Your Opinion On Two Chargers

[Scott00TJ]

I'm gonna need to get a new charger. I want one that will charge as many types of battery's possible. I have some old Ni-Ca batteries that I use for just messing around and soon I will buy some new, quality, powerful batteries to use with my new T4. I want a charger that is DC/AC. So far I have been looking at the two chargers below. I would appreciate your input on them, or your suggestion for a different charger and why? Thanks!

MRC 969 (http://www.modelrectifier.com/products/batteryChargers/index.asp) - I like it becuase it has discharge function and ability to charge two batteries simultaneously.

http://www.funrcboats.com/images/MRC969.jpg

Team Novak Ionic-D (http://www.teamnovak.com/products/chargers/ionic_d/index.html) - I like it beacuse it has a built in feature to automatically discharge a battery correctly then charge it, just discharge, or just charge.

http://www.teamnovak.com/products/chargers/ionic_d/ionic_d_125px.jpg

[CharlieS]

My Vote is for the Novak Charger.... But I'm a little biased..... :)

[RH Customs]

Well I know this will make someone mad, not who but I will lol. That said I would pick neither. You will need a charger that will charge at 5 amps or higher. I would go with the DC charger and power supply would be your best bet. I'd go with the CE Pit Bull X3 or the Novak Millennium Pro DC Charger.

RH

[Razoo]

I agree with RH. Look into the LRP Pulsar, Integy 16X5V6 and Tekin 112.

[Scott00TJ]

The problem I have with the Pulsar is that it dosen't have a AC/DC version (correct me if I'm wrong). Its something that I want to have for sure. I've looked at the Integry chager and it seems like a great unit. I think I'm down to getting Integry and the Novak. Of course, I'm still open to other opinions.

[Rtsbasic]

Out of the two I'd go for the 969, it seems to be a bit better feature wise, although I've never used either units (I stand by my Novak Millenium, may be DC only but a £10 pc power supply fixes that (AC -> DC cheap and only 10 mins work). The Millenium is more feature rich charging wise than the new one, but doesn't discharge.

I've heard bad things about the Integy units with build in AC -> DC convertors, not so sure I'd recommend it.

[RH Customs]

Well for experience if you are not going to go with a high,high end charger it is better to use just a charger, and seperate discharger and, and eq tray. If you have the money the best bet is to get one of the Competion Electronics Turbo 35's.

RH

[SS Pede]

If you get the 969 you should consider also getting a more powerful power supply. My 969 is easy to use and everything, but it suffers from false peaking (or something similar), and I suspect that the PS is just too weak to put out 5 solid amps for 40-50 minutes.

[metalry101]

Why in the hell would you need 5 amps? What's wrong with the 4.5 (x2) that the MRC can lay down? Or the 4 (that's a guess...I think that's what the old one could do?) that the Ionic could lay down? Ya, 5 or 6 amps is ideal for peaking your race packs to make sure you get max voltage and punch, but for bashers with budget packs, 5 amps does nothing more than turn the packs into effective hand warmers/burners faster. 4 amps is plenty fast, especially for old-school Nicd's.

As for the two chargers...they both have their ups and downs. Since you've got Nicd's, the discharging feature of the Ionic is definately quite handy. It's also much less likely to false peak on you, and I would assume that it's a bit cheaper than the MRC. It also doesn't have any funky screen the mess with like the MRC does. It's orange, which generally means it's solid (can't beat their ESC's, that's for sure), but I've heard mixed reviews about their chargers. One thing you can count on is reliability. Novak stuff lasts forever. They're like the Toyota of r/c electronics.

As for the MRC, if you know what you're doing and know what to look for, the LCD readout can come in very, very handy. The dual battery capability is hard to ignore too. 4.5 ams x2 blows the Novak right out of the water...with one condition. That condition is that you have a DC power source capable of supplying at least 9 amps continuously. The stock PS doesn't exactly do that...or even come close. Like any PS that comes with a charger, it's a very, very cheap unit that will most likely burn up on you. It works...but not well, and not for very long. That cheap PS can cause problems for the charger, but if you find a solid power source, such as a good PS or your car's battery, the charger will impress you for sure.

Honestly, between the two I'd say the Novak is the better buy for your situation. It's easier to setup and use for the relative newb, and it's stone cold reliable. If you do have any problems, Novak's customer service is superb, and they'll take care of you. I would buy the MRC because I have about half a dozen electric vehicles, including an E-Maxx, and I currently own about 20 or 30 batteries, and I'm purchasing more some time soon, so the dual charging bit would be a bonus for me. Also, I've used chargers with LCD screens and I don't think I could go back to just hitting a button and trusting the charger to do its thing. I like to know what's going on, mainly how much charge the pack took and what the voltage of the pack was when it peaked, as these can give me some insight as to the condition of my packs.

[RH Customs]

Metalary 101, calm down. :) I'm just going by what oh about 90% of people have said and what I also do. I'm sure plenty of others out there agree.

[SS Pede]

Yeah, I meant 4.5 amps. The stock PS has issues putting out a solid 4.5 amps, and certainly can't put out a solid 9 amps!

[munim]

ACTUALLY, the MRC charger will NOT charge two batteries at 4.5 amps, at least with the supplied power supply. However, if you get an aftermarket power supply capable of delivering 10 amps or more, then you can charge two batteries at 4.5 amps each channel. Also, the discharger function is limited to 3 amps which is okay to discharge after a run but useless for cycling batteries.

