I have an Alpha that is 14 years old. Works great.
I also have a Pro Peak Prodigy that I only paid $54 for.
Man I guess I got a good deal.
The Alpha rules for sure.
Still looking for a new do it all and do many at once charger.
D.O. Darnell wrote:
I think all of you are right.... with exceptions. Im sure there are
several good chargers, but few which do it all.
I have an Alpha 4 and have enjoyed it for its features for more than
ten years, during which it has worked flawlessly.
It does have limitations, but it puts a longer lasting charge than
say, the Sirius that I use for my quick (field) charger. I usually
use my ALPHA after a flying session for two planes and one
transmitter, and yes,, it does have a limitation of 1 amp total output
at any given time. This is not a problem, however in the application
I use it for. When I forget to charge, or it has been a while since,
or if I need to fly in the next 30 minutes, I use my Sirius, which
produces a "peaky" charge that is usually sufficient for 1 minute of
flying for each one minute of charge. (my rule).
The Alpha is great for recycling too. My Multiplex NC 5A is superior
however because of multiple charge/discharge cycling ability, plus,
its a good field charger for electric Nicads or NiMhs power packs
which are, however anachronistic.
But neither the Alpha nor the Sirius is the answer for Lipos. I have
recently ordered a Pro Peak Prodigy which can charge 1-5 cell
Lithiums, 1-14 cell Ni-Cds and Ni-MHs, and 2-12V lead acid batteries
all at an adjustable rate of .1-5 amps output (Up to 50 watts total
charge output)! It can even cycle and slow-discharge from 0.1 to 1 amp
(5 watt maximum). The Prodigy is an affordable, reliable, versatile
charger available at Global Hobby.com and is $95.
d.o.
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 08:23:12 -0500
From: Doug McLaren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: JAMES EALY <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: Peter Schlitzkus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [email protected]
Subject: Re: [RCSE] AC/DC
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
On Mon, Jun 02, 2008 at 11:59:45AM -0400, JAMES EALY wrote:
| You can not beat the ALPHA 4 (charger/discharger/maintainance)
Of course you can.
Other chargers can charge at higher rates.
Other chargers can charge more cells (granted, not such a big issue for
a charger that can only do one amp total between all it's outputs.)
Other chargers can do more chemistries (i.e. LiPo.)
Other chargers are a lot cheaper (Originally $300, then $259 right at
the end.)
Other chargers you can actually buy! (I don't think any Alpha 4s have
been made since 2005, and even then you had to jump through hoops
to get one.)
Other chargers are supported! (I've no idea if the Alpha 4 still is
or not. The fact that several of the pages on their web site have
been blanked out, such as the home page, the ordering page and the
`contact us' page, but not some others, is a very bad sign.)
As of 2008, the only really special features that the Alpha 4 has is
that 1) it can charge 4 packs at once and 2) it's got that 1970s retro
look, if you're into that. And feature #1 isn't even that special
any more.
Perhaps in the past the Alpha 4 was king, but it hasn't been for
years.
Personally, when I need to charge multiple RX or TX packs slowly, I
use my $30 Hobbico R/C mlti-charger (LXL331) with four outputs. No
peak charging, granted, but occasional slow chargings without peak
detection are a good thing. It beats four wall-warts anyways. And
for fast charging and cycling and such, I use my GP Triton.
--
Doug McLaren, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
A deep unwavering belief is a sure sign you're missing something ...
------------------------------
End of Soaring V1 #11258
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