WhataNut FMA PowerLab8 1000W charger

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by snellemin

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.

ha ha ha lights go dim, and a few seconds later the city goes dark. Dammit snell is charging his Lipos again.

[snellemin]

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.

[feistyacorn]

I just received my Powerlab 8 and Iota DLS-27-25. 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/

[MindThoughts]

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.

Originally Posted by feistyacorn

I just received my Powerlab 8 and Iota DLS-27-25. 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/

[snellemin]

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.

[MindThoughts]

Very very nice setup you have there Snellemin :-)

[snellemin]

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

[whitrzac]

Originally Posted by snellemin

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.

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

[snellemin]

Originally Posted by whitrzac

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

Do it!

[whitrzac]

no moneys for the charger(s)

[snellemin]

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.

[feistyacorn]

Originally Posted by snellemin

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.

[snellemin]

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

[MindThoughts]

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.

Originally Posted by snellemin

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

[snellemin]

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.