IMAX B6AC

[NUFCRc 171]

Has anyone had issues with this particular brand of charger? I charged two batteries earlier and once I started charging the third, it just made a clicking noise and the led display went blank and now won't turn on. I've only had it a year or so and it's been used less than 20 times in that period. 

 

Recommendations for a decent charger that doesn't cost a bomb would be fantastic. 

[sosidge 669]

Surprised these are still out there!

This is a very early LiPo charger that was widely copied. Fundamentally the charger works well but the copies are often made of poor quality components which would explain why yours has failed.

There are plenty of chargers available from well supported brands now, I wouldn't touch any of the cheap imports from Chinese sellers.

[NUFCRc 171]

Lesson learned, never buy a charger on Ebay. 

What charger would you recommend? 

[alvinlwh 7226]

SkyRC and ISDT are my go to these days but they are from China sellers, so make of it what you will.

[JatoTheRipper 95]

My dad has one of these clones from many years ago and it still works fine.  Electronics die.  You may have gotten a bad one or a very cheap copy.

SkyRC is as Chinese as it gets.  I mean all chargers are made in Asia, but you want a company that offers support.  Not sure how good SkyRC's support is.  I'm in the US so Hitec would be my choice.  The GensAce chargers, also China, really caught my eye though.  They look great and I am a fan of their batteries.

 

[sosidge 669]

1 hour ago, alvinlwh said:

SkyRC and ISDT are my go to these days but they are from China sellers, so make of it what you will.

SkyRC have solid UK support so I don't see any reason to buy from China. ISDT have patchy international support, I have an ISDT charger and it is fine but I don't think I would replace it with another one.

Recently a charger from a Chinese brand that is sold direct by Chinese sellers was "banned" by the US authorities after dozens of reports of fires when using the charger - https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2024/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-HTRC-C240-Battery-Chargers-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-and-Death

You can't guarantee that a charger is going to work perfectly but I have a lot more confidence in something that is actually being supported by a proper UK distributor (not someone who buys a bulk order from the factory to sell on eBay).

[cyclonecap 68]

Chargers have got really capable over the last few years. Here are some good options:

Cheapest modelsport sell that I would use, has all the features you need.
https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/skyrc-s65-ac-charger-65w-438918

Similar but 100w so will charge faster if you have larger packs.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/skyrc-s100-neo-ac-dc-charger-1360636

Cheapest dual charger:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/skyrc-t100-dual-battery-lipo-balance-charger-444856

Super small form factor charger, ideal for race meetings or travel

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/skyrc-b6-ac-neo-ac-dc-charger-1359715

 

These all use XT60s so you will some new charging cables, modelsport offer them or you can solder them up yourself.

[JatoTheRipper 95]

6 hours ago, sosidge said:

Recently a charger from a Chinese brand that is sold direct by Chinese sellers was "banned" by the US authorities after dozens of reports of fires when using the charger - https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2024/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-HTRC-C240-Battery-Chargers-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards-Risk-of-Serious-Injury-and-Death

Scary!  Good info.  Thanks for sharing.  When buying LiPo batteries and chargers, they should ask themselves, "Is your house, all your belongings, and the life of your loved ones worth "cheap"?

[ParticularSky 59]

Skyrc T100 been in service for 2 years here. Can't say much bad about. Used a imax b6 v3 clone before, likewise failed as it was starting to give strange readouts where same batteries reported fine on a diffrent charger.

[Pylon80 3650]

@NUFCRc I had one of these Imax jobs go bad after about a year of use. Nothing wrong with the display but it just stopped charging NiMh batteries (for my transmitter). It would still charge Lipo's but I just disposed of it. Places that take old computers and such will take them no problem. After that I didn't want to renew the "as Chinese as it gets", experience especially when charging Lipo batteries at home, so I got a branded one (Hitec RDX1 Mini). It's only around 45$ and has adequate power for 1/10 scale cars or for helicopters up to 450 size. It's tiny and I take it to the track with me in the same bag that holds my transmitter  Anyways, I never looked back after that.

[chris.alex 1338]

I had a B6 for many years until it stopped balancing properly three years ago. Since then I have the GensAce Imars Dual charger and I am very happy with it. 

[Wooders28 4910]

On 8/15/2024 at 12:27 PM, NUFCRc said:

, never buy a charger on Ebay. 

Or Amazon.

The BRCA rule (British Radio Car Association), is on the lines of, can only be purchased from a recognised UK outlet..