 The HobbyMate charger is similar to the ISDT but has it's own pending patents for design The Hobbymate D6 Pro Duo is quite simply this is the most complete charger I've come across. Up until very recently the charger I have been using most is the ISDT D2 smart charger than can charge up to 6s lipos x2 at a time on separate channels. This has been and excellent charger and the allowance for charging 2 batteries at a time (entirely independently) means that I have no used my balance board since I got it. User interface is very simple and it is a joy to use but there is a glaring omission - it only has AC in put meaning although it can be directly powered from a wall plug, it cannot be powered from a DC (battery) source when you are travelling or have no access to AC power. I'm happy to say the the Hobbymate D6 Dup Pro addresses this and allows you to power and charge from a dc source ranging in 6.5v - 30v meaning you can power from a 2s to 6s lipo/li-ion or a car battery for example.
It's fair to say there is more than passing resemblance to the ISDT D2 as you can see in the image above - the interface although different graphically is almost identical on a functional level. Menus are simple and intuitive as is the way you navigate - a click wheel that is mounted horizontally rather than vertically on the ISDT. The menu and options are a little more extensive in this charger as you can see below. The wireless mobile phone charge is a nice touch but for me at least I haven't had a wireless charging-ready mobile for some time. If I did though I often have my phone floating around when I'm charging lipos so probably makes sense.
In use it works as expected. There are 3 simple modes for your battery - charging, discharging and storage. A very wide range of voltages are available for each mode meaning you can charge, discharge or store rechargable batteries with any chemistry (e.g. Lipo, LiFe, NiMH, NiCd, Lead Acid etc.). The charger will automatically balance each cell in any mode up to 6s as you'd expect. It's easy to adjust current to suit your needs up to 15A on each channel meaning you could easily run 2 parallel boards at a time if you wanted. Current adjust is also available after you have started charging.
I've been using the Hobbymate D6 pro duo for about 2-3 months now and it has become my charger of choice to to flexibility. For the most part I no longer bother with the stress of parallel charging and matching voltages with 2 independent charging channels but with 15A available per channel it is easy to do so. You'll find that many reviewers in the community including Joshua Bardwell and Kabab FPV have also reviewed this charger with a similar conclusion - it simply does everything that is asked of it. It has clearly taken inspiration from the ISDT D2 but they have innovated with additional functionality without losing any of the intuitive functions of the ISDT D2 meaning that they look to have improved on an already excellent product. This charger is made by Hobbymate (HobbyCool) and they are starting to get a number of local retailers but I'd recommend buying from the source at HobbyCool.com here: http://hobbycool.com/d6-duo-pro-ac-dc-battery-charger-w-wireless-smartphone-charging/
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