Align RCC-6SX Charger

Written by Ashley Davis Friday, 12 October 2007 00:00

RCC-6SX

Overview

The new Align charger looks very similar to the Schulze chamaeleon charger and it would not surprise me if this was licensed technology from Schulze. The charge of itself is capable of charging between one and six lithium polymer cells as well as having provision for nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries.
The charger has a maximum charge rate of 5 amps and can also act as a discharger up to a discharge current of 1 amp.

Specification

Charger:

Input voltage:DC11~15V
Charge output rate:Max 5A/125W
Discharge rate:Max 1A/5W
Li-Ion/Polymer:1~6cell(Auto Voltage Detection/Manual)
Ni-MH:1~18cells
Charge current:0.1A~5.0A(0.1A Step)
Discharge current:0.1A~1.0A(0.1A Step)
Discharge->Charge:1~5 cycles
Charge->Discharge:1~5 cycles
Safety timer:on/off, 1-900mins
Key beep/Buzzer alarms: on/off
12V Pb battery low voltage cut off: 11-15V(0.1V Step)
Display:LCD 16char. x2 line(Backlight)
Li-Ion/Polymer voltage type: Li-lon3.6V/Li-Poly3.7V
Size:150x142x33mm
Weight:580g

Balancer:

Lithium polymer cell count: 2~6 cells in series configuration
Balancing activation voltage:
Automatic:>0.03V imbalance
Manual: >0.01V imbalance
Discharge current during balancing: 350mA
Imbalance control voltage: +/-0.005V
Maximum cell voltage cut off: 4.26V
Low voltage cut off: 3.3V
Balancing voltage resolution: +/-0.005V
Size:83x45x19mm
Weight:120g

Overview continued

Packaged with the charger is a separate discharge balancer. This is capable of balancing between two and six lithium polymer cells. The balancer has two resolutions of operation one mode balances to within 0.03 V per cell and an additional mode will balance to 0.01 V per cell. The balancer unit can be used in both charge mode and discharge mode although essentially both modes are actually very similar. As this balancer is a discharge balancer balancing does not actually occur by varying the charge rate to the individual cells, instead the balancer discharges any cells that are getting ahead in their voltage during a charge. In discharge mode it just discharges the highest charge cells down to the lowest in order to achieve a balance.

Therefore what we have here is a charger which can be combined with a discharge balancer in order to provide balance charging.

Using the charger

If you are familiar with the Schulze chargers then operating this charger will feel very familiar. The on-screen LCD is easy to navigate to select the type of charge you require, the size of cell you are charging, how many cells are in series in your pack and what charge rate you wish to charge them at. Once all of these items have been set the charger can be commanded to start its charge.

The balancer works in two modes, one is discharge balancing (standalone) and the other is discharge balancing whilst charging. The mode is toggled by pressing the button on the balancer. The balancer plugs into a connector strip which has various connectors for JST style balance connectors. The connector strip can handle packs in 2S, 3S, 4S & 5S configurations. A separate 6S connector is supplied with the charger for use with 6S packs.

The balancer can be toggled between normal balancing mode (0.03 V) and fine balancing mode (0.01 V) by holding down the button on the balancer for a couple of seconds.

It doesn't take long to work out how to use the charger as it is relatively straightforward, however, the manual supplied with the charger could be a lot better and is relatively sparse in terms of the information it provides.

Once a charge has finished the charger beeps in the usual customary manner for most chargers.

Charge accuracy

I ran several balance charges in order to check the accuracy of the charger in terms of how well it charges the packs and avoids overcharge. Unlike the Schulze Chamaeleon which routinely overcharges to 4.3 V per cell the Align charger sticks rigidly to the correct 4.2 V per cell. As with most chargers as you start to approach a fully charged condition the amp rate is reduced to a trickle.

My biggest concern with balance discharging is that most often the balance discharger does not have big enough current bypasses (shunts) in order to stop already charged cells from being overcharged. Having disassembled the Align balancer I have similar concerns with regard to this unit. When faced with a significantly out of balance pack I would have concerns as to whether the balancer could in fact divert enough current from already charged cells to avoid further pack damage. Having said this for the majority of packs which have good balance and well matched cells this should not in most cases be a problem.

Conclusion

I have mixed feelings about this charger.

The positives are that it is a well presented, accurate and easy-to-use charger. Which includes a balancer that can be used during charging and stand-alone. It also has a nice LCD screen showing the status of your charge throughout the charging process. On top of this it can also do nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride charging and discharging/cycling.

The negatives are that it only goes up to 6S, it uses discharge balancing via a separate balancer unit where as I much prefer 'charge balancing'. The balancer itself does not have particularly large current shunts and an imbalanced pack would cause problems. It is relatively expensive for what you get.

If you are looking for a multifunction charger that can do your nickel metal hydride packs as well as your lithium polymer packs then this may well be the right charger for you. If you are looking for a dedicated lithium polymer charger then there are better offerings for this amount of money.

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