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Turnigy Accucell 6 LiPo Charger *Review*


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TURNIGY Accucell 6 LiPo Charger Review

 

By: Nitiwat

 

6480500455_0f80de17e0_z.jpg

 

We will be using ASR's review template.

 

Table of Contents:

Basic Information

Ordering

First impressions/Packaging

Charger details

Pros/Cons

Overall

 

Basic Information

I needed a good charger that would be able to charge all of my batteries. I spent some time researching on what charger would suit all my needs, but still be affordable. After a couple days of Googling and exchanging various PM's, I narrowed it down to the Turnigy Accucell 6. Turnigy offers many different models, but this one happened to be in stock and was pretty damn cheap.

 

Ordering

I placed an order at Hobbyking, a popular overseas hobby retailer. They have a great selection on hobby parts as well as a huge selection of lithium-polymer batteries, better known as LiPos. This charger doesn't come with a power supply, so you'll have to purchase that separately. Those can be found on eBay for around $10.

 

The Turnigy Accucell 6 can be found here: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__7028__Turnigy_Accucel_6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_accessories.html

 

Power supply can be found here: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11758__HobbyKing_Power_Supply_100_240v_5A.html

 

First impressions/Packaging

The charger, along with some other goodies I ordered came in a plain brown box. Each item was individually bubble wrapped though. The Turnigy Accucell 6 is the coolest looking charger I've ever seen. The overall design of the charger is very appealing. It's also a lot lighter than it looks.

 

Charger details

First thing I noticed off the bat was the big “Caution” sign that gives you a nice little reminder not to leave your charger unattended. The buttons give a very satisfying click when pressed. The Turnigy Accucell 6 is able to charge LiPos (up to 6S), NiMH, NiCd, and Lead Acid batteries. Since most of us reading this review are airsofters, we'll only be using the LiPo, NiMH, and NiCd functions. This charger is relatively easy to use once you know what you want to do.

 

Also, the charger has a tiny little fan in the bottom right corner which activates during the charging process.

 

For charging LiPos, you will have the following options: LiPo charger, LiPo balance, LiPo fast charge, LiPo storage, and LiPo discharge.

 

For NiMH and NiCd batteries, just plug it in. The charger has a peak sensitivity built in.

 

Charging LiPos require a few more steps. But don't worry, I'll walk you through it! Once the charger is on, use STOP or to flip through your options. Keep going until you get to this screen:

6480457725_a19d163684_z.jpg

 

If you haven't done so already, plug in your battery and balance plug.

 

6480457091_e8aac0249c_z.jpg

 

Now, press ENTER which should bring you to this screen:

6480458317_1e34516881_z.jpg

 

You'll now want to use the + andbuttons to flip through your options again until you get to LiPo balance. It should look like this:

6480458919_5db36d9b60_z.jpg

 

From there, you can adjust your charging rate and what kind of LiPo you'll be charging. Press ENTER to set the amps, press it again to select the type of LiPo. I'll be using my Turnigy 7.4v 25c 2200mAh LiPo. Generally, I like to charge all of my LiPos at 2.0A.

 

After you're done adjusting the settings, press and hold ENTER, which will bring you to this screen:

6480460581_c78193a572_z.jpg

 

It will ask you to confirm that you have selected the correct settings for your LiPo. Press ENTER to start charging.

 

6480460985_e105e6b916_z.jpg

 

During the charging process, you can view each individual cell's progress and a couple other cool features.

 

6480461357_533cc95435_z.jpg

6480463539_f839ae3807_z.jpg

6480466677_c4219c1dae_z.jpg

 

If you wish to stop charging, press STOP. The charger will automatically stop charging once the battery has been fully charged.

 

Pros:

Affordable

Looks nice

Gets the job done

Charges all my batteries

 

Cons:

Confusing to use without a manual

Doesn't come with a power supply

 

Overall

This charger was well worth the money. I am now able to charge all my batteries pretty quickly. I'd recommend this charger for anyone looking to upgrade from their crappy wall charger, or someone who is looking into running LiPos. I see “Which charger should I buy?” threads everywhere. Hopefully, this review will help them pick a charger that suits their needs.

 

I'd like to thank Turnigy for making this charger so affordable, and Arnies Airsoft for hosting this review.

Edited by Nitiwat
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For some reason, I can't edit my first post. So here's the fixed version. Once I figure out how to change the first post, I'll remove this.

 

TURNIGY Accucell 6 LiPo Charger Review

 

By: Nitiwat

 

6480500455_0f80de17e0_z.jpg

 

We will be using ASR's review template.

 

Table of Contents:

Basic Information

Ordering

First impressions/Packaging

Charger details

Pros/Cons

Overall

 

Basic Information

I needed a good charger that would be able to charge all of my batteries. I spent some time researching on what charger would suit all my needs, but still be affordable. After a couple days of Googling and exchanging various PM's, I narrowed it down to the Turnigy Accucell 6. Turnigy offers many different models, but this one happened to be in stock and was pretty damn cheap.

 

Ordering

I placed an order at Hobbyking, a popular overseas hobby retailer. They have a great selection on hobby parts as well as a huge selection of lithium-polymer batteries, better known as LiPos. This charger doesn't come with a power supply, so you'll have to purchase that separately. Those can be found on eBay for around $10.

