Powerlab 8. 1344watt 40amp charger.
 

Yes :)

Yes it does.

Sweet. Thanks gents. I will have one on order within couple of days. Now I have to get a PSU for this beast. I don't think there is a cheap way out of that one if I want to take the full advantage of the chargers ability. Found a PSU from Hyperion that looks the goods but really pricey. Was also thinking of getting two server PSUs like what certain company sells.(You know the one. The one that says they will post graphs and never do:lol:) Still even with them I wont be able to take the charger to it's full ability. If anyone knows of anything that can power this charger to it's full potential please let me know.

How about one of these.
 

http://www.fastelectrics.net/Maas-SPS-9400.php

http://www.nitrorcthunder.com/Power%20supply.htm

https://www.k1cra.com/catalog/produc...productID=2798

Sorry Jerry but I can't see anything there that can run this charger to it's full potential. I need something 24-32v and also around 60A current ratting but that depends on the voltage.
I think I might go with Mean Well SE-1500-24 1500W 24V 62.5A Power Supply. Not cheap at $350 +del. but I don't want anything less than that. I see no point in getting a such a kick ass charger and limiting it with a sub-par PSU.

I have also found a Hyperion unit that is rated @ 2000W but I don't get how with it being ratted at 30V and 60A output. Not sure but at $500 it doesn't exactly scream "Buy me".
So far I think the Mean Well PSU is the way to go. I have only heard good things about them so I don't mind spending a little extra.

How about this one?
 

This one looks interesting enough for a few reasons. It is an enclosed unit designed for medical use, which makes me believe that it will be built very well due to the strict standards required by Hospitals and other medical establihsments for running sensitive life support systems. It has a max current of 53amps, but they do have higer rated amps as well. But for the price range of around $400 this was the best one that I have seen so far. It has an input voltage of 85 to 264volts, which was one of my considerations due to the fact that we keep moving back and forth from countries that have 120volts, and 240volts AC for public power supply systems. It might just be another one to consider. Still looking.

http://www.trcelectronics.com/Cosel/pba600f-12.shtml

This one is rated up to 88amps/1000watts, but the price is nearly doubled at just over $700.

http://www.trcelectronics.com/Cosel/pba1000f-12.shtml

This one is also rated upwards of 80amps, but sells for around $450. But it is strictly 120volt input.

http://www.12volt-travel.com/80-amp-...ly-p-4821.html

Not sure what the price is on this one, but it has a 720watt output and variable input.

http://www.acopian.com/single-s-low-m.html

There are a few in this store that look like they would be able to handle the load, and the prices are much better.

http://www.wearecb.com/store/12-volt...y-c-31_77.html

What charger are you using Jerry? Most chargers these days can take more than 12V and all the big power chargers need at least 24V. The PowerLab8 will not be able to charge at much more than 500W with only a 12V input regardless of the current that that the PSU can supply. In fact the PowerLab8 can handle up to 32V.

For you if you have a high end charger you are better off getting something like this PSU. CLICK HERE Mean Well have a pretty solid reputation from what I can gather reading the net. Also the unit in the link is switchable between 120V and 240V AC so you should be able to take it anywhere around the world.

I am leaning towards this unit. CLICK HERE. It should be a pretty close match for the PowerLab8. The only thing about it is that it isn't meant to operate below 180V AC so it wont be much use to you guys in US. For me it will be perfect.:whistle:

Psu info
 

Hey thanks for the advice sharing. My plan is to get my hands on one of the PowerLab8 model chargers, so the perfect power supply for that is what I am interested in. I have just been going through all of the PSU supply networks trying to find the best PSU for the best price range. Its going to be a few months before I can afford to start getting my Lipos and charging system together. Money is just too tight after our move, so I have to be patient for a while longer. I am keeping my eyes open and absorbing all the info I can to make sure I take the best route when the time comes. Thanks and good luck with your purchases to.

<rant>

Charger requirements are getting pretty stupid IMO.

For ~400w and less chargers, I can understand (but don't necessarily agree) why they require a 12v supply so that they can be used off a 12v car battery in the field.

For the 500w+ chargers that accept 12v or ~24v; you can't get the full capability at 12v or in the field off your car anyway, so you are forced to get a high price 24v+ supply.

