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A better charger for your RC car Batteries

19/6/2020

13 Comments

 
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RC car technology has changed a lot over the years and one of the biggest changes have been batteries. I started with Sanyo SCRC NiCd pack, left the hobby before NiMH came out and came back when LiPo was full swing. Along with brushless power systems, LiPo batteries have revolutionised all RC vehicles - more burst power, higher energy density and multiple cell options. LiPo batteries need a lot of care, more than than a set of nichrome wires that hook your battery pack directly to a car battery anyway. The technology you need to properly charge and care for Lipo (and LiIon batteries) is a balance charger which allows the charger to charge each individual cell at a time rather than all together in series. This is important to not only extend the life and performance of your battery but to minimise the risk of the Lipo pack causing damage to your surroundings.
The right tool for the job
Like everything else to do with RC Cars, LiPo balance chargers are available in any number of models with different features, different interfaces and different quality levels. However unlike, motors, wheels, servos, escs and any other RC car parts they don't wear out and typically the charger you use will be with you for a long time so it is definitely worth having one that does the job properly. With that said you don't need to spend a lot to get a good charger that you can trust with your safety and life of batteries. This is in contrast to charger that come with RTR RC Car kits which at best are inaccurate and at worst are downright dangerous.
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This is the charger that comes with the WL Toys 144001. I don't trust it to charge my lipo battery correctly nor do I trust plugging it into any of my USB ports! Previously when charging and checking voltages with a multimeter it has overcharged my Lipo. This will shorten battery life and is dangerous to boot
The chargers I recommend are ISDT, these have been the gold standard for quadcopters (where we typically parallel charge multiple 6s packs) for the past 3 years. They have the best quality and user interface in the game hands down. So much so that I have seen that spectrum are using ISDT chargers under their own brand. Below are 3 models the I believe represent the most cost effective options in each bracket. All use XT60 discharge connectors by default. My recommendation is to switch to XT60 for all your batteries but if not it is easy to get adaptors like this premade $2 xt60 to deans t-plug converter
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ISDT Q6 Nano BattGo 200W 8A Pocket Battery Balance Charger for 1-6S Lipo

You'll need an old laptop power supply if you want to run of AC but this $30 ISDT option and even includes the new BattGo smart battery tech.
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​ISDT 608AC AC 60W DC 200W 8A BattGo Smart Battery Charger Discharger with Detachable Power Supply

Full review is here. This is simply the most versatile charger about with modular, removable AC to DC adaptor and costs about $50-$60. This is my personal recommendation - I would use day to day if I didn't already have the D2 model. Includes BattGo smart battery tech
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​ISDT D2 200W 24A AC Dual Channel Output Smart Battery Balance Charger

This is essentially two high powered chargers side by side - each channel works independently in a compact package and costs about $120. Charge at up to 12A per channel! I have personally been using this charger at home daily for the last 2 years. It is a lot of money but is certainly one of my prized possessions
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You'll need to plug in your battery and the balance lead. 6s shown here
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Multiple functions to choose from here. Including.... DESTROY!
Know your battery
As well as giving you more charging options, any of the above chargers will immediately give you the current voltage of each cell in the pack. This information is absolutely critical and you can tell a lot from it:
  • If you have overdischarged you pack (below 3.5v per cell) you may wish to increase your ESC's LVC or get a basic low voltage buzzer if you can't. Like this Battery Voltage Meter Tester Battery Monitor Buzzer Alarm
  • If there is more than 0.1-0.2v difference in voltage between cells your battery may be at the end of it's life
  • If you don't plan on using your battery for a period of time you'll want to keep the voltage between 3.7v and 3.9v per cell
Also when charging you can get feedback on the internal resistance of you battery cells. This measure is the second-most important metric on the quality of a pack - the higher the number the worse the pack. This however dependent on overall capacity. Quality lipos with high c-ratings tend to have very low internal resistance
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Individual cell voltage is the most useful information for your batteries
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All of the ISDT charger are able to storage charge your battery automatically
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The internal resistance is a very good measure of battery health
That's it for this article, my goal was to show that it doesn't cost a lot to get a good charger and they shouldn't be hard to use (looking at you SKYRC Imax B6)
​​Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the parts and quads I like at a proper discount
13 Comments
Karl
7/8/2020 12:21:51 am

Burnt me with this one.

It's retarded 110-220v input so while it might be great if you live somewhere within that range, not so great for the rest of the world.

Reply
Juan
28/3/2021 09:04:00 pm

How did you burn it? What voltage is in your house?

