Does anyone own one of these?
 

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?

Ko Propo charger.
 

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?

link fail...:na:



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

Photos??
 

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.

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.

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

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.

Nice find
 

, 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.

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).

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..

Yes but.
 

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.

Thank you sir.
 

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

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

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.

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

you have a vailid point about the insurance/gov homes/etc...


If I could find an enclosure big enough, I could make one into a benchtop model with binding post/on-off switch/etc

If I had thought about server power supplies at the time I may have gone that route but I ended up getting a ham radio supply. 30 amps, very compact and less than 5lbs I think. Output adjustable 5-15v.
http://www.hamcity.com/store/pc/view...FQY65Qod7kQX_A

And I have never heard of of a power suply just bursting into

I do not believe that anyone even stated that they did. Electrical fires usually start because of a short that sends sparks to something that burns like paper, cardboard, or wood. There are thousands of electrical fires in the US every year. Although I have no idea what percentage of fires are related to power supplies. But the insurance industry is starting to keep tabs on fires started by home made or personally modified devices due to neglegence, and using them to void insurance payouts. The US started rating electrical devices many years ago and providing them with a UL rating stating that these products are safe to use by certain standards setup by professional Gov analysis. This is why Consumer reports recommends not buying anything that does not meet these standards. All I am saying is that I will not use any kind of home made electrical device inside my home.

I had a neighbor in Orlando who's house caught fire and was burned out completely. After close investigation by the fire departments investigator it was determined that the fire was started by a transformer, but that the cord had been cut off and it was wired incorrectly by whoever owned it causing the device to short out and start the fire. The insurance used that report and refused to pay for the damge to the house. They lost everything and after hiring a lawyer to try and appeal the matter were told that they had no case to fight the decision, because of a clause in their policy stating owners neglegence as an out. Case closed. This is not something new either. Its just that a lot of people do not hear about it, so it is a vague issue. I was warned by our insurance company because they wanted to know what we were using to charge the R/C batteries for our toys in our home in Korea. This is not an isolated case either. I just happened to be the first one to bring it up in here.

You do what you want to in your home. Just don't close your eyes and ignore the warning and become a victem. The people of Japan never thought that a tusnami would ever hit them that large either, and look at what is happeing with these spent fuel rods stored five stories over the reactor. They were warned during construction that this was an unsafe design for exactly that reason, but GE decided to ignore the warning in 1976. They knew it was bad and after 35 years they still had not fixed or modified the issue, and now look at what happened. What does that tell you? GE can not back peddle their way out of this one.

But
 

But if it is not UL rated and does not meet regulatory standards through manufacturing then it is considered to be a home made device and is hence not covered under home owners insurance if it deemed to have caused a fire. I hear everyone about finding a cheap way to overcome the issue and some of them are more than likely better than most store bought PSU's but if you decide to gamble and use it and something happens, then you are fully liable for the damage it may cause.

Enough said, please can we just move on to my opening request. We can argue this all night long and it still will not change the facts of the dangers of using a home made device no matter how safe or better you feel your work is. I am looking to purcahse a ready made PSU, but I am looking for the best one out for the best price. Plain and simple.

Wow, that's just bullspit! How the hell would a transformer "short out" by replacing a wire? As long as the wire was the appropriate size to carry the current, the insulating jacket was rated for the voltage used, and proper wire terminations were used to prevent wiring shorts, there is no way the wire would cause a transformer to fail. It's more likely that the transformer was pushed too far for too long (and/or poorly ventilated) on the secondary side (undersized for the job), overheated, melted the coil varnish, and that caused the fire. Sounds to me like the "investigator" didn't do a proper investigation (maybe paid off by the ins?) and the ins company used this convenient excuse not to pay out. Who was this insurance company by the way? I want to make sure I don't use a dishonest company.

The one you originally linked sounds like it has individual 16A rails, not a single 40A rail with parallel outputs. Unless you only need 16A per rail, I wouldn't get it.

