Does anyone own one of these?

[JERRY2KONE]

Does anyone own one of these new Protek 40 amp power suppies.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-138V-40A-520W

I am thinking about purchasing one for my new R/C shop, and was wondering if they are any good or worth the $140 price tag. I really like the compact design and the specs look great for the average R/C guy. I know that there are ways to build one out of an old HP server power supply, but I am just not a fan of having home made junk for my electronics gear in my house. Too much work, and too many variables that can go wrong if a mistake is made setting one up. Plus I just do not want to waste the time and effort to build my own. Building R/C's is my thing not building or modifying electronic equipment.

I just want a nice power supply that comes already made, has a great selection of attributes, and is made by a company or supplier who can be held liable if the product does not do what it is supposed to do, or it catches fire. You do not have that avenue if your using a home made or modified gadgit and it burns your house to the ground. Even your home owners insurance can void payment if your doing this. So watch out if your using one of those computer power supplies to charge your Lipos. Especially if it is not your house. You could end up with a very large $$$$$$$$ legal mess on your hands.

Plus you have to admit the setup on this thing is pretty handy with 5 output ports and a USB outlet. Plus with us living overseas traveling around the world the input voltage 100-240v is a nice feature for my situation. So whats the consensus on this thing?

[JERRY2KONE]

Also how about this charger?

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...rger-6S-5A-50W

The specs look pretty decent for (1S-6S) for the average R/C guy. I doubt that I am going to be using much above that for a while anyway. Just looking for some opinions in input on what is available in comparison. Of course none of us wants to spend more than we have to, but I also want to be safe and get a good product that will last for a while. SO what do you guys think?

[whitrzac]

link fail...



I trust my "homemade junk" over most of the power supplies at amain. I saw one of the older protec(?) ones with the red front panel overheat and nearly catch fire...

my "homemade junk" are used in servers that have $10000000000000000000000000 of dollars worth of info on them...

If you would like, I have a few power supplies similar to the HP one listed, except they are 50+ amps at 120v and 100+ at 240, all in a box that is smaller than most of the 20 amp ones at amain...I usually do 4 outputs, and all of the contacts are covered with black silicone. I charge $40 local for them, and shipping would be $15ish....



I use this charger...
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...er-6S-10A-250W

[JERRY2KONE]

LINK FIXED. Thanks.

I am curious of course to see if yours are any different then what I have already seen available. Do you have any photos of your setups? If it were just one power supply without any home made wires used to make it fit the privately intended operation, than maybe it would be considered legally acceptable for charging batteries.

Like I was explaining home owners insurance companies look for excuses like that to exclude payments for damage when a home made device is indicated as having caused the fire in a home. They call it "owner neglegent causes", or something like that. I am not willing to take that chance, because we live in privately owned homes that are contracted by the US Gov for our use in various countries around the world. Nor would I take that chance in my own home. I have seen some of these dual power supply systems joined together to acquire the needed voltage and amps supplied, and they are still not setup up safely for home use. You may have one that will work fine for 100 years, but all it takes is just one to malfunction and someone is going to end up in the poor house with absolutely no recourse for recovery. That is not going to be me.

I want a lagitimate power supply that is patented and designed for the intended use of supplying power to an R/C battery charger. Yes of course I would like it for a reasonable price with similar benefits to this Protek model, which is why I posted the question here. Home made electronics cause way too many house fires for me to risk my home or my family to save a few $$$. I also plan to use a gutted BBQ grill for a charging station rather than just having it setup on a workbench, which will give me at least some protection if a Lipo decides to let go while charging. Sure Lipo fires are somewhat rare, but they do happen. SAFETY FIRST.

[JoFreak]

That protek PSU sure is a nice pice of equipment.
But if you don't need all those ports, the usb charger and 520W of power.
You may, since you are within the EU now, want to take a look at this PSU.
I got one myself a short while ago and I love it. Not 520W but still 300W, output voltage can be regulated, 2 ports and 110/240V AC capable.
Only downside is, demand for this thing is very high, so you probably would have to preorder it to have a chance.

