Charge rates are 10 mA up to the max. rate which is 30A for some chemistries. capacities and in some case depending on if it is a Balanced or Non balance charge.
Steps are 5 mA however 5 Ma steps can be turned of and then steps are 100 mA . This option is available to reduce the time required to go from very low to very high charge rate when using only the PL8. When using with computer and CCS Drop Downs make it fast regardless.
Ni sensitivity is listed under termination and is referred to as Voltage fall back . It is adjustable from 1 to 25mV.
Remember there are 25 user's Preset and a Library of 50 additional Presets. If for some reason 75 Preset are not enough additional ones can be saved to and loaded from your computer using the CCS and interface. You could have have Presets that match your routine charges and perhaps 5 mA steps and addition ones with 100 mA steps.You can also turn the 5 mA steps off and on at the PL8 without a computer or CCS.

About the only thing it Will not do is a charge / discharge which is considered unsafe.

One of the real delimas has been juggling what some may want to do against what is safe for not only them but their batteries. This list is still being tweaked and while it keeps getting closer I am afraid it will never be perfect in the minds of all.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that this is after all a Beast power wise. 1 KW used unwisely could be a sight to behold that no one needs to see. FMA has been and will continue to be first and for most concerned about safety.

Everyone take a few minutes and consider how difficult it is to create a charger that can charge a single cell 20 mAh safely and yet be able to charge an 8S at up to 1,000 watts (30A) and to be as safe as possible in the hands of someone new to the hobby but not be to restricted for a user such as myself.


Also bear in mind that the firmware(options / Presets) for the PL8 is still being tweaked and as noted in the first post subject to change.

Charles

This is so cool. I charge my 3S 2100's at 5C and it takes only about 14min.
Now we'll be able to charge 6S 5000 packs at 5C. Fly again after about 14min charge time!
It also means you spend less $ on batteries because you can charge faster.

For a 24V supply, see my blog. I and a few others have been using this setup with other 24V chargers for several months now.

It will take some time for the masses to warm up to the idea of 5C LiPolys charging as we were told 1C max. for so many years. I have been charging what I consider to be my best Lipolys at 3C for close to 4 years now and for the past year charging some of the newer LiPolys at up to 6C. Yesterday at the field I was charging a 3S 1100 at 6C and replacing right at 70% (800 mAh ) in 7 minutes.

Please note that while more of the newer LiPolys can be safely charged at higher rates with a very good quality balancing charger not all of them fair to well at these high rates life cycle wise.

One feacture of the Cell Pro Chargers has been Auto C rate charging. If you fly a mixture of Lipolys covering a wide range of capacities say from 1000 to 5000 mAh then it is convient and safe to set a Auto Cr ate of say 3C and let the charger determine if the LiPoly being charged is indeed capable of safely being charged at that rate. The charger will perform a lot of checks during the charge as it ramps up and if the LiPoly or some of the cells are not really up to 3C charging it will charge at a reduced rate.

Auto C rate charging is not perfect as it has many variable to contend with. One of the new feactures of the PL8 is a Fuel Wizard which when implemented should make creating very accurate Fuel tables for different LiPolys fairly simple. My experience with the PL8 to date is that the Auto C rate up to 3C is very close with most of my better LiPolys. This is using just the Generic LiPoly Preset. Us Beta Team members have not be alowed to use any of the Preset in the Library which in fact have some which have been tuned for some of the Revolectrix LiPoly.

Charles

I started buying some of the latest generation of LiPo's because of your testing and cycling results. I'm glad this charger makes it so automatic.

The Mastech EX series look like an excellent match for the PL8 at reasonable prices for those that don't want to roll-their-own compound supplies. Shame they are not affordably available outside North America.

They even have the HY30100EX (30V/100A) which could run 3 PL8 at a time for those needing 3kW of charging ability It must need two independent AC circuits since even here in 240V land a standard circuit is limited to 10A (2.4kW).

Those who want an off the shelf ps that has a stellar reputation should perhaps check on the IOTA ones. I would suggest the DLS-55 . these are 12V nominal and 55A. If the high power / fast charge plug is inserted they go to 14.4 volts.

They are $155ea. ( two required for 24v) plus $15 shipping from here

http://www.solarseller.com/_iota_bat....htm#dls___55_

Perhaps you can find them for less but I never have except on E Bay used or over stock from time to time. They can be used in series for 24V . Just be sure to get the DLS model not the DLS-IQ4 as they can not be used in series.

