Thunder AC6 Smart LiPo Balance Charger Discharger w AC Adapter for 1-6 Lipo 1-15 Nimh +...

Reader Reviews
This, as you have read is a fantastic charger for almost all of your battery needs. Almost all, except where it comes to high power. The Thunder AC6 Charger has a limit of 50 watts. If you doing something like charging a 7.4v 5000mAH battery, you can do it at the recommended 1C (or 5 Amps) no problem.7.4v x 5 Amps = 37 Watts, you got some head room.However, if, like me, you are looking at some of the higher capacitance, batteries available, you're no longer going to be able to charge at the 1C rate. For instance, the 7.4v 8000mAH LiPo batteries could be safely charged at 1C or 8 Amps, but the charger is also limited to 5 Amps max. Which means, it's going to take FAR longer to charge that 8000 mAH battery. Whereas, if the charger could do 8 Amps, it would take about the same time as the 5000 mAH battery charged at 5 Amps (somewhere around 90 minutes or so). However, with the 5 Amp limitation, the 8000 mAH batter is going to take over 2 hours.Also, when charging packs over 2S, like the 3S/11.1v packs it's capable of charging, you're not going to be able to reach a 1C charge rate on packs over 4500 mAh. Because 11.1v x 4.5a = 49.95 watts, or 50 watts. So, a 3S/11.1v pack of 5000 mAH will only be able to charge at 4.5 Amps. That 50 watt ceiling becomes more noticeable, and problematic the more cells a pack has, so 6S packs will have a major limitation on Amperage. 6S/22.2v packs are going to be limited to a 2.25 amp charge to keep it under the 50 watt ceiling.This is noticeable on higher charge rate batteries, like LiFe batteries which can easily take 2C+ charge rates. A 5000mAH LiFe battery can be safely charged at 10+ amps greatly reducing the time it takes to charge the battery (approximately 45 minutes to charge). You could effectively have 2 batteries and charge one as fast as you use the other. It's a nice dream anyways. :)Unfortunately, this is a limitation on all of the sub $100 chargers, including the Sky Charger B6AC, that come boxed with it's own AC power supply, and not strictly an issue with this particular charger. I just wanted to put this review out there to make sure potential buyers are aware of the limitation. Otherwise, again, this is a fantastic charger for a reasonable price! I'd just like to see more then a 5 amp, and 50 watt ceiling on these all in one units.Other notes, the charger arrived from Xheli with the Temperature Probe (listed as optional on some sites) and a Tamiya Male connector, as well as a Glow Plug connector, alligator clips and a bunch of other connectors I didn't recognize. No Deans or Traxxas connectors. If you want a Traxxas connector, this one will do the trick: Charge Adapter: Banana to Traxxas Male.EDIT: As a note, the battery balance connector uses an Align/JST-XH type connector. So, your battery will require an Align compatible tap, or adapter to connect your LiPo batteries for Balance charging.