Also included in this column:
• A detailed look at the Great
Planes Triton Jr. Charger
• A brief tour of The Battery
Clinic
TME’s Xtrema Li-Poly charger/wattmeter, for the serious electric-power flier.
IN THE LITHIUM-ONLY category
Tejera Microsystems Engineering, Inc., or
TME (www.tmenet.com/xtrema.htm),
which has long been noted for its smokepump
and CHARGEminder products,
jumps into the Lithium-charger fray with
the Xtrema Lithium charger/wattmeter to
address the more sophisticated electricpower
modeler’s needs.
As larger models become more
common, they will be well served by the
Xtrema. It has a charge capability to 10
cells at 4 amps (four cells to 8 amps).
TME is one of the first companies to
address the newly introduced A123 Racing
Lithium batteries, which require a lower
end-of-charge voltage cutoff. The Xtrema
is easy to program for cutoff voltages from
3.60 volts per cell to 4.20 volts, in 0.05-
volt increments. This allows the user to
employ a more conservative cutoff on
packs, which is reported to enhance the
cycle life.
The Xtrema’s large four-line, 20-
character LCD lets you easily jump around
the programming and set up features using
a small joystick. Operation is intuitive, but
for the charger-challenged an excellent 17-
page manual is provided to guide you
through the process and answer questions
such as “What are the 12 error messages
trying to tell me?”
You will be interrogated by the display
once you start the charge; it will display all
the charger parameters you selected, asking,
“Are You Sure?” It gives cell count, cutoff
voltage, temperature, and time safety
cutoffs.
If you are sure the settings are what you
want, a flick of the joystick gets things
underway with a real-time display of the
charge status, input voltage, pack voltage,
charge current, time on charge, and mAh
input. If your selection does not match what
the charger sees, it lets you know with a
low- or high-voltage message.
The Xtrema is unique in that it
incorporates a wattmeter function, which is
essential for the serious electric-power
modeler who wants to know how much the
setup is demanding from the battery and
ESC while experimenting with different
setups. It is a great tool in optimizing
setups, selecting propellers, etc.
It remembers the maximum readings
until disconnected from the 12-volt source
for the charger. Voltage, current, watts,
horsepower, and temperature are displayed,
as are the maximums of each on a separate
screen.
If you have been following electric
Great Planes ElectriFly’s Triton Jr. charger offers many options
for the entry-level flier.
As promised, the author has delivered a peek inside The Battery
Clinic. This perspective shows equipment and layout.
98 MODEL AVIATION
The author converted his brother-in-law’s SuperTigre .40-powered Sig Rascal 40 ARF
to electric. It uses an AXI 2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly pack.
A scratch-built, dual-rotor autogiro—the Tango—was converted to electric power and
also uses an AXI 2826/12 motor.
power for a while, you know change is
inevitable. The Xtrema features an
expansion port that will accommodate the
following planned future options.
• A computer interface for data logging and
free lifetime software updates (USB/serial)!
• An integrated and stand-alone cell
balancer
• An add-on integrated tachometer
• Extra temperature probes
• Add-on expansion memory
There will be many more features, to be
announced. The Xtrema manual is available
at www.tmenet.com/pdf/Xtrema%20
Manual-1-1-0.pdf, and its street price is
$189.99. The Xtrema’s charger
specifications are as follows.
• Number of cells: One to 10
• Input voltage: 10.5-15.0 DC at up to 20
amps
• Input connectors: Super heavy-duty
Alligator Clips with 3-foot cord (These are
the best clips I’ve ever seen; I hated to
remove them and replace them with banana
plugs.)
• Case size: 6.25 x 3.25 x 2.25 inches (159
x 83 x 57mm)
• Weight: 22 ounces (624 grams)
• Charger output connections: 14-gauge
fine-strand silicon wire (You add your
favorite connector.)
