QUADIFYRC Quadcopter reviews

Introduction
The ISDT 608AC Smart Charger with Detachable Power Supply is a new entry-level LiPo battery charger from ISDT, the most consistently high quality charger manufacturer in the business. It has the capability of taking power supply from both AC (mains) and DC (battery) power which is usually a feature of the more expensive chargers and also offers a first in that the AC adaptor is a modular detachable unit. This is a full review and operation overview of the ISDT 608AC charger as it relates to use for quadcopters.

Lipo charging background
Charging is perhaps the least exciting topic in the world of quads but very important; safe, reliable chargers are hugely under-appreciated... until you have an accident. If you are new to the hobby you'll probably want to spend the minimum on the charger possible which tends to point you in the direction of DC chargers that require an additional power adaptor. I remember there being a bit of a minefield of choosing the charger but more so the adaptor that you needed to use; do you run it of mains power? What voltage? What power rating? What plug size? After all this you still don't know the quality of the power pack and I have certainly seen some dodgy ones. When you have a dodgy power pack pulling upwards of 5 amps (and often a lot more) it is a distinct risk.

Until now, if you wanted a charger with a built in AC power supply you have needed to spend more, Like the Hota/Hobbymate D6 Pro Duo (reviewed here) or the ISDT D2 which are both well upwards of $100. The new ISDT 608AC is a DC charger at heart with a very nice slide on modular DC adapter that comes included. Since ISDT is perhaps the best charger manufacturer out there, the implication is that this power supply is of the same high quality and just as importantly you can guarantee it is correctly rated.

What's included?, build and dimensions
Captioned pictures do the best job here. As usual, click to embiggen.

I recently bought a low-cost XT30 balance board that I would share here given it does the job I would expect at a low price: the ​XT30 1S-3S Plug Parallel Charging Board For IMAX B6 Charger. Although advertised as working with the Imax B6 charger, it will work with any 1-3s capable lipo balance charger that uses banana plugs.

The balance board can be used with 1,2,3,4 or 6 batteries with a XT30 connector and standard balance plugs for 1-3s batteries which will cover most micro builds. Each XT30 discharge lead is protected by a fuse if there is a large voltage differential on connection.

I also purchased this lead that I will modify to with an XT30 male plug from this set for input so that I can also use this balance board for my batteries with JST discharge plugs.

Below is a list of key rules for balance charging but certainly no exhaustive in terms of instructions:

1. Only charge batteries with the same amount of cells
2. Only charge batteries with capacity (mah) of within 10% of each other
3. Idividual battery cell voltage should be within approx 0.1v (check first)
4. Connection order: banana plug to charger, balance lead to charger, all of the XT30 discharge leads to the balance board and then all the balance leads to the balance board.
5. Set current as you standard charging current (I use 1c) multiplied by the number of batteries you are charging.