The ToolkitRC M6 LiPo Battery Charger is super small, portable and affordable. It also has some cool features that are missing in other popular higher end chargers.
Learn about the basics of LiPo Charger, and in this guide we will talk about LiPo batteries and how to handle them properly.
Where to Buy M6 Charger?
- Banggood: http://bit.ly/2mDSUqd (on sale $4 off!)
- RDQ: http://bit.ly/2lT5e5B
- Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lUa0zX
- GetFPV: http://bit.ly/2lT6t4L
Specifications
- Input voltage: 7V – 28V (2S-6S)
- Maximum Charge Power/Current: 150W / 10A
- Maximum Discharge Power/Current: 20W / 10A
- Supports 1S – 6S LiPo, LiHv and Li-Ion
- USB Output 5V 2.1A
Closer Look
The M6 has a 1.8inch 160×128 Color LCD Screen, and non-physical touch buttons which should be more durable than the “scrolling wheels” on some other portable chargers. But personally I find the rolling wheel quicker and easier to use.
On the left, there is a XT60 connector for input power, USB port for charging smartphone and GoPro. Between these two big connectors, there is also a servo connector for testing receiver and servo.
On the right hand side, there is another XT60 connector as well as a balance lead port, for connecting the LiPo battery you want to charge, or a parallel charging board.
You can power this LiPo charger with a big LiPo battery, or any kind of power source within the specified voltage, as long as they have an XT60 connector (might require a bit of DIY). This is extremely versatile and portable.
There are two foldable stands on the bottom which I highly recommend using when sitting this on grass or uneven surface, because any pressure applied on the fan will stop it from running smoothly, which might cause overheat.
The Good and Bad
The M6 is an extremely portable charger, only half the size of the iSDT Q6! Great for field charging.
Another cool feature is the ability to test servos. It can also read and send PWM, SBUS and PPM signals, so you can troubleshoot your receivers without a flight controller which is handy.
You can also use it as a battery voltage checker, by connecting the battery’s XT60 to the output. However it won’t work if you only plug in the balance lead, it has to be the discharge lead.
It uses this “battery profile” system to save charging setting for multiple batteries. This might save you time from frequently changing setting like End Voltage, Charge Current and so on every time you charge a different battery.
However this is also what gets annoying sometimes. With the iSDT, I can just select the current and press “charge”. With the M6 I have to think about what battery I am charging, then scroll through the profile list to find the one I want… maybe I am too used to the iSDT charger.
The best way to use the M6 I find, is to just ignore the profile system, and just use it like an iSDT.
Change Cells to Auto so it detects the cell count automatically from balance lead, and you should change the charge current manually every time you start charging.
Conclusion
The ToolkitRC M6 LiPo Charger has got some cool features and it’s extremely compact to carry around. With 150W output power, I think it will mett a lot of people’s needs as their main charger indoor and outdoor.
However for me, I will still use the iSDT Q6 Pro as my main charger, mostly because it’s more powerful (300W) and I need that power to parallel charge multiple batteries at the same time. And also I find the scrolling wheel easier to use. But I will surely consider using the M6 for field charging thanks to the compact size.
If you don’t have a smart charger yet, the M6 is a serious contender, especially when it’s only $29.99!
14 comments
Does it has internal resistance checking feature?
Yes – it measures IR while charging.
What kind of balance port plug does it expect? It does not host a typical JST plug most chargers and batteries do
Hi Oscar,
I always ran to your website for tutorial, thank you!
I am using this M6 charger, after updated to v1.33 the fan is on at high speed for about 2 seconds. I’m wondering whether it’s normal or not.
Thanks before?
Hi,
Did you actually test this charger or did you only ‘unbox’ the charger and write a fully positive ‘review’ to get free stuff as others do?
I’m pretty sure you didn’t test it because this charger is well known for it’s non accuracy and other issues, you mentioned none of those…
That’s my field charger ever since, works like a charm.
Maybe the people you are referring to received a faulty one. The one I have is working fine.
Hi,
I used this charger for discharging my lipo and it goes high temprature and stop discharging.but when i use it for charging my lipo it didnt charg my lipo battery .what shoul b the problem
I jut got a the M6, and I cant figure out the balance port. Which end does the balance port start at for 2s, 3s batteries? I tried all combinations but none showed three cells with a 3s batter outputting 10.x volts. Not sure if it is defective or operator error,
BTW, there are ToolkitRC M6 chargers, which are out of stock pretty much anywhere as of time of writing, and there are ToolkitRC & URUAV M600 chargers, which come in several colour schemes. I’ve contacted ToolkitRC and they’ve confirmed that they in fact are same chargers and FW upgrades are compatible and URUAV is just their OEM partner.
So it might be worth updating the article to include that M600 and M6 are same.
it will not burn the charger as it’s a voltage source like a battery so you’ll probably be fine.
Hey by mistake i reversed plug in my balance port in charger but nothing happened amd voltage was not being showed properly but when i connected it back it works fine would this would have damaged my charger?
Hi there Oscar
I’ve been using my M6 for LiPos without a problem. Now I got a NiMH for my Taranis, now when I put it on charge it states “type error”. Even after changing the profile to the correct battery.
Can’t seem to find out any info. Do you have any idea what the problem could be?
Hi Oscar,
I bought my first M6 because I needed an adjustable power supply.
I use my bench power supply 12V DC on one side and have an adjustable output between 1V to 28V and 1A to 10A (CV and CC).
Now I can use my 3.3V, 5V, 9V and 18V tools with one power supply.
I bought my second one because I needed a field LiPo and IR (Internal Resistance) checker.
And got additional a charger, RX and servo tester and a 10 Amp discharger (You need a large lead battery on the input side for this).
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Oscar!
Does this charger have power protection inside? What I mean is that sometimes on my isdt, I would plug the power supply to the output XT60 plug and as it Is protected, it doesn’t burn my charger…
Thanks