PC Powersupply for Lipo Charger

[el_bassboi_sv]

Has anyone ever used a PC powersupply as a source for an RC lipo charger?

Looking at the specs of even a 550w PSU the 12v+ is capable of 23A constant, and for ~$20 its hard to beat.

My Thunderpower TP610C comes with a built in power supply, but it gets insanely hot charging 5s @ even a measly 2.5A as anything above this trips the LVC in the unit itself. I was thinking if possible i could supply from the PSU and maybe unleash the rated 80w charge rate (still a joke)... i should at least hit ~3.8A if my math is correct.

Anyone with experience in this setup?


could possibly lead to a parallel setup for the future TP820CD charger (40A demand, 800W charge rate) 8)

http://thunderpowerrc.com/html/TP820CD.html

 

[neptronix]

Jesus Christ on a cracker.. $260?
And it won't even do 16S in series, that's a deal breaker for me. That means it is no better than two chargers.. the only upside is that it will isolate the power between the two 8S banks.

Anyhow, PC power supplies are useable but don't expect to get their rated amperage at all off the 12v rail.

rcgroups has a lot of info on this.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14081848&postcount=11

 

[el_bassboi_sv]

what do you mean no 16S?!?!

right in the spec it said...

"This means the TP820CD is well-equipped to quickly charge batteries up to 8S on each port for use in series as up to 16S in large-scale airplanes and helicopters."

It doesn't really matter as i charge 5s packs x8 parallel

 

[neptronix]

Pay attention to the wording there; they also talk extensively about how the ports operate independently.
They never mention that you can charge it as one 16s pack.
Notice also, the double charge leads. That is the tip off.

Check out the description of this charger:

http://www.helihobby.com/product-p/hp-eos720duo.htm

Look like a 14s charger? nope, it is not.

http://www.helihobby.com/product-p/hp-eos1420i.htm

That's the 14s model.
Note the 1 charge port..

So until the manufacturer says that it can do 16s concurrently, it is not a 16s charger; it is two 8s chargers.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, it's a small difference, but significant if you don't like having two charge plugs to mess with. Like he said, same as two chargers. Which wont do a 15s pack (3x5s) as one unit.

 

[el_bassboi_sv]

glad you guys pointed that out..

what do you use for power supplies to power these things? I dont feel like spending $200 on a charger to only need another $200 power supply to power the thing.

 

[neptronix]

Good question, heh..
I'd say server power supply, but i think they generally come in 48v flavor with weak 12v power.

If you're willing to underrate the charger a bit, two 350w 12v meanwells in series would give you 29 amps, those would be $40-$70 shipped each.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MW-12V-DC-29A-3...ultDomain_0&hash=item35b26d58a6#ht_3910wt_972

 

[icecube57]

What He Said. Very tough. If you plan to transport make sure you pad it. Sharp bumps and shocks arent good for any charger.

 

[wesnewell]

glad you guys pointed that out..

what do you use for power supplies to power these things? I dont feel like spending $200 on a charger to only need another $200 power supply to power the thing.

To power my Hyperion 1420I I got a used 24V 600W (25A) PSU off ebay for $22 shipped. Works like a charm, but fan is really loud.

 

[el_bassboi_sv]

If you're willing to underrate the charger a bit, two 350w 12v meanwells in series would give you 29 amps,

12v in series, wouldn't that make it 24v? you mean run in parallel and get 700w.

how do some people used the meanwell's to bulk charge directly? does it have internal CC/CV control?

 

[liveforphysics]

If you're willing to underrate the charger a bit, two 350w 12v meanwells in series would give you 29 amps,

12v in series, wouldn't that make it 24v? you mean run in parallel and get 700w.

how do some people used the meanwell's to bulk charge directly? does it have internal CC/CV control?

They make 12v 29amp meanwells. Putting 2 in series makes 24v 29amps.

Yes, you can charge directly from them. Do a search. Hundreds of threads on the topic, with a few being very good.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Here is a recent thread on modding Meanwells and their clones to get a 10A charger for 5S-14S for under $50, also the thread includes how to make a $400 20A set-up to get 15S-20S (Thanks to kingfish and icecube57)

How-To: Meanwell 63-84V CV/CC Charger
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20118&p=404852#p404852

Review: Meanwell HRP-600 Series
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=28235#p407032

 

[TopherTheME]

I've been using PC power supplies to run my chargers ever since I got into RC as a wee lad (about 10 years ago). I actually picked up some $20 POS supply yesterday to power my Cellpro 10S charger. Almost done modifying it. I've never really had a problem with supplies not hitting their rated current so long as you expect the voltages to be stable.