So I managed to get hold of a Bantam BC6 with trakpower 4900 lipo pack on ebay and am going to use it for the first time in the next couple of days (once my lipo bag arrives).. trakpower looks fine, and it came with balancing wires attached.
Just a couple of questions as my last experience of charging rc batteries was with nicads, using a nico charger with a clockwork dial on the front!! I have the instructions for the bantam, but they assume you already know the basics, and some of the translation from Korean is interesting....
1) I assume you connect it all up first, and then go through the menus before charging? I assume it won't just start charging when you connect
yes correct
2) I've seen the other thread about problems with the BC6, so I'm hoping it doesn't overheat with my 4900
3) Can lipos discharge below the 6.0v if left without use for a long time, or do they hold their charge ok? I saw the BC6 has a storage charge function - what does that actually do to the cells?
no they have an extremely low self discharge rate so this wont be a problem and storage function usuallly fills them about 80% full
4) Is the "fast charge" option 5.0 amps? Is that the one to use? I understand lipos aren't sensitive to charge speed like nimhs are.
recomended charge rate for lipos is 1c which would equal 4.9 on your trak power so using the 5amp charge will be fine
5) Lastly - how does the internal 12v supply work? Does it charge up when plugged in to the mains? How much use can you get out of it at the club?
when plugged in the croc clips become live with 12v so you could use them to power a soldering iron or summat but i would use them to power another charger
Sorry if any of the questions seem stupid, but i'm well out of the loop here and only ever charged with mains before.
Cheers!
