ProTek RC iCharger 106B+ Lilo/LiPo/Life/NiMH/NiCD DC Battery Charger (6S/10A/250W)

I feel the need to update my review because this charger/balancer seems to be in the market before its development stage is truly over. Continuous improvement and the ability to upgrade through the web is something but marketing an incomplete unit is something else.

I noticed that one of the features of the unit, regenerative discharge, was not mentioned on the user’s manual that was supplied (in the CD that came in the package)! I went back to the forums:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839657

After some more reading, I discovered that this time, the manual was updated. I downloaded the new manual from the website of the manufacturer. The flowchart at page 7 was now corrected. On page 11, there were diagrams showing the wiring when regenerative discharge function was turned on and off, as well as notes on current and voltage limits.

Due to the word “regenerative” I presumed that this was a nice feature to have but there was no clue on how it regenerates batteries? How I can benefit from this feature? Is this for Lixx, Nixx or Pb batteries? What current and voltage limits would be suitable for what?

I went back to the forums and asked the above questions. Thankful to my interest in their products, the manufacturer replied by a repetition of what I had posted, ignoring my questions. Another registered user of the forums later let me know*. This is how I learned another nice feature of my charger/balancer.

Also, its memories are numbered from 0 to 9, except memory #7. After “memory 6” and before “memory 8”, there is “memory”. It is functional. Nothing but the 7 is missing. This may not be a big deal but this confirms that the manufacturer was probably in a hurry to go to the marketplace. One day, another upgrade may solve this. This may happen before or after an instruction manual upgrade that explains what regenerative discharge is.

I can recommend this unit only to those who are willing to take the hassle. In return, you get a lot of features at a good price. BTW, it works fine after the “initial” software upgrade.

I can not recommend it to those who want a charger/balancer that is truly complete when they buy it. You may have to pay a bit more for similar features but your peace of mind would probably be inclusive.



*“regenerative discharge means as you discharge your flight battery the energy is dumped into the power supply battery. That way the discharge energy goes to a positive use, charging the power supply battery. Rather than creating heat in the discharge resister which is only capable of a low amount of watts anyway. It's got nothing to do with regenerating the flight battery”. -//- I suggest upgrading this charger/balancer first, before doing anything else with it. You can do so by following this link (which is also provided at the front page, just above the specifications) http://www.jun-si.com/UploadFiles/iC1010B+_V309.bin or by using the CD that comes in the package. Before the upgrade; never, ever attempt using one of its memory functions. I did and it gave me never ending beeps, accompanied by a flashing warning that read “System Check, Please Wait…” followed by nonsense characters all over the screen. Unplugging it from the power source and plugging it again was no remedy. No matter what, it was starting the same way.

The customer representatives of A Main Hobbies did offer me the possibility of receiving a new one. They even encouraged me to send it back so my hat-off with A Main. However, sending it back was my second preference due to frustrating “reverse custom formalities” and possibly a hefty shipment rate.

After some Google search, I found this site: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839657. Those who are interested in can find my whole story here: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839657&page=481 from post # 7212 to 7233. These forums confirm that the memory functions had triggered the same bug for other people as well.

It now works flawlessly and I will write another review here, if it malfunctions again.

On the positive side, it now does what it claims, including its 10 memories. It balances my LiPo’s to the same exact voltage, it offers me LiFe convenience, it has a storage charge mode and; it even charges my NiCd’s more fully than my old Triton 2. In automatic cycling mode and with the same setups, I get 50 - 60 mAh more from my 1.500 mAh glow starter now than I was getting with my Triton2. It is very compact. This is a great convenience for my tool box. I can place it vertically, which is nice at home. The fan does not run all the time and when it does, it alters its speed (unless set-up otherwise). It is silent, too. Finally, the above forum is a huge bonus. I whish I didn’t have to search for it but now that I found it, I can not deny its value.

What else could I ask for, other than having received an already upgraded one in the first place?

This charger is an A+++ in my book. The staff @ Amain took great care of me and also got it set up right. This charger does it all.

Great charger. I've been charging my 5000mah 5S packs at 2C without a problem. Storage mode is nice, you don't have to choose whether or not it needs to charge or discharge. You just select storage and it does the rest. The wired in power leads are long enough to get the the charger away from your power supply and it's much smaller than the pictures would make you think. Probably 1/4 of the size of my 30 amp Pyramid power supply. Only downside is you only see each cell voltage to the hundredths place when looking at all of them at once. It would have been nice if they could have gone to the thousandths place.

I'm going to get a second one sometime soon.

Very nice charger - chargers much faster than my Ice Charger.

this charger is almost perfect one, it can do every thing you need for your hobby.
the size is very compact and the quality is high.
the balancer is very accurate, and the coolig fan do its job well.
its very easy to use, you don't need the manual to start charging alsothe manual is easy to read and understand.

i said almost perfect because it does not come with power supply and there is no connection you have to get yours.

Really easy to use!! great product for a beginner in Lipos like me. The only thing i wish it had is a power adapter!! But i guess i can get over that. Not bad for the price either.

So far I am pleased with this charger. Good LCD display, balancer, USB w/ software, in depth manual, many battery programs ready to go. Did not come with power adapter. I already had one so no problem. I purchased a Pro-Tek "Squid" cable to use with this charger, and now I have all the connections I need! Good stuff.

Great instruction CD. Easy to understand and use. I need to charge mostly 3S and 4S lipos. Also some nicad stick packs and nimh hump packs. Very versatile. Tells me how many mah's put back into each battery. Also high power capacity. Can charge multiple packs with right connecters. Looked at many chargers before selecting this one.