Company SkyRC produces balanced chargers for charging lithium-polymer batteries from radio-controlled toys and is familiar to all modelers. Balanced chargers allow you to charge / discharge several “cans” of one type, connected in series.
SkyRC iMax B6 mini is the most popular model of the manufacturer. In addition to compact dimensions, it attracts a variety of functions and the ability to automatically select the current parameters for the connected battery.
Appearance
The charger is a small blue box with an LCD screen and four buttons. With their help, the configuration and charging process are controlled. At the ends of the device are all the necessary connectors. On the left is a port for connecting external power, microUSB for synchronization with a computer and a three-pin connector for connecting a temperature sensor.
On the right are two inputs of the “banana” type (plus and minus), as well as five connectors for the balanced connection of 2-6 cells or cells.
Dimensions and light weight allocate iMax B6 mini among similar devices. It can even be put in a pocket if desired.
Characteristics
| Power, V | 11-18 |
| Maximum power when charging, W | 60 |
| Maximum power at discharge, W | 5 |
| Current range when charging, A | 0.1-0.6 |
| Current range at discharge, A | 0.1-2.0 |
| The number of charged Li-Po-, Li-Fe-, Li-lon-elements | 1-6 |
| Number of charged NiMH-, NiCd-cells | 1-15 |
| Voltage range for Pb-elements, V | 2-20 |
| Dimensions, mm | 107 × 85 × 34 |
| Weight, g | 237 |
Capabilities
SkyRC iMax B6 mini is a smart charger. Unlike many cheap devices, it charges batteries from several elements through two inputs – balanced and power. Separately balanced does not work. This is more difficult than using conventional chargers, but you can connect directly to the battery, bypassing the control elements, which allows you to accelerate the charging process. For example, a Walkera QR X350 Pro Quadrotor battery from a native charger is charged six hours, and from an iMax B6 mini it’s only an hour.
This connection option is necessary for uniform cyclic charging / discharging of the battery (when recovering the capacity). Also, the balanced type of charging is useful for charging several batteries at once or working with lithium-ion (lithium-polymer) cells.
Power outputs can work without balanced ones. For example, leaded car batteries or third-party devices are connected to the iMax B6 mini, then the charger operates as an adjustable power supply. Consuming averages of 16 V and 2 A, the device can give up to 20 V and 2 A in steps of 0.1.
The free setting works only for power wires. To avoid improper charging / discharging and not to spoil the elements, for balance charging there are profiles of settings. They can be selected directly from the system menu using mechanical keys or from the drop-down list when connected to a computer. To set the required values, you must either manually enter the current parameters, or specify the number of elements and their relative capacitance. If the selection is incorrect, the device will display an error and refuse to work until the correct values are specified.
Connection via microUSB is another plus iMax B6 mini. When installing the appropriate software from the computer, you can update the firmware of the charger, set the required work profile and see detailed statistics.
If you turn on the appropriate port of the thermal sensor, the charger allows you to track the temperature of the charged element. At a critical value, a trip occurs.
Outcomes
The cost of the original SkyRC iMax B6 mini is $ 40 plus the cost of the power supply. The most suitable for home use can be universal power supplies or blocks for laptops. The price of similar in the nearest underground passage is 500 rubles (8 dollars). Universal, like mine, can be more expensive.
Thus, a universal home device for all charged batteries will cost $ 50. For comparison, you can see how many different chargers have to keep, and calculate their total cost. I’m sure that it will be more. But if you only have USB devices at hand, it’s better to buy something like that.
