skranish
Aug 01, 1996, 01:00 AM
<html>
<head>
<title>The Robbe Infinity Charger</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p><b>Product Review: Robbe Power Peak Infinity Charger #8153 </b></p>
<p><b>Review revision 5 Sep 96 </b></p>
<p>Aveox (<a href="http://www.aveox.com">www.aveox.com</a>) has been advertising the new
Robbe Power Peak Infinity charger for $169.95. This is a lot to spend for a charger, but
it is actually rather inexpensive for a European design - the Graupner chargers cost about
twice as much. </p>
<p>The Infinity charger come with instructions in multiple languages, one which happens to
be english. It is a 12V input device, so the usual UL/CSA/TUV markings found on AC
applicances are not present. There is no identification of country of manufacture or
origin; I do not think it is made in Germany. </p>
<p>The Infinity is a sophisticated 12V DC input charger capable of charging AND
DISCHARGING packs of 1 to 30 Nicad cells. This is NOT a simple
push-a-button-and-forget-about-it charger. It is closer to a laboratory instrument, with
several charge and discharge parameters that can be set by the user and a lot of
information that can be displayed. If you want a one-button charger, the Infinity is not
for you. If, on the other hand, you are like me and like to KNOW the capacity of your
battery packs, the Infinity is worthy of your consideration. </p>
<p>The Infinity has a single line 16 character LCD display and a keyboard with 6 buttons.
The buttons are used to scroll through the various displays, and as cursor keys to allow
changing settings. Settings are changed by up and down cursor keys; there are no knobs or
other controls. </p>
<p>Input power can be supplied from a car battery (12V) or an AC input, DC output power
supply. I have been primarily using an AC/DC power supply rated at 12V, 4A. This is an
antique linear supply that can be adjusted up to 13.8V and will sustain larger output
currents if I put a fan on top of it. I have not used a pack larger than 7 cells (YET), so
I do not need a larger input current. If I use larger packs, I will need a much larger
power supply. The specifications say 13.8V at 15 A, which is a pretty hefty power supply,
but sounds about right for a step-up circuit charging 30 cells. </p>
<p>The Infinity has an all metal case, with power devices mounted directly to the case and
using it as a heat sink. The rear of the case can get quite warm during discharge cycles.
There is a small fan on the bottom of the case. It is not cooling anything in particular,
but instead maintains airflow throught the case. I would not recommend operating the
Infinity with it sitting on grass, because the grass will block the airflow. </p>
<p>The inputs and output appear to be relay protected against short circuits and reversed
polarity. </p>
<p>Aveox has informed me that they are the US service and technical support center for the
Infinity charger. European customers should contact Robbe directly. </p>
<hr>
<h2>TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS </h2>
<p>(This data is taken from the Robbe documentation, and has NOT been independently
verified)
<ol>
<li>Charge termination Delta-Peak </li>
<li>Input 12V battery or 13.8V Power Supply at 15A </li>
<li>Charge output up to 5A for 1-30 Cells <ul>
<li>to 30V @ 5A </li>
<li>to 40V @ 4A </li>
<li>to 50V @ 3A </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Discharge load up to 5A <ul>
<li>5A up to 10V </li>
<li>2.5A for 10 to 20V </li>
<li>1A for > 20V </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Trickle charge 170mA pulsed </li>
<li>TX/RX output 250mA fixed, not timed </li>
</ol>
<hr>
<h2>CAPABILITIES </h2>
<p>The Infinity Power peak is a battery cycler, in addition to being a battery charger.
The following cycle types can be selected:
<ul>
<li>Charge </li>
<li>Discharge </li>
<li>Charge followed by Discharge, up to 99 cycles </li>
<li>Discharge followed by Charge, up to 99 cycles </li>
</ul>
<p>When multiple cycles are selected, the capacity data for the last 5 cycles can be
reviewed. </p>
<p>The cycling capability can be used to 'condition' packs. I have used it on packs that
had sat idle for some time, and brand new packs, and in both cases saw the capacity go up
with each cycle. It can also be used to make sure that a battery is fully discharged on
each cycle. </p>
<p>Initially, my new KR600AE cells took almost exactly 600mAh of charge, but with multiple
cycles this has increased to about 660mAh. Note that charge capacity is not discharge
capacity, because of less than 100% efficiency of charge. </p>
<p>I have used the Discharge-Charge cycle fully understand the interaction of a battery
pack and a BEC motor controller. The process is really quite simple: run the airplane
motor until the low voltage cutoff stops the motor. Move the battery to the Infinity Power
Peak, set for a discharge current of 0.5A and a cutoff voltage of 6.0V, which is the
likely cutoff voltage for the regulator in a BEC. Discharge the battery pack and observe
the REMAINING capacity. </p>
<p>I do this after most flights with my KR600AE packs and the Robbe RSC210 relay
controller. I have found a 'reserve' capacity of 30 to 60mAh after each flight, which
translates to 15-30 minutes of flying time. So now I KNOW what to expect of the battery.
