Looking for battery charger advice
I've been looking into starting to buy my own airsoft gear, but I'm having some trouble figuring out what battery charger I need to get and am looking for some advice. I did look at the subreddit wiki/FAQ page, but all the battery-related links are 404-ing, so that's not a ton of help.
I'm currently planning on picking up a Specna Arms Edge SA-E09 and one or two Turginy Nano-Tech 1200mAh 2S batteries (which I believe are 7.4V batteries that should fit the gun's default connector).
The recommended charger seems to be the iMAX B6, but I'm trying to figure out exactly what is the most cost-effective option to get something safe and effective without breaking the bank. Amazon has the iMAX B6 AC V2 ($50) and the iMAX B6 ($30) while HobbyKing has the iMAX B6 AC-DC (copy) (out of stock in the US) ($25) and the iMAX B6 (copy) ($12).
The non-AC ones look like they require an external power supply, but it looks like they just need a black DC barrel connector putting out 11-18V. I've got a bunch of those laying around, though none of them pump the amperage to hit 80W (to my knowledge, that should just mean things charge slower instead of it not working, which is fine).
My main questions are:
- Are the "copy" versions on HobbyKing still of acceptable quality? I suspect that they're just extra re-branded units produced in the same factory, since that's common, but I'd rather not buy a fire-hazard.
- Is there a good reason to pay more for the AC version? If I can get away with paying half the price for a charger, I'd prefer that.
- Is there another budget-friendly charger I should be looking into?
Posted Apr 2, 2020, 4:18 PM UTC
For the Specna EDGE series you want 11.1V LiPo and not 7.4V LiPo. It comes with a MOSFET so it is ready for 11.1V.
For charger get a genuine SkyRC IMAX B6AC, I found mine on eBay from Germany at around 40$. Would stay away from the clones, not worth it.
The non-AC version requires an external power supply. Would recommend getting the AC so you get everything in one package.
Do you have a specific 11.1V that you recommend? I wasn't seeing anything on HobbyKing that seemed as good as good a fit the 7.4V.
And is the only difference between the AC and non-AC versions the fact that it's all-in-one versus needing external power? Because I can live with something that's slightly less all-included if it's a $20 difference.
These will fit:
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-nano-tech-1200mah-3s-25-50c-lipo-airsoft-pack.html
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-nano-tech-1200mah-3s-25-50c-lipo-airsoft-pack-1.html
Yes that is the only difference between the two chargers.
Price difference between getting the all-in-one solution vs. a separate power supply is going to be negligible. Might cost a bit more or a bit less. Unless you order a super cheap power supply from China of questionable quality.
Would definitely get the B6AC all-in-one.
The B6AC still has the option of using external power, so you can still power it using 12V from a car for example. It accepts 11 to 18V input, 5A or higher.
Both of those batteries have Tamiya connectors though, rather than the Deans connector that the gun has. I was under the impression that Deans connectors were better in general.
I mean, one is $50 while the other is $30, so it seems far from negligible to me, especially since I have a number of 12V DC power supplies around the house already.
True, you'd have to solder on some new connectors. We have to do that all the time because batteries very often come with the wrong connector, Tamiya ones are very common on batteries but very few use that shitty connector these days. You can buy a pack of Deans connectors for a few bucks.
That's quite a difference, I paid 40$ for my B6AC.
If you already have a capable 12V 5A power supply the non-AC version makes sense. It's just not a type of power supply most people tend to have as it isn't used for a whole lot of stuff, most 12V supplies are like 1-2A output.