If size/weight isn't an issue, you could go with a linear supply. They are really heavy, large, and can produce lots of heat though, but the larger models are usually cheaper.

Switching designs are a lot more efficient, but more complex, so if something goes wrong it's harder to fix. I've had good luck with my Astron 20A power supply. I wouldn't mind selling it, but I've modded it for mutiple banana plug outputs, so it doesn't meet your "stock" requirement. But here's a list on ebay: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories

Thanks for the info
 

Hey BG thanks for the advice on the PSU. I have to do some research on a few more chargers to determine exactly what I need for total output and ouput for each terminal. You are probably right though. If you can suggest a better unit and share a link that would be great Sir.

On the house fire issue. From what was shared by the fire department with a friend of mine the plug had been cut off and one was put back on by twisting the wires together and taping the leads. It really was an unsafe setup for something that could create a lot of heat. My point was that if they find anything that is of a personal nature for a short like modding a piece of electrical equipment in a way that makes it not for what it was designed for, and it makes it into an investigators report, than the insurance company can jump on that as an excuse not to pay out.

Think about it. If you bought a new $40K car, and also purchased a 5 year warranty to protect your investment. Then you remove all of the stereo gear and put your own personal setup in the car just because you do not like the stock gear, or you just add an after market amp with a nice big CAP. A month later in the dark of night while you are asleep the amp or the CAP shorts out for any number of reasons and starts a fire buring the car up totally. Should the warranty cover the car? They can very easily declare personal neglegence and refuse to pay out on the warranty. Remember BG we are not necessarily talking about you directly. Not everyone is gift like you in electronics. I would not trust any home made device if I did not build it myself and I knew what I was doing. Would you let me pack your shoot on a 20K feet jump? If it fails who are you giong to go after(if you live)?

Insurance sales people are usually very nice, but the fat cats who hide in the back office and decide what is payable and what is not could give a shit about you or I when it comes to giving out money. If they can find a loophole or a way out of paying they will do it in a heartbeat, and laugh all the way to the bank. This is why they are considered to be one of the richest companies in the world. Until it looks like they will have to make a big payout for a disaster, then they want to file bankruptcy. Tell me they are not cooking the books then. I honestly do not remember what company they had insuring their home. It was about 7 or 8 years ago. It was more than likely some local company subing for a bigger insurance company.

A quick and dirty estimate to get amperage required is simply take charger wattage and divide by 10v instead of 12v. Using a lower number accounts for charger efficiency losses and a little extra wiggle room. If you do the full calculation for, say, a 350w charger: (350w/85%)/12v=34A. The quick and dirty method gives you 350w/10v=35A. Pretty darn close for estimation purposes.

On the house fire thing, that makes a difference. I personally would never simply twist and tape wires. Heck, I don't even like wire nuts (which are legal in elec boxes) because the wires are still exposed to air, oxidize which increases contact resistance. The only connection I like is soldering - when done right.

Thank you sir.
 

Thank you for another calc to add to my brain. I better save this page for future use in my decision. Your RCM name should Brian Calculator, with all of the calc pages you have supplied us with. Good info as usual Sir. I will continue my reseach for a PSU that fits my expected use. I may get a real nice on for the shop and later get a smaller one for travel.

I've been using the Pyramid PS52KX DC Power Supply and it has served me well.. it's is heavy, and very reliable... http://www.claysradioshop.com/pyr-ps52kx.html

I bought mine from eBay a while back

hate to say it...but what about that MaxAmps power supply? It is basically a modified server power supply...but maybe that got it tested to be a consumer electronic thing to make it peachy on insurance? If not, and it was the determined to be the cause of the fire, you might away with suing them :p

Sure it works well
 

I am sure it works well. But like their batteries I would not trust anything with the MA name on it. After this feasco with the false advertising for their new TRUE 150C rating on their sub par Lipos I would not trust anything they sell.

good choice. Just throwing out the option :)