Reply
QuadifyRC
30/3/2021 09:08:13 am

You make no sense - from their website:
Input Voltage: AC 100V~240V / DC 10V~30V

I've been running this daily for about a year now on 230V AC

Reply
Jens Sauer
10/4/2021 01:51:49 am

I wanted to use a motor with 88a output but don`t know the C Rating of the 2s wltoys 2200mah batteries (as an alterntaive I have the 3300 2s Zop Power). How can this be checked to avoid a fire?

Reply
Jens Sauer
10/4/2021 01:55:32 am

Btw. I have a IMAX B6 charger if that can be used somehow?

Reply
QuadifyRC
12/4/2021 01:00:18 pm

Yes you can use that charger and ultimately it will do the same job. Just has an outdated GUI and less safety features

QuadifyRC
12/4/2021 12:56:26 pm

Hi Jens
The stock 2200mah battery is 25c I believe. You may actually be ok unless you literally drive full throttle the entire time. Try it and check the battery afterwards. If it is very warm then you'd probably need something better but I reckon it'll be just lukewarm or even cold so will be ok.

Reply
C Dustin
4/5/2021 06:46:20 am

Hello!
As always your wealth of knowledge is very helpful. I would REALLY like to see a write-up on battery choices.
I have a 144001 and arriving soon is my EMB-tg.
These are my first foray into lipo batteries in cars. So far I have 3 stock batteries for each (lipo) and am looking at these additional ones:

Brand: Zeee Power
Capacity: 8000mAh
Voltage(V): 7.4V
Discharge Rate (C): 100C
Configuration: 2S2P
Connector Type: Deans Plug
Dimension: 138*47*25mm/5.43*1.85*0.98inch(L*W*H)
Approx Weight: 320g/11.3oz

【Zeee 3S 5200mAh RC Lipos Specification】- Battery voltage: 11.1V; Configuration: 3S1P; Cell voltage: 3.2~4.2V; Capacity: 5200mAh; Discharge: 100C; Connector type: Deans Plug.
【Dimensions】- Zeee 5200mAh 3S lipo dimension is: 139*47*37mm/5.47*1.85*1.46inch(L*W*H); Approx Weight: 380g/13.4oz.

I use a Tenergy TB6-B charger.

My question is are these good choices and are they all intercompatible?
Thanks!

Reply
QuadifyRC
4/5/2021 10:32:53 am

Unfortunately those batteries are waaaay to big - they will not fit at all and even if they did would make the car to heavy.

Personally I think the stock 124019 battery is the best option for these cars.

Reply
Curtis Dustin
16/5/2021 05:44:11 am

Upon receiving I see what you mean. The 2s batteries are actually perfect for my 1/10 Ruckus 2wd. I don't *think* it can handle 3s stock, though.

I will likely run the 2s lipo batteries that come with the two buggies, but naturally I really want to play with the EMB-T and a 3s. How do I select one that's the appropriate size? What criteria would I use?
TIA

Frank
25/10/2021 06:27:45 pm

I bought a HBX 16889 brushless, based on your review and it's awesome. I have had no problems with the USB charger it came with (to date) but I'm feeling some kinda internet peer pressure to upgrade my charger. I was looking at the SKYRC B6 (or clone) but happened on this page.

Would the ISDT Q6 Nano be sufficient to charge the 7.4V 1300mah lipos I use for the 16889, or do I have to go large? I use maybe one or two batteries per day.

Great reviews, thanks for your good advice.

Reply
QuadifyRC
27/10/2021 12:30:56 pm

Lol don't stress about peer pressure, many use the USB charger without issue. A better charger just gives you more options, safer and help you keep your battery in good condition. Don't get the SKYRC, they are really outdated. Be aware that these batteries are TINY compared to what the chargers are capable of. As for which charger I strongly recommend the 608AC removed here - it is a much more versatile and tidy unit than the two you mentioned which both require external power supplies.

Reply
Joe
30/5/2022 05:16:18 pm

Just picked up a 144002 for my son (same size and drivetrain as 144001). I just have 2 battery questions... Can this car take a NiMH battery? If so, any recommendations on size or brand. (Strictly for safety since he's young before upgrading to lipos down the road). Second question is the Zeee lipo battery on Amazon is a 2S 2200mAh with I believe a C rating of 50C or 60C. Is this lipo ok to use? The ones on Banggood are 25C I believe, not entirely sure what the ecs is rated to handle and I don't want to be setting my kids car on fire. Thanks.

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