SkyRC Imax B6AC V2 charger under test

First impression of the B6AC V2

The box of the B6AC V2 is literally bursting with information and is already a pleasure to unpack. In addition to the charger, the scope of delivery also included all kinds of connection cables with alligator clips, XT60, Futaba and JST sockets. An adapter cable with a banana plug was also included. Of course, a power cord and an English-language instruction manual were also included.

The workmanship of the charger is good. The housing is made entirely of aluminum and is labeled in great detail. Where what is located and what the device can ultimately do is already printed on the housing. The integrated LCD display is backlit and easy to read.

On the left side of the housing there is an AC input (240V 50/60 Hz), a DC input (11-18V), a micro USB socket via which the B6AC V2 can be connected to the PC and a connection option for a temperature sensor, the is not included in the scope of delivery. The WiFi module is also not included, with which the charger can also be operated with a suitable app.

The balance sockets (up to 6 cells) and the charging port are located on the right side of the housing. The SkyRC certificate of authenticity was also affixed to version 2 on the back, which can be rubbed off underneath. With the scratched number, the authenticity of the device can then be checked on the manufacturer's website. You should definitely carry out this check as there are already numerous counterfeits of the previous model in circulation. Version 2 forgeries are currently not known.

Commissioning and functions

The SkyRC charger can be powered via the AC or DC input. Thus, for example, the SkyRC B6AC V2 can be operated directly with a 11-18V battery, which was previously possibly used in its quadrocopter.

Using my Cheerson CX-20 LiPo with 11.1V and 2.7A, I would like to describe the charging process in more detail. Before connecting the charger to the power supply, the battery should already be connected. To do this, connect the balancer cable to the balance socket and use the appropriate adapter cable to connect the charging cable to the XT60 connector of the LiPo. In any case, you should first connect the adapter cable to the charger and only then connect the battery. Otherwise there is a risk of a short circuit.

If the battery is switched on and the charger is connected to a power source, we can select or adjust our desired configuration via the display and the menu buttons. The B6AC V2 can charge LiPo / LiFe / LiIon batteries with 1-6 cells, NiMH / NiCd batteries with 1-15 cells and lead batteries with 2-20V. It is charged with 0.1-6.0A, discharged with 0.1-2.0A.

Before we select our suitable battery type, we can make various settings in the system settings. Among other things, the following can be set here: a safety timer, a capacity cut-off, a temp cut-off, the temperature unit, the rest time, the NiMH / NiCd sensitivity, the sounds and an input power low cut-off. In addition, the firmware and hardware version as well as the serial number can be displayed.

In addition to the charging function, there is also a charge status indicator that can be used to display the volts of the individual cells, the resistance of the battery can be measured and individual charging profiles can be created.

Once you have selected the right battery type in the start menu, in my case "LiPo", you can then choose between different modes.

Balance charge

In this mode, the voltage of each cell is adjusted during charging.

Charge

The charger charges the individual cells to the specified voltage and then keeps them at the constant voltage.

Fast Charge

In this mode, the cells are only charged up to set voltage. The constant voltage is not kept, which is why the battery is usually only charged by 80%.

Storage

The cells of the battery are charged / discharged to the best possible voltage for storage.

Discharge

Discharge the cells

For the other types of batteries there are correspondingly adapted modes. For the NiMH and NiCd batteries these are Charge, Auto Charge, Discharge, Re-Peak and Cycle. For Lead-acid batteries there are the modes Charge and Discharge.

The individual LiPo modes I've tried with the stick Cheerson CX-20 LiPo. Balance mode works as expected and is accurate. For independent verification you can use a LiPo-Checker or measure with a multimeter on the balancer connector. The storage mode works exactly as well and the B6AC also manages the unloading and recharging as desired.

Software

If you want to operate the SkyRC IMAX B6AC V2 on your PC, the manufacturer provides the so-called "Charger Master" software on the official website. The B6AC V2 can then be configured as required using a graphic interface. The configuration options are the same as those that can also be selected directly via the device. Firmware updates can also be uploaded to the B6AC V2 via the software.