Review: ToolkitRC M7AC Multi-Function LiPo Charger

The ToolkitRC M7AC is a single channel LiPo charger that can be powered from AC as well as DC. It’s “multi-function”, meaning it can generate and measure commonly used signals in RC, which is useful for testing. However, is it worth getting over other LiPo chargers? Let’s find out in this review.

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To learn more about LiPo chargers check out my buyer’s guide.

Where to Buy?

• Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-i2ce
• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DFkHUAt
• ToolkitRC: http://toolkitrc.com

It comes with power cable, USB cable for firmware update, manual and a screen protector.

Specifications

• Input Voltage:
  • AC 100-240V MAX 100W 1.5A
  • DC 7.0-28.0V @MAX 20A
• Supported Battery Type:
  • Lipo LiHV LiFe Lion LTO@1-6S
  • NiMh @1-16S Pb @1-10S
• Balance current: 800mA @ 4.2V
• Charging power: 300W @MAX 15A
• Discharge power:
  • 300W @MAX 15A Recycle mode (reverse charging)
  • 15W@3A Normal mode
• USB-A: 5.0V 2A output (10W)
• Size: 112*73*38mm
• Weight: 245g
• LCD: IPS 2.4 inch LCD 320*240 resolution
• TF Card: 128MB-16GB

Input for measuring (servo pins):

• PWM: 880-2200us @ 20-400Hz
• PPM: 880-2200us * 8CH @ 20-50Hz
• SBUS: 880-2200us * 16CH @ 20-100Hz
• Voltage: 1.0-5.0V @ 1-6S
• Internal resistance: 0.1 mR-99mR @ 1-6S
• ESC: 300W @ 15A

Testing signal output (servo pins):

• PWM: 500-2500us @ 20-1000Hz
• PPM: 880-2200us * 8CH @ 20-50Hz
• SBUS: 880-2200us * 16CH @ 20-100Hz
• Power supply: 1.0-28.0V @0.5-15A mode:CC CV
• Overcurrent response: <5ms

Closer Look at the ToolkitRC M7AC

From the name, I suppose the M7AC is the upgrade of the M7, not only it now supports AC input, many parameters have been increased 50% or even doubled:

• 50% increase in maximum output power and charge current when powered by DC
• 50% increase in discharge power
• Doubled balance current

However size and weight have doubled as well, it’s not as portable as the original M7 charger. Also the price has more than doubled.

The ToolkitRC M7AC charger takes both DC via XT60 connector and AC. It has an on/off switch too, but it only cuts off power when powered from AC, it does nothing when powered from DC.

There are two output connectors, XT60 and XT30. There’s a sliding door which stops you from using both connectors at the same time for safety. The only purpose of this is convenience, when you charge smaller batteries that have XT30 connectors, you don’t need an XT60 to XT30 adapter for it.

Being a one-channel LiPo charger, you can charge only one LiPo at a time, but with the help of a parallel charging board such as the HGLRC Thor board, you can charge multiple packs at once.

It has the exact same signal generation (output) and signal measuring (input) capabilities for testing purposes via the servo pins. The M7AC can output and measure PWM, PPM, SBUS signals, it can test receivers, drive servos and test ESC. It can also be used as a variable power supply (you can change output voltage and current).

There is USB-A ports for charging your USB devices. USB port can also be used to update the firmware on the charger by connecting it to your computer.

It has foldable stand on the bottom.

The most unusual feature of the ToolkitRC M7AC is probably voice feedback. We have seen it in another ToolkitRC charger, the M9. While it’s a pretty cool feature and some people might find it really useful, I’ve turned off voice feedback ever since the initial testing as I found it annoying.

The way voice feedback works is by downloading the voice files from ToolkitRC’s website on a micro SD card, and put it in the charger. The M7AC does not come with an SD card like the M9. According to the specs, any 128MB-16GB cards (class4 or higher) should work. Format the card to FAT32. Unzip the downloaded file and just copy the Logo and Sounds folders to the SD card root directory.

When it works it looks exactly like how I demonstrated with the M9 here:

Hold down the scroll wheel brings you to the System setup menu:

Here’s the charging parameters menu before charging, pretty much identical to all other smart chargers on the market.

Here’s the screen while charging, it shows you the charging progress, voltages of each cell and the whole pack, charging current, charger temperature, and internal resistance of each cell etc.

Hold down the EXIT-F Key brings you to the Accessibility menu, where all the signal generation and measuring functions are.

Manual

Voltage Reading Accuracy

I measured and compared the voltage reading of the charger to my calibrated digital multimeter, to see how accurate it is. Here’s the result:

The ToolkitRC M9 charger is pretty accurate, I don’t think I need to change anything. But if you found your unit isn’t accurate enough, you can always calibrate it. To enter the calibration menu, turn off the charger, hold down the scroll wheel then power it up.

Firmware Update

Latest firmware file can be found on ToolkitRC’s website, under download section.: http://toolkitrc.com/m7ac

Connect the charger to your computer via the USB-A port using the provided cable (while the charger is powered down), a flash drive should appear on your computer. Drag the firmware file to the drive, the upgrade is complete once the transfer is finished. Eject the drive, unplug the USB cable and you are done.

Firmware version is not shown on Startup screen like most other ToolkitRC products, but you can find it in system menu, next to ID.

Should You Get the M7AC Charger?

The ability to be powered from both AC and DC makes the M7AC a very flexible charging solution. It’s relatively light weight, you can use it indoor as well as outdoor for field charging.

Having a massive 300W output power but only one channel means the M7AC is best suited for parallel charging if you want to use it to its full potential. It’s very rare we charge one single battery and use up all the 300W, it must be a huge battery in order to do that :) If you are not comfortable with parallel charging you probably want to get a multi-channel charger instead, like the M6DAC which can also take both AC and DC input.

At the time of posting, it seems to be only available on Banggood for $115.99, which is quite expensive considering the specs (it’s probably over priced because it’s banggood and I think the normal price should be cheaper). It’s around the same price as the Hota D6 Pro, which has dual-channel and even better specs.

To be totally honest, I don’t quite get where ToolkitRC is going with this charger, for most people the voice feedback is not that useful. The built-in AC power supply is not quite powerful enough in my opinion, it only does 100W. If I get a decent 400W external PSU and the M7, it will still works out cheaper and more capable than the M7AC powered from AC.