Actually got a respectable charger......
 

Not to totally diss the Super Brain 959's that I've been using for the last couple years, but I finally bumped up a level. One of my 959's wasn't charging anymore for some stupid reason, so on the way out to our home made rc track, we stopped by Hobby People and I picked up a Multiplex LN-5014 for $65 at employee price.

We got out to the track, and put the charger to work. I left my real car (Honda Accord) idling, and attached the charger leads to the battery. The input voltage can be from 11-15 volts, and I figured the drain on the car's battery would be less if it was idling anyway, so I put a couple 6 cells in series on it and set it for 4.5a. They'd been only partially drained, so it was a quick bump.......and the Multiplex did it wonderfully. I ran a couple other packs through it before calling it a night, no real complaints other than the DC only inputs.

The other great thing about this goodie is that now I'm set for a Lipo plunge, just once I get some more cash.

It didn't specify lipo, only lithium, which could mean it charges only li-ion (which is my 90% positive guess)

a charger that chargers li-ion will also charge lipoly. they charge the same and using the same mode.

I have the exact same charger, Dabid. Bought it for my Lipos.
Nice thingy, isn't it?

And yes, you can set it for Lion, Lipo, NiMH, NiCd and Lead batts.
Only downside, IMHO, is the 5 amp limit. (it let's you only set 5000mAh Lipos)

AWWW NO! You shoulda bought mrc 989!!! 20 nimh CELLS!!! 8 lipo cells!! lol, thats like a schulze charger except much cheaper. Perfect for any brushless guys. Maybe mike might get some of these? http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLTW4&P=7

Wow, that 989 doesn't look at all bad. Unfortunately its picture isn't showing up, and I can't find a picture of it. It is even cheaper at Horizon Hobby:
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByB...D=MRC&CatID=CP

Nice, maybe it'll be cheaper here, IF Mike gets it! lol Problem is you'll need a powersupply. And a power supply thats powerfull enough to charge 20 cells aint gunna be cheap!

metalman, it looks just like the 969 and the 977.

how much one of them powersupplies cost? U know the cheap PS you showed me metal, would that work with 20 cells? lol

Worked for me to. nice charger

ncabz, yes im pretty sure it will work. heres the link

That new charger really impressed me. Maybe I was just mesmerized by the backlight. Oh well, I want to get another one so we have the capability of charging 4 packs at a time!

Yeah, the 989 doesn't look too bad either, but I'm guessing they kept the price down by making it DC only......I think I'll be happy with this one though. Besides, if Dafnerd says it's good, it's GOT to be good! ;)

IMO, it's not a bad thing for a charger to be DC only. All good chargers are DC only (unless someone can prove otherwise). A power supply is a very worthwhile investment, and as long as it isn't damaged, it will last for a long time.

What do you guys think about this one?
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXEYD4&P=ML


I'm in the same boat as dabid. I'm using 2 959's and I want to upgrade. I have a few packs that need to be cycled or reconditioned or whatever you call it. I'm looking for a charger that can do this and charger at least 16-20cells. Any other suggestions?

The Hobbico charger can only do up to 2amps...

only 2 amps definately not worth $150

we that one can only charge up to 10 cells at a time so i dont think it will meet your needs or charging 16-20 cells. i would recommend the astroflight 112d. can charge up to 36 cells at a time i believe.

squee, that's 10 cells per output, so 20 cells total. But, it can only charge at 2amps, which really isn't much.

it would take forever to charge at 2 amps

Ahhh.... I didnt catch the 2 amp thing. O well...the search continues.

What about:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCJG7&P=ML
or
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXHDJ1&P=ML

Triton's pretty good, but I've heard the ICE is better. Ask MetalMan, he's a big fan of the ICE i know for sure.

The Triton can only do 4s Lipo, at a max of 2.5amps (at any cell count). It can do lots of NiMh cells at a good amp rate.

The ICE is an awesome charger. 4s Lipo at up to 8amps, just today charged my 4s 5400mah Lipo at 5.4amps and the charger barely heated up. If you aren't going to charge more than 4s Lipo, this is THE charger to get. It has so many features, I won't even list them!

And for the ICE a power supply is a definite to plug it into the wall right?

It will only charge 10cells at a time tho?I'm looking to charge both packs at one time. I dont plan on Lipo any time soon(years prolly).

Yep.

The ICE is a good charger with a lot of features

like i said, i would recommend the astroflight 112d.