Many novice modelers sooner or later have a question about what LiPo batteries are, how to select them, charge them, how to properly use and store a lithium polymer battery.

This article was created to provide simple and accessible answers to questions that concern newbies regarding batteries of various models.

What is a LiPo battery will Wikipedia help us figure out?

Quote from Wikipedia:
“The lithium-ion polymer battery (lithium-ion polymer battery; abbreviations: Li-pol, Li-polymer LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, etc.) is an improved design of the lithium-ion battery. A polymer material with inclusions of a gel-like lithium-conducting filler is used as an electrolyte. Used in mobile phones, digital equipment, radio-controlled models, etc.

Conventional household lithium-polymer batteries are not capable of delivering high current, but there are special power lithium-polymer batteries that can deliver current 10 and even 130 times the numerical value of the capacity in ampere-hours. They are widely used as batteries for radio-controlled models, as well as in portable power tools and in some modern electric vehicles.”

How to choose a LiPo battery? Basic criteria for choosing a lithium polymer battery.

Battery labeling will help us with this. It is indicated by the manufacturer on each Akuma. For example, Turnigy nano-tech 2200mah 3S 25C Lipo Pack, where:

• Turnigy - manufacturer
• nano tech – model/production technology
• 2200 mah – full battery capacity
• 3S - number of cans, cells (1 can = 3.7v)
• 25C – current output (maximum discharge current)

1C - one battery capacity. For our example, 2200 mah (or 2.2A)
A - ampere

Total for this battery we get: 25 x 2.2A = 55A

Therefore, the power supply system of the radio-controlled model in which this battery will be used must have a maximum current in the electrical circuit of less than 55A, preferably with a margin of no more than 45-50A.

If the current consumption of the model is close to 55A, then the above battery will quickly fail.

The first sign of failure is a swollen LiPo battery. You can restore functionality by placing the battery in the refrigerator or basement and making a pair. But the battery life will no longer be the same.

We would like to especially note that LiPo batteries are one of the most dangerous batteries; they must be handled with extreme care and attention. Any shock, heat, overdischarge or overcharging may cause the battery to catch fire or explode.

• Damage the outer shell
• Charge with high currents
• Discharge below 3V
• Be exposed to heat or overheating during use

ChargerLiPobatteries.

Charger for LiPo batteries.

LiPo batteries should be charged using special chargers (chargers) with a balancing mode.
Recommended chargers are:

Charger/balancer IMAX-B6(professional, original)
Charger/balancer budget version IMAXRC-B3 (budget version, original)

The manufacturer is SkyRC. There are many fakes and copies of memory data. Which often burn and cause batteries to catch fire. Therefore, it is better to buy original products. You can check it using the code on the hologram.

Most full-featured chargers have several LiPo charging modes:

• Charge
• discharge
• Balance
• Storage

To store batteries, you need to infect them in “Storage” mode. The charge level will be set to approximately half, which will ensure optimal storage conditions.

Everyday battery charging, if there are more than 2 batteries, should be done exclusively in the “Balance” balancing mode.

To start the charging process you need:

• Select the S number of your battery (2S, 3S, etc.)
• Set the current strength - A (1A, 1.1A, etc.)

And wait for the charging process to complete.
It is important not to leave this process unattended!

How to charge LiPo batteries.

It is worth noting that there are Akums with a charge current of 2C and even 5C. For them, the recommended indicators will be higher. See the information provided by the manufacturer on the battery itself.

LiPo batteries have 2 power wires:

• Power red +
• Power black —

As well as a balancing cable (2S and higher).

The balancing wire is used to charge all cans evenly.

On a quadcopter or any other model, a low battery indicator (beeper) is usually connected to this connector. On-board battery discharge alarm (1S-8S) with a loud sound signal and an indicator showing voltage.

Let's look at an example: Turnigy nano-tech 2200mah 3S 25C

The 1C current is 2.2A, but the optimal charging current for the battery would be 1-1.5A.

