iCharger 106B - impressions

A few months ago, I decided to replace my aging Schulze 330d charger. In truth I never really liked it - poor menu navigation and a lack of flexibility made it frustratingly awkward to use. I also wanted something with a built in LiPo balancer.

After a bit of research, I settled on an iCharger 106B Plus. This is a compact 12V device, which is capable of  charging a 6S Lipo pack at 10 Amps, and has an integral balancer. For the full spec, see the information thread on RC Groups.

An order was duly placed with Giant Cod, and it arrived soon after.

iCharger 106B+ with home made adapter leads

Five months later, I'm glad to say I am pretty happy with it - well, mainly. The user interface is well thought out, with comprehensive charging options, sensible default values, and not too much opportunity for error. Compared to the horrid interface on the Schulze, the iCharger is a revelation. The ability to save and load configurations is particularly useful.

There are a couple of niggles though. First, the lead-acid programme is not working on my unit - the display becomes garbled for some reason. I suspect it's a firmware issue, but unfortunately I can't re-flash the firmware because of another issue: the supplied USB lead turns out to be non-standard, even though externally it looks like an ordinary lead. This  is really annoying, as the first thing many people do with new USB leads is toss them into a pile. If you lose the special lead, as I have done, it's impossible to flash the firmware.

The balancer port accepts JST-XH connectors. As I don't want to use an adapter board, I am replacing the connectors on my existing batteries with the appropriate JST-XH plugs. These leads are normally impossible to obtain separately, but my friendly local model shop gave me some discarded packs with the requisite JST-XH leads. I've started recycling these for use in my own packs. (Disclaimer: any soldering or lead-cutting on a Lipo pack needs very careful planning and execution, for obvious reasons!).

Various adapter leads

2.1 mm DC power connectors, available from Maplin. Good for around 4A.