How to Pick the Ideal RC Charger For Your RC Vehicle

If you’re new to the RC world, you probably aren’t all that familiar with the impact RC battery chargers can have on your experience. Choosing the ideal charger is of great importance for enjoying your time spent outdoors operating your RC vehicle, regardless of whether it’s a car, truck, buggy or an airplane. The battery is what powers your RC vehicle, so it’s important that it’s always properly charged and maintained for the ultimate performance.

The two most popular types of RC batteries are NiMH and LiPo. Some RC vehicles come with suitable RC chargers, while others don’t have them included in the set. If you need to buy an RC charger for your vehicle, you need to consider the type of battery it needs to be used with. For instance, if your vehicle has a 4200mAh LiPo battery, you should get a charger that’s suitable for LiPo batteries, and has a relatively high output. High output is preferred so that the battery can be recharged faster. A 420mA output charger will need 10 hours to recharge a 4200mAh battery.

However, more amperage output isn’t always necessarily better. Most batteries shouldn’t be charged too quickly, and if they are – you risk frying the battery. Charging at lower amperages will usually prolong your batteries’ life. Generally, LiPo batteries need to be charged at the same rate as their capacity, whereas NiMH batteries are more tolerant of higher-amperage charging.

Besides the capacity of the RC chargers you’re looking at, you also need to consider the voltage. Having more volts is generally better, at least until a certain point. Your vehicle’s power system is designed to handle a specific amount of voltage, and if that voltage threshold is exceeded, the system may shut down if it has over-voltage protection, or it may completely fry your vehicle’s electronics. The voltage of a battery is determined by the number of cells it has. You can generally find all of this information on the battery itself.

As aforementioned, if you have a NiMH battery, you need a NiMH charger. Conversely, if you have a LiPo battery, you need a LiPo charger. I can’t stress how important it is to get this right. If you use both types of batteries, then you should consider getting a universal charger. Universal chargers, however, need to be set to the right battery type before you start charging a specific type of battery.