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Bear77

Best fast charger please

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Going to buy a Mad Bull following recommendations on here but need some advice on the best fast charger. Also so many online outlets can any one recommend their experiences with one? Thank you good people 

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Where are you  based?  That will help with the online retailers.  I'm in New Zealand and find Banggood to be very good for stuff like this, shipping is usually pretty quick if you pay for shipped.  All model shops will be able to sell you something, but often they are more expensive or under specced.

As for the charger, it depends what you want it for.  I would suggest getting one that can do all battery types, which most will these days.  If you are charging NiMH or 2S lipos then any should be fine as long as its at least 50w per channel, and a charge rate of 6amps.  That should charge most batteries in under an hour.

I like the SkyRC range and would look at the D100 if I was buying again.  Its a dual charger so can charge 2 batteries at once, and since I only charge 2s batteries at 1C the power and charge rates are fine for me.  They also have some nice features like measuring your internal resistance so you can get an idea of the condition of the battery when they are getting older.

If you are charging 4S or 6S batteries or want to charge at higher rates then you'll need to get a much more powerful charger.  Other things to look for are whether you'll be using it on AC power at home or a club, or in the field where you'll need one that can run off a DC powersupply.

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"Best" is so tough to determine.

I use an ISDT 1000 watt DC charger, and it's perfect for me- it has huge power, so it charges big batteries fast, and has a 2.2 amp balancing circuit, so it's even faster. It's also expensive (especially with the power supply), requires you to make your own leads, etc.

The Hitec X1 AC Pro is a great choice. It's got 100 watts, which isn't huge, but is adequate for most applications, is dead reliable, charges everything including LiHV, and isn't terribly expensive. If you want to charge two batteries at the same time, grab a Hitec X2 Plus.

I'd skip the very inexpensive chargers available online. One battery costs more than the potential savings, and  I definitely don't want to lose the house over a cheap charger.

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I second anything SkyRC. Great stuff.

D100, D200 or D400 depending on your budget. And unless you run some large 4S and 6S 10+Ah lipo packs, those are all you need. Yes, you can get more powerful chargers than the D200 and D400, but that's more power than most 2-6S sub 10Ah packs can handle. And trying to charge nimh packs at more that 3C is surefire way to ruin them. At the end of the day your cells dictate how fast you can charge them, not your charger.

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Ok probably should've been more specific! So I'm looking at this https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/acoms-electric-package-deal-2/

This is the charger I'm interest in - [https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/ansmann-acdc-delta-3-charger/

I've also seen this https://www.pegasusmodels.co.uk/product.asp?type=package&maingp=Chargers%20-%20Power%20Supplies&id=NiCd%20-%20NiMh&prodid=1010871#.XYpqcihKiUk - goes to 5A instead of 3A so presume it will charge faster?

And then there's this https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/etronix-et0208-powerpal-peak-mains-hyper-delta-nimh-charger-p-57777.html

It's for my son who's going to want to recharge this and get it back on the road pretty quick. I've been out of the RC game since the 80's - I'm not looking for people to do my homework for me but would appreciate any feedback. It would be a useful start if there were some formula I could use for working out how fast they would charge a NiMH battery (2000mAh) based upon their specifications. 

Sorry for so many questions but just trying to learn....is Absima any good as a 2 channel radio over Carson? https://www.pegasusmodels.co.uk/product.asp?type=package&maingp=Transmitters&id=2 Channel&prodid=1014810#.XYptOyhKiUk

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2000mAh battery = 2A.  

3A charger could charge it in less than an hour (40 minutes).  So, if it trickle charges for 100 minutes until auto cut off, that won't be healthy.  Also, it seems expensive for NiCD, NiMH only wall charger.  

SkyRC iMax B6 has become like an unofficial-official charger in recent years.  You can get one with wall charger (or power supply) for about $40-$60.  It can charge everything from NiMH, NiCD, LiFe, LiPo, even lead acid battery.  It's not a whole lot more expensive than old tech stuff.  If you get a 4000mAh battery later, and if the power supply gives 5A, you can charge that in 40 minutes.  (Or 2000mAh in 20 minutes)

 

 

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10 hours ago, Bear77 said:

Ok probably should've been more specific! So I'm looking at this https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/acoms-electric-package-deal-2/

This is the charger I'm interest in - [https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/ansmann-acdc-delta-3-charger/

I've also seen this https://www.pegasusmodels.co.uk/product.asp?type=package&maingp=Chargers%20-%20Power%20Supplies&id=NiCd%20-%20NiMh&prodid=1010871#.XYpqcihKiUk - goes to 5A instead of 3A so presume it will charge faster?

