Toolkit M6 Charger - the ideal travel companion!
Regularly traveling to regattas (at least pre COVID) one of the most challenging aspects is keeping the amount of baggage to a minimum and I've reduced the size of everything but the boat to do so.
As many would know, I've downsized my transmitter to the Taranis Xlite which is probably the smallest transmitter on the market and I've been using it successfully for over 18 months without a hitch and it fits perfectly into my travel box with all my spares and a few personal items but when it comes to batteries the challenge has continued.
Twelve months ago I transitioned from LIFE batteries to Li-ion batteries to power my boat. These came as 1500mah packs and weigh in at about 92g, approx 13g less than the previous batteries I was using however, weight reduction wasn't the goal. The Li-ion packs that I am using come with a USB power adaptor that can be used in any 2.1V USB port meaning no bulky battery charger was required and it was easy to find a power source.
This did come at a cost - in doing so I then lost all visibility of what was going on with my batteries from a battery management perspective. Yes the green light would go on when it was charged but that was the best it got, balancing the battery cells for best performance as well as understanding what actual battery voltage was in my batteries was a thing of the past and I was sailing in the dark - until now.
The Toolkit M6 charger now looks to be my ideal travel companion (beat's Dougy hands down any day and doesn't drink as much!) and will fit snugly into my battery case. It's tiny in size measuring just 68 x 49 x 26mm and is lightweight weighing just 80g. The charger can be powered by either an external power supply, large battery with XT60 connector, I modified an old modem 12v power adapter with an XT60 connector to power mine.
It has some great features (some that are missing from high end chargers), is simple to use and will charge a range of battery types 1S – 6S LiPo, LiHv, LiFe and Li-Ion. It's 1.8inch 160×128 Color LCD Screen display is easy to see.
The unit requires an XT60 plug on the power supply for input and for output if you are not using XT60 plugs on your batteries (like myself) you will need an adaptor. The fold out legs underneath the unit which raise the unit for the internal fan to cool are a bit light and have the potential to break off so some care is required here, but other than that it's a perfect little charger packed full of features and ideal for home, traveling or lakeside.
At around $50-$70 it's well priced.
Sean Wallis