Words: Mark Ronge
I get a lot of questions about RC vehicles and one of the most common is regarding battery chargers. Most people new to the hobby pick up an awesome RTR with a battery included and are interested in charging the battery faster than the wall chargers that most RTR packages come with. However, it is hard to recommend to someone who just bought a $100.00 RTR, a charger worth about as much as the car they just bought. Thankfully, Dynamite has pulled through with some of the best budget chargers available for NiMH or LiPo packs, depending on your needs. Each of these Dynamite chargers can be had for under $30.00 and will offer a significant upgrade to almost all RTR chargers. Since the size and form factor of the Prophet Sport Series are so small (not to mention super easy to use), these chargers are perfect to keep around and I even elect to use them over my more expensive models for my charging needs.
VITAL STATS
Prophet Sport NiMH
HOW MUCH: $29.00
MODEL NUMBER: DYNC2000
POWER INPUT: 100-240V AC
BATTERY TYPE: NiMH
NUMBER OF CELLS: 4-8
CHARGE RATE: 0.1A 1A, 1.5A, 2A, 3A, 4A
DISCHARGE RATE: NA
BATTERY INPUT: EC3 Connector
BALANCE PORT: NA
COOLING: Fan
LENGTH: 4.3 in. (110mm)
WIDTH: 3.54 in. (90mm)
HEIGHT: 2 in. (52mm)
WEIGHT: 17.6 oz. (500g)
Prophet Sport LiPo
HOW MUCH: $29.00
MODEL NUMBER: DYNC2005
POWER INPUT: 100-240V AC, DC
BATTERY TYPE: LiPo
NUMBER OF CELLS: 2-3
CHARGE RATE: Variable .5-3.0A
DISCHARGE RATE: NA
BATTERY INPUT: JST_XH
BALANCE PORT: JST_XH
COOLING: Fan
LENGTH: 4.3 in. (110mm)
WIDTH: 3.54 in. (90mm)
HEIGHT: 2 in. (52mm)
WEIGHT: 17.6 oz. (500g)
WHAT IT’S GOT
The Prophet Sport series chargers are great because they feature an internal AC power supply, allowing you to just plug the included power cable from a standard wall outlet into the charger and you are ready to go. Many high end chargers require a separate power supply and having one less thing to worry about is always a plus.
• Since the charger has an internal power supply, I was very surprised at the size of these chargers. They have an extremely small footprint, allowing them to fit in the smallest areas of a hobby room. This makes them the ideal companion chargers, even if you have ultra high-end chargers available.
• While the Prophet Sport series chargers do not feature fancy LCD displays like the expensive models might, it more than makes up for it in their simple, easy to read layout. There are five to six LED lights (depending on the model), indicating which charge rate has been selected. Also, there are lights showing whether the battery is charging and another indicating whether or not it has completed.
• The NiMH charger includes a fixed output cable featuring an EC3 connector. This is great if your battery packs use these plugs, but the charger lacks a little versatility since the lead cannot be removed. To get around this, plan on making (or purchasing) a few adapters using the plug of your choice. This is not a deal-breaker by any means and having the fixed output cable can be nice as it’s one less part to lose.
• The Prophet Sport LiPo does not use standard charging cables; you charge all of your LiPos through the balance leads. This can be inconvenient if any of your batteries do not use the JST_XH format, but adapters can be purchased to accommodate these batteries, so not all is lost.
• The Prophet Sport NiMH has an output of 35W, meaning it can charge most packs (4-8 cells) at a rate up to 4A. Many NiMH stick packs hover around the 4000mAh mark anyway, so the majority of packs you will be charging in the Prophet will be done in under an hour. The LiPo version also has an output rating of 35W, meaning it is capable of charging 2-3 cell LiPos at rates up to 3A. While 3A is a little low for charging 5000mAh packs, they will still be done in about an hour and a half, not a big deal at all.
• The chargers have plenty of open space inside the case to keep all of the components cool. Speaking of the case, the plastic used in these chargers is some of the strongest and highest quality I have ever seen. One would be hard-pressed to damage the Prophet Sport series of chargers.
PROS & CONS
+ Attractive price
+ Capable of charging most NiMH and many LiPo packs
+ Super small and space-efficient
+ Very easy to use with bright LED indicators
+ Built-in power supply
+ Integrated balance ports (LiPo model)
– Fixed EC3 output means you need adapters for different battery connectors (NiMH model)
– Batteries can only be charged through JST_XH port (LiPo model)
HOW IT WORKS
Right off the bat I have to say that the Prophet Sport line of chargers are THE easiest battery chargers I have ever used. This is all without a fancy LCD display, just a super-intuitive interface with bright LED lights that just plain make sense. The charging process is as simple as plugging in the battery, selecting the charge rate by hitting the one button on the charger, and then holding it for a few seconds until the charger beeps. That’s it, and your battery is being charged until it reaches a peak voltage (the NiMH charger has a fixed setting of + – 8mv peak sensitivity for those interested) or the constant voltage cycle has completed (LiPo). The chargers will protect against reversed polarity (maybe somehow a battery connector has been soldered reversed for example), and there is a thermal overload function as well. They are truly plug and play chargers, just be sure to select the right charge rate, as the chargers do not have the capability to do so and it can be dangerous to charge NiMH or LiPos at a higher than intended rate. While the battery is charging, you will have an indicator to depict whether the battery is charging (the LiPo version lets you know whether it is in the constant current or constant voltage state of being charged). Again, I cannot stress the fact that these chargers are a breeze to use and you most likely will be charging your first battery in under 10 seconds after everything is plugged in. I charged multiple NiMH packs and everything went as planned; they were full and peaked properly as any high end charger would with similar settings applied. The LiPo version was no different and it took just over an hour to charge a 4000mAh pack (wasn’t completely empty) which isn’t bad, but you can expect times to increase as the overall capacity of your packs increase. Both chargers remained cool as well, even with the super compact design, there is ample space for airflow to keep the components cool. Don’t forget that the Prophet Sport is a fantastic charger for receiver packs. If you have the appropriate adapter, there is a 1.5A setting which is perfect for most packs. I tested this out on some of my receiver packs, (1200 to 1500mAh, both NiMH and LiPo) and everything was as smooth as can be, the chargers remained cool and my packs were ready in under an hour.
WRAP UP
The Dynamite Prophet Sport line of chargers is currently getting more use than my expensive chargers for handling most of my needs. This is utterly surprising, given their $30.00 price tags. Not to mention, I finally have the perfect budget charger to recommend to people looking to charge battery packs without breaking the bank. I think these are the perfect companion chargers as well; it is nice to have a light, small charger I can throw in a bag and bring with me without worrying about scratching an expensive screen. I highly recommend this charger to anyone (beginners and experts alike), you would be surprised how much use these little guys get.
LINKS
Dynamite dynamiterc.com, (877) 504-0233
