Garden Railway Forum

Following several requests on a thread about Deltang Rxs, I've put together what I hope is a useful introductory guide for people on using the iMax B6 charger.

http://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2017/05 ... arger.html

Sorry it's taken a few days to get this sorted out but I decided I needed to buy a new charger as the one I've been using is getting on for five years old and was a clone of the original charger, so I felt I needed to make sure the current batch of chargers work in the same way. As it turned out, they do - but it's handy having two chargers.

Anyway, I hope it proves useful. If you feel it lacks clarity at any point or there's something important missing, then let me know and I'll remedy it. Bear in mind though that it's not intended to be a comprehensive guide, just something to get folks started.

Rik

I've just briefly flicked through, Rik, and it looks great so far. Thank you very much

Well Rik, that you have bought a new charger, put all those words together and taken all those photos in a very short time is a great credit to you. They are great chargers, and have the ability to be used relatively simply, or as complicated as you like. Well done.
Grant.
PS Did yours come standard with the white Tamiya (Molex) plug? as mine has Deans plugs. When being plugged and unplugged regularly I find these a constant source of connection breaks, to the extent of making a small tool to re-roll the sockets to size.

Thank you Rik. A clear guide that I (at last) understand.

Regards,

John

One very important point to observe with this type of charger: Do not disconnect from the PSU or source battery if you are balance charging a lipo pack. This will cause the traces on the internal balance PCB to fry. It is repairable but requires disassembly of the charger.

Well done for taking the time & effort to produce that guide Rik.

My understanding is that the Imax B6 is in fact a copy of the original Bantam BC6, so there are copies of copies, fakes, etc.

My Imax B6 is a 2008 model so no idea of its authenticity.

Do you use Auto mode for charging NiMh batteries? Like your guide I've just been using manual mode for charging NiMh batteries but do find it is not great at fully charging them (a known problem with early B6's). As I'm generally only topping up receiver & transmitter packs it is not really a problem.

I originally bought this charger for LiPo batteries, and it charged (& balanced) 1S, 2S & 3S LiPo's very well. The charged capacity read out was also very good, giving a good indication when it was time to replace a failing LiPo.

Chris Cairns

One small problem I find with the Imax, is that the fully charged voltage actually includes residual voltage ( required to cause flow) which is not the true voltage the battery has stored. During the charge process, particularly on Auto, the charge drops to zero every few minutes with a corresponding drop in battery voltage. The lowest value is actually the voltage stored. If you fully charge a battery, and then initiate charge several minutes later you will find a lower voltage, and depending on the age of the battery this can be considerably less.
Grant.

LNR wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2017 7:37 am PS Did yours come standard with the white Tamiya (Molex) plug? as mine has Deans plugs. When being plugged and unplugged regularly I find these a constant source of connection breaks, to the extent of making a small tool to re-roll the sockets to size.

The new one did (as in the pix), my older one (about five years old) has the red Deans plugs.

Rik

Busted Bricks wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2017 11:12 am One very important point to observe with this type of charger: Do not disconnect from the PSU or source battery if you are balance charging a lipo pack. This will cause the traces on the internal balance PCB to fry. It is repairable but requires disassembly of the charger.

Thanks for that - I think I'll add that info to the balance charge section if that's OK with you.

Rik

Chris Cairns wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2017 12:31 pm Well done for taking the time & effort to produce that guide Rik.
My understanding is that the Imax B6 is in fact a copy of the original Bantam BC6, so there are copies of copies, fakes, etc.
My Imax B6 is a 2008 model so no idea of its authenticity.
Do you use Auto mode for charging NiMh batteries? Like your guide I've just been using manual mode for charging NiMh batteries but do find it is not great at fully charging them (a known problem with early B6's). As I'm generally only topping up receiver & transmitter packs it is not really a problem.
I originally bought this charger for LiPo batteries, and it charged (& balanced) 1S, 2S & 3S LiPo's very well. The charged capacity read out was also very good, giving a good indication when it was time to replace a failing LiPo.
Chris Cairns

Hi Chris
I'm not sure if mine is a genuine iMax - on eBay it says it was 'genuine' but I suspect that's just sales pitch - so it might be a 'genuine fake'. My old charger is a 'Tenergy' but works in exactly the same way.

I've never tried Auto mode for NiMhs - might give it a try to see if it makes a difference after what you've told me. I do find there's a small inaccuracy in measuring the voltages of li-ions between the charger and my meter - but not enough to lose sleep over.

Rik

LNR wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2017 1:33 am One small problem I find with the Imax, is that the fully charged voltage actually includes residual voltage ( required to cause flow) which is not the true voltage the battery has stored. During the charge process, particularly on Auto, the charge drops to zero every few minutes with a corresponding drop in battery voltage. The lowest value is actually the voltage stored. If you fully charge a battery, and then initiate charge several minutes later you will find a lower voltage, and depending on the age of the battery this can be considerably less.
Grant.

Hmmm..., not noticed this, but then not looked for it. Sounds as if Auto mode might be worth exploring a bit further.

Rik

When I got my Imax it had a Hologram on the back that links to a website and confirms that it is a genuine Imax.
Grant.

LNR wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2017 11:54 am When I got my Imax it had a Hologram on the back that links to a website and confirms that it is a genuine Imax.
Grant.

I got mine from HobbyKing and it never entered my mind that it might be some kind of rip off. I've just looked and it does indeed have a hologram on the bottom ( not back) which says "Scratch for security code". Pretty stupid place to put it, I've had the charger for several years but never had cause to turn it over and look underneath until now!

Thanks Rik for going to all this effort to create the guide.

I have made it a sticky topic for future reference.

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sat May 20, 2017 10:19 pm Thanks Rik for going to all this effort to create the guide.

I have made it a sticky topic for future reference.

Thanks Tom - never had a sticky before .......... (oooh .... errr .... missus!)

Rik

Just tried mine out and it's a dud.
When you press start charge the screen goes blank and it resets itself.
Grrrrrrr.

There are a lot of cheap rip-offs of these chargers, best to buy from a reputable dealer who offers a money back guarantee.