Review: ToolkitRC M6DAC LiPo Charger – better than HOTA D6 Pro?

ToolkitRC just released a new LiPo charger – the M6DAC. It’s a powerful and versatile charger with dual outputs and takes both AC and DC as power supply. It’s quite similar to the popular HOTA D6 Pro in terms of specs, price range as well as look, but which is better? Let’s find out.

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Further Reading: LiPo charger beginners’ guide

Where to Buy?

Get the ToolkitRC M6DAC from these vendors:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_De8zUZ3
• GetFPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-0s10
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-a753 
• ToolkitRC: https://www.toolkitrc.com/

It comes with the following accessories in the box: AC power cable, USB-C cable for firmware update, and a manual. They put a sticker with my logo on the charger, it wasn’t me :)

Features of the ToolkitRC M6DAC Charger

User friendly roller button and a bright color LCD screen (not a touch screen).

Dual output channels – it can simultaneously charge two completely different batteries regardless cell count or battery type.

Both outputs are XT60 connectors, with balance connectors that support up to 6S LiPo.

You can even use two parallel charging boards to speed things up.

Built-in AC power supply, great for beginners who don’t know what PSU they should buy.

Note that with DC powered, you can use the full 700W power (350W per channel), but with AC, the max power is limited to 200W (100W per channel). As you progress and have more batteries to charge, you can just upgrade the PSU and get more power from this charger. One great option is getting a cheap refurnished server PSU on eBay and convert it as your charger PSU.

But even for me, 200W from AC is more than enough :) 200W can finish charging 8x 4S 1500mAh LiPo at the same time in under one hour.

It also has a powerful 65W quick charge USB-C output – same feature in the P200 PSU.

The M6DAC charger supports these battery types: LiPo, LiHV, LiFe, Li-Ion, NiMH, PB as well as UAVbat.

It can be used as a power supply with adjustable voltage output too, which turns it into a handy bench PSU just like the P200. The only downside is that it’s less convenient to change current and voltage.

There are 3 modes, charge, discharge and storage. Discharge only takes battery cell voltage down to 2.70V, it does not completely discharge it.

When a LiPo is connected to the output, the LED indicator lights up above the connector.

Bottom of the charger.

Charging settings just like any other smart chargers on the market.

During charging, you can view the cell voltages, IR (internal resistance) of each cell, and power info.

System menu:

Here’s the manual if you want to learn more.

Voltage Calibration

I checked the voltage reading of the M6DAC outputs against my calibrated multimeter, it’s pretty accurate.

Input is spot on, DMM = 22.89V, charger = 22.89V.

I strongly recommend checking yours against a calibrated voltage checker and calibrate it accordingly to ensure LiPo safety.

To calibrate the M6DAC, simply turn off the charger, hold down the roller button while powering up. To scale down the voltage, increase the scale value.

You can also calibrate charging current with a power meter.

M6DAC vs HOTA D6 Pro

Here’s a specs comparison between the ToolkitRC M6DAC and HOTA D6 Pro LiPo chargers.

Just based on the specifications, there are certain desirable qualities from the new ToolkitRC M6DAC LiPo charger. First of all, charging power when powered by DC is slightly higher with the M6DAC (700W vs 650W).

Both chargers have built-in PSU and can take AC, but the output power are both limited to 200W. Still that’s plenty for ordinary pilots.

USB output in the ToolkitRC is more powerful and modern, it’s rated for 65W and supports various protocols such as PD, QC, AFC, FCP, SCP, PE, SFCP, VOC. On the other hand the HOTA only has a simple 10W 5V USB output. If you have a modern mobile device that supports one of the faster charging protocols, the ToolkitRC will be able to charge it much faster, you can even use it to power a soldering iron like the TS80P, which is not possible with the HOTA.

However, the advantages of the ToolkitRC M6DAC seem to stop there.

The HOTA D6 Pro is over $30 cheaper for similar performance. In fact the HOTA has higher balance current than the ToolkitRC (1600mA vs 1000mA), which means it could complete charging faster, especially when the cells in your LiPo battery are out of balance. This is an important attribute in LiPo chargers that often get overlooked.

If you want the more powerful USB-C output, you definitely want to get the M6DAC.

ToolkitRC M6DAC: https://oscarliang.com/product-xncz

But if you don’t need that, the HOTA D6 Pro might be a better value charger.

HOTA D6 Pro:

• Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-gj71
• RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-xyjj