The Hobbyking Cell meter 8 is an essential piece of equipment any hobbyist using Lipoly batteries should own. The Cellmeter 8 will help you to quickly diagnose the health of your pack with an easy to read LCD screen, this unit works with any Lipoly pack from 2s~8s.

This indispensible tool gives you the following information in a logical and easy to follow pattern with a simple push of a button.

Screen 1 - Cell count, total voltage, remaining capacity.
Screen 2 - Number of cells in series, cell balance guage and cell voltage differential.
Screen 3 - Highest cell voltage and lowest cell voltage + voltage differential.

In addition, Cell meter 8 will also show individual cell voltages at the push of a button and features warning functions, with an audible alarm & red flashing LED, in addition to the LCD screen warning, which include warnings for Too Low cell voltage When any cell is 3.20v or under , Too High cell Voltage when any cell is higher than 4.20v & unbalanced when any individual cell is 0.8v higher or lower than other cells.

Specifications:
Dimensions: 134mmx40mmx26mm
Weight: 84g

Pricing and more information

The Turnigy Smart6 will handle LiPo/LiFe up to 6S and NiMH/NiCd up to 17S with a charge rate up to 7amp. The Smart6 also offers unique functions usually found in much more expensive equipment.

The LCD screen shows an amps/volts graph throughout the charge/discharge process giving you easy to read, realtime data. Also shown are individual cell voltage during charge with realtime updates throughout the charge cycle. There is also resistance display for checking the condition/performance of your packs, no more guesswork!

Features:
Charge/Discharge paremeters Graph Display
Adjustable cut-off for charge/discharge functions
Measures the internal resistance of your battery for perfromance checking
Microprocessor controlled
Delta-peak sensitivity (NiMH/NiCd)
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
7A Max charge current
Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage (Store 10 packs in memory)
Battery break in and cycling.

Specifications:
Input Voltage: 10~18v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 80W / Max Discharge: 5W
Charge Current Range: 0.1~7.0A
Discharge current range: 0.1~1.5A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~17
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~6
Pb battery voltage: 2~20v
Weight: 255g
Dimensions: 135x80x25mm

This charger has built in JST-XH balance ports, which makes it compatible with Flightmax,Turnigy, Rhino and any pack with a JST-XH adapter.

Pricing and more information

In this video the Joshes from Flitetest show how batteries behave when connected in series or parallel. They will show advantages and disadvantages for both ways and you will see how you make a battery harness yourself if you want to connect your batteries in series or parallel.

To sum it up:
When you connect 2 (or more) batteries in series you double your voltage, but keep the same capacitiy. All batteries that you connect in series must have the same capacitiy. When connecting to batteries in parallel, all batteries need to have the same voltage and capacity. When connecting two batteries in parallel you keep the same voltage, but you double (or triple, quad...) the capacity.

Wiring:
A harnes for parallel battery is relatively easy to make, you almost can't go wrong. Just connect all red wires together and connect all black wires together. See image below.

A harness to connect batteries in series is a little bit trickier to make, you can damage your batteries if you are not carefull. The image below should explain things, the red wire of the first battery is connected to the connector that is going to your speed controller. The black wire is connected to the red wire of the next battery and the black wire of the last battery (in the image below that is the 2nd battery) is connected to the connector that is going to the speed controller.

All credits go to Flitetest. The video in this article is made by them and the images shown in this blog article are extracted from their video.

This lightweight Hobbyking voltage indicator is ideal for monitoring you lipolys both in flight and on the ground. By connecting directly to the battery balance plug, you get in indication of individual cell voltages from the four LEDs on the unit, the supplied lead and LEDs can be fixed to the underside of the model to indicate by very bright flashing if any cell voltage drops below normal, meaning you can land your model without causing damage to your battery. Due to the small size and weight of the unit, even small parkfly model Lipolys can be protected.

Specifications:
Working Temp Range: -20c to 50c
Weight: 2.3g (5g inc 2 LED & Y-cable)
Dimensions: 28 x 16 x 6mm
LED Port output: ~4v, 300mA max
Display resolution: 0.1v
Voltage accuracy: +/- 2%

Pricing and more information

Capable of charging any size Lipoly battery up to 8 cells or at 7A.