The battery will take longer to charge than with a current of 2.2A, but its service life will be increased.

If the charge current exceeds 1C, the risk of battery explosion and fire increases.

At first, you can get by with a regular saucepan or any metal container.

StorageLiPo batteries.

The batteries must be stored charged at 40-60% (the voltage will be about 3.8v per cell).

Long-term storage of a fully charged or completely discharged battery will lead to its failure.

Recommendations for proper storage of LiPo batteries:

• Switch the battery to Storage mode
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Keep the storage temperature within 0..+10°С (refrigerator temperature), or +5..+28°С (room temperature). The second option is less preferable.
• Store in a special bag, fireproof box, or closed iron container.

It is worth remembering that any deviations from the above parameters lead to a drop in current output, a decrease in capacity, or even failure of the battery.

Currently, lithium polymer batteries (Li-Po) are used everywhere (including by modellers) because:

• they are capable of delivering very high currents compared to other types of batteries (tens of times higher than, for example, nickel-metal hydride, such as Ni-Cd or Ni-Mh);
• there is no “memory” effect of the battery, long-term storage is possible - during a year of storage they lose no more than 10% of their capacity;
• allow a large number of charge-discharge cycles to be carried out without significant loss of capacity;
• have a fairly good weight/capacity/current output ratio;

• this type of battery is very easy to damage (deform or puncture), which leads to fire;
• when operating in the cold, the voltage may suddenly drop; you need to monitor this very carefully;
• relatively high cost.

So, the first thing you should pay attention to is the inscription 3S1P 11.1V (number 1).

This means that this battery has 3 cells connected in series.
If the designation is 3S2P, it means two groups of 3 connected in series, cells connected in parallel. It sounds kind of complicated, but it's not =)

Explanation in the picture below:

The voltage of one cell (“bank”) is conventionally taken as 3.7V, hence the voltage of a “three-cell” battery is 11.1V. In fact, the voltage of a fully charged cell is 4.2V, that is, a 3S battery, fully charged, has a voltage of 12.6V.

The minimum voltage on the cell, below which the battery cannot be discharged, is 2.8V. In fact, it is better not to lower the voltage below 3.3V per cell, since further processes of salt deposition begin, which leads to irreversible degradation of the battery.
If you are using batteries on board the copter, you should not lower the battery voltage below 3.5V, and in the cold season, not below 3.7V. It was found out experimentally, not a single copter was harmed in the process =)

2. So, let's move on. Current output (number 2):

How current output is calculated: we multiply the number “C” by the capacity in Ah. In our case, 25C*2.2Ah (2200mAh converted to Ah). We get 25C*2.2Ah=55A, that is, this battery is capable of delivering 55 Amps for a long time. In fact, it is recommended to take at least a 20% current reserve, that is, use this battery with a load that consumes no more than 44A in long-term mode. Some manufacturers, in addition to the main current output, indicate the peak “C” value that the battery can withstand.

3. Well, the third parameter is capacity. It is measured in milliamp hours or ampere hours (in our case, the battery capacity is 2200 milliamp hours or 2.2 ampere hours). Translated into Russian, this means that when connecting a load that consumes 2.2 A, the battery will be completely discharged in 1 hour.

Charging Li-Po batteries

Discharging Li-Po batteries/storing Li-Po batteries

• Before the flight, you need to check not only the total voltage on the battery, but also the voltage on each bank (to avoid imbalance), this can be done with a multimeter or, more conveniently, with a special device like these:

If the flight takes place in the cold season (especially at sub-zero temperatures), the battery must be kept warm (for example, warmed up in the car)

• During the cold season, the battery should not be discharged to less than 3.7V per cell
• If the battery gets hot during a flight, you should not charge it immediately after the flight; you need to let it cool completely and only then charge it
• If you plan not to use the battery for a long time, you need to store it in a semi-charged state (voltage about 3.7-3.8V per cell), this is the so-called storage mode. Chargers (links were above) can put the battery into storage mode, the so-called “STORAGE”

