need help with charger
 

gents, I'm on to picking out a charger now, and BIG surprise, I'm stuck again! So, based on what I've read, everyone loves hyperion, AND they're supposed to be easy to use. So, sounds like they're for me! But which one? I need something easy to use, has a built in balancer, and I've got a strong preference for the ac/dc model, as I don't really want to have a seperate PS. I'm willing to go there if it is worth it. I'm going to be charging a 6S1P 5000mah Zippy, possibly the occasional random NiCd or NiMh, and most likely a 4S1P 5000 mah Zippy as well. I don't want to charge too fast, because if I understand what I've read, I'll kill the lifespan of my packs; but I don't really want to sit all day waiting either. If I can SAFELY charge the 6S in an hour, that would be good I guess. The reason I'm asking about this is that this charger is only 50W, vs. 250W for the next model up. Not sure what it means exactly, but I know someone here does! :yes:

Also, I really can't see ever charging a pack bigger than the 6S 5000 pack. I may wind up with 2 of them, but I just can't imagine having a larger pack (after playing with numbers on BrianG's sheet!).

The Hyperions are awesome. I have the EOS606i ac/dc charger and the EOS DUO that requires a power supply. Here is the trade off, any of the ac/dc charger will only charge a 4S at round 3.5-4.0 amps which on a 6000 mah equals 3 hours and a 6S probably close to 4hours. The DUO I can charge (2) 4S 6000 mah in a hour. Unfortunately for you, you are going to need a power supply. Check craigslist for a Astron power supply. they are big with ham radio guys and they are high quality and you can find them cheap. The power supply weigh about 40 lbs though and are 12" x12". I mounted mine under my bench. Hope this helps.

hmm; did someone say a 40 POUND power supply?!?! :surprised: NO WAY DUDE! :no: If that's really what I need, then I would say that's a MAJOR bummer! 4 hours on the ac/dc model?!?! SUX!!!!!! Is there not an alternative?? Say, something a little smaller, cheaper, and lighter?? Or am i REALLY gonna have to sit here for 4 hours charging a single battery? :oh:

look around
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...3p?&C=PKJ&P=ML

You can find some deals on used Ham radio Power suppiles. I have an old 60amp beast in my shop. It must weight at least 40 pounds! But of coure they are not all the big. You could even use an old computer power supply. Those go on ebay for 40-50.00 and most put out 20amps.

I have the Hyperion 0610i and this power supply

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKLP2&P=ML

The PS is small for its output and its not that much bigger than the charger, I am very satisfied with the results, tha charger can charge up to 6s @10 amps

lol, that 40lb supply is probably a linear type. I have a Astron 25A switching type and it's much lighter. Plus, I've tweaked the output so it needs less current, which allows me to use both of my chargers at once at full tilt.

I purchased a 0610i and made a pair or y harnesses (power and balancer) to charge two identical packs. It works great so far. As for a power supply, I found a converted laptop supply on ebay for like 65 or 70 shipped. it was a 12V 30A supply it looks very professional (although it was probably modified by some guy in his basement. My only beef with it was that after 30 minutes of charger 4S at 10A (i use 10,000mAh batteries) the PS was not able to maintain 12V (fell to 11.95 or so) so the charger was making a warning noise. I stopped the charger and told it to charge at 9.5A and it finished off fine and my next charge I stuck with 9.5 and it didn't have any issues. Mind you I was trying to pull ~150 watts of continuous power before it had an issue, but it was able to maintain 135-140 watts continuous fine. You would only be running about 135 watts (I think) so it should work fine (if you go with my cheap power supply idea, using a better power supply you shouldn't have any issues).

I got a 12V 36A CPU off ebay for 15$. Spent 8$ in parts at radio shack to convert it and it works like a champ. They are really easy to convert and easy enough to find cheap. Do a little research and get one from a reputable company though, it seems a lot of them are not quite up to the ratings that they list.

well, I gotta admit, I'm kinda crappin' my pants now, as it seems that I've REALLY missed the boat on chargers here!! It seems like these PS's are BIG, HEAVY, expensive, or cheap and extra work (CPU PS). Sooo,

1)how do you figure out what size power supply you need for your charger? Hyperion 610 - I know I need a 12VDC unit, but how many amps?

2) how do you figure out charge time on a 6S 5000mah pack? Ie, how is it calculated?

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...3p?&C=PKJ&P=ML
these are mostly all small and light. Stay over 15amps if you plan on using one charger at a time and you'll be able to charge just about anything you want. I only use that old 60 pound beast at home because it was free and I can run 4 chargers at the same time.

If you want to know you can maximize the chargers capabilities (250W) then you would need something capable of at least 20A constant(250W/12V=20.8A).
As I mentioned, my PS (CPU PS from ebay) claims to be 30A (360W), but was getting a little overworked after running at 150W for to long, although in hindsight it might have been that the outlet or circuit in the house was being overworked (was plugged into my TV’s surge protector with the TV and DVR on).

But to directly answer your question:
if 1S = 4.2V at fully charged voltage
and you have 6S or 25.2V
charging at 1C (for 5000mAh 1C=5A)
So 25.2V*5A=126W <--minimum continuous watts
126W/12V (PS input voltage)=10.5A
So you need at minimum a PS that can handle 10.5A continuous (plus whatever power the charger itself will draw).
Depending on what type of charger you buy you might be able to get a 15A (if it is rated for 15A continuous) or you might need a 20A (if it is rated at peak).
As for charge time:
As long as you can provide you charger at least 126W of energy (as we just went over that is 10.5A @12V) then you can charge at a 1C rating, at 1C rating you can charge you battery in around an hour (shorter if the battery isn't at LCV, longer if it is out of balance. But it should be around 1 hour +/- 15 minutes for almost all charging situations.

I would reccomend the Imax b5 or B6 charger from Unitedhobbies

This page was created specifically to help you pick the right PS: http://scriptasylum.com/rc_speed/_charger.html

You generally charge at 1C, so 5000mAh X 1C = 5A.

thanks to ALL! cmcclive: you wrote exactly what I was looking for!

BrianG: once again, you've pointed out to me that all this stuff has been done in your calculators, and me, the newB dope overlooked it :whistle:

Thank you!!! :yes:

lol, that's ok. I try to address most of the common questions which can be solved mathematically...

You dont really need a power supply. Just use a car battery. Oh, and if you are going to charge 2 6s 6000, make sure you use two car batteries in a series

only if your charger can take a 24v input