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The ECO-EIGHT includes Auto current detect and temp, amp, voltage safety features to prevent over-charging. The ECO-EIGHT includes an array of charging plugs and wires to suit almost any application and comes with JST-XH balancing plugs so you can charge and balance your ZIPPY/TURNIGY packs easily. Input power is 11-18v, perfect for car batteries or a pc/laptop powersupply.

Features:
Microprocessor controlled
High power and High performance circuit with maximum power of 150W
Delta-peak sensitivity (NiMH/NiCd)
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
Large range of charge currents
Fast & Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage (Store up to 10 packs in memory)


Specifications:
Input Voltage: 11~18v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 150W / Max Discharge: 5W
Charge Current Range: .1~7.0A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~27
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~8
Pb battery voltage: 2~36v
Weight: 574g
Dimensions: 170x110x35mm

Note: Power supply not included.

Price: US$ 39.99 - Buy / More information

Capable of charging any size Lipoly battery up to 6 cells or at 10A.

The ECO6-10 has an "Auto" fuction that sets the feed current automatically. The ECO6-10 includes an array of charging plugs and wires to suit almost any application and comes with JST-XH balancing plugs so you can charge and balance your ZIPPY/TURNIGY packs easily. Input power is 10-18v, perfect for car batteries or a pc/laptop powersupply.

Features:
Microprocessor controlled
High power and High performance circuit with maximum power of 200W
Delta-peak sensitivity (NiMH/NiCd)
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
Large range of charge currents
Fast & Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage (Store up to 10 packs in memory)


Specifications:
Input Voltage: 10~18v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 200W / Max Discharge: 25W
Charge Current Range: .1~10.0A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~18
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~6
Pb battery voltage: 2~24v
Weight: 480g
Dimensions: 143x119x42mm

Note: Power supply not included.

Price: US$ 39.99 - Buy / More information

The HobbyKing Variable 6S is a rapid balance Charger with high performance microprocessor and unique operating system. Equipped with the very accurate factory calibrated variable resistors to balance and charge Lithium Polymer and NiMH batteries.



The HobbyKing Variable charger will handle LiPo/LiFe up to 6S and NiMH/NiCd up to 15S and shows individual cell voltage during charge with realtime updates throughout the charge cycle.

The intuitive menu system means charging and cycling is an easy process and can be done quickly and accurately either at the field by using a 12v input such as a car battery or at home with a 12v power supply.
Bundled with the HobbyKing Variable 6S is a bunch of input and output wires which should satisfy any charging requirement.

This charger is very accurate, being configured and calibrated at the factory, plus you can recalibrate it yourself if required.

Features:
Microprocessor controlled
Automatic charging current limit
Capacity limit
Temperature threshold
Delta-peak sensitivity (NiMH/NiCd)
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
Large range of charge currents
Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage

Specifications:
Input Voltage: 11~18v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 50W / Max Discharge: 5W
Charge Current Range: .1~6.0A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~15
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~6
Pb battery voltage: 2~20v
Weight: 193g

Price: US$ 19.99 - Buy it / More information

Two new brushless controllers for very affordable prices. Built with imported N-Channel mosFETs and an ultra fast Atmel MCU & heartbeat make this a high performance ESC with excellent sync capabilities. Both ESC's have a SBEC for solid reliable servo power.

Programmable via an R/C controller. It allows you to program all functions to fit your specific needs, which makes it efficient and user friendly.