• Volts per cell: 3.60 (A123 M1 cells)-4.20
in .05-volt increments
• Charge rate: 50-8000 mA in 50 mA
increments (4000 mA max at 10 cells)
• Battery types: Lithium-Ion, Li-Poly
• Safety timer: 10-990 minutes (120
default)
• Fan: On only when needed for longer life
• Safety temperature cutoff: 60-130 degrees
Fahrenheit (104 degrees Fahrenheit
default)
• Audible alarms: Piezo Speaker alarms, 15
seconds, beep once or disable
The Xtrema wattmeter specifications
are:
• Input supply voltage: 6.5-15.0 DC < 40
mA
• Output connections: 14-gauge fine-strand
silicon wire (Add your favorite connector.)
• Voltage measurement: 0.00-60.00,
resolution 0.01
• Current measurement: 0.00-100.00 amps
peak, 50.00 amps continuous, resolution
0.01 amp
• Power measurement: 0.0-6000.0 watts,
resolution 0.1 watt
• Horsepower measurement: 0.00-8.00,
resolution .01
• Temperature measurement: Up to 302
degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius)
Even more amazing is that this state-ofthe-
art charger is designed and
manufactured in the US with support by an
English-speaking American engineer (the
designer).
The Triton Trilogy: Great Planes
ElectriFly follows the success of its popular
Triton charger by introducing the Triton Jr.,
priced at $79.99. The Triton was phased
out at $89.99 and replaced with the Triton
2, which should be available for $129.99 by
the time you read this. Following that is the
Triton ZX for $239.99.
From reading the preliminary
specifications (at www2.towerhobbies.com/
cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMAJ1&P=7) I
gather that the ZX promises to be the
charger to end all chargers. The ship date is
reported to be November 2006. I hope one
will find its way to The Battery Clinic for a
look.
I received the Triton Jr. to review and
found it to be a decent entry-level,
multitechnology charger that
accommodates Ni-Cd, NiMH, Pb, and Li-
Poly packs. It is supposedly a close
competitor to the similarly priced Multiplex
LN-5014.
Programming with the Triton Jr.’s four
buttons is intuitive to the point where the
well-written 27-page (5.5 x 8.5-inch)
manual isn’t really needed. There are four
pages of flow charts to guide you through
the sequences. I like these because they
bring the whole operation into focus in a
much clearer manner than text instructions.
The Triton Jr.’s specifications follow.
My comments are in italics.
• Input voltage: 11.0-15.0 DC
• Input connections: Large Alligator Clip
(As with all chargers I get, I replaced these
with banana plugs.)
• Number of outputs: One
• Battery types, number of cells: One to 14
Ni-Cd/NiMH; one to four Li-Poly or Li-Ion
(3.6- or 3.7-volt cells); and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
12-volt Pb (2 volts per cell)
• Fast-charge current: 0.1-5.0 amps Ni-
Cd/NiMH (0.1-amp increments, 63 watts
maximum) 1C rating Li-Poly/Li-Ion (63
watts maximum) (With 14 cells the charge
rate is roughly 3.5 amps to stay under the
63-watt limit and roughly 3.75 amps for a
4S Li-Poly pack.)
• Fast-charge termination: “Zero deltaV”
Peak Detection Ni-Cd/NiMH, “CC/CV” for
Pb and Li-Poly/Li-Ion (Basically standard
on today’s chargers—a well-established
and reliable protocol.)
• Peak sensitivity: 8 mV fixed Ni-Cd, 5 mV
fixed NiMH (If you find that your NiMH
packs are terminating early, try in the Ni-
Cd mode with the higher sensitivity
setting.)
• Peak delay at start: Three minutes fixed
(An excellent feature to get around
premature peak cutoff problem some
chargers exhibit.)
• Trickle-charge current: Charge
current/20—Ni-Cd/NiMH only (Another
terrific feature. Many chargers ignore this,
leading to unbalanced packs and premature
failure.)
• Fast-charge safety timer: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
1.5 hours; Li-Poly, 2 hours (This is where I
disagreed with Great Planes ElectriFly; it
should have been made it so it could be
disabled for formation charging or for
people who want to use less aggressive
charge on their packs.)
