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Hitec X4 AC Pro AC/DC Four Port Multicharger problem

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by kdfchannel, Apr 15, 2021.

  1. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    hello fellas I just bought the Hitec X4 AC Pro AC/DC Four Port Multicharger and unfortunately I haven't been able to run the first straight cycle I it keeps showing the message (over charge capacity limit) I'm pretty sure some members have this charger too just curious you got this charger running this are my settings.

    charge 2.0 amp
    delta peak V 15mv is the maximum
    discharge 1.5 amp to 6 volt (1.5 amp is also the max the charger pull )
    discharge>charge 3 times
    all safety timers off and temp off
    capacity cut off 7200 and this is the issue I don't want to go higher because I could harm the module right ?? if I go lower then I guess will trigger the over charge capacity faster too don't know if I should play with the delta peak V

    hope you can help me thanks!
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    You might try changing setting on delta peak, but in general these chargers aren't designed for these big modules and each charger I have seems to have a different overcharge capacity limit shut down problem. Some are better than others, but in general we're using a row boat for a job that would be way easier if we had a tug boat.

    And while some rebuilders are here trust the capacity measurements of these inexpensive chargers, I haven't trusted them ever, they don't seem reliable at all. In my opinion accurately measuring capacity of modules with these cheap devices is a waste of time. My rebuilder buddy who has $30K in lab grade testing gear can do it prcisely, but I don't think these chargers can because they were designed for much smaller modules than we're using them for.

    What's more, I'm told NiMH charge at only ~70% efficiency so 30% of the 7200 that you sent to the module was lost as heat. What's more charging a module all the way up from a low voltage in one setting heats them up too much even with a cooling fan, so I do it in stages.

    Also discharging with the little 10w resistors inside the chargers is painfully slow so I use 12v 20w and 12v 50w halogen bulbs to speed things up a bit.
     
  3. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    thanks priuscamper I have a halogen bulb I tested and it measures 6 amps( is a old 300zx datsun headlight), using the bulb how long should I keep it connected to discharge around 6 volts ?? or as soon I get to 6 volts I shut it down and do capacity calculations??

    about the charger I use the cq3 but I was unhappy because it didn't performed a full set of 3 cycles it stops every cycle, but at least the cq3 was consistent and it was doing the job. I bought the hitec 44254 to be more precise because the specs looked interesting with Bluetooth connectivity and also software updates and supposedly to do 3 cycles in a row but it looks I'm staying with the cq3 or do you have any recommendation because I can return both charger to amazon I bought them a week ago.
     
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    it doesn't take long to get below 6v with a 50w bulb... Of course if you want to do it correctly the science says discharging at a 1/4 amp is best... I discharge first round to 5v, second round to 3v and third round to 1v... But if I had $30K in lab grade testing gear I could have the same results by only going down to 6v.

    As for the Hitec RCD 44254, seems like a lot of power in a small package that will get too hot and not last very long, but maybe the fan works well?

    Also there's always a bit of deception with dual and quad chargers. It says in specs: "Ac power distribution, channels A & C: 100 watts total, channels B & C: 100 watts total" but it doesn't anywhere say that it can do 50w on all four channels at the same time. I've seen this deception many times, but have not studied these devices well enough to know if I'm being overly skeptical or not.
     
  5. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    yes the charger on AC is 50w per channel (200w total) and dc (300 w total 100w 100w 50 w 50 w) I have the delta set to 15 mv I will go down to 10mv and then 5 mv for testing purposes, also decreased the amps on the charge to 1.5 amps, and yes the charger gets hot and the fan goes full speed like is not happy with 4 modules at the same time, the cq3 is super quiet and does not get hot at any time, if I can't get the hitec to work properly I might end up buying another ev peak cq3 that worked for me to go faster on the rebuilding process, I'm still better than most places that rebuild batteries here in orlando one guy has a imaxb6 and he is supposed to be professional LOL.
     
  6. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I charge at 4.3amps for the old SkyRC chargers and 3.9amps for the new ones with more wattage and faster processor. There's also been plenty of people on here who haven't had any issues with 5amp charges, but that seems excessive to me. Here's what my rig currently looks like:

    PXL_20210328_223252316 (1).jpg
     
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  7. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    that looks just awesome sir !!! so you help the charger at the discharge with the light bulb ?? or do the discharge separately.?
     
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yes... Current rig can discharge 7 modules while also charging 7 modules at the same time... So just 4 rounds of each of that and the pack has one round of reconditioning done. It's way faster, but not compared to my buddy with $30K in equipment. He can process more than 80 modules at the same time and actually get reliable data from each module on his computer while doing it.
     
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  9. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    #1 how the new hitec looks like
    #2 how the ev peak looks when I had it on duy
     

    Attached Files:

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  10. kdfchannel

    kdfchannel Junior Member

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    4 different setting changing delta peak and capacities and amps all same result maybe this post could help someone that maybe is planning to buy this charger.
     

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  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Yep, the premature over-capacity shut down is so consistent I use it to keep track of how much more charging to go. Also a good opportunity to let everything cool down before charging more.