But honestly, how much would it really cost to add in a switching PS that accepts either 12v DC or 120/240v AC? Circuit-wise, it's not all that complex; after all, all of these chargers use a switching PS internally already to turn that 12v into whatever voltage the battery needs. So, put the necessary supply in these things and charge extra. The result is safer; Joe Six-Pack, who doesn't know a resistor from a capacitor, won't be forced to fork over big $$$ for a big supply, or attempt to cobble something together, possibly unsafe, like certain companies. Yeah, the charger will be physically larger, but not really once you factor in the external PS. And all chargers could still have direct 12v DC input for field use (reduced output for the bigger chargers).

And while on the subject, why is the 12v input limited to 40-50A? You can't tell me they don't make FETs capable of switching more than that (look inside any ESC)? Maybe they can't wind their internal transformer with wires that'll handle it? Nope. Look at any really high power car audio amp; some of those transformers can handle well over 100A. Maybe it's so the dummies won't drain their car batteries in the field? I don't buy that either because even at 40A limit, a typical car battery (especially when not brand new) will be drained in less than an hour anyway.

I say make all chargers accept 12v DC (with no output limitation) AND 120/240vAC input. There is NO legitimate reason not to.

</rant>

That be a nice highend charger there Brian. But sales would be lower and the company won't survive with low volume sales. Even more peeps would go with the cheaper chargers. But I guess the company could do both the current Powerlab 8 and a more expensive version with all the bells and whistles. I can see them hitting the industrial market as well with that type of charger.

The cost for the charger itself would be more expensive, yes, but not really once you figure in the cost of a safe/proper external PS. The more advanced user can make a high current supply using server parts or whatever, but not the average Joe. Putting two of those server supplies in series for 24v has to be done a special way to be safe, and even then, it's not the way they are intended to be used.

To boost sales for those "high-end" chargers would simply be a matter of marketing. Show a price comparison of individual components vs the more expensive (and safer) included PS model and even ordinary people will quickly see the advantages. And people like Jerry2kone, who want a proper, manufacturer-designed supply will be satisfied.

Also, how many hobbyists have you seen get confused by what supply they need? I've seen numerous threads around various forums where people try to use a low current 12v supply and wonder why their charger errors out and/or won't have full output. Putting the supply in the charger is safer and will have the necessary rating required. No more guesswork.

That second Meanwell looks nice! I sent a email to Revolectrix a while ago asking about PSUs. They like Meanwell, Mastech, and Iota. I was looking at getting this Iota. I might end up getting this one because it looks like the 24v 40amp unit requires a 120v 20amp line. I'm not sure what our track has for power, but it would require me to add a 20 amp line to my hobby room. What are others doing for the PSUs that are "high watt"?

That doesn't makes sense. 24v @ 40A is "only" 960w. Once you figure in efficiency losses (~15%) and AC power factor, you should only need ~10A @ 120v. Maybe they recommend a 20A line because the load looks highly inductive (rather than resistive)? But this would show up in the power factor rating, but could be compensated via power factor correction circuits (most high -power/end computer PS units use this).

See now that makes sense to me BG. I am not an electrical geneous so I have been wondering the same thing. Why make all of these chargers and PSU's so different from each other complicating our ability to charge one type of battery, but not another, or one that charges up to 6S while another charges only 3S. I would think by now that most of the manufacturers should have a pretty solid idea what we do in our hobby and what we need in general. So why not make a universal psu and charger that will do the job. Just have one that can handle lower voltage batteries and one for higher voltage which would define the difference between novice hobbiests and more seasoned vets.

Just looking at the PowerLab8 makes me wonder why not create a matching PSU that will work as a package deal and will allow one to use the charger to its full capacity. Plus make it compatible for voltage inputs 12V DC, 24v DC, and also 50-240volts AC. I mean they have been doing this sort of thing with laptops and other electronic gear now for a while so we know the technology is out there.

In fact why not take it one step further and create one complete unit that does everything the PowerLab8 does with a built in PSU with the specs we would all like to see? Then charge a reasonable price for it. Chargers and PSU's combined for that range come in at around $600 to $800 now, so put one together in one neat package for $500-$600 and call it a day. We all know they would sell like waffles at a Belgian concert.

Green Flame stickers would be excellent for marketing.