• Thermal cutoff: Unavailable (No big deal;
I seldom use it on the chargers at The
Battery Clinic.)
• Discharge current: 0.1-1.0 amp (0.01-amp
increments, 5.0 amps maximum) (Adequate
for checking pack capacity throughout a
fairly large range of cell sizes.)
• Discharge-cutoff voltage: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
0.1-16.8 (0.1 increment) (I like this feature;
you can cheat and use it for Li-Polys too, to
take them down to a good storage level.);
Pb, fixed at 1.8 per cell (Okay.); Li-Ion/Li-
Poly, fixed at 3.0 per cell (Okay.)
• Cycle count: One to five (Only remembers
and displays the last cycle. Not a feature
one should use much anyway; there are
better ways to wear out your battery.)
• Battery memories: One (Remembers the
last battery charged and stays at that
setting—convenient when using on the
same pack all the time.)
• Programming controls: Membrane touch
pad, four buttons (Good idea in the dirtyfield
environment.)
• Display type: 2 x 16 LCD, blue backlight
(Pretty in the dark!)
• Displayed information: Input and Output
Volts, Peak Volts, Average Discharge
Volts, Charge and Discharge Capacity,
Currents and Time, Errors (Because of the
timer cutoff, all this information is lost if
you run past the fixed time: 90 minutes for
Ni and 120 minutes for Li-Poly.)
• Audible indicators: Beeper (It keeps going
until you tend to the charger, removing the
pack under charge. The sound is similar to
a smoke-alarm tweet when it needs a new
battery.)
• Output connectors: Banana jacks (On the
side where they belong.)
• Case material: Extruded aluminum
• Current overload: 10-amp spade fuse
(Automotive type)
• Case size: 4.7 x 3.6 x 1.2 inches (118 x 92
x 30mm)
• Weight: 13.1 ounces (371 grams)
The Triton Jr. covers all the bases for
many modelers’ normal charging needs. I
did take issue with the timer setting that is
not programmable or cannot be disabled,
but there was considerable discussion about
this with Great Planes ElectriFly marketing.
Only time and the marketplace will tell if it
was a good decision.
Promises, Promises—a tour of The Battery
Clinic: Look at the photo. Maybe I’ll
include more details next time if I can dig
my way out from under chargers to review.
And don’t forget that we are starting our
prime flying season. Just so you know that I
don’t spend all my time trying to let the
smoke out of new products, there are two
photos of my latest endeavors.
The Rascal, owned by my brother-inlaw,
held a SuperTigre .40 but was never
flown. It ended up in my hangar and got an
attitude change when I added an AXI
2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly
pack.
That worked out so well that I canceled
my plan to build a 70% Tango for electric
power in favor of sticking another AXI
2826/12 in my old .40 FP-powered Tango. I
may be slowing down a bit, but both
models’ performance more than keeps the
adrenalin flowing.
I’m still at 12219 NW 9th Ln., Newberry
FL 32669. Send an SASE, please. I answer
E-mail faster.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Also included in this column:
• A detailed look at the Great
Planes Triton Jr. Charger
• A brief tour of The Battery
Clinic
TME’s Xtrema Li-Poly charger/wattmeter, for the serious electric-power flier.
IN THE LITHIUM-ONLY category
Tejera Microsystems Engineering, Inc., or
TME (www.tmenet.com/xtrema.htm),
which has long been noted for its smokepump
and CHARGEminder products,
jumps into the Lithium-charger fray with
the Xtrema Lithium charger/wattmeter to
address the more sophisticated electricpower
modeler’s needs.
As larger models become more
common, they will be well served by the
Xtrema. It has a charge capability to 10
cells at 4 amps (four cells to 8 amps).
TME is one of the first companies to
address the newly introduced A123 Racing
Lithium batteries, which require a lower
end-of-charge voltage cutoff. The Xtrema
is easy to program for cutoff voltages from
3.60 volts per cell to 4.20 volts, in 0.05-
volt increments. This allows the user to
employ a more conservative cutoff on
packs, which is reported to enhance the
cycle life.