Now if I could only find a killer thermal... </p>
<hr>
<h2>SETTINGS </h2>
<p>The user can set:
<ul>
<li>Charge current, up to 5A </li>
<li>Discharge current, up to 5A </li>
<li>Discharge cutoff voltage (total, not per cell) </li>
</ul>
<p>Setting the cutoff voltage for discharge cycles is an important capability, because you
can measure the capacity until the voltage drops to a specific voltage that may be
required for proper operation of your system. I have found that the cutoff voltage of
so-called 'sport packs' must be set much lower if the pack is to show anything close to
the labeled capacity. These are high internal resistance packs, so the voltage drops off
more quickly. </p>
<hr>
<h2>MEASUREMENTS </h2>
<p>The Infinity will display the following measurements during charge and discharge
cycles:
<ul>
<li>Input Voltage (car battery or power supply) </li>
<li>Voltage at TX/RX </li>
<li>output current </li>
<li>battery voltage, charge or discharge cycle </li>
<li>battery current, charge or discharge cycle </li>
<li>charge cycle capacity (mAh) </li>
<li>discharge cycle capacity (mAh) </li>
<li>peak voltage (tracks during charge) </li>
<li>average voltage (not really explained) </li>
<li>charge time (seconds) </li>
<li>discharge time (seconds) </li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>SHORTCOMINGS </h2>
<p>Robbe's mechanical assembly work was surprisingly sloppy. The LCD in my unit is
misaligned by about 10 degrees. </p>
<p>Sometimes it can be very difficult to interpret the rather cryptic display. There
really should be a sticker on the bottom that explains the display. Without a manual you
could be very lost. </p>
<p>I would like to be able to set the 'trickle charge' rate to match the battery pack
size. The high 'trickle' rate means that you really have to watch the charger, so make
sure it does not cook a small pack. I would not recommend leaving a small pack on
overnight. This is NOT a set-and-forget charger. At some time in the future I will publish
a design for an add-on that will connect to the charge connector to detect the trickle
charge and activate a beeper. </p>
<p>There is no delay between automated discharge and charge cycles, so a pack discharged
at a high rate (5A on a small pack) will be very warm when the charge cycle starts. If you
are going to do a lot of pack cycling, you should use a fan 'cooling tube' to keep the
pack cool. </p>
<p>The TX/RX output is untimed, and as a result could easily cook a battery pack. The
250mA output is only acceptable for 600mA size cells for a short period of time. If you
are using a small receiver pack, such as a 150mAh or 250mAh pack, the 250mAh rate
qualifies as fast charging, and really should be monitored, and preferably have a peak
cutoff, just like the main output. </p>
<p>When you remove a battery pack from the charger, it does not go to 'No Battery' mode
for about 10 seconds. It is quite possible to change batteries within this time. No harm
is done, but the display capacity numbers will be wrong because the Infinity will just
continue the cycle it is on. </p>
<hr>
<h2>PROBLEMS </h2>
<p>If the input power clips are not solidly attached, the internal reset circuit may
glitch with the result being that only half of the display can be read. I have seen this
happen a number of times. </p>
<p>I have had one incident where the internal microcontroller crashed and would not
respond to key presses. This was while the Infinity was attached to someone else's
battery, and was not being watched. It is possible that something glitched the power -
such as jiggling the clip leads - and this has NOT been duplicated. </p>
<hr>
<h2>WISH LIST </h2>
<p>The Infinity Power Peak could REALLY use a beeper to signal the end of the charge
cycle. </p>
<p>There should be a delay between discharge and charge cycles, to allow the pack to cool.