And then there's this https://www.timetunnelmodels.com/live/catalog/etronix-et0208-powerpal-peak-mains-hyper-delta-nimh-charger-p-57777.html

It's for my son who's going to want to recharge this and get it back on the road pretty quick. I've been out of the RC game since the 80's - I'm not looking for people to do my homework for me but would appreciate any feedback. It would be a useful start if there were some formula I could use for working out how fast they would charge a NiMH battery (2000mAh) based upon their specifications. 

Sorry for so many questions but just trying to learn....is Absima any good as a 2 channel radio over Carson? https://www.pegasusmodels.co.uk/product.asp?type=package&maingp=Transmitters&id=2 Channel&prodid=1014810#.XYptOyhKiUk

If you are looking to charge a nickel metal hydride battery for a mad bull, you don't really need the best charger out there. Something that has basic features and a quality build would be better than an all singing all dancing charger designed for top-end racers. It would be nice as a status symbol, but you wouldn't need half its features. Also bear in mind that a battery has a maximum safe charging current, and if your charger can charge at twice or three times this, that does not mean you should.

That said, you will very likely want to explore the possibilities of lipo in the future, so a multi chemistry charger is a good idea. The B6 is a good suggestion, but beware of the fake ones out there. Overlander also make good quality chargers that don't cost the Earth. I use this one for example:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/overlander-rc6-vsr-80watt-7a-output-ac-dc-lipo-balance-charger/rc-car-products/408440

As for the radio question, Absima and Carson radios seem to have similar features, but in my experience the build quality of the Absima is superior. Carsons work fine, but they feel very tacky in the hand.

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Thank you all for the advice - really pleased to have found such an active forum and not one where you have to wait days for a response! Going to use the local shop as they sell Absima radio's and probably go for the Mad Bull also. As for the charger, don't need anything fancy as long as it charges the battery in under 1 hr. Still hesitating over the Midnight Pumpkin though - It does look cool and can take a lunchbox top also :-)

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Midnight Pumpkin is cool.  I also have a lunchbox shell.  You need different body mounts, but you can get aluminum body mounts easily.  

 

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1 hour ago, Juggular said:

Midnight Pumpkin is cool.  I also have a lunchbox shell.  You need different body mounts, but you can get aluminum body mounts easily.  

 

I think the ‘instant wheelie’ of the pumpkin may sway me toward the bull 

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Mad Bull is lower to the ground, it's rugged for sure.  

But the pumpkin and lunchbox has their places too.  It wheelies, but it's not that crazy.  I still have the stock silver can on my Wild Willy2.  Like how we say here... when in doubt, get both and doubt your decision later (but you won't).  

You don't have to go real fast to enjoy RC either.  Here's a farmin' pum'kin.  

 

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6 hours ago, Bear77 said:

 Still hesitating over the Midnight Pumpkin though - It does look cool and can take a lunchbox top also :-)

The Mad Bull is an excellent first RC, stable, rugged and versatile. Plus, if you get tired of the cartoon big-wheel proportions, it makes for a rather stylish buggy when fitted with standard wheels:

2019-09-26_03-00-11

 

2019-09-26_02-59-55

Bodies are also really cheap, so you can have a few of them in different colours, or one for display and one for running. 

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I also vouch for the iMax. Been using one for 5 years now (for my heli and now cars) and I'm planning to get another one. It came with an AC/DC power adapter but I'm using my old 20A power supply for the iMax (same power supply I used with my Much More charger back in 2005-2007). The power supply can power 2 chargers and a few more stuff like cooling fans, tire warmers, etc. 

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As above, the skyrc Imax B6 charger has been the goto charger for around a decade, I've got one and it's served me well (think mine was just over a tenner, so maybe even a fake!) , I'm not even sure if they still sell them, most of the main UK outlets don't seem to sell them anyway, can find the Imax B6 mini though (but looks to be 12v only and not supplied with 240/12v transfer like the B6 did)

https://wheelspinmodels.co.uk/i/215452/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoKzsBRC5ARIsAITcwXHaNTMPcKLoZ8JKAnYH6oMXOD-oCiXC2K7UMOEZivkQQAKE1fhMPI8aAvPdEALw_wcB

 

The new skyrc chargers look ok spec wise, but not tried them.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/skyrc-e680-ac-dc-80w-charger/rc-car-products/440716 

 

Yes ,most of these chargers look over spec to what you actually think you'll need, but for long , safe battery life (Even with nimh, in fact it's only a nimh I've had blow so far!), a couple of extra quid for a good charger will help with the overall enjoyment, and with LCD display, you can see where the charging is up to etc. 

(Plus if you carry on with the hobby , it'll be easier to move to modern Lipo's if/when you decide to)

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