Review: Gens Ace iMars Dual-Channel LiPo Charger (AC200W DC300Wx2)

The Gens Ace iMars Dual LiPo charger has pretty similar specs to the HOTA D6 Pro and ToolkitRC M6DAC, they all have similar output power and two output ports. But does the iMars come out on top in the competition? Let’s find out.

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New to FPV? Learn more about LiPo chargers in this buyer’s guide.

Where to Buy?

You can choose white or black colour:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DCW6BzN
• Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-5opw

It comes with the following accessories:

• Power cable
• USB cable for firmware update
• Manual
• And a bunch of adapter cables that you won’t need (if you fly FPV drones)

Specs and Features

The iMars Dual charger has a built-in power supply that allows you to power it directly from AC, it gives you a maximum output power of 200W. But when you power it from DC (using an external power supply), you can get up to 600W output power, that’s 300W per output channel! This is similar to what you can get form the popular HOTA D6 Pro and ToolkitRC M6DAC.

Here’s the specifications of the iMars Dual charger:

• Input Voltage: AC100-240V DC7-30V
• output Voltage: DC 1~30V
• Max. Input Current: DC 30A
• Max. Discharging Power: 15W*2(Main port 6W*2, Balance port 9W*2)
• Maximum Charging Power: 100W*2 DC 300W*2
• Charge Current: 0.1-15A*2
• Discharge Current: 0.1~3A*2
• Cell Balancing: 1~6s
• USB Output: 5V/2.4ADispl
• ay Type: 2.4 inch IPS LCD Display
• Supported Battery Chemistries: LiPo/LIHV/LiFe 1~6S; NiMH/Cd 1~16S
• Dimensions: 145x76x62 mm
• Weight: 519g

Closer Look at the Imars Dual Charger

By having two output ports, you can charge two completely different batteries at the same time which speeds things up.

The Gens Ace iMars Dual is a smart LiPo charger and has a very familiar interface and menu that look just like all the other latest Lipo charger on the market.

It has a very bright display. Although it does not have a tilted display like the D6 Pro or M6DAC for better viewing angle, you can still see the screen very well even under sun light.

Before charging you can select charging parameters such as the charging current, and it simply remembers the values you enter the last time, so it’s easier if you are charging the same battery.

During charging, you can see the progress in percentage, the total voltage, the charging current, how long it’s been charging and other many other useful information displayed on the screen.

It uses all buttons to operate the menu, which in my opinion is not as user friendly as other chargers that use a scroll wheel, especially when selecting a value, buttons are just slower to use.

Each output channel can charge up to 15A and 300W when powered from DC. Here is the DC input:

If you power it from AC you can only get up to a total of 200W, as the built-in power supply isn’t very powerful, but it’s convenient to use. Here’s the AC input:

So to get the most out of this charger you can purchase an external power supply like this, but for most people, 200W is more than enough really:

• 1200W PSU: https://oscarliang.com/product-lq1c

The iMars has a feature called synchronous output, which combines the two outputs to charge one single battery. But for most of us this is not that useful, to use this feature we are talking about charging higher than 300W, the battery has to be massive (for a 6S pack charging at 5C the capacity would be more than 10,000mah) and FPV drones simply don’t use battery that big.

The charger can be used as a DC power source as well, and it has battery discharge function (up to 15W per channel).

It can charge many types of battery that are commonly used in FPV, and it can also measure IR (internal resistance) during charging which is useful for monitoring battery health.

It has rubber feet, the housing might look metallic but it’s all just plastic.

Voltage Calibration

I checked the voltage reading of the Gens Ace iMars Dual charger outputs against my calibrated multimeter, it’s pretty accurate.

I strongly recommend doing the same check when you get your charger using a calibrated voltage checker. If it’s off you should calibrate it to ensure LiPo safety.

To calibrate the iMars, simply go to the system menu and select charger calibration.

How does it compares to the D6 Pro and M6DAC?

When I am using the iMars Dual LiPo charger, I don’t really feel much a difference from the D6 Pro or the M6DAC, the interface and operation are very familiar. But the buttons are slightly more cumbersome to use than the scroll wheel, so I prefer the D6 Pro and M6DAC in terms of user friendliness.

Fan noise is quite similar across the three chargers. The fan only turns on when it reaches around 60 degrees Celsius, the rest of the times it’s very silent.

The main consideration comes down to performance and price. At the time of posting, the D6 Pro is $118 and M6DAC is $150 on RDQ, while the iMars Dual is $137 on Banggood.

The D6 Pro is no doubt still the best deal out of the three.

Between the M6DAC and iMars, the latter seems to be better value, it’s cheaper with a slightly higher balance current. But if you want a smoother user experience, the M6DAC is worth considering because of the scrolling wheel, and it has a more powerful USB output and the output power in DC mode is 50W higher per channel.