Choosing The Right Hobby Battery Charger For Your RC Needs

How to Choose The Best Hobby Battery Charger to Suit You

Making the correct battery charger choice is crucial since it could mean the difference between charging your battery safely and setting your shed on fire.

Choosing the best hobby-grade charger for you can be difficult because so many brands and models are available nowadays.

Charger prices can start at about $5 and go up to well over $300. People frequently inquire, "What's the difference?" Our guide can help you comprehend and sort through the many options available so you can find the best charger for your needs.

There Are 4 Main Charger Types in The Hobby

Trickle Chargers

The trickle charger is the most basic kind of charger. This kind of charger often has the most extended (slowest) charging time (about 6-24 hours, depending on the precise model and battery capacity) and can only charge NiMH or NiCd batteries (occasionally both). The trickle charger has a very low output (usually 100-500mAh) to prevent overcharging because it doesn't cut off when the battery is fully charged. However, I would remove the charge once the charger has been on for the proper amount of time. You can determine how long it will take by splitting the mAh of the battery's mAh by the charger's output. For instance, a 2000mAh battery charged on a 250mA trickle charger takes roughly 8 hours. Thus, the formula is 2000/250 = 8. If it has one, the LED on a trickle charger often only indicates when it has identified a connection with the battery, not when it is charging or charged. This contradicts what most people believe, as trickling chargers cannot determine when a battery is full.

Trickle chargers are the least expensive kind of charger on the market because of their straightforward circuitry. They are typically supplied with RTR models to get them started without significantly raising the product's price.

Only NiMH/NiCd batteries (unless otherwise noted) can be used with trickle chargers because, when fully charged, they can release part of the excess energy as heat, lowering the risk of overcharging and harming the batteries. The same cannot be said for lithium batteries, which can, at the very least, be seriously damaged if overcharged and, in the worst cases, result in violent flames.

Delta-Peak Chargers

NiMH and NiCd batteries are the primary users of delta-peak chargers. These chargers will not overheat and harm the battery's cells since they have a certain amount of "smart" technology to detect when the battery is fully charged. Depending on the charger model and battery capacity, this charger will usually fully charge your battery in 1–10 hours and have a higher current (mA) output than other trickle chargers. Since these chargers can recognize when a battery is complete, they often use an LED light—likely green—to show when the battery is charged. Specific delta peak chargers have adjustable settings, which is useful. Consider the SkyRC eN3 battery charger, which features a switch with three settings—1A, 2A, and 3A—that modifies the output current. In summary, delta-peak chargers are a good improvement over trickle chargers.

Balance Chargers

Because lithium batteries need specialized intelligence circuitry that can monitor each cell and balance them appropriately, balance chargers are made especially for these batteries. Although this charger is only compatible with lithium batteries, the charging procedure is similar to delta-peak peak chargers. In comparison to the SkyRC iMAX B6AC V2, which can charge 3.7v, 7.4v, 11.1v, 14.8v, 18.5v, and 22.2v LiPo batteries as well as many other battery types (not just LiPo), these chargers are particular about the kind of battery and voltage they are charging. For instance, the SkyRC e3 battery charger can only charge LiPo batteries that are 7.4v or 11.1v.

Smart Chargers

The smart charger is not to be overlooked. The SkyRC iMAX B6AC V2 is the most well-known smart charger available today. Still, other rebranded models with identical specifications are frequently interchangeable (sometimes called "4-button smart chargers"). I'll be talking specifically about the SkyRC iMAX B6AC V2 in this instance, but many of the ideas apply to other smart chargers with four buttons. LiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), NiCD (Nickel Cadmium), LiPo (Lithium Ion Polymer), Li-Ion (Lithium-ion), LiFePo4 (Lithium iron phosphate, or simply "LiFe"), and PB (Lead-Acid) are the six battery types that the iMAX can charge. This covers every battery type you will ever need for radio control (until a new technology comes out).

All of the aforementioned battery types can be charged with it within a broad, precisely controllable voltage range.

  • LiPo/LiFe/LiIon Cells - 1-6S (3.3-22.2v)
  • NiMH/NiCd Cells - 1-15S (1.2-18v)
  • Pb(Lead Acid) total battery Voltage - 2-20v

Additionally, the charge and discharge current can be adjusted precisely.

  • Charge Current Range - 0.1-6.0A
  • Discharge Current Range - 0.1-2.0A

For each type of battery, the SkyRC iMAX B6AC V2 battery charger offers a number of "modes" that allow you to perform a "fast charge," "balance charge," "storage charge," "discharge," and a "regular charge." These modes are very beneficial, and your batteries will appreciate them if you use them properly.

Furthermore, it may be powered by either 11–18 volts DC or 100–240 volts AC (much like your automobile battery).

Overview

In my opinion, charging batteries is the most dangerous aspect of the RC hobby. However, if you are ready, have the right information, and handle them carefully, it should be a stress-free and totally safe procedure.

Which charger type is best for you may depend on several things.

The four primary features of chargers will dictate which application is most appropriate:

Maximum voltage: It will not be used if you have an 11.1v battery and the charger is only rated to charge 7.4v cells.

The charging current will determine the charge time, which is often expressed in milliamperes or amps.

Battery type: The kinds of batteries the charger can charge. Please verify that the battery type you use is compatible with it.

Input power: If necessary, verify that your charger can be powered from 240v. Some chargers can only be powered from 12v DC power (such as a car battery).

Because switching to a balance/delta peak charger isn't that much more expensive given the advantages, I recommend obtaining anything better than a trickle charger unless it comes with your RC model.

If you're new to the hobby and only have one or two batteries of the same kind, balance and delta-peak chargers are excellent.

Consider purchasing a smart charger like the SkyRC iMAX B6 AC V2 if you have bigger-capacity batteries and a variety of cell kinds. These chargers can charge various battery types at varying voltages and currents. Investing in a smart charger can help you save time and money by eliminating the need to buy two or five different chargers. It also streamlines your workspace and enables you to become accustomed to using just one charger.