 

The Turnigy Accucell 6 can be found here: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__7028__Turnigy_Accucel_6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_accessories.html

 

Power supply can be found here: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11758__HobbyKing_Power_Supply_100_240v_5A.html

 

First impressions/Packaging

The charger, along with some other goodies I ordered came in a plain brown box. Each item was individually bubble wrapped though. The Turnigy Accucell 6 is the coolest looking charger I've ever seen. The overall design of the charger is very appealing. It's also a lot lighter than it looks.

 

Charger details

First thing I noticed off the bat was the big “Caution” sign that gives you a nice little reminder not to leave your charger unattended. The buttons give a very satisfying click when pressed. The Turnigy Accucell 6 is able to charge LiPos (up to 6S), NiMH, NiCd, and Lead Acid batteries. Since most of us reading this review are airsofters, we'll only be using the LiPo, NiMH, and NiCd functions. This charger is relatively easy to use once you know what you want to do.

 

Also, the charger has a tiny little fan in the bottom right corner which activates during the charging process.

 

For charging LiPos, you will have the following options: LiPo charger, LiPo balance, LiPo fast charge, LiPo storage, and LiPo discharge.

 

For NiMH and NiCd batteries, just plug it in. The charger has a peak sensitivity built in.

 

Charging LiPos require a few more steps. But don't worry, I'll walk you through it! Once the charger is on, use STOP or to flip through your options. Keep going until you get to this screen:

6482973503_50fa35e7a2_z.jpg

 

If you haven't done so already, plug in your battery and balance plug.

 

6480457091_e8aac0249c_z.jpg

 

Now, press ENTER which should bring you to this screen:

6482974107_264c0eba3e_z.jpg

 

You'll now want to use the + andbuttons to flip through your options again until you get to LiPo balance. It should look like this:

6482974695_fe1a7ec94d_z.jpg

 

From there, you can adjust your charging rate and what kind of LiPo you'll be charging. Press ENTER to set the amps, press it again to select the type of LiPo. I'll be using my Turnigy 7.4v 25c 2200mAh LiPo. Generally, I like to charge all of my LiPos at 2.0A.

 

After you're done adjusting the settings, press and hold ENTER, which will bring you to this screen:

6482975207_f08bb8f21e_z.jpg

 

It will ask you to confirm that you have selected the correct settings for your LiPo. Press ENTER to start charging.

 

6482976027_8e7d612667_z.jpg

 

During the charging process, you can view each individual cell's progress and a couple other cool features.

 

6482976909_18868e79c3_z.jpg

6482977787_2d3b2d5cd7_z.jpg

6482979277_ccf36dd0dd_z.jpg

 

If you wish to stop charging, press STOP. The charger will automatically stop charging once the battery has been fully charged.

 

Pros:

Affordable

Looks nice

Gets the job done

Charges all my batteries

 

Cons:

Confusing to use without a manual

Doesn't come with a power supply

 

Overall

This charger was well worth the money. I am now able to charge all my batteries pretty quickly. I'd recommend this charger for anyone looking to upgrade from their crappy wall charger, or someone who is looking into running LiPos. I see “Which charger should I buy?” threads everywhere. Hopefully, this review will help them pick a charger that suits their needs.

 

I'd like to thank Turnigy for making this charger so affordable, and Illinois Airsoft for hosting this review.

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I've also been running the same charger for a while now (year or more) with no problems. Straightforward to use and charges a variety of battery types. There are several different balance lead connectors which should cover most of the standard ones. Programs include balancing, charge/discharge cycles and "storage" modes for LiPos. It comes with a few different connectors, but uses banana clips on the connection between charger and battery, so it's easy to make up your own cable should the one you want not be included.

 

A separate power supply is needed, which is an extra cost, but the advantage of it not being integrated is that you can use this charger from a car battery at a skirmish field, if required. Some of the safety timeouts may need adjusting if you use a low charge rate and a big battery - I've increased mine to 3 hours, since a 3000mah lipo on 1c charge can take a while if low.

 

Component shop (UK) have it for £35 and also sell power supplies if needed, or try your local RC model shop. More expensive than the standard/free chargers you get, but if your charging needs are anything greater than "stick in the wall the night before and hope it's charged" or if you're using LiPos then you should give it a look.

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I've got two of these with power supplies. They're excellent. I did look at their quad multi-charger but opted to go for separate ones instead. HIghly recommended bit of kit. I've bought extension wires for the lipo balance leads which help when getting the lipos into the charging bags.

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Keep in mind any charger that shares the same layout/programming are all good; the basis of these chargers I believe originated from the IMAX B6. I have a different version in a different external shell - same functions, similar button placements and a internal (now broken) cooling fan. Had it for well over a year now, and even though it makes a horrendous fan sound while charging, it still works like a charm.

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It's one of those iffy areas, the Turnigy is also said to be the orginal. Either way you will be happy with this or the Imax.

 

Not sure if the Accucell has the same "finished charging" noise that the Imax has, but the first few times it went off I felt the need to run away from the charger. It's a very urgent sounding "oh *suitcase*" alarm.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Keep in mind any charger that shares the same layout/programming are all good; the basis of these chargers I believe originated from the IMAX B6.

 

From what I've read the Imax B6 clones are not all the same. Before I bought my Turnigy charger, I read through a bunch of RC forum posts and it seems that most Imax B6 clones suffer from issues with the lipo cell balancing and supposedly the Turnigy is the one that doesn't. That's why I bought one. I don't know how significant these balancing problems with the other chargers are though. Most likely not very. Those forums posts made me think that maybe people were just trying to think of a reason to own the original Imax charger that costs atleast five times more.

Edited by Yuri
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