</p>
<p>It should really be possible to set the 'trickle charge' rate to match the capacity of
the battery pack. </p>
<p>The TX/RX output should have a time limit or peak detect cutoff. </p>
<hr>
<h2>RECOMMENDATION </h2>
<p>I highly recommend the Robbe Infinity Power Peak charger. Although it does have some
minor shortcomings, it is a VERY useful battery maintenance system. </p>
<hr>
<h2>COPYRIGHT </h2>
<p>The document is copyrighted (c) 1996 by Steven Kranish, and may be used in other forms
of publication (electronic or paper) only with written permission. </p>
<hr>
<h2>CONTACTS </h2>
<p>If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=world.std.com">skranish(at)world.std.com</a>
</body>
</html>
<head>
<title>The Robbe Infinity Charger</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p><b>Product Review: Robbe Power Peak Infinity Charger #8153 </b></p>
<p><b>Review revision 5 Sep 96 </b></p>
<p>Aveox (<a href="http://www.aveox.com">www.aveox.com</a>) has been advertising the new
Robbe Power Peak Infinity charger for $169.95. This is a lot to spend for a charger, but
it is actually rather inexpensive for a European design - the Graupner chargers cost about
twice as much. </p>
<p>The Infinity charger come with instructions in multiple languages, one which happens to
be english. It is a 12V input device, so the usual UL/CSA/TUV markings found on AC
applicances are not present. There is no identification of country of manufacture or
origin; I do not think it is made in Germany. </p>
<p>The Infinity is a sophisticated 12V DC input charger capable of charging AND
DISCHARGING packs of 1 to 30 Nicad cells. This is NOT a simple
push-a-button-and-forget-about-it charger. It is closer to a laboratory instrument, with
several charge and discharge parameters that can be set by the user and a lot of
information that can be displayed. If you want a one-button charger, the Infinity is not
for you. If, on the other hand, you are like me and like to KNOW the capacity of your
battery packs, the Infinity is worthy of your consideration. </p>
<p>The Infinity has a single line 16 character LCD display and a keyboard with 6 buttons.
The buttons are used to scroll through the various displays, and as cursor keys to allow
changing settings. Settings are changed by up and down cursor keys; there are no knobs or
other controls. </p>
<p>Input power can be supplied from a car battery (12V) or an AC input, DC output power
supply. I have been primarily using an AC/DC power supply rated at 12V, 4A. This is an
antique linear supply that can be adjusted up to 13.8V and will sustain larger output
currents if I put a fan on top of it. I have not used a pack larger than 7 cells (YET), so
I do not need a larger input current. If I use larger packs, I will need a much larger
power supply. The specifications say 13.8V at 15 A, which is a pretty hefty power supply,
but sounds about right for a step-up circuit charging 30 cells. </p>
<p>The Infinity has an all metal case, with power devices mounted directly to the case and
using it as a heat sink. The rear of the case can get quite warm during discharge cycles.
There is a small fan on the bottom of the case. It is not cooling anything in particular,
but instead maintains airflow throught the case. I would not recommend operating the
Infinity with it sitting on grass, because the grass will block the airflow. </p>
<p>The inputs and output appear to be relay protected against short circuits and reversed
polarity. </p>
<p>Aveox has informed me that they are the US service and technical support center for the
Infinity charger. European customers should contact Robbe directly. </p>
<hr>
<h2>TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS </h2>
<p>(This data is taken from the Robbe documentation, and has NOT been independently
verified)
<ol>
<li>Charge termination Delta-Peak </li>
<li>Input 12V battery or 13.8V Power Supply at 15A </li>
<li>Charge output up to 5A for 1-30 Cells <ul>
<li>to 30V @ 5A </li>
<li>to 40V @ 4A </li>
<li>to 50V @ 3A </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Discharge load up to 5A <ul>
<li>5A up to 10V </li>
<li>2.5A for 10 to 20V </li>
<li>1A for > 20V </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Trickle charge 170mA pulsed </li>
<li>TX/RX output 250mA fixed, not timed </li>
</ol>
<hr>
<h2>CAPABILITIES </h2>
<p>The Infinity Power peak is a battery cycler, in addition to being a battery charger.
The following cycle types can be selected:
<ul>
<li>Charge </li>
<li>Discharge </li>
<li>Charge followed by Discharge, up to 99 cycles </li>
<li>Discharge followed by Charge, up to 99 cycles </li>
</ul>
<p>When multiple cycles are selected, the capacity data for the last 5 cycles can be
reviewed. </p>
<p>The cycling capability can be used to 'condition' packs. I have used it on packs that
had sat idle for some time, and brand new packs, and in both cases saw the capacity go up
with each cycle. It can also be used to make sure that a battery is fully discharged on
each cycle. </p>
<p>Initially, my new KR600AE cells took almost exactly 600mAh of charge, but with multiple
cycles this has increased to about 660mAh. Note that charge capacity is not discharge
capacity, because of less than 100% efficiency of charge. </p>
<p>I have used the Discharge-Charge cycle fully understand the interaction of a battery
pack and a BEC motor controller. The process is really quite simple: run the airplane
motor until the low voltage cutoff stops the motor. Move the battery to the Infinity Power
Peak, set for a discharge current of 0.5A and a cutoff voltage of 6.0V, which is the
likely cutoff voltage for the regulator in a BEC. Discharge the battery pack and observe
the REMAINING capacity. </p>
<p>I do this after most flights with my KR600AE packs and the Robbe RSC210 relay
controller. I have found a 'reserve' capacity of 30 to 60mAh after each flight, which
translates to 15-30 minutes of flying time. So now I KNOW what to expect of the battery.