That's kinda what I'm saying; put the proper PS inside the charger that will accept 12v DC (for field use with no mains power available) and 120/240v AC (for bench use) and be done with it.

Snellemin: I personally don't like to see flames of any kind on my electronic components; flames=something is wrong. :smile:

There ya go.
 

Well there ya go BG. Now you have a product, and you already have the business snense. So when will your first prototype be out????? I am sure that there are plenty of gents in here who would love to do some BETA testing for ya. You don't have to use the best materials in the world. Just use fair quality and come up with a great finished product that looks halfway desent.

I do like the look of the Muchmore Legacy setup. The PSU with two chargers mounted on top of it looks very nice. Something along those lines, but one combined unit would be a great sell.

I mean we all know the bottom line here is that we want to be able to purchase a single unit and have the ability to charge two 8S lipos side-by-side to full power and capacity within 10 to 15 minutes. Ready to race, right. Is this really that hard to accomplish???

Yea I think that flames idea helps to cover up the idea that their batteries might go up in flames at some point, but it will look cool and just blend in with the shrinkwrap design.

It will be out April 1st. :lol:

Seriously, developing a charger from the ground up would be reinventing the wheel, not to mention trying to compete against mass-produced products would be an exercise in futility. Rather, current manufacturers should get the hint and make the changes to their products.

When I was first looking at PSUs thats that I thought, but the cutsheet on the IOTA says that its Continuous Maximum Power Output is 1100 watts and its Maximum AC Current @ 108VAC is 20 amps. You are 100% right - a powerful all in one charger would be bad ass! :whistle:

OK so who has the inside track with any of these charger and PSU developers that can get some suggestions on the board so that maybe there could be a good setup in the making soon. Maybe they just don't get it, and they need someone from our hobby to sell them on the idea so they can understand what we want and what we need.

I mean look at MA and how they just throw Crap together in a garage and sell it like it was the best thing since sliced bread. They even put false statements on them with some cute stickers and people still buy them. How hard can this be for God sakes?

I thought I blew the charger, by messing up the balancing wires while the charger was active. I didn't blew fuses, but did hear some popping. Long story short, I opened the bad boy and saw that the current limiter was popped. I was only able to charge through the balancing cables. Digikey to the rescue and all is well again. This time I bought me some parallel balancing adapters to prevent me from goofing off again.

Balancing Port Wires- Misconfiguration Results.
 

Yikes-
Will you please tell us exactly what you did, in order that we may avoid such a mistake?

PS. I'm glad you didn't get your fingers burned, nor get a shock. I'm also glad your charger is still working properly :)

I was in a rush with getting into the house, but wanted to charge my batteries for the next day. So I charged one pack and when it finished I just unplugged the balancing wires and power cable. My mistake was not hitting the stop button when the charging was done. The charger was still active when I plugged in the next set of batteries, which isn't a problem unless you plug them in wrong.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...8/DSC03759.jpg

CellPro PowerLab 8 Battery Workstation.
 

Thank you for the picture and detailed account of your experience.

What will you do next, in order to repair the damaged part? It may be a very low fee to send the charger back in to the manufacturer for a repair estimate, and or maybe this part could be processed under warranty. I do not know for sure. I also wonder if any aditional part or parts may have been damaged, beyond the one piece we can see in the picture. What are your thoughts about this at this point in time?

Note: Now that Thunder Power is offering their G6 series LiPo battery which can accept a 12c balanced charge rate, with said no discernible cycle life loss, nor battery damage- I'm very interested if our PowerLab 8 CellPro Chargers can accept another Firmware update which would allow this model charger to charge at an amperage of possibly 50amps, or even 60amps; or more.

I remember speaking with FMA Direct's Tech Support Howard Matos. Howard at that time- which was many months before the PowerLab 8 Charger was released for sale, and FMA Direct was accepting pre order payments at a reduced price to anyone that would like to pay in advance. I had ask Howard why they did not make the charger more powerful than 30amps- which at that time was the said limit of the chargers power, abilities; and potential. Howard explain that the 30amps was the safe limit of charging power for the hardware in the charger.

Many months later after I received my PowerLab 8 charger, I learn that there was a firmware update which permit an additional 10amps of charging power. Simply with a five minute free firmware update to the charger, now permitting a 40amp balanced charge rate.

