Finest lipo charger around

[captain harlock]

I'm about to get my lipo setup, but I got a few things to confirm:
I'm thinking of getting the Schulze 330d-RS charger with my Lipo batts (90% possibility 2x 3s1p Evo20 or Evo30- new formulation-) and Duralite 2-6s Balancer.

My problem is whether or not the Schulze charger would be enough to charge 6s 3700mah pack. The isl 330d-rs puts a maximum current of 5.5 amps in comparison to the Thunder Power 10s charger which, as far as I know, can put 10 amps of charging current. Can I get a great performance with the 330d charger or am I going to be more satisfied with the TP?

Lipos are supposed to be greater than nimh in terms of energy density and electric 'punch', but why do they always say that its better to charge lipos like a 3700mah at 3.7 amps and not 5 or 6 amps like the nimh?!

If I charge a 2s1p 3700mah lipo pack at 3.7 amps and a 6 celled 3700 nimh pack at 6 amps, which one would beat the other?

Finally, if you say that the Schulze isl330drs is better than the TP 10s charger, then what is your reasons? And what is your reasons for saying that the TP 10s charger is better than the isl330drs charger?

Thanks, and sorry for the long winded questions.

Alawi El-Jifri :003:

[MetalMan]

The TP 1010C is a very nice charger. What makes it even more nice is that you can match it up with a TP 210V balancer, and the two will interact with each other. With this setup you can actually see the voltage of the individual cells on the 1010C's LCD display. If the pack is out of balance, then the 210V can tell the 1010C to slow down the charge so that the pack will go back into balance. Basically, this setup is foolproof.
The 1010C can do 5s Lipo at 10 amps or 10s Lipo at 5 amps max.

If this were my decision, I'd choose the TP setup. It's safer, and if either the Schulze or the TP needed to be serviced, you'd get the TP back sooner because Schule tends to take longer to service things. The TP repair would also probably be cheaper than Schulze.

Lipos are generally specified to charge at 1C. Some newer Lipos are being advertised as 2C or even 3C charge capable, but this will shorten the life of the pack by a little bit. You could even charge older Lipos at 3C if you wanted. BUT, when charging ANY Lipo at greater than 1C, balance is a bigger issue. Thunder Power reccommends charging their ProLite packs at 3C when using their charger/balancer setup so that none of the cells are allowed to go above 4.20v. FMA does a similar thing with their Scorpion battery/charger setup.

[captain harlock]

What does 1C means?

[squeeforever]

1C is like 3.7 amps for a 3700mah pack.

[captain harlock]

Will 3.7amps charge for the 3700mah pack be enough to make the battery pull enough energy to make the Maxx go CRAAAAAAAAZZZYYY?
I'm going to use 6s, though.

[BrianG]

The charging current doesn't have much to do with the final output other than the time it takes to charge. If you charge a 4000mAh battery at 2A (0.5C), it will take ~2 hours, but have the same final result as charging the same pack at 4A (1C), which will take ~1 hour. The battery is a 4Ah battery, which means it can supply 8 amps for 1/2 an hour, or 4 amps for one hour, or 2 amps for 2 hours, and so on. The same thing goes for charging.

The exception to this is if you are charging NiMH; those seem to give you more punch if you charge at a slightly higher rate. Conversely, if you charge NiMH at a slower rate (~ 1/2 C), then you get better runtimes but less punch.

To be safe, I'd charge lipos at no more than 1C or less for the sake of longevity.

[captain harlock]

Hmmm..satisfying answer.
Now, I've made up my mind and I'll get a 2x 3s1p 3700 Evo20 lipo pack, TP 10s charger and TP 210V balancer. However, what adapter am I supposed to use inorder to make both 3s Evo20 packs get charged and balanced at the same time? bearing in mind that the TP balancer has a different connector than the one found in the Evo20 3s 3700mah pack.

[MetalMan]

You may want to ask that question here:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=129

Some of those guys are very experienced with adapting Polyquest-type taps to TP taps. Just make sure that they are aware that you want to charge both 3s packs at the same time as a 6s pack.

[captain harlock]

Nay, if its almost impossible to use them together.....?!

Well, MetalMan, what's your saying in ThunderPower's lipos? are they on par with the Evo20s?

[MetalMan]

It's possible to make up an adapter, I just have no experience with TP taps.

My take on TP batteries: they are expensive, run hot at their continuous discharge rating, and can even be killed after only a few cycles running at their continuous disharge rating. However, they do hold a good voltage, and are lightweight. Some of the extra money that you pay goes into a warantee-type program where if your battery gets damaged then you might only have to pay half-price for a replacement. Personally, I woulnd't buy TP Lipos. I can get a 4s battery with the same capacity for less than a 2s TP battery.

[captain harlock]

Then I should stick to the Evo20 2x 3s1p 3700mah, isl330d and the Duralite 3s balancer. Its enough for me.

Do you think that the Evo20 is better than the Kokams?

[MetalMan]

In terms of what? Kokams are safer, but also heavier. Kokams are also more expensive. Right now, it's harder to buy Kokams since FMA is no longer selling them.

[captain harlock]

Well, that's about everything. Thanks, MetalMan.