Now if I could only find a killer thermal... </p>
<hr>
<h2>SETTINGS </h2>
<p>The user can set:
<ul>
<li>Charge current, up to 5A </li>
<li>Discharge current, up to 5A </li>
<li>Discharge cutoff voltage (total, not per cell) </li>
</ul>
<p>Setting the cutoff voltage for discharge cycles is an important capability, because you
can measure the capacity until the voltage drops to a specific voltage that may be
required for proper operation of your system. I have found that the cutoff voltage of
so-called 'sport packs' must be set much lower if the pack is to show anything close to
the labeled capacity. These are high internal resistance packs, so the voltage drops off
more quickly. </p>
<hr>
<h2>MEASUREMENTS </h2>
<p>The Infinity will display the following measurements during charge and discharge
cycles:
<ul>
<li>Input Voltage (car battery or power supply) </li>
<li>Voltage at TX/RX </li>
<li>output current </li>
<li>battery voltage, charge or discharge cycle </li>
<li>battery current, charge or discharge cycle </li>
<li>charge cycle capacity (mAh) </li>
<li>discharge cycle capacity (mAh) </li>
<li>peak voltage (tracks during charge) </li>
<li>average voltage (not really explained) </li>
<li>charge time (seconds) </li>
<li>discharge time (seconds) </li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2>SHORTCOMINGS </h2>
<p>Robbe's mechanical assembly work was surprisingly sloppy. The LCD in my unit is
misaligned by about 10 degrees. </p>
<p>Sometimes it can be very difficult to interpret the rather cryptic display. There
really should be a sticker on the bottom that explains the display. Without a manual you
could be very lost. </p>
<p>I would like to be able to set the 'trickle charge' rate to match the battery pack
size. The high 'trickle' rate means that you really have to watch the charger, so make
sure it does not cook a small pack. I would not recommend leaving a small pack on
overnight. This is NOT a set-and-forget charger. At some time in the future I will publish
a design for an add-on that will connect to the charge connector to detect the trickle
charge and activate a beeper. </p>
<p>There is no delay between automated discharge and charge cycles, so a pack discharged
at a high rate (5A on a small pack) will be very warm when the charge cycle starts. If you
are going to do a lot of pack cycling, you should use a fan 'cooling tube' to keep the
pack cool. </p>
<p>The TX/RX output is untimed, and as a result could easily cook a battery pack. The
250mA output is only acceptable for 600mA size cells for a short period of time. If you
are using a small receiver pack, such as a 150mAh or 250mAh pack, the 250mAh rate
qualifies as fast charging, and really should be monitored, and preferably have a peak
cutoff, just like the main output. </p>
<p>When you remove a battery pack from the charger, it does not go to 'No Battery' mode
for about 10 seconds. It is quite possible to change batteries within this time. No harm
is done, but the display capacity numbers will be wrong because the Infinity will just
continue the cycle it is on. </p>
<hr>
<h2>PROBLEMS </h2>
<p>If the input power clips are not solidly attached, the internal reset circuit may
glitch with the result being that only half of the display can be read. I have seen this
happen a number of times. </p>
<p>I have had one incident where the internal microcontroller crashed and would not
respond to key presses. This was while the Infinity was attached to someone else's
battery, and was not being watched. It is possible that something glitched the power -
such as jiggling the clip leads - and this has NOT been duplicated. </p>
<hr>
<h2>WISH LIST </h2>
<p>The Infinity Power Peak could REALLY use a beeper to signal the end of the charge
cycle. </p>
<p>There should be a delay between discharge and charge cycles, to allow the pack to cool.
</p>
<p>It should really be possible to set the 'trickle charge' rate to match the capacity of
the battery pack. </p>
<p>The TX/RX output should have a time limit or peak detect cutoff. </p>
<hr>
<h2>RECOMMENDATION </h2>
<p>I highly recommend the Robbe Infinity Power Peak charger. Although it does have some
minor shortcomings, it is a VERY useful battery maintenance system. </p>
<hr>
<h2>COPYRIGHT </h2>
<p>The document is copyrighted (c) 1996 by Steven Kranish, and may be used in other forms
of publication (electronic or paper) only with written permission. </p>
<hr>
<h2>CONTACTS </h2>
<p>If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at <a href="http://rcgroups.com/shared/nospam.php?u=skranish&d=world.std.com">skranish(at)world.std.com</a>
</body>
</html>