Battery production technologies do not stand still and gradually Ni-Cd (nickel-cadmium) and Ni-MH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries are being replaced on the market by batteries based on lithium technology. Lithium polymer (Li-Po) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are increasingly used as a power source in various electronic devices

Lithium- silver-white, soft and ductile metal, harder than sodium, but softer than lead. Lithium is the lightest metal in the world! Its density is 0.543 g/cm3. It can be processed by pressing and rolling. Lithium deposits are found in Russia, Argentina, Mexico, Afghanistan, Chile, USA, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Sweden, China, Australia, Zimbabwe and Congo

Excursion into history

The first experiments on creating lithium batteries began in 1912, but it was only six decades later, in the early 70s, that they were first introduced into household devices. Moreover, let me emphasize, these were just batteries. Subsequent attempts to develop lithium batteries (rechargeable batteries) failed due to safety concerns. Lithium, the lightest of all metals, has the greatest electrochemical potential and provides the greatest energy density. Batteries using lithium metal electrodes are characterized by high voltage and excellent capacity. But as a result of numerous studies in the 80s, it was found that cyclic operation (charge - discharge) of lithium batteries leads to changes in the lithium electrode, as a result of which thermal stability decreases and there is a threat of the thermal state getting out of control. When this happens, the temperature of the element quickly approaches the melting point of lithium - and a violent reaction begins, igniting the gases released. For example, a large number of lithium mobile phone batteries shipped to Japan in 1991 were recalled after several fire incidents.

Because of lithium's inherent instability, researchers have turned their attention to non-metallic lithium batteries based on lithium ions. By playing around a little with energy density and taking some precautions when charging and discharging, they came up with safer so-called lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.

The energy density of Li-ion batteries is usually several times higher than that of standard NiCd and NiMH batteries. Thanks to the use of new active materials, this superiority is increasing every year. In addition to its large capacity, Li-ion batteries behave similarly to nickel batteries when discharged (their discharge characteristics are similar and differ only in voltage).

Today there are many varieties of Li-ion batteries, and you can talk for a long time about the advantages and disadvantages of one type or another, but it is impossible to distinguish them by appearance. Therefore, we will note only those advantages and disadvantages that are characteristic of all types of these devices, and consider the reasons that led to the birth of lithium-polymer (Li-Po) batteries.

The Li-ion battery was good for everyone, but problems with ensuring the safety of its operation and high cost led scientists to create a lithium-polymer battery (Li-pol or Li-po).

Their main difference from Li-ion is reflected in the name and lies in the type of electrolyte used. Initially, in the 70s, a dry solid polymer electrolyte was used, similar to plastic film and not conducting electricity, but allowing the exchange of ions (electrically charged atoms or groups of atoms). The polymer electrolyte effectively replaces the traditional porous separator impregnated with electrolyte, so they have a flexible plastic shell, are lighter in weight, have higher current output and can be used as power batteries for devices with powerful electric motors.

This design simplifies the production process, is characterized by higher safety and allows the production of thin batteries of any shape. The minimum thickness of the element is about one millimeter, so equipment developers are free to choose the shape, shape and size, even including its implementation in clothing fragments.

Main advantages

• Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries with the same weight are superior in energy intensity to nickel (NiCd and Ni-MH) batteries
• Low self-discharge
• High voltage per cell (3.6-3.7V versus 1.2V-1.4 for NiCd and NiMH), which simplifies the design - often the battery consists of only one cell. Many manufacturers use just such a single-cell battery in various compact electronic devices (cell phones, communicators, navigators, etc.)
• Element thickness from 1 mm
• Possibility of obtaining very flexible forms

Flaws

• The battery is subject to aging, even if it is not used and just sitting on a shelf. For obvious reasons, manufacturers are silent about this problem. The clock starts ticking from the moment the batteries are produced at the factory, and the decrease in capacity is the result of an increase in internal resistance, which in turn is generated by oxidation of the electrolyte. Eventually, the internal resistance will reach a level where the battery can no longer supply the stored energy, even though there is enough energy in the battery. After two or three years, it often becomes unusable.
• Higher cost compared to NiCd and Ni-MH batteries
• When using lithium polymer batteries, there is always a risk of ignition, which can occur due to shorted contacts, improper charging, or mechanical damage to the battery. Since the combustion temperature of lithium is very high (several thousand degrees), it can ignite nearby objects and cause a fire.

