RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

I grabbed a Duratrax ICE when I got back into my RC car about 3 months ago...
$89 from tower and I couldn't be happier.

So far its brought my 2x3000 mAh NiMH packs back from the dead with its cycle feature - they would last about 2 minutes in the car before flat. First discharge on the ICE it showed 300mAh of capacity about 8 cycles later and I'm seeing 2200mAh capacity out of them.
Does NiCd, NiMH and LiPo. It needs an external balancer for LiPo's, and I've just grabbed a Great Planes one to balance the LiPos I have on the way.

I like pretty graphs and the ICE delivers Great amount of info available on the screen - before during and after a charge.

Only complaint I've heard about them is they'll only discharge at max of 10A... so far that hasn't been an issue for me!

ICE Charger
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHDJ1&P=ML

Temp Sensor (if you wanted it - I'd say yes for LiPos)
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJAH5&P=M

Balancer
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMGS7&P=M

and any other plugs depending on your batteries. Comes with Tamiya charge plug and alligator clips standard.

scr8p wrote:you know what makes a decision so hard? most chargers on the market today look sooooo cheap, most look the same, and the prices are all over the map. you can look at that turnigy charger for around $20, and look at a hyperion for $90, and wonder what is really different between them?

There are so many out there with the 3"X5" footprint that have the same plugs built in, same button layouts, etc. I imagine they are probably built by the same chinese company and they just put different skins on the face. I went with Hyperion because I got it for about $40. They consistently get good reviews and if you had to replace it for some reason, there IS a customer help line where they can get you a replacement.

I'm in the same boat you are scr8p. But I want something that can handle all batteries. I have been looking at the venom pro plus ac/dc charger but just can't pull the trigger yet. Especially when I see other stuff way cheaper. I do hear a lot of good things about them though.

I say go with the Thunder AC6. I think you can buy the same charger but with a Trinity sticker on it and pay twice as much. I have had no problems with it and it chargers everything. There is no Deans connector but just solder a Deans plug on one of the many that are included and you're good to go.

Kayne wrote:I'm in the same boat you are scr8p. But I want something that can handle all batteries. I have been looking at the venom pro plus ac/dc charger but just can't pull the trigger yet. Especially when I see other stuff way cheaper. I do hear a lot of good things about them though.

I am in the same boat I want the Venom. I cant decide on the Pro or Pro Plus? I have the Check point but you need a degree from Nasa to run it? I will be selling it.

Scr8p, are you gonna run BL, too?

shane wrote:Scr8p, are you gonna run BL, too?

ya, i'm probably gonna pick up one of the reman. novak gtb's and a reman. motor from novak. i know i could save money buying a used BL setup, but i've never been a huge fan of buying used electronics. unless i knew the person i was buying them from.

i finally made a choice on a charger. i went with the hyperion eos0606i. i've been eyeing it up for awhile now, and decided to just get it. i also grabbed some smc lipo packs.

I have a Hyperion 0606i and have no complaints. 2+ years without a single problem. Do the SMC packs come with Hyperion balancing taps? If not you can buy one for about $6 from Amain or Maxamps. They probably come with e-flite(i think). Of course your Hyperion may already have a different board. They're cheap and widely available so it's a good choice. SMC packs are very strong too.

i got the charger off ebay, and the place that sells them gives you an option as to which balance adapter you get with the charger at no extra cost. so i got the one needed for the smc packs.

when i was hunting around for lipos, i found a place that was blowing out some smc packs. so i got (2) 2s 4500 28c sport max hardcase packs for $50.00 each. i thought it was a good price considering what they sell for elsewhere.

i was gonna go with a promatch 5200 25c lipo, but the case seems to be a bit on the tall side and i didn't think it would fit in the battery cup on the bulkhead. those were $39.95.

ghow about a link for the batterys I need some to?

these are the ones i got.

http://thebarnfloor.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1540

they also have a 2s 4100 24c pack for a couple dollars less.

http://thebarnfloor.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1022

this is the promatch pack i was gonna get had the case been a little thinner. i've bought/used promatch nimh cells before and was happy with them, so i figured i'd go with them for lipos as well. but........

http://www.promatchracing.com/proddetail.php?prod=2505

Believe me, you made the right choice. They are strong running! The only issue I've seen with SMC is the case seperating. If you charge them at the correct rate and balance them regularly they should be ok. If you're going to store them for a month or more keep them about 60% charge. If you store for a really long time at 100% they can bubble up.

A lot of online e-tailers are pushing the Duratrax Onyx 230. I recently purchased a DTX4600 battery, Onyx 200 and some Deans connectors from one such e-tailer. I was looking for a charger in the $40 range, and the 200 seems pretty decent, just lacking some of the value-added features found on the 230--or so I believe. Anyone have any impressions on the 200? I am only going to be running NiCad and NiMH batteries up to 7 cells, and what I really need from a charger is good peak detection and trickle charging capability. I don't need graphs, multi-battery charging or individual-cell charging and such...I assume the 200 will suit my needs?

Thanks for the info.

I use the 240 for my non lipo packs and it works great.

Only suggestion I would make about the 200 is if you go for the 210 for $10 more, you get the voltage/mah readout. Might seem trivial, but it is good info to know.