The Xtrema’s large four-line, 20-
character LCD lets you easily jump around
the programming and set up features using
a small joystick. Operation is intuitive, but
for the charger-challenged an excellent 17-
page manual is provided to guide you
through the process and answer questions
such as “What are the 12 error messages
trying to tell me?”
You will be interrogated by the display
once you start the charge; it will display all
the charger parameters you selected, asking,
“Are You Sure?” It gives cell count, cutoff
voltage, temperature, and time safety
cutoffs.
If you are sure the settings are what you
want, a flick of the joystick gets things
underway with a real-time display of the
charge status, input voltage, pack voltage,
charge current, time on charge, and mAh
input. If your selection does not match what
the charger sees, it lets you know with a
low- or high-voltage message.
The Xtrema is unique in that it
incorporates a wattmeter function, which is
essential for the serious electric-power
modeler who wants to know how much the
setup is demanding from the battery and
ESC while experimenting with different
setups. It is a great tool in optimizing
setups, selecting propellers, etc.
It remembers the maximum readings
until disconnected from the 12-volt source
for the charger. Voltage, current, watts,
horsepower, and temperature are displayed,
as are the maximums of each on a separate
screen.
If you have been following electric
Great Planes ElectriFly’s Triton Jr. charger offers many options
for the entry-level flier.
As promised, the author has delivered a peek inside The Battery
Clinic. This perspective shows equipment and layout.
98 MODEL AVIATION
The author converted his brother-in-law’s SuperTigre .40-powered Sig Rascal 40 ARF
to electric. It uses an AXI 2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly pack.
A scratch-built, dual-rotor autogiro—the Tango—was converted to electric power and
also uses an AXI 2826/12 motor.
power for a while, you know change is
inevitable. The Xtrema features an
expansion port that will accommodate the
following planned future options.
• A computer interface for data logging and
free lifetime software updates (USB/serial)!
• An integrated and stand-alone cell
balancer
• An add-on integrated tachometer
• Extra temperature probes
• Add-on expansion memory
There will be many more features, to be
announced. The Xtrema manual is available
at www.tmenet.com/pdf/Xtrema%20
Manual-1-1-0.pdf, and its street price is
$189.99. The Xtrema’s charger
specifications are as follows.
• Number of cells: One to 10
• Input voltage: 10.5-15.0 DC at up to 20
amps
• Input connectors: Super heavy-duty
Alligator Clips with 3-foot cord (These are
the best clips I’ve ever seen; I hated to
remove them and replace them with banana
plugs.)
• Case size: 6.25 x 3.25 x 2.25 inches (159
x 83 x 57mm)
• Weight: 22 ounces (624 grams)
• Charger output connections: 14-gauge
fine-strand silicon wire (You add your
favorite connector.)
• Volts per cell: 3.60 (A123 M1 cells)-4.20
in .05-volt increments
• Charge rate: 50-8000 mA in 50 mA
increments (4000 mA max at 10 cells)
• Battery types: Lithium-Ion, Li-Poly
• Safety timer: 10-990 minutes (120
default)
• Fan: On only when needed for longer life
• Safety temperature cutoff: 60-130 degrees
Fahrenheit (104 degrees Fahrenheit
default)
• Audible alarms: Piezo Speaker alarms, 15
seconds, beep once or disable
The Xtrema wattmeter specifications
are:
• Input supply voltage: 6.5-15.0 DC < 40
mA
• Output connections: 14-gauge fine-strand
silicon wire (Add your favorite connector.)
• Voltage measurement: 0.00-60.00,
resolution 0.01
• Current measurement: 0.00-100.00 amps
peak, 50.00 amps continuous, resolution
0.01 amp
• Power measurement: 0.0-6000.0 watts,
resolution 0.1 watt
• Horsepower measurement: 0.00-8.00,
resolution .01
• Temperature measurement: Up to 302
degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius)
Even more amazing is that this state-ofthe-
art charger is designed and
manufactured in the US with support by an
English-speaking American engineer (the
designer).