Main characteristics of Li-Po batteries

As mentioned above, lithium-polymer batteries with the same weight are several times higher in energy intensity than NiCd and Ni-MH batteries. The service life of modern Li-Po batteries, as a rule, does not exceed 400-500 charge-discharge cycles. For comparison, the service life of modern Ni-MH batteries with low self-discharge is 1000-1500 cycles.

Technologies for the production of lithium batteries do not stand still and the above figures may lose relevance at any time, because Battery manufacturers are increasing their characteristics every month through the introduction of new technological processes for their production.

Of the variety of lithium-polymer batteries available for sale, two main groups can be distinguished: fast-discharge(Hi Discharge) and ordinary. They differ from each other in the maximum discharge current - it is indicated either in amperes or in units of battery capacity, designated by the letter “C”.

Application areas of Li-Po batteries

The use of Li-Po batteries allows you to solve two important problems - increase the operating time of devices and reduce battery weight

Regular Li-Po batteries are used as power sources in electronic devices with relatively low current consumption (mobile phones, communicators, laptops, etc.).

Fast-discharge Lithium polymer batteries are often called " by force"- such batteries are used to power devices with high current consumption. A striking example of the use of “power” Li-Po batteries are radio-controlled models with electric motors and modern hybrid cars. It is in this market segment that the main competition between various manufacturers of Li-Po batteries takes place.

The only area where lithium-polymer batteries are still inferior to nickel ones is the area of ​​super-high (40-50C) discharge currents. In terms of price, in terms of capacity, lithium polymer batteries cost about the same as NiMH. But competitors have already appeared in this market segment - (Li-Fe), the production technology of which is developing every day.

Charging Li-Po batteries

Most Li-Po batteries are charged using a fairly simple algorithm - from a constant voltage source of 4.20V/cell with a current limit of 1C (some models of modern power Li-Po batteries allow them to be charged with a current of 5C). The charge is considered complete when the current drops to 0.1-0.2C. Before switching to voltage stabilization mode at a current of 1C, the battery gains approximately 70-80% of its capacity. It takes about 1-2 hours to fully charge. The charger is subject to fairly stringent requirements for the accuracy of maintaining voltage at the end of the charge - no worse than 0.01 V/cell.
Of the chargers on the market, two main types can be distinguished - simple, non-“computer” chargers in the price category of $10-40, designed only for lithium batteries, and universal chargers in the price category of $80-400, designed to serve various types batteries.

The first ones, as a rule, have only an LED charge indication; the number of cans and the current in them are set using jumpers or by connecting the battery to various connectors on the charger. The advantage of such chargers is their low price. The main drawback is that some of these devices cannot correctly detect the end of the charge. They determine only the moment of transition from the current stabilization mode to the voltage stabilization mode, which is approximately 70-80% of the capacity.

The second group of chargers has much wider capabilities; as a rule, they all show the voltage, current, and capacity in mAh that the battery “accepted” during the charging process, which allows you to more accurately determine how charged the battery is. When using a charger, the most important thing is to correctly set the required number of cans in the battery and the charge current on the charger, which is usually 1C.

