If you own a lipo battery, then you know that it’s important to use a charger specifically designed for them. Not all chargers are created equal, and using the wrong one can be dangerous and damage your battery. So, which is the best lipo charger to buy? Here are our top picks.
Best LiPo Chargers to Buy
1) Haisito’s LiPo Charger
At A Glance
- Universal Voltage Compatibility
- Diverse functionality built-in
- Easy Voltage Control
- Includes Low input voltage limits, temperature/capacity/processing time thresholds
2) Aorika LiPo Charger
At A Glance
- Dual, Built-in functionality for AC & DC
- Loved by hundreds around the world with a strong online rating from previous buyers (almost 1,000 positive reviews at the time of writing this)
- many safety features baked into this LiPo charger
- Offers additional functionality for multi-use compatibility
3) Hiyiton 1s6s LiPo Charger
At A Glance
- Compatible with most RC batteries (drones, rc car toys, etc).
- Allows for many connection types
- Offers extended and advanced functionality for further functionality
4) Woltechz B6 Lipo Charger
At A Glance
- Cool, bright-blue design
- Offers a helpful LCD screen included in the unit
- Built with high-quality material and designed for maximized safety
Shopping for a LiPo Charger
What Is A LiPo Charger?
A LiPo charger is a type of battery charger specifically designed for lithium polymer batteries. These types of chargers are different from traditional NiCd or NiMH chargers in a few key ways.
First, LiPo chargers feature built-in balance ports that help to keep the individual cells in a lithium polymer battery pack balanced. This is important because it helps to prevent the cells from becoming overcharged or discharged, which can shorten their lifespan.
Second, LiPo chargers typically have a higher charge rate than NiCd or NiMH chargers. This means that they can charge a battery pack in a shorter amount of time.
Finally, LiPo chargers usually have some type of built-in safety feature that prevents them from overcharging a battery pack. This is important because overcharging can damage or even destroy lithium polymer batteries.
Choosing The Right LiPo Charger
Now that you know a little bit more about LiPo chargers, it’s time to choose the right one for your needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind when making your selection.
First, consider the charge rate that you need. If you plan on charging large battery packs, then you’ll need a charger with a high charge rate. However, if you only plan on charging smaller packs, then a lower charge rate will suffice.
Second, make sure that the charger you select has a built-in balance port. This will help to keep your battery pack balanced and prevent damage from overcharging or discharging.
Finally, look for a charger with some type of safety feature. This will help to protect your lithium polymer batteries from being damaged by overcharging.
Great video talking about the different available iSDT LiPo chargers that are BEST for you!
LiPo batteries are becoming quite popular due to their easy manufacturing and the possibility to shape them as needed. They are lightweight with higher capacity making your appliances run longer and have a higher discharging rate. As the use of each depends on the appliance, different types of chargers exist.
These main factors and some other specifications to the chargers themselves are what makes each of them different and we hope that by using this guide you will be able to find the best one for yourself.
What To Look For in a LiPo Charger
Programmable vs Non-Programmable Chargers
The first thing you should know is that there are two types of LiPo chargers, programmable and non-programmable. The non-programmable charger can be described as plug and play chargers, there are standard input and output and all you have to do is plug them up, attach the battery and then it will do the rest. These are the most affordable option available but they might be slow and no choice when it comes to changing the settings.
Programmable chargers are becoming quite common nowadays due to the fact that they offer you the choice of changing a whole bunch of parameters such as charging current, charging period, timers, type of batteries, the option between fast charging and normal charging. They have other nifty features such as temperature sensors, battery health meter and incase of overcharging which of course can not only damage the battery and the appliance but also can be quite dangerous; some programmable chargers can discharge them too.
Cell Count Support
As LiPo batteries usually come with separate rechargeable cells, depending on the type of LiPo you got, based on the number of cells it has, it is best to choose a charger with at least equal or best if a number of cell count support. Of course, this does indeed kicks up the price tag but it is better to buy one with enough cell support for all the LiPo’s you might have lying around instead of needing an upgrade just because of this.
Current rating
This is quite an important thing to be considered because a wrong current rating might damage the battery and in worst case cause a nasty explosion, so if blowing up is something you want to avoid then better consider buying a charger with the standard recommended 1C current rating and for batteries that don’t have an issue with fast charging, 2C current rated fast chargers will be good enough.
Charger Power Output
It would be wrong to think that this is the same as the current rating, actually, this is the power given by the charger to the battery, it’s a multiple of the current rating and the voltage. This is something which will be in basic terms affecting the time it takes to charge the battery, of course, this doesn’t mean to get the highest rated one, that might work for a while but for the sake of your battery, it is better to check the reading on your battery and then get a charger with the appropriate power rating. It is also important to note that a higher power output charger can cost you a bit extra. There are also some LiPo batteries with parallel cells rather than series, these parallel cell LiPo will require more Power output.
Charging Modes
There are four major modes available on LiPo chargers. Depending on your use, you can choose chargers based on the modes they have.
- Balance Charge: It’s the standard, basic charging mode each cell is monitored during charging so that all the cells are equally or by definition their charging is balanced.
- Discharge: It basically drains out the battery for safety reasons.
- Storage Charge: If time is on your side, then this is the most preferred mode to be used as it charges the battery at a low standard 3.8V making it last longer which is preferred for long-term storage.
- Fast Charging: In case time is not on your side, then this is quite a useful feature but as there is no such thing as monitoring individual cells, instead the overall charge is considered, it might be dangerous.
Multiple Channels
What if you have more than one LiPo? are they supposed to wait for their turn? Well fear not, there are a lot of LiPo chargers with multiple channels capable of charging more than one battery at the same time. In case you have more than one battery this is something quite useful and important to consider while buying a charger.
Add-ons
There are some extra features that you can find in some of the chargers out there. LCD displays showing battery level and health might be something you might find quite useful. Temperature sensors are also a useful safety feature which is sometimes coupled with a buzzer or warning light.
On a final note, LiPo batteries are everywhere and so their chargers are quite necessary to benefit from their recharging ability and we hope this guide can help you out when you need to choose one for yourself.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about LiPo chargers, it’s time to start shopping for the right one. Keep the factors listed above in mind when making your selection to ensure that you choose the best charger for your needs.