# Helicopter charger



## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

I lost my esky honey bee trainer battery charger. Was wondering if anyone here has one that they can sell to me, or if they know of a store that has a good price. I live near brimely and sheppard, but can come by car.


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

It might not help if your requirement is immediate, but I buy R/C batteries, chargers & brushless ESC's/motors to fuel my son's hobby online from the following Hong Kong distributor: www.HobbyKing.com

They're retardedly cheap, the quality of their stuff is very good, and although my son's interest is in R/C cars, HobbyKing tends to specialise in helicopters & planes.

Advanced Hobbies (Woodbine & HWay 7) also specialise in helicopters, but they're (IMO) a little pricey.

Other good retail stores worth trying:

http://www.rcsports.ca/ (HWay 7 in Woodbridge)
http://www.pinnaclehobby.ca/ (16th Ave & Hway 48)


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Thinking about it, I probably have a couple of spare 4-6 hour trickle chargers lurking around at home - if you're in a bind, then I can probably let you have one of them for the princely sum of nowt', nada, nichts, rien...

I'd have to check first and dig them out though (we never use them!) - drop me a PM if you're interested, and let me know what type of connector your batteries require...

I could also ~possibly~ be encouraged to part with a spare Onyx 200 AC/DC peak charger (Ni-Cad/NiMH batts - NOT LiPO, Tamiya-style connectors) for around $35 - recently bought a couple of LiPo balance chargers that now render the Onyx kinda redundant. The Onyx is a very reliable fast charger though, and works flawlessly:

http://www.duratrax.com/caraccys/dtxp4200.html


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## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

Thanks! What are trickle chargers? Here is a link to a picture of the old charger
http://www.buzzflyer.co.uk/RC-Helic.../Honey-Bee-NI-MH-Charger---EK1-0050/p-73-308/


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

A trickle charger does as it's name implies - it slow-charges the individual battery cells. Arguably this is the better way to charge a battery cell since you're not 'shovelling' charge into them at a rapid rate. The downside? They take a while to charge each battery (typically 3-6 hours - battery dependent).

A fast charger will perform essentially the same function, but in a much shorter timeframe.

If that picture/description you provide the link to is accurate for your particular charger, then I might have one or two of them kicking around that I can spare (my son's Team Associated 1/18th scale RC18MT trucks use those same battery connectors). However, they're a basic, basic charger, and cheap like toast to buy from pretty much any R/C model shop (like $5-10 maybe? If that).

FYI: your helicopter will obviously fly well on NiCAD batteries, but if the ESC/Motor can support the power from comparable sized LiPo batteries (maybe search on a few R/C forums?), then consider converting to these batteries as an option - longer run-times, more consistent power, and more power overall. They are a little more volatile though, so there are a few basic safety precautions to consider when using/charging them.


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## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

I would be glad to buy one of the chargers of you for $15, as long as you arent too far from me. I also considered lithium ions before, but the store owner told me it wouldn't provide a high enough voltage like the Ni-MH


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

duckyser said:


> I would be glad to buy one of the chargers of you for $15, as long as you arent too far from me. I also considered lithium ions before, but the store owner told me it wouldn't provide a high enough voltage like the Ni-MH


I tried to find a spec on your battery (for the connectors) but couldn't see accurately what type of connector it uses... I live in Aurora, but work in Richmond Hill - you're welcome to try one of my "freebies" to see if it works... if it does, then take it. (it's one of the cheap, basic trickle chargers that come "free" with 1/18th scale R/C cars - like I say, they're around $5-10 new and we don't use them ever!)

Have a look at the following pics and see if it's worth your time/effort, then PM me if you think it might work. If the worst comes to the worst, you may have to change the connector (I do this for most of my lad's batteries anyway - one connector for all model cars - makes it easier to charge them without the need for multiple chargers/leads!)

PS: Li-ION isn't what you should ask your hobby store for, Li-Po (Lithium Polymer) is the way forward... BUT you need to be sure that your ESC (speed controller) and motor are capable of handling the extra punch that LiPo batts deliver, else you'll be looking for new components there too. Replacing motors and speed controllers get expensive. Quick.


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## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

Well the connector isn't right but i could easily change it. Do you know where i could get connectors? Would any charger work for my battery? After all the instructions for how to charge my battery were very vague- stop charging when battery heats up. LOL. Would you know how long it would be to drive from sheppard and brimely to your home approx?


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

duckyser said:


> Well the connector isn't right but i could easily change it. Do you know where i could get connectors? Would any charger work for my battery? After all the instructions for how to charge my battery were very vague- stop charging when battery heats up. LOL. Would you know how long it would be to drive from sheppard and brimely to your home approx?


You're a ways away from me, and as much as I'm happy to offload my unwanteds on you (and don't get me wrong - you're welcome to take one!  ), I fear the cost of your time + gas would be more than you can buy a new unit for!

Advanced Hobbies have a second store not ~that~ far from you - you might be better advised to call/pop in there and see if you can''t buy one 'off the shelf'... it'd likely be cheaper and and a heck of a lot easier for you...

http://www.advancehobbies.com/

I'm happy to help further, but for the sake of the non-R/C folk here - any further questions, please send me a Private Message (top right of your screen)


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