Li-Po Battery Operation and Precautions

It’s safe to say that lithium polymer batteries are the most “delicate” that exist, i.e. require mandatory compliance with several simple rules. We list them in descending order of danger:

1. Battery recharge - charge to a voltage exceeding 4.20V per cell
2. Battery short circuit
3. Discharge with currents exceeding the load capacity or leading to heating of the Li-Po battery above 60°C
4. Discharge below 3V voltage per jar
5. Battery heating above 60ºС
6. Battery depressurization
7. Storing in a discharged state

Failure to comply with the first three points leads to a fire, all others - to complete or partial loss of capacity

From all that has been said, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• To avoid a fire, you must have a normal charger and correctly set the number of cans to be charged on it.
• It is also necessary to use connectors that exclude the possibility of short-circuiting the battery and control the current consumed by the device in which the Li-Po battery is installed
• You need to be sure that your electronic device in which the battery is installed does not overheat. At +70ºС, a “chain reaction” begins in the battery, turning the energy stored in it into heat, the battery literally spreads, setting fire to everything that can burn
• If you short-circuit an almost discharged battery, there will be no fire; it will quietly and peacefully “die” due to overdischarge
• Monitor the voltage at the end of the battery discharge and be sure to turn it off after use
• Depressurization is also the reason for failure of lithium batteries. No air should get inside the element. This can happen if the outer protective package (the battery is sealed in a package like heat-shrink tubing) is damaged due to an impact, or damage with a sharp object, or if the battery terminal is severely overheated during soldering. Conclusion - do not drop from a great height and solder carefully
• Based on the manufacturers' recommendations, batteries should be stored in a 50-70% charged state, preferably in a cool place, at a temperature not exceeding 30°C. Storing in a discharged state has a negative impact on service life. Like all batteries, lithium polymer batteries have a slight self-discharge.

Li-Po battery assembly

To obtain batteries with high current output or high capacity, parallel connection of batteries is used. If you buy a ready-made battery, then by the marking you can find out how many cans it contains and how they are connected. The letter P (parallel) after the number indicates the number of cans connected in parallel, and S (serial) - in series. For example, "Kokam 1500 3S2P" means a battery connected in series with three pairs of batteries, and each pair is formed by two batteries connected in parallel with a capacity of 1500 mAh, i.e. The battery capacity will be 3000 mAh (when connected in parallel, the capacity increases), and the voltage will be 3.7V x 3 = 11.1V.

If you buy batteries separately, then before connecting them into a battery you need to equalize their potentials, especially for the parallel connection option, since in this case one bank will begin to charge the other and the charging current may exceed 1C. It is advisable to discharge all purchased banks to 3V with a current of about 0.1-0.2C before connecting. The voltage must be monitored with a digital voltmeter with an accuracy of at least 0.5%. This will ensure reliable battery performance in the future.

It is also advisable to perform potential equalization (balancing) even on already assembled branded batteries before their first charge, since many companies that assemble cells into a battery do not balance them before assembly.

Due to the decrease in capacity as a result of operation, in no case should you add new banks in series with the old ones - the battery will be unbalanced.

Of course, you also cannot combine batteries of different, even similar capacities into a battery - for example, 1800 and 2000 mAh, and also use batteries from different manufacturers in one battery, since different internal resistance will lead to unbalance of the battery.

When soldering, you should be careful; you should not allow the terminals to overheat - this can break the seal and permanently “kill” a battery that has not yet been used. Some Li-Po batteries come with pieces of a textolite printed circuit board already soldered to the terminals for easy wiring. This adds extra weight - about 1 g per element, but it takes much longer to heat the places for soldering wires - fiberglass does not conduct heat well. Wires with connectors should be secured to the battery case, at least with tape, so as not to accidentally tear them off when connecting to the charger multiple times

The nuances of using Li-Po batteries

I will give a few more useful examples that follow from what was said earlier, but are not obvious at first glance...

Over the long life of a battery, its elements, due to the initial small dispersion of capacities, become unbalanced - some banks “age” earlier than others and lose their capacity faster. With a larger number of cans in the battery, the process goes faster. This leads to the following rule: it is necessary to monitor the capacity of each battery element.

If a battery is found in an assembly whose capacity differs from other elements by more than 15-20%, it is recommended to refuse to use the entire assembly, or to solder a battery with fewer elements from the remaining batteries.