The IQ4 is a Smart charge module which can be purchased separately and used with the DLS model and that is what I do with my DLS-45.

My PL8 has been loafing most of the day today. Ih has been cycling a 3S 2200 LiPolyb at 10 charge and 10amp. discharge which is same as being in stand by.

Charles

How about this power supply- 24v, 1000w, $250

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...YTAQMbSQ%3d%3d

I'm looking at a few now for resale if anyone's interested.

$250 is the best price I have seen for a new Meanwell 24V 1,000 watts. It would be enough to run close to full power. 1,000 watts output from the PL8 needs closer to 1,200 watts input but I am ball parking ,not using the FMA calculator referenced earlier.

Charles

Great! Keep the options coming guys. There is no one solution that might be ideal for each individual and their needs/desires... I chose the Mastec HY3050EX (1500 watts, 1200 at 80%) because I wanted something that gives ultimate flexibility in a 'clean' package. Others may choose to save $100 and go with 2 Iota supply's.

Also...since I still run a few a123 setup's the Mastech allows me to keep the PowerLab safe at home...

Originally Posted by everydayflyer

$250 is the best price I have seen for a new Meanwell 24V 1,000 watts. It would be enough to run close to full power. 1,000 watts output from the PL8 needs closer to 1,200 watts input but I am ball parking ,not using the FMA calculator referenced earlier.
Charles

Correct (you already knew that ), 1200 (24 volts, 50 amps) watts is needed to extract 100% out of the charger, per the spreadsheet noted above.

I assume the 80% rule holds firm for any of the above mentioned power supply's, correct? If so, the Meanwell above at 80% (800 watts) would allow the charger to operate at 2/3 capacity or 20 amps output. This assumes you are trying to charge an 8s pack to 4.2 volts per cell.

The spreadsheet is very nice, thanks FMA.

Some power supplies can be ran at max. output but it is best to have a little headroom. This can be said for most electronics's . The PL8 is an exception however. Given the required input volts and amps it is very happy to run at its' rated max..

I admit that I have not been able to run it at max. for very long as my batteries just do not take that long to charge at those kind of rates but it has been ran hard for hours on end at FMA. Let's just say this one is very conservatively rated and that everyone should keep a close eye on their power supply ,most especially those who try and push their's to the max. The Power Supply Options (settings) can and will do a great job protecting one's power supply be it AC or deep cycle batteries as long as you do your part and set reasonable limits.

One day while I was testing the PL8 and power supply my wife walked into my mad scientiest lab and said what is that smell , hope it is not your new charger. I told her the charger was doing just fine but my power supplies and load were maxed out. I went from 720 watts power supply to 1320 and now I suffer the need bigger batteries to keep it working harder longer syndrone. It is a nice problem to have though.

Charles

The IOTA's are also available in 24v for those interested in a 24v power supply. They are available in 15A, 25A, and 40A versions. The 40A model is rated for 1100W continuous.

http://www.iotaengineering.com/24vdc.htm

As mentioned, you do not want the version with the internal IQ4 Smart Charge Controller.

Good find on the MeanWell for $250.

The FUIM2 is something of a strange beast requiring a special USB to RS-232 cable. However, FMA has done a great job with the FUIM3 interface cable that will become available at some point in the future.

The FUIM3 sports a standard USB cable with a mini-B connector on one end. If you're like me you already have one to four of these cables plugged into your PC for everything from cameras to cell phones so this is a great improvement. Also an improvement, though not easy to see, is that the USB to RS-232 conversion is now being done by an FTDI chip which means vastly improved driver support.

Now keep in mind that the FUIM2 still will work perfectly well with the PL8, but if you're like me then you'll be thrilled to get your hands on the FUIM3.

I found better prices on the Meanwell 24vdc supplies.

SE-1000, $210

SE-1500, $319

http://www.trcelectronics.com/24-vol...hassis-2.shtml

Originally Posted by wingster

I found better prices on the Meanwell 24vdc supplies.

SE-1000, $210

SE-1500, $319

http://www.trcelectronics.com/24-vol...hassis-2.shtml

Their website says this in the fine print:

"TRC Electronics is a Business to Business wholesaler. We sell exclusively to the electronic manufacturing industry. Our wholesale prices do not permit us to sell to consumers or end-users. We lend our power supply expertise to Electronic Manufacturers (OEMs & CEMs) only."