The Triton Trilogy: Great Planes
ElectriFly follows the success of its popular
Triton charger by introducing the Triton Jr.,
priced at $79.99. The Triton was phased
out at $89.99 and replaced with the Triton
2, which should be available for $129.99 by
the time you read this. Following that is the
Triton ZX for $239.99.
From reading the preliminary
specifications (at www2.towerhobbies.com/
cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMAJ1&P=7) I
gather that the ZX promises to be the
charger to end all chargers. The ship date is
reported to be November 2006. I hope one
will find its way to The Battery Clinic for a
look.
I received the Triton Jr. to review and
found it to be a decent entry-level,
multitechnology charger that
accommodates Ni-Cd, NiMH, Pb, and Li-
Poly packs. It is supposedly a close
competitor to the similarly priced Multiplex
LN-5014.
Programming with the Triton Jr.’s four
buttons is intuitive to the point where the
well-written 27-page (5.5 x 8.5-inch)
manual isn’t really needed. There are four
pages of flow charts to guide you through
the sequences. I like these because they
bring the whole operation into focus in a
much clearer manner than text instructions.
The Triton Jr.’s specifications follow.
My comments are in italics.
• Input voltage: 11.0-15.0 DC
• Input connections: Large Alligator Clip
(As with all chargers I get, I replaced these
with banana plugs.)
• Number of outputs: One
• Battery types, number of cells: One to 14
Ni-Cd/NiMH; one to four Li-Poly or Li-Ion
(3.6- or 3.7-volt cells); and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
12-volt Pb (2 volts per cell)
• Fast-charge current: 0.1-5.0 amps Ni-
Cd/NiMH (0.1-amp increments, 63 watts
maximum) 1C rating Li-Poly/Li-Ion (63
watts maximum) (With 14 cells the charge
rate is roughly 3.5 amps to stay under the
63-watt limit and roughly 3.75 amps for a
4S Li-Poly pack.)
• Fast-charge termination: “Zero deltaV”
Peak Detection Ni-Cd/NiMH, “CC/CV” for
Pb and Li-Poly/Li-Ion (Basically standard
on today’s chargers—a well-established
and reliable protocol.)
• Peak sensitivity: 8 mV fixed Ni-Cd, 5 mV
fixed NiMH (If you find that your NiMH
packs are terminating early, try in the Ni-
Cd mode with the higher sensitivity
setting.)
• Peak delay at start: Three minutes fixed
(An excellent feature to get around
premature peak cutoff problem some
chargers exhibit.)
• Trickle-charge current: Charge
current/20—Ni-Cd/NiMH only (Another
terrific feature. Many chargers ignore this,
leading to unbalanced packs and premature
failure.)
• Fast-charge safety timer: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
1.5 hours; Li-Poly, 2 hours (This is where I
disagreed with Great Planes ElectriFly; it
should have been made it so it could be
disabled for formation charging or for
people who want to use less aggressive
charge on their packs.)
• Thermal cutoff: Unavailable (No big deal;
I seldom use it on the chargers at The
Battery Clinic.)
• Discharge current: 0.1-1.0 amp (0.01-amp
increments, 5.0 amps maximum) (Adequate
for checking pack capacity throughout a
fairly large range of cell sizes.)
• Discharge-cutoff voltage: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
0.1-16.8 (0.1 increment) (I like this feature;
you can cheat and use it for Li-Polys too, to
take them down to a good storage level.);
Pb, fixed at 1.8 per cell (Okay.); Li-Ion/Li-
Poly, fixed at 3.0 per cell (Okay.)
• Cycle count: One to five (Only remembers
and displays the last cycle. Not a feature
one should use much anyway; there are
better ways to wear out your battery.)
• Battery memories: One (Remembers the
last battery charged and stays at that
setting—convenient when using on the
same pack all the time.)
• Programming controls: Membrane touch
pad, four buttons (Good idea in the dirtyfield
environment.)