[nativepaul]

I haven't used that one but the 20A version is pretty popular over here but I bought one and it burned out charging a 12v battery at 5 amps, got a replacement and while it works it starts smelling bad if I charge a 2s pack at over 2A and smokes if I charge a 4s pack at 2A so I don't use it. and I'm not the only one thats had bad experiences with them, I know someone that went through (all operating at well under the speced power) 5 and lost a charger before he gave up and got something decent.

Personally I'm not up to making a PSU myself but id much rather use something that runs cool well within its limits but was designed for a different purpose and adapt it to my needs, than something that is designed badly for purpose, insurance may replace my TV and sofa but doesn't cover the thousands of hours I've put into designing and building my models, or my photo albums.
Having had 2 from the same manufacturer I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole, if you dont want to build or addapt something to suit your purposes, it is well worth saving a bit more and buying a quality bench power supply like a maas sps-9400 which is the 40A PSU Shulze recommend for their chargers and reviewed on Fastelectrics.net

[JERRY2KONE]

The adjustable voltage is nice, but considering the US to EU exchange rate I can do better price wise purchasing from the USA. Its nice to see that there are a few more options out there these days with so many companies competing for our money. That Protek PSU is only $150, and I have found some pretty capable chargers with up to 6S capabilities that will charge two packs at once with built in balancing taps for under $200. That makes a total purchase of about $350. Thats 247 Euros for both a 40amp PSU, and a 6S Duo charger. So far that looks like the best deal I have seen.

Thanks for sharing ideas though. Keep em coming if you think you have a better setup within the same sort of price range ($400 or less) for the pair.

[JERRY2KONE]

, if you dont want to build or addapt something to suit your purposes, it is well worth saving a bit more and buying a quality bench power supply like a maas sps-9400 which is the 40A PSU Shulze recommend for their chargers and reviewed on Fastelectrics.net[/QUOTE]

Looks like a nice find, and pretty basic design as well. I like the features of that one, except for the single output. I would like to have the option of plugging in at least two chargers at the same time if need be. The price is still right at about $160 wich is still a good deal. Thanks I will keep that one in mind.

[JoFreak]

I don't know about customs in the czech republic.
But in Germany there would be at least 19% added to those 247€.
You won't have to pay any customs within the EU.
And shipping will probably be a lot more exepensive as well.
So you would probably end up with ~350€.
Don't want to talk you into or out of sth. but keep that in mind.
Warranty period should be longer as well (24 month if I remember correctly).

[lucias]

i just got my Protek 40 and have only used it a handful of times but I like it so far. My previous power supply was a Astron 50a which weighed 50lbs so I never took it anywhere.. I have been charging my cheap turnigy batteries at 5c, they have been charging in around 20 minutes with my Hyperion Duo 3.. so far I like it and its handy being able to charge your phone..

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by JoFreak

I don't know about customs in the czech republic.
But in Germany there would be at least 19% added to those 247€.
You won't have to pay any customs within the EU.
And shipping will probably be a lot more exepensive as well.
So you would probably end up with ~350€.
Don't want to talk you into or out of sth. but keep that in mind.
Warranty period should be longer as well (24 month if I remember correctly).

Thanks Joe, but we are overseas working for the Gov, so we get our mail from military services. No international costs and no international customs. Shipping would be the same as recieving it stateside. No extra costs, only a little bit more time in shipping (one to two weeks). Standard shipping would cost about $10 to $20 for something like that. Benefits of our Dip status.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by lucias

i just got my Protek 40 and have only used it a handful of times but I like it so far. My previous power supply was a Astron 50a which weighed 50lbs so I never took it anywhere.. I have been charging my cheap turnigy batteries at 5c, they have been charging in around 20 minutes with my Hyperion Duo 3.. so far I like it and its handy being able to charge your phone..

Thanks for the input Lucias. How long have you been using it?

[JoFreak]

In that case it's a completely different story, nevermind then

[josh9mille]

I agree with whitrzac. Server power suplies are most likely going to be higher quality than some hobby grade power suply. And I have never heard of of a power suply just bursting into flames.

[lucias]

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

Thanks for the input Lucias. How long have you been using it?

About 2 weeks, it's a handy setup on race night always have a fresh pack ready to go..