When I ask Howard how this was possible, when he had previously explain to me that the hardware would not handle any more power; Howard then explain that this was previously kept secret in order that anyone building chargers that would match the original 30amps of power, would no longer be able to compete with the now more powerful 40amp PowerLab 8. And sure enough- I've seen a couple different 30amp chargers on the market- but only the CellPro PowerLab 8 can balance charge at 40amps.

This makes me wonder if the CellPro PowerLab 8 is still capable of more power by way of an additional firmware update, than the now 40amp limit of the charger. I still find it quite amazing that I use to go to the RC track with a small case of batteries and five chargers, all charging at 1c or 5amps for a 5000mah LiPo. Now I bring my one PowerLab 8 40amp 1344watt Balance Charger, and two- 2cells, running one 2cell while charging the other. In my 1/8th scale Hyper 9E I'm running 18 minutes at race speeds with the 50c 5200mah 2cell batteries, and the charger is always complete with charging well before I get back to the pit area for a battery change. The 50c 5200mah cells are the G4 technology, I believe. Thunder Power already has the G6 series available and these newer technology batteries can accept a 12c quick charge rating.

The next test I will be conducting will be running a battery with just enough Mah(+ a little extra Mah to prevent from overdischarging the battery) to complete a 5 minute qualifier, and possibly another battery with the minimum Mah/Capacity to complete a 7 minute main. Based on the fact that my run time is 18 minutes, and I'm charging 4500Mah back into the 5200mah 2cell(note LiPo cut-off set to 3.3volts per cell) on the Mamba Max Pro Speed Control- I may be able to use one 2cell 3300Mah or possibly one 3cell 3300Mah 65c if extra power is needed. This minimizing of battery capacity/Mah would be primarily to reduce unused- weight(battery capacity) in the qualifier and main race.

Note: The reason I'm able to run one- 2cell LiPo in a 1/8th scale buggy is because I believe the full carbon fiber kit(by Matrix Concepts Inc) reduces the overall weight of the buggy enough that I'm able to also run a short course truck motor(Steve Neu/Castle) 1409 1Y 3600kv which is the same exact size as the Novak 17.5 stock 2wheel drive 1/10th scale buggy motor- in terms of outer motor can diameter and length, and weighs only 219grams- and has a 5mm pinion gear shaft(accepts Mod 1 Pinion Gears). The buggy is as fast, if not faster than any of the buggies running standard 1/8th scale motors- powered by 4cell at 14.8volts.

PS. If anyone is aware of a Balancing Charger which charges at a rate beyond 40amps, please post onto this thread the link and any information. Even if the model is not yet released- but in the design stage of the process :) any information will be greatly appreciated. As said by other RC enthusiasts the world over- a huge step in the right direction would be to integrate the power
supply into these high powered balance chargers.

I've allready repaired the Powerlab. It would of taken more time and cost more for me to send it out to get repaired. With me ordering the parts from Digikey, I was only out of a high amp charger for a few days, instead of a few weeks.

It would be nice to have a 50A option. Not so much to charge a single pack at 50A, but for parallel charging. Currently I'm charging four 5000mah 4s packs in parallel. I could make a new board, so I can do charge the 4 packs as two 8s packs. But I would need one hell of a power supply to do so.

Lights out.
 

ha ha ha lights go dim:gasp:, and a few seconds later the city goes dark:oh:. Dammit snell is charging his Lipos again.:diablo::rofl::na::lol:

Yea, I've tripped the HP power supply allready. I'm almost wanting to use four of those HP power supplies and configure it for 2s2p....24V@94A. That also means that I would need a beefed up power outlet in my garage and set of earplugs for those crazy fans.:gasp:

I just received my Powerlab 8 and Iota DLS-27-25. :intello: Man, this is one bad ass setup! As an fyi, Nankin Hobby has a $25 off coupon and free shipping on the Powerlab 8 combo 2 so you can get it all for ~$255.

Also, Revo now has a USA warehouse so we dont have to pay crazy shipping charges from Singapore. http://www.usastore.revolectrix.com/

CellPro PowerLab 8 Free Shipping- And $25.oo Off Combo #2, Coupon.
 

That's great news indeed. Thank you for the information :)

I am amazed at how many people at the track don't realize this charger is available and balance charges at 40amps.