• Display type: 2 x 16 LCD, blue backlight
(Pretty in the dark!)
• Displayed information: Input and Output
Volts, Peak Volts, Average Discharge
Volts, Charge and Discharge Capacity,
Currents and Time, Errors (Because of the
timer cutoff, all this information is lost if
you run past the fixed time: 90 minutes for
Ni and 120 minutes for Li-Poly.)
• Audible indicators: Beeper (It keeps going
until you tend to the charger, removing the
pack under charge. The sound is similar to
a smoke-alarm tweet when it needs a new
battery.)
• Output connectors: Banana jacks (On the
side where they belong.)
• Case material: Extruded aluminum
• Current overload: 10-amp spade fuse
(Automotive type)
• Case size: 4.7 x 3.6 x 1.2 inches (118 x 92
x 30mm)
• Weight: 13.1 ounces (371 grams)
The Triton Jr. covers all the bases for
many modelers’ normal charging needs. I
did take issue with the timer setting that is
not programmable or cannot be disabled,
but there was considerable discussion about
this with Great Planes ElectriFly marketing.
Only time and the marketplace will tell if it
was a good decision.
Promises, Promises—a tour of The Battery
Clinic: Look at the photo. Maybe I’ll
include more details next time if I can dig
my way out from under chargers to review.
And don’t forget that we are starting our
prime flying season. Just so you know that I
don’t spend all my time trying to let the
smoke out of new products, there are two
photos of my latest endeavors.
The Rascal, owned by my brother-inlaw,
held a SuperTigre .40 but was never
flown. It ended up in my hangar and got an
attitude change when I added an AXI
2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly
pack.
That worked out so well that I canceled
my plan to build a 70% Tango for electric
power in favor of sticking another AXI
2826/12 in my old .40 FP-powered Tango. I
may be slowing down a bit, but both
models’ performance more than keeps the
adrenalin flowing.
I’m still at 12219 NW 9th Ln., Newberry
FL 32669. Send an SASE, please. I answer
E-mail faster.
Edition: Model Aviation - 2007/01
Page Numbers: 97,98,100
Also included in this column:
• A detailed look at the Great
Planes Triton Jr. Charger
• A brief tour of The Battery
Clinic
TME’s Xtrema Li-Poly charger/wattmeter, for the serious electric-power flier.
IN THE LITHIUM-ONLY category
Tejera Microsystems Engineering, Inc., or
TME (www.tmenet.com/xtrema.htm),
which has long been noted for its smokepump
and CHARGEminder products,
jumps into the Lithium-charger fray with
the Xtrema Lithium charger/wattmeter to
address the more sophisticated electricpower
modeler’s needs.
As larger models become more
common, they will be well served by the
Xtrema. It has a charge capability to 10
cells at 4 amps (four cells to 8 amps).
TME is one of the first companies to
address the newly introduced A123 Racing
Lithium batteries, which require a lower
end-of-charge voltage cutoff. The Xtrema
is easy to program for cutoff voltages from
3.60 volts per cell to 4.20 volts, in 0.05-
volt increments. This allows the user to
employ a more conservative cutoff on
packs, which is reported to enhance the
cycle life.
The Xtrema’s large four-line, 20-
character LCD lets you easily jump around
the programming and set up features using
a small joystick. Operation is intuitive, but
for the charger-challenged an excellent 17-
page manual is provided to guide you
through the process and answer questions
such as “What are the 12 error messages
trying to tell me?”
You will be interrogated by the display
once you start the charge; it will display all
the charger parameters you selected, asking,
“Are You Sure?” It gives cell count, cutoff
voltage, temperature, and time safety
cutoffs.
If you are sure the settings are what you
want, a flick of the joystick gets things
underway with a real-time display of the
charge status, input voltage, pack voltage,
charge current, time on charge, and mAh
input. If your selection does not match what
the charger sees, it lets you know with a
low- or high-voltage message.
