Hitec Chargers
counts and capacities at lower rates, but it does take more time.
An additional factor can increase your current requirements: charging your packs faster than the traditional 1C rate. Many modern LiPo batteries can be charged at higher rates. A 2C charge rate for instance, increases the above power numbers to 100 and 260 watts respectively. LiPo batteries are constantly advancing and some of the new cell chemistries can handle charge rates as high as 10C and beyond. This does not apply across the board to all new LiPos, however, so never charge your LiPos at a rate higher than the manufacturer’s recom- mendation. Hitec continues to recommend a 1C charge rate for maximum safety and battery life.
The basic take away here is that you want to link battery size and capacity to your charger choice. You can also increase the charge rates with appropriate, designated packs to allow faster charge times.
AC or DC?
AC/DC chargers have internal power supplies allowing you to plug them into a 120VAC wall outlet at home or attach them to your 12-volt car battery in the field. There is no question that these chargers are convenient. The downside is that they tend to be limited in their output, typically to 50 watts when plugged into the wall. This is not a problem for midsize 3S batteries or smaller. As your battery size increases though, the DC/DC chargers start to shine. DC/DC chargers are the powerhouses of
X4 80
the charging world, yet must be used with a high capacity DC power source. Modelers will typically connect them to an external power supply or a large 12-volt battery. These chargers can often output hundreds of watts and are capable of charging large batteries quickly. Why don’t all chargers have internal AC power supplies? Quite simply, the added physical bulk, weight and cost of high- current power supplies would be prohibi- tive. If you need extra capacity for higher cell counts or larger batteries, a DC/DC charger with an external power supply is the way to go. That same power supply can feed more than one charger at a time along with future purchases, and so spreading its cost across multiple chargers. And yes, Hitec does offer power supplies as well.
Multi-port capability Hitec has a number of multi-port charg- ers. These are essentially two or four charg- ers housed in the same case, allowing you to charge more than one battery simultaneous- ly. Multi-port chargers make a lot of sense whenever you have several batteries to charge in a limited time frame. Hitec’s H4 Multicharger also allows you to combine two individual output ports into one, effectively doubling the current output capability of your charger.
I personally use multi-port chargers both at home while prepping for a few hops on a weekend afternoon at the local field, and at larger events where I typically fly many flights in a day.
Cell balancing
Pretty much everyone agrees that cell balancing your LiPo batteries is an impor- tant practice, but the jury is still out on how often you should balance them. Some users balance on every charge, others do so only every few charges. This is a decision only you can make, based on your experi- ence level and the overall condition of your batteries.
One nice feature of these Hitec chargers is that you can use them in both a Balanc- ing mode and a Fast Charge mode. Balanc- ing will bring each cell in your pack to vir- tually the same voltage at the end of the charge. It does this by monitoring the indi- vidual cell voltages through the balance port and then applying a discharge load to the higher cells as the rest “catch up.” Be- cause the charger is both charging and dis- charging, getting those last few percentage points back into the pack can delay the charge completion.
If you have a pack of well-matched cells that you know runs closely balanced on its own, you can use the Fast Charge mode in- stead. In this mode you can still monitor the charge state of each cell on your charger’s display. This mode is faster, but also re- quires more knowledge, attention and re- sponsibility on the part of the consumer. It typically will bring a pack back up to about a 90-percent full condition, allowing a little safety margin.
Hitec recommends using their balance charge mode at least every few cycles to help maintain battery health. If you find the cells
X4 AC Plus
The X4-Eighty Multicharger offers the convenience of four independent 80-watt outputs totaling 320 watts output. Best suited for the active electric flier, the X4-Eighty features user programmable presets to store charging parameters for your most used batteries. The X4-Eighty can also be integrated with your PC via USB communication to monitor and graph your battery performance.
Lithium:
NiCd/NiMH: Pb:
Charge Range:
Max Charge Power: Discharge Range: Max Discharge: AC Input: DC Input:
54 1–6S
1–15 cells 2–20 volts
0.1–6.0 amps 50 watts
0.1–1.0 amps 5 watts
11–240VAC 11–18VDC, 20A minimum
Hitec’s X4 AC Plus offers four-port, multi-chemistry charging with the convenience of a built-in 22-amp power supply. Plug it into a standard outlet at home or connect it to a 12V car battery in the field. The X4 AC Plus is simple to use and utterly reliable. Each independent port offers a dedicated balancing port and 50 watts of output power.
Lithium:
NiCd/NiMH: Pb:
Charge Range:
Max Charge Power: Discharge Range: Max Discharge: AC Input: DC Input:
1–6S
1–15 cells 2–20 volts
0.1–6.0 amps 50 watts
0.1–1.0 amps 5 watts
100–120VAC 11–18VDC, 20A minimum APRIL 2014
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