Features:
Extremely low internal resistance
Super smooth and accurate throttle linearity
Over heat and over-load protection
Auto shut down when signal is lost or radio interference becomes severe for more than 2 seconds
Supports high RPM motors
Power arming protection (prevents the motor from accidentally running when switched ON)
New Advanced programming software

Programming features:
Brake setting (we recommend using brake for only folding props applications)
Battery type(LiPo or NiCd/NiMh)
Low voltage cutoff setting
Factory default setup restore
Timing settings (to enhance ESC efficiency and smoothness)
Soft acceleration start ups (for delicate gearbox and helicopter applications)
Governor mode(for helicopter applications)
Motor rotation( clockwise\counterclockwise)
Switching frequency
Low voltage cutoff type (power reduction intermediate shutdown)

1. HobbyKing 12A BlueSeries Brushless Speed Controller

Specifications:
Cont. Current: 12A
Burst Current: 16A/10sec
Battery: 2-4 Cell Lipo / 5-12 Cell Ni-XX
SBEC: 5V/ 1A Output
Size: 22*21*4mm
Weight: 10g

Price: US$ 7.81 - Buy it / More information

2. HobbyKing 40A BlueSeries Brushless Speed Controller

Specifications:
Cont. Current: 40A
Burst Current: 60A
Battery: 2-6 Cell Lipo / 5-18 Cell Ni-XX
SBEC: 5.5V/ 4A Output
Size: 52*23*7mm
Weight: 30g

Price: US$ 19.25 - Buy it / More information

A high powered charger, capable of handling up to 1000W or 30A charge rates. Lipoly, LiFe and Lilo compatible as well as able to charge up to 10 cells at a time. The iCharger is famous for its ultra-accurate balancing feature, and now it packs a 1Kw punch! Each unit is calibrated at the factory prior to shipping! This is a quality precision charger with huge power!

Specifications:
Input voltage range: 4.50 – 38.0VDC
Charge current range: 0.05 – 30.0A
Discharge current range: 0.05 – 30.0A
Maximum charge power capacity: 1000W @ input voltage 23V (500W @ input voltage 12V)
Maximum discharge power capacity: 80W
Maximum regenerative discharge power capacity:1000W
Maximum extern discharge power capacity: 1200W @ 40V/30A
Current drain for balancing: <500mA
Balance accuracy: <10mV
Lithium (LiPo/LiIo/LiFe)battery cell count: 1 – 10 series(In non-balance mode, expand LiFe to 12s)
NiCd/NiMH battery cell count: 1 – 25 series
Pb battery cell count: 1 – 18 series (2 – 36V)
Log Files storage: 16Mbit (31 hours)
Battery setup memories: 10
Intelligent temperature control: Yes
PC Connect: USB port
Weight: 750g
Dimensions (L X W X D): 143X123X46mm / 5.63X4.84X1.81in
 
Included:
One copy of the User¡®s manual on CD
One pair of output alligator clip leads
One pair of input alligator clips (30A) and input leads with 4mm bullet connectors
One temperature sensor lead (0 ¨C 99¡æ(210 oF))
Four rubber feet
One Mini-USB data line(1.2 meter)
Balance expansion board and interface cable to connect to the charger

Note: Power supply not included.

Price: US$ 179.99 - Buy it / More information

An advanced and powerful charger, the Turnigy A6-10 is able to charge, balance and discharge Lion, LiPo, LiFe (A123), NiCd and NiMH batteries on a maximum output power of 200W. It can charge or discharge up to 18 cells of NiCd / NiMH and 6 series of lithium batteries with maximum current of 10A. It can accept three types of Lithium batteries (Lilo/Lipo/LiFe).

Features:
Microprocessor controlled
Delta-peak sensitivity
Individual cell balancing
Li-ion, LiPo and LiFe capable
Ni-Cd and NiMH capable
Large range of charge currents
Store function, allows safe storage current
Time limit function
Input voltage monitoring. (Protects car batteries at the field)
Data storage (Store up to 5 packs in memory)
Battery break in and cycling.

Specifications:
Input Voltage: 10~18v
Circuit power: Max Charge: 200W / Max Discharge: 25W
Charge Current Range: .1~10.0A
Discharge current range: .1~5.0A
Ni-MH/NiCd cells: 1~18
Li-ion/Poly cells: 1~6
Pb battery voltage: 2~24v
Weight: 540g
Dimensions: 143x124x37mm

Compatible with all Zippy, Rhino and Turnigy packs.

Price: US$ 38.35 (Buy it here / More information)