The Xtrema is unique in that it
incorporates a wattmeter function, which is
essential for the serious electric-power
modeler who wants to know how much the
setup is demanding from the battery and
ESC while experimenting with different
setups. It is a great tool in optimizing
setups, selecting propellers, etc.
It remembers the maximum readings
until disconnected from the 12-volt source
for the charger. Voltage, current, watts,
horsepower, and temperature are displayed,
as are the maximums of each on a separate
screen.
If you have been following electric
Great Planes ElectriFly’s Triton Jr. charger offers many options
for the entry-level flier.
As promised, the author has delivered a peek inside The Battery
Clinic. This perspective shows equipment and layout.
98 MODEL AVIATION
The author converted his brother-in-law’s SuperTigre .40-powered Sig Rascal 40 ARF
to electric. It uses an AXI 2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly pack.
A scratch-built, dual-rotor autogiro—the Tango—was converted to electric power and
also uses an AXI 2826/12 motor.
power for a while, you know change is
inevitable. The Xtrema features an
expansion port that will accommodate the
following planned future options.
• A computer interface for data logging and
free lifetime software updates (USB/serial)!
• An integrated and stand-alone cell
balancer
• An add-on integrated tachometer
• Extra temperature probes
• Add-on expansion memory
There will be many more features, to be
announced. The Xtrema manual is available
at www.tmenet.com/pdf/Xtrema%20
Manual-1-1-0.pdf, and its street price is
$189.99. The Xtrema’s charger
specifications are as follows.
• Number of cells: One to 10
• Input voltage: 10.5-15.0 DC at up to 20
amps
• Input connectors: Super heavy-duty
Alligator Clips with 3-foot cord (These are
the best clips I’ve ever seen; I hated to
remove them and replace them with banana
plugs.)
• Case size: 6.25 x 3.25 x 2.25 inches (159
x 83 x 57mm)
• Weight: 22 ounces (624 grams)
• Charger output connections: 14-gauge
fine-strand silicon wire (You add your
favorite connector.)
• Volts per cell: 3.60 (A123 M1 cells)-4.20
in .05-volt increments
• Charge rate: 50-8000 mA in 50 mA
increments (4000 mA max at 10 cells)
• Battery types: Lithium-Ion, Li-Poly
• Safety timer: 10-990 minutes (120
default)
• Fan: On only when needed for longer life
• Safety temperature cutoff: 60-130 degrees
Fahrenheit (104 degrees Fahrenheit
default)
• Audible alarms: Piezo Speaker alarms, 15
seconds, beep once or disable
The Xtrema wattmeter specifications
are:
• Input supply voltage: 6.5-15.0 DC < 40
mA
• Output connections: 14-gauge fine-strand
silicon wire (Add your favorite connector.)
• Voltage measurement: 0.00-60.00,
resolution 0.01
• Current measurement: 0.00-100.00 amps
peak, 50.00 amps continuous, resolution
0.01 amp
• Power measurement: 0.0-6000.0 watts,
resolution 0.1 watt
• Horsepower measurement: 0.00-8.00,
resolution .01
• Temperature measurement: Up to 302
degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius)
Even more amazing is that this state-ofthe-
art charger is designed and
manufactured in the US with support by an
English-speaking American engineer (the
designer).
The Triton Trilogy: Great Planes
ElectriFly follows the success of its popular
Triton charger by introducing the Triton Jr.,
priced at $79.99. The Triton was phased
out at $89.99 and replaced with the Triton
2, which should be available for $129.99 by
the time you read this. Following that is the
Triton ZX for $239.99.
From reading the preliminary
specifications (at www2.towerhobbies.com/
cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMAJ1&P=7) I
gather that the ZX promises to be the
charger to end all chargers. The ship date is
reported to be November 2006. I hope one
will find its way to The Battery Clinic for a
look.
I received the Triton Jr. to review and
found it to be a decent entry-level,
multitechnology charger that
accommodates Ni-Cd, NiMH, Pb, and Li-
Poly packs. It is supposedly a close
competitor to the similarly priced Multiplex
LN-5014.