This charger has made it possible for me to bring one back pack, which I put a few tools, a couple extra parts, my car stand, one set of tires(I keep in a zip lock baggy to keep the tires from drying out), my 42amp common sense rc power supply($125.oo at Common Sense RC Web Site), My CellPro PowerLab 8 Charger, and Three Thunder Power G4 50c 5200mah 2cell LiPo's(I only need two LiPo's but I bring three for the time one of the batteries begins to eventually lose power, though it's been one year and these little power cells are still going strong + Thunder Power extended their warranty to 2 years woohoo).

Whereas I use to bring five chargers to the track and a case of LiPo's in order that I would always have at least one battery charged and ready to go; and I would be able to run back to back batteries at the track- all day. This(CellPro PowerLab 8) Charger Is Awesome.

I hope the next model has the ability to Balance Charge at 100Amps. At the rate LiPo and LifePo4 chemistry batteries are advancing- it will not be long until LiPo's can charge in less than five minutes. Though I'm very happy with my 7 to 10 minute 30amp charging I've been doing :) As it is, the batteries I'm running cannot even take full advantage of the full 40amp's ability of my charger lol.

Those Thunder monkey's can take the 40A charge rate. If my cheapy Acepow can do it, than the Thunderpower surely can as well. I charge my Acepow's at 30A at home and 40A at work, twice a day, 6 days a week with the Powerlab. The charger never complains.

Building batteries is much easier now. Matching cells is easy to do with the Ohms readout and capacity gauge.

Batteries get warm when discharged at a high rate. Charging them at a high rate does not. ex: Discharging those laptop cells at 5A(2p config) gets them way to hot. Charging them at 7A and the temps are way lower.

pic of me building battery packs from laptop batteries using the Powerlab and pc interface.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/DSC03931.jpg

40amp Balance Charging.
 

Very very nice setup you have there Snellemin :-)

Thanks, but it's a mess right now. I just finished building a 10s4p 18650 combo pack. I still have 4s4p to go.

I still need to wire my 2 power supplies together...


24v at 72 amps will draw 18amps at 120v(ish) good thing my basement is wired with a 30 amp breaker:rules:

:gasp:Do it!

no moneys for the charger(s):no:

The Mighty Powerlab died today! It gave me a error a few times during charges and than after a few resets nothing. LCD didn't work anymore. Called it in and see what happens warranty wise.

In the meantime I purchased another combo to get my ebike going. I'm guessing all those 40A charges finally made something give. I opened it up and didn't see anything that was blown. All the fuses where still good. The dual 35A blade fuses are on the negative input wire for those that care for such a thing. I'm back at using my old FMA Balance pro charger. Sucks to be stuck with 10A charge rates.

Dang... that sucks. I hope you get your new one soon.

Yea it sucks, but it has lasted almost a year before giving the up ghost.

PowerLab 8 Banana Jacks Charge Through Mode.
 

Snellemin-
Is it possible this charger malfunction is related to the previous short circuit when the battery was plugged in reversed- with the charger still live? What I mean to say is- could that accident somehow have shorten the life of the charger? Or was the only part damaged- the specific part you replaced?

PS. Is it possible to charge a LiPo using the banana plugs, without using the balance plug as well? Reason being- I have some two cell LiPo's that use the two bullet connectors 4mm and the very small 2.5mm I believe it is- bullet connector between the (+ and -) two 4mm connectors. I have a Team Check Point LiPo balancer which only requires I use the banana jacks- from any given charger.

I'm sure I could buy the proper adapter to allow the PowerLab 8 to do the balancing for these older LiPo's I no longer use- but I'm at the moment interested in if this charger will allow me to somehow charge through the banan jacks only- Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

Dunno what happend with the charger. It could be a simple thing, or it can be more complicated. I never had the magic smoke smell coming out of the charger. I just think it died overtime, due to heat.

Good news is, that I'm getting my new one today around noon. So back to ebiking to work. Just got an email to send in my broken charger back to FMA.

There is an preset for small unbalance lipo packs. I haven't messed with though. If I were to charge the lipo in unbalance mode, I would set the CV to 4.1V per cell as a safety margin. I hardwire my 2s Acepow packs, as I didn't like the 4mm bullets anymore.