles ahead of the Airsoft-branded shite 'dumb' chargers peddled by some vendors - BUT - there are limitations - as mentioned the Max Charge Current is low so bigger batteries will take longer - and there are only four pre-set charge currents that can be selected (something like 0.5A, 1A, 2A and 2.5A) which means if you have a fairly common 1300-1500mAh battery, you will be charging it at only 1A so it will take a bit longer. It's also LiPo only - so NiMhs are out.

 

If you can live with the above, it's probably worth a punt if you can get it for less than £20.

 

The SkyRC65 may not be as 'cool' (i.e. no colour screen) but it's much better appointed in terms of features for £32.

 

 

 

 

[Hotweeweejef]

Thanks for the replies chaps. Much appreciated. 
 

I’ll have a look into the other offerings.

I can’t see slightly longer charge times being an issue but perhaps it maybe be worth spending the extra for a bit more functionality. 

[Rogerborg]

7 hours ago, Hotweeweejef said:

I can’t see slightly longer charge times being an issue

 

Eh, we're talking minutes.  It's a minor annoyance that it doesn't have a 1.5A settings, but 1A will get the job done.  And you can charge 1500ish mAh at 2A if you're in a hurry, we're talking margin-of-error levels of risk and degradation.

 

 

7 hours ago, Hotweeweejef said:

but perhaps it maybe be worth spending the extra for a bit more functionality. 

 

Not functionality that you're likely going to use though.  That one always balance charges, and will charge to storage levels, and that's really all you need - I don't even bother with storage charges.  It'll be fine for airsoft, if I were buying from new, knowing what I know now, I'd be happy going for it.

 

Oh, one consideration is that it's got an XT-60 or XT-30 connector, so you'll need a converter to the more typical mini-Tamiya (yuk) or Deans used in airsoft.  You can wire your airsoft gear to XT, it's just that few people do it.

 

[Hotweeweejef]

On 09/11/2022 at 19:25, Rogerborg said:

Not functionality that you're likely going to use though.  That one always balance charges, and will charge to storage levels, and that's really all you need - I don't even bother with storage charges.  It'll be fine for airsoft, if I were buying from new, knowing what I know now, I'd be happy going for it.

That’s good to know, thanks. I think I’ll go for it as over all it seems like a nice little unit. 
 

On 09/11/2022 at 19:25, Rogerborg said:

 

Oh, one consideration is that it's got an XT-60 or XT-30 connector, so you'll need a converter to the more typical mini-Tamiya (yuk) or Deans used in airsoft.  You can wire your airsoft gear to XT, it's just that few people do it.

This is something I hadn’t considered actually. My RIF is weird for Deans connectors so hopefully there is a readily available adapter for deans to XT. And on the back of that, am I better going for XT60 or XT30 variant? Or does it not really matter if I’m going to be using an adapter? 

[concretesnail]

It should matter really, the choice of using xt style connectors is redundant simply as you will need a adapter and you'll be no where near the current limits while charging.

 

Xt60 being for 60a rated and xt30 30a.

[Hotweeweejef]

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

Just ordered one from a small online drone store along with an XT60 to Deans adapter 👍

 

Must be pretty decent as they seem to be sold out pretty much everywhere…

 

Will report back once it lands. 
 

[Rogerborg]

3... 2... 

 

[Hotweeweejef]

8 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

3... 2... 

 

Also on the shopping list…Lipo safe bags. Thanks for the reminder 😉

[Rogerborg]

8 hours ago, Hotweeweejef said:

Lipo safe bags. Thanks for the reminder 😉

 

Opinions vary on how safe they actually are, but better than nothing.  I charge mine in a deep ceramic pie dish.  If you seen any sign of damage or puffing, I'd replace them.

[Cannonfodder]

I charge mine on a granite place mat just in case things go tits up. As Rogerborg posted, any sign of damage or puffing up do not charge them as that's usually when they go pop. 

 

One word of warning, if they do start to burn avoid using water to fight the fire. This is why

 

[Hotweeweejef]

Little update for you guys.

 

Charger turned up earlier this week and I thought I’d give it a quick spin tonight.

 

Really happy with it for the money!

Great little charger that is more or less plug and play.

Once you’ve set the charge voltage and charge current, literally plug in the battery, charger assesses the load and starts charging. 

Shows you all the information you need, and once it’s done it automatically stops charging.

Last used settings are saved too so, next time (provided you’re charging the same or similar battery) just plug it in and away it goes. 
 

Recommended for anyone looking for a cheap little charger. 

 

 

 

[Rogerborg]

Oh, nice, it shows per-cell voltages so you can see if you've got a problem one.

[Hotweeweejef]

On 20/11/2022 at 10:48, Rogerborg said:

Oh, nice, it shows per-cell voltages so you can see if you've got a problem one.

Yeah, a nice little feature I thought.