[fastharry]

f you look at the new issue of RC DRIVER,..MRC has a new version of the 969.....called the 977......does li-po..AND comes with a 10 amp power supply.....BTW,I don't know how you could beat up the MRC for false peaking......my ionic...and sometimes my 2 millenium pro's false peak more then the 969 has the whole time I've had them....the ionic has to be the WORST charger I've ever used.....

[minijosh]

I have a hooked up 969 pro from MRC and I can charge 2 batts at 4.5 because I have dual PS hooked up via MRC. What a great company too. I'd look into the 977 if you are going to do lipo's.

[fastharry]

I have a hooked up 969 pro from MRC and I can charge 2 batts at 4.5 because I have dual PS hooked up via MRC. What a great company too. I'd look into the 977 if you are going to do lipo's.

and btw...Tim at MRC is equal to novaks service........I had a problem with the 1st series of power supplys......a new one was in the mail the same day after I sent mine back....the charger and PS are now almost 2 years old...and have survived grueling outdoor heat,charging all my nitro TC batterys,2 at a tome,starter boxes...(2 at a time).....and I have never had a problem since....

[ikraj]

If that is your only choice, the IONIC is much better. However, if you are going to buy a new charger you should be more openminded and look at other options. Don't forget to get a good power supply, your charger and battery charge are only as good as the power source. If you can find a used Novak Millenium PRO that will be even a better choice. LRP has a good one, Orion is making a very good charger, and Integy has the 16x5v6. I know that some people bad mouth the Integy chargers but I use them (4) and never had any problems with them. Also, one of our team drivers tells me that the ICE chargers are very good. I pass that as a reference only as I have never owned one, but the source is very knowledgeable. Regarding the CE chargers, they are very good but overpriced in my opinion. Just remember that your batteries are the primary source of energy for your car and the charger is the source that provides the energy to the batteries. Having a good reliable and high quality charger is one of the most important items that you will own. Spend your mony wisely and get the best charger you can afford. Just look at what the team drivers use, that will give you a very good idea of what is good.

[Rtsbasic]

Integy units I hear good things about except the ones with built in power supplies, second hand knowledge at best but apparently the built in power supply's aren't too reliable. I've seen a couple of the DC only ones being used at the local track often enough.

Novak Millenium's are dirt cheap on ebay and are the way to go, pro or non pro doesn't make a difference unless the non pro unit is quite old (pro's and the later non pro's had newer software to use lower (4mV/cell) delta peak value. Not sure if the pro has any advantage over a non pro unit with the same software version but there must be some difference.

The Millenium unit would probably be cheaper than any other charger (because it'd be second hand), and for a good power supply get any computer PSU rated to over 400W and follow this guide: http://www.rcracechat.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2129
I used this method to create a power supply that I use on an almost daily basis and get a good quality charge every time with no false peaking issues or anything like that.

[ikraj]

There are differences between the Millenium and Millenium PRO. The main difference is the NI-MH2 profile that the PRO has. With this profile you do not have to worry about the threshold level for NiMh batteries. The Ni-MH2 profile does a very good job at charging NiMh batteries. Then you also have the Ni-Cd linear and Ni-Cd Rev. Pulse that you can use on packs. The Ni-Cd linear can be used for NiMh batteries as long as you set the peak detection level to 4 mv/cell...do not go higher than that.

[crazy1]

Do NOT get a MRC Charger. I had a narrow escape from getting a MRC 969. Was trying to order a Novak Ionic AC/DC and the shops owner just kept on trying to push the MRC at me. Walked out of the shop with out spending any money their. Bought a used CE Turbo 35 instead. The other local guys who were not a stuborn as me ened up with MRC 969 chargers that were hard to program untill you got used to them, had a high failure rate ( a little over a year later and none of the 969's are still working), and often undercharged the bateries. Often I would offer to peak a battery that was thought fully charged by a MRC 969 on my Integy 16X3. It was not just a simple repeak but at least a ten minute charge that was put into a pack when I charged them after the 969.

The Novak Rhino chager I had did not stop working it just could not charge the new type of batteries. Was sorry to see that old war horse be put out to pasture. The moral of that story is that Novak builds reliable chargers. Novak will fix their products at a reasonble cost if they go bad on you. The Rihno never saw Novak after it left the factory. The Ionic is a good reliable charger if a little sparse on features.

The problem with the two chargers you picked is that they will only charge at the most 4.5 amps as they come from the factory. 6 amps is a good charge setting for me for stock class. You can tell the differnce in the punch through out the race as compared to a pack charged at 4.5 amps.

Integy 16x2's ver 2.5 and 16.3's are good for about 18 months of hard service. Very hard service that is. The switch under that black button seems to go bad on the ones I own. Then it cost me $45.00 plus shipping to Integy to get them fixed. They are not as reliable as the CE Turbo 35 series but then they cost a lot less and do not need a power supply. They also do a lot better job than the 969.

I feel your pain. Finding a good inexpensive peak charger that is AC/DC is a hard thing to do. If their is any way at all for you to find the money to get a 15 amp power supply and a good D/C charger do it. The money you put out will be worth it. ikraj is correct whe hes says "Just remember that your batteries are the primary source of energy for your car and the charger is the source that provides the energy to the batteries. Having a good reliable and high quality charger is one of the most important items that you will own. Spend your mony wisely and get the best charger you can afford" I nomanate a Rivergate Bulldog 15 amp power supply and a CE Pitbull charger. CE products and rivergate power supplies just seem to be the most dependable over time if slightly over priced. They just keep on going and going.

Other wise look at the Ionic as the best of class with Integy a close seconed.

[Gojira]

ive used the 969 for 2 years it works great for backyard bashing but may not b the best for racing