Modern chargers have built-in balancers, which allow you to charge all elements in the battery separately under strict control. If the charger is not equipped with a balancer, then it must be purchased separately and it is advisable to charge the batteries using it.

An external balancer is a small board connected to each bank, containing load resistors, a control circuit and an LED indicating that the voltage on a given bank has reached the level of 4.17-4.19V. When the voltage on a separate element exceeds the threshold of 4.17V, the balancer closes part of the current “to itself,” preventing the voltage from exceeding the critical threshold.

It should be added that the balancer does not prevent the overdischarge of some cells in an unbalanced battery; it only serves to protect against damage to the elements during charging and as a means of identifying “bad” elements in the battery.

The above applies to batteries composed of three or more elements; for two-can batteries, balancers, as a rule, are not used

According to numerous reviews, discharging lithium batteries to a voltage of 2.7-2.8V has a more detrimental effect on capacity than, for example, recharging to a voltage of 4.4V. It is especially harmful to store the battery in an over-discharged state.

There is an opinion that lithium-polymer batteries cannot be used at subzero temperatures. Indeed, the technical specifications for the batteries indicate an operating range of 0-50°C (at 0°C 80% of the battery capacity is retained). But nevertheless, it is possible to use Li-Po batteries at subzero temperatures, about -10...-15°C. The point is that you don’t need to freeze the battery before use - put it in your pocket where it’s warm. And during use, the internal heat generation in the battery turns out to be a useful property at the moment, preventing the battery from freezing. Of course, the battery performance will be slightly lower than at normal temperatures.

Conclusion

Considering the pace at which technical progress in the field of electrochemistry is moving, it can be assumed that the future lies with lithium energy storage technologies if fuel cells do not catch up with them. Wait and see…

The article uses materials from articles by Sergei Potupchik and Vladimir Vasiliev

Almost all modern electronic gadgets are equipped with lithium polymer batteries. They are widely used on flying radio-controlled models, quadcopters, helicopters and airplanes. Lithium polymer batteries have many advantages, including high energy density, low self-discharge and the absence of the so-called “memory effect”.

As a result, for models with Li Pol power units, there is practically no worthy alternative to the battery. It is expected that they will be used more and more widely, especially in areas such as unmanned aerial vehicles, electric vehicles, etc.

Despite all the advantages, LiPol batteries have a reputation as capricious, dangerous and short-lived power sources. In fact, these shortcomings are somewhat exaggerated. If used correctly, problems will be kept to a minimum.

Charging rules

To ensure that there are no problems in operating the power source, it is necessary to properly charge LiPo batteries. Otherwise, there is a high risk of damage and even spontaneous combustion. Let's look at how to properly charge a lithium polymer battery to avoid possible problems:

• It is not possible to charge a LiPo battery with any charger; this requires special chargers. This is due to the features of the two-phase charging process.

• Charging of Li Pol batteries takes place in two phases (CC-CV method). At the first stage, the voltage on all battery banks increases. By the end of the phase it reaches 4.2 Volts. In fact, at this point the charge of Li Pol batteries reaches 95%. Then the second phase begins. To prevent overcharging, which is detrimental to a lithium-polymer battery, the current is reduced. If the voltage exceeds 4.25 Volts, the risk of spontaneous combustion increases.
• It is not recommended to allow the power supply to completely discharge; before recharging, there should be about 10-20% left in it, otherwise it will quickly fail.
• It is important to ensure that the voltage does not drop below 3 Volts on each bank. With such a decrease in voltage, there is a high risk that the battery may swell. In this case, a swollen LiPo battery will lose more than 50% of its capacity. If a LiPo battery is swollen, all you have to do is throw it away - the loss of capacity is irreversible.

The fact that lithium polymer power supplies swell is one of the serious problems in their operation. All banks should be charged and discharged evenly. In this case, the charger for lithium polymer batteries monitors only the total voltage, but with a large scatter of indicators, the likelihood that the LiPo battery is swollen increases significantly. This also leads to overcharging of individual cans, increasing the risk of spontaneous combustion.

