Discussion My Favorite Charger. Pros & Cons

[Ohio AV8TOR]

For what it's worth #2.. The iCharger 4010b has a total discharge power of 200W and a total balance discharge current of 2400mAopcorn:

The 4010 is basically 2 chargers and you can do the same thing with two PowerLabs and run through one interface. They even snap together as one. Now that we got through all of that do you want to talk about graphing abilities now?

 

[Steve_B]

The 4010 is basically 2 chargers and you can do the same thing with two PowerLabs and run through one interface. They even snap together as one. Now that we got through all of that do you want to talk about graphing abilities now?

Well even two Powerlabs (despite costing a LOT more than the 4010b) wouldn't match the balance drain capacity of the single 4010b

Do I want to talk about graphing capability?.. Nope, not really, I want a charger to charge batteries not to draw graphs But the iCharger does do data log files to SD card so I dare say the data could be turned into a graph if you wanted, but I've no use for the feature so have never looked into it. With the colour display all the charge data you need is right there on the charger so no real need to display anything on a PC screen.

Talking about 'extra features'.. does the Powerlab double as a servo testeropcorn:


Anyway.. I think we both agree that these are all really good chargers each has it's own strengths and sit at their own price point. As in most things, to a large extent you get what you pay for.

 

[Murocflyer]

Lots of great info in this thread. I hear talk of prices so I went to have a look:

PL6 = $175

310B = $190

They are pretty close in price with the PL6 slightly beating out the 310B in the price point.

Frank

 

[Steve_B]

The 3010b will deal with up to ten cell LiPos whereas the PL6 is limited to 6. If you ever see yourself flying more than 6s then the 3010b (or PL8) would be the one. If you never see yourself needing to charge more than a 6s LiPo then no point in paying for 10s capability, the sensible choice would be the PL6 or the cheaper iCharger 306b.

Features wise the 3010b and 306b are the same, it's only the battery cell count limit that changes (6 cell for 306b vs. 10 cell for 3010b). The 3010b was a great charger for me, I only changed it to upgrade to the 4010b Duo.

 

[rcbirk21]

just bit the bullet and bought a 4010duo. currently have a 3010B and it has been phenomenal for me. just really like the convenience of having 2 ports, will make it easier at the field or even charging at the house. im a big icharger fan, never had a problem with any of them and wel worth the money. i like the interface on them better than the powerlab chargers. havnt had much experience with the powerlabs, but the ichargers have the same interface as the old turnigy chargers, which made it very easy for me to use and feel confident in.

 

[rcbirk21]

Lots of great info in this thread. I hear talk of prices so I went to have a look:

PL6 = $175

310B = $190

They are pretty close in price with the PL6 slightly beating out the 310B in the price point.

Frank

but the 3010B (which i am assuming is what you are talking about) is more comparable to the PL8, the 306B is similar to the PL6, so thats not really a fair comparison. going through buddyrc.com, here are the prices:

PL6 = $175

306B = $160

PL8 = $199

3010B = $190

I think for 99% of people in the hobby, especially in 3D, there is no need for the PL8 or 3010B. the reason a lot of people have them, myself included, is the fact that they came out first. once the two companies saw how everyone was using them, they came out with the PL6 and 306B. anything above 6s people tend to run 2 batteries in series, so there is no need to be able to charge any higher than a 6s pack. so take it for what it is worth, but i truly believe that the next thing in chargers is like the 4010duo, basically two 1000w chargers in one, with two ports for charging. its a convenience thing, not a performance thing. luckily i have the power supply to run it pretty hard (not to its ability), but a lot of people dont. My 24v 2400w setup is nice, but it cost a pretty penny. i can only imagine what a 50v ps would cost

 

[Steve_B]

just bit the bullet and bought a 4010duo. currently have a 3010B and it has been phenomenal for me. just really like the convenience of having 2 ports, will make it easier at the field or even charging at the house. im a big icharger fan, never had a problem with any of them and wel worth the money. i like the interface on them better than the powerlab chargers. havnt had much experience with the powerlabs, but the ichargers have the same interface as the old turnigy chargers, which made it very easy for me to use and feel confident in.

You might find the 4010Duo a bit of a change regarding the interface. It's quite different to previous iChargers but once you get a feel for it it's better. Charging power is awesome. I've got a couple of parallel charging boards hooked up to mine so I can charge up to twelve batteries (of two different voltages) all in about 15 minutes!. My power supply is 24V but only a little over 1100W but for my mix of 3s and 4s batteries that's proved to be adequate so far. If I was parallel charging multiple large 6s or higher batteries then I'd be looking for PSU power. My PSU is just based on two server power supplies I can easily and cheaply add a third (36V 1700W ) or a fourth (48V 2250W)

 

[Murocflyer]

but the 3010B (which i am assuming is what you are talking about) is more comparable to the PL8, the 306B is similar to the PL6, so thats not really a fair comparison. going through buddyrc.com, here are the prices:

PL6 = $175

306B = $160

PL8 = $199

3010B = $190

I think for 99% of people in the hobby, especially in 3D, there is no need for the PL8 or 3010B. the reason a lot of people have them, myself included, is the fact that they came out first. once the two companies saw how everyone was using them, they came out with the PL6 and 306B. anything above 6s people tend to run 2 batteries in series, so there is no need to be able to charge any higher than a 6s pack. so take it for what it is worth, but i truly believe that the next thing in chargers is like the 4010duo, basically two 1000w chargers in one, with two ports for charging. its a convenience thing, not a performance thing. luckily i have the power supply to run it pretty hard (not to its ability), but a lot of people dont. My 24v 2400w setup is nice, but it cost a pretty penny. i can only imagine what a 50v ps would cost

Awesome. Thanks for sharing that pricing comparison. Nice job!

Frank

 

[Murocflyer]

Speaking of power supplies, since you can't use a charger without one, what are you guys using? Would like to focus on the 110V PS if possible since I'm not sure many people have a deep cycle sitting around.

Thanks,

Frank

 

[gyro]

Speaking of power supplies, since you can't use a charger without one, what are you guys using? Would like to focus on the 110V PS if possible since I'm not sure many people have a deep cycle sitting around.

Thanks,

Frank

Frank, checkout www.solidhobby.com
Jeremy is a site sponsor, and makes them himself here in the USA from converted server PSUs.