Atomic Li-Po Battery Charge Adapter

[arch2b]

Atomic Li-Po Battery Charge Adapter
DN-007

http://www.rcatomic.com/atomic/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/DN-007_install.jpg

http://www.rcatomic.com/atomic/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/DN-007_m.jpg

[arch2b]

any electronics guru out there care to explain to everyone the benefits of using this with a proper charger vs. the stock base charger?

[nitrojunkie]

I'm not an electronics guru the main reason is;the stock charger most likely does not fully charge the battery and you can't monitor the charge rates or discharge with the stock charger.This will allow you to be able to fully charge the battery and see what available voltage you actually have and if you have a charger that cycles you can also cycle the battery.You will also be able to see how many mah you are using based on how many you put back in'again if the charger has this feature.With these batteries being so small you will have to have a charger that will adjust down to a low mah setting I'm thinking .1amp
This would be an economical price and probably pretty good.But you have to supply power for it from a power supply or a larger battery.There are plans on the net that show how to use a power supply from a computer to power battery chargers.
http://www.xheli.com/tht6bach16ce.html

[arch2b]

exactly, but its nice to have someone explain it thoroughly.

[lornecherry]

... well, it's an odd shape that probably won't lay flat in my box ...and does anyone else think that it is quite uuugly?

It takes about three minutes to rewire the stock charger to do exactly the same thing. That's my rant for the evening.

[MrNanoTrax]

uhhhh.... isn't kyosho about to release the USB charger?

[nitrojunkie]

... well, it's an odd shape that probably won't lay flat in my box ...and does anyone else think that it is quite uuugly?

It takes about three minutes to rewire the stock charger to do exactly the same thing. That's my rant for the evening.


That is what I was thinking.Just isolate the circuit board in the stock charger and wire up and mount a pair of terminals for banana plugs or the connector of your choice.The isolation of the board could be done several ways.
1-cheapest and easiest cut the connections from the circuit board but you will not be able to use the batteries to power the unit anymore.

2-Put a switch between the circuit board and final connection to the battery being charged you can then isolate the onboard circuit at the flip of the switch so to speak and keep the total portability that the unit was designed for.

3- Put diodes in line with the original connections at the point where the circuit board connects to the contacts for the battery being charged.My thinking is that as long as there is no external charger hooked up the charger will work as designed.With the charger hooked up and powered the diodes will work as a check valve of sorts to keep power going only to the battery being charged and not backfeeding into the circuit board or onboard batteries.Now this is just a thought..

[arch2b]

beautiful it's not :) they don't have the same design style as say pn racing thats for sure.
the sticker is just plain awful as well.

for $14 however, it's a god cheap adapter for those whom have a car or thinking of getting one, a proper charger and tx. this saves you a good deal of money in having to buy the stock charger which is expensive and or the starter kit which is very expensive.

i have to assume the elevated stance of the battery is meant to make sure it remains in contact with the terminals vs. laying flat and relying soley on friction.

[Marcro]

I don't think prettiness count's here on something like this. I think it's more of how it functions. I'd like to know is how portable is this compared to the stock charger? As mentioned, it won't lay flat in most pit-boxes like the stock charger will.

[nitrojunkie]

I don't think prettiness count's here on something like this. I think it's more of how it functions. I'd like to know is how portable is this compared to the stock charger? As mentioned, it won't lay flat in most pit-boxes like the stock charger will.


It will still be portable.You will just have to carry more stuff with you to the track.The charger the power supply for the charger and the adapter for the dnano battery.The portability will still be there.The convienience however just got tossed out the window but you will be able to charge the battery quicker possibly and as I stated above know for sure what condition your battery is in (with the right type of charger)

I know Qon posted that a USB adapter is comming thats fine; but for me I don't own a laptop and don't plan to for the forseeable future.I can use it at home to charge but what will they want for this? Then what exactly will it be capable of doing?However I think the ICS cable set should come with the car or the starter set and the software be available on line to help some people who have issues with the pricing of getting into this.Lets face it for what can be done with the system right now $100.00 is high for a disc and the required cables and adapters.

[alanfujii]

Retro look. I kind of like it. It reminds me of the electrical connection stuff of the 50"s and 60's. Even looks like the black epoxy thermoset material they used to encapsulate contacts. I guess I'm showing my age.....

[fraz]

1-cheapest and easiest cut the connections from the circuit board but you will not be able to use the batteries to power the unit anymore.

2-Put a switch between the circuit board and final connection to the battery being charged you can then isolate the onboard circuit at the flip of the switch so to speak and keep the total portability that the unit was designed for.

3- Put diodes in line with the original connections at the point where the circuit board connects to the contacts for the battery being charged.My thinking is that as long as there is no external charger hooked up the charger will work as designed.With the charger hooked up and powered the diodes will work as a check valve of sorts to keep power going only to the battery being charged and not backfeeding into the circuit board or onboard batteries.Now this is just a thought..

Like so?

http://tinyrc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23863&highlight=convertible

All charger mods aside, I am going to buy some of these. A "hidden" benefit to this design... chain them in series and balance charge all batteries at once!!!

[nitrojunkie]

Yep that was my number two minus the isolation switch or diode.Good work.

[MrNanoTrax]

one of our members used a sony playstation power adapter and wired six of the starter kit chargers together. *voila* instant charging station. and btw, there is an adapter for usb to a wall socket so, u wouldn't need a laptop to use the USB charger just about anywhere ;)

[fraz]

So I am gonna review this thing since I just got my box of them. I'm gonna start out with the "pluses" (i.e. what atomic does right). At the end you will see the one major flaw and my easy fix.

1) As I stated before these charger stands are nice because you can chain multiple batteries and balance charge (with the right charger) as a multi cell pack. With my new charger I am pretty sure I could chain 10 of these together and charge them ALL AT ONCE!!

2) In (pic1) you can see the standard device with the sticker. All of the pics I have seen so far look like it has a white background but it is actually silver and not too bad.

3) Regardless, I ditched the stickers and these stands look very nice without them. If you peel slowly, these stickers come off clean without residue. See (pic2) for the clean look.

4) The best part is the batteries "plug" into place unlike the crappy stock charger that has plenty of connectivity issues. I also have some older batteries that have corroded connections and are not shiny anymore. I slid one of these in and the plugging action was enough to make a good contact and was recognized instantly.

5) Nice weighting and no-slip gripper to keep it in place on your table.

Arch: the stock charger doesn't rely on friction so much to make the contact but more gravity of the weight of a battery to overcome the spring tension :) This Atomic stand plugs the battery in so it makes a real contact.

Now those are the good things. Now for the...

FATAL FLAW: The first one I opened and tried was DOA (Dead On Arrival) and my charger showed "Connection Break". Got out my digital voltmeter and sure enough measuring resistance from the input to output showed the positive side (+) was not contacting. After peeling back the no-slip cover (pic3) and enough testing, I realized the battery contacts and tubes are separate items relying on spring tension to contact. The two 3mm allen screws are of no help here to adjust because the contacts and tubes were indeed touching already; just not making electrical contact!!!

Easy solution... (pic4) solder it and replace the no-slip and it will always make a good contact. I measured the resistance and it is great. I am really glad the first one was DOA right off the bat 'cause I took all of them out and soldered them up... DIALED!



For those who can't quite see why you would want to use a real charger as opposed to the AA charger, or like the idea of the USB... no complaints, this may not be for you. These items seem geared towards more hardcore racers who prefer using more full-featured chargers IMO. Guys like me who already take all that other crap to the track.HAHA

[Marcro]

I'm a simple man and I like what Kyosho has offered us. Seems to work well so far for the Nano's.