To solve this problem, charging Li Pol batteries must be done using a balancer that is capable of monitoring the voltage on each bank, or a charger with a built-in balancer. Do not charge the power supply of a timer charger. If the current is insufficient, the charger will turn off without fully charging it. The charge current should not exceed 1C and be less than 0.5C. You also need to remember that the greater the capacity of the LiPo battery, the longer it will take to charge.

Exploitation

In order to extend the service life of Li Pol devices, or at least not to shorten it, proper use of batteries is also important. When we charge the power source, we must not allow it to heat above 60 degrees. If heating does occur, the battery must be allowed to cool before using. You should also not charge an overheated drive.

A completely discharged battery should not be left for storage. Be sure to charge it. The most optimal indicators are 60%. In general, if these simple rules are followed, there are no problems using lithium-polymer batteries.

In this article, based on recommendations from many pilots and mini quad racers, we will show you some great LiPo battery chargers. The selected chargers are reliable, easy to use and have a wide range of capabilities.

Portability is another criterion important for minicopter pilots, because... In the field, you also need to charge batteries.

Other popular components for racing copters can be found using the “ “ tag.

iSDT series chargers

iSDT Q6 Plus 300W

• Buy on Banggood | Amazon | GetFPV | RDQ
• Review

iSDT SC-608 150W

• Buy on Banggood | Amazon
• Review

iSDT D2 200W 2-Channel

Without a doubt, iSDT chargers are very popular in our group. There are 3 options with different maximum power, they will suit most pilots. The color screen user interface is easy to use. For the specified power they are quite compact.

All three chargers are portable and easy to use in the field. However, these are relatively new chargers, so make sure you have the latest firmware with all the fixes and improvements. Here .

A small drawback of these chargers is the lack of a power supply. It must be purchased separately. For example, this one.

I bought an inexpensive and lightweight power supply for laptops (100 W) on ebay, which is convenient to take with me on trips. Thanks to the wide input voltage range, many different power supplies will fit. The output connector can be slightly modified and an XT60 can be added.

The D2 is essentially two chargers in one case, it can charge 2 different batteries at the same time, or you can connect 2 different parallel charging boards to it. Plus, it has a built-in power supply so it plugs directly into an outlet.

Update (August 2017). Models SC608 and SC620 are no longer in production. They can still be found on sale, but there will be no more firmware updates. IMHO, it still makes sense to take them.

SkyRC iMAX B6 Mini

• Buy on Banggood |AliExpress

A simple, budget charger. The B6 Mini is an updated version of the old and well-known B6, which was one of the most popular chargers. There are a lot of fakes out there, so make sure you get the original one.

SkyRC Q200

• Buy on Banggood | Amazon |AliExpress

The main feature of SkyRC Q200 is 4 independent channels, i.e. it is equal to 4 separate chargers. This means you can charge 4 different batteries at the same time! This is simply great, especially for those who do not want or cannot charge several batteries connected in parallel. Well, or if the batteries have a different number of cells.

It has a built-in power supply, as well as a DC input, i.e. it can also be used in the field. The disadvantage is that it weighs about 1.3 kg.

You can even connect this charger to your computer or smartphone to control it and monitor the charging process.

Turnigy Reaktor 300W

The Reaktor 300W has a built-in power supply as well as a DC input. This is definitely one of the most reliable chargers out there.

Don't like parallel charging boards? Then pay attention to SkyRC E4Q! This is an inexpensive 4-channel charger. Perfect for charging batteries in glasses/helmets.

It has an input with an XT60 connector, and due to its small size and weight, it is perfect for working in the field.

I hope these tips were helpful. We'll keep an eye out for new devices and try to keep this list up to date. Write if you have any questions.

Measurement history

• July 2017 - first version of the article
• July 2018 - SC620 removed (discontinued), SkyRC E4Q and iSDT D2 added