Programming with the Triton Jr.’s four
buttons is intuitive to the point where the
well-written 27-page (5.5 x 8.5-inch)
manual isn’t really needed. There are four
pages of flow charts to guide you through
the sequences. I like these because they
bring the whole operation into focus in a
much clearer manner than text instructions.
The Triton Jr.’s specifications follow.
My comments are in italics.
• Input voltage: 11.0-15.0 DC
• Input connections: Large Alligator Clip
(As with all chargers I get, I replaced these
with banana plugs.)
• Number of outputs: One
• Battery types, number of cells: One to 14
Ni-Cd/NiMH; one to four Li-Poly or Li-Ion
(3.6- or 3.7-volt cells); and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
12-volt Pb (2 volts per cell)
• Fast-charge current: 0.1-5.0 amps Ni-
Cd/NiMH (0.1-amp increments, 63 watts
maximum) 1C rating Li-Poly/Li-Ion (63
watts maximum) (With 14 cells the charge
rate is roughly 3.5 amps to stay under the
63-watt limit and roughly 3.75 amps for a
4S Li-Poly pack.)
• Fast-charge termination: “Zero deltaV”
Peak Detection Ni-Cd/NiMH, “CC/CV” for
Pb and Li-Poly/Li-Ion (Basically standard
on today’s chargers—a well-established
and reliable protocol.)
• Peak sensitivity: 8 mV fixed Ni-Cd, 5 mV
fixed NiMH (If you find that your NiMH
packs are terminating early, try in the Ni-
Cd mode with the higher sensitivity
setting.)
• Peak delay at start: Three minutes fixed
(An excellent feature to get around
premature peak cutoff problem some
chargers exhibit.)
• Trickle-charge current: Charge
current/20—Ni-Cd/NiMH only (Another
terrific feature. Many chargers ignore this,
leading to unbalanced packs and premature
failure.)
• Fast-charge safety timer: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
1.5 hours; Li-Poly, 2 hours (This is where I
disagreed with Great Planes ElectriFly; it
should have been made it so it could be
disabled for formation charging or for
people who want to use less aggressive
charge on their packs.)
• Thermal cutoff: Unavailable (No big deal;
I seldom use it on the chargers at The
Battery Clinic.)
• Discharge current: 0.1-1.0 amp (0.01-amp
increments, 5.0 amps maximum) (Adequate
for checking pack capacity throughout a
fairly large range of cell sizes.)
• Discharge-cutoff voltage: Ni-Cd/NiMH,
0.1-16.8 (0.1 increment) (I like this feature;
you can cheat and use it for Li-Polys too, to
take them down to a good storage level.);
Pb, fixed at 1.8 per cell (Okay.); Li-Ion/Li-
Poly, fixed at 3.0 per cell (Okay.)
• Cycle count: One to five (Only remembers
and displays the last cycle. Not a feature
one should use much anyway; there are
better ways to wear out your battery.)
• Battery memories: One (Remembers the
last battery charged and stays at that
setting—convenient when using on the
same pack all the time.)
• Programming controls: Membrane touch
pad, four buttons (Good idea in the dirtyfield
environment.)
• Display type: 2 x 16 LCD, blue backlight
(Pretty in the dark!)
• Displayed information: Input and Output
Volts, Peak Volts, Average Discharge
Volts, Charge and Discharge Capacity,
Currents and Time, Errors (Because of the
timer cutoff, all this information is lost if
you run past the fixed time: 90 minutes for
Ni and 120 minutes for Li-Poly.)
• Audible indicators: Beeper (It keeps going
until you tend to the charger, removing the
pack under charge. The sound is similar to
a smoke-alarm tweet when it needs a new
battery.)
• Output connectors: Banana jacks (On the
side where they belong.)
• Case material: Extruded aluminum
• Current overload: 10-amp spade fuse
(Automotive type)
• Case size: 4.7 x 3.6 x 1.2 inches (118 x 92
x 30mm)
• Weight: 13.1 ounces (371 grams)
The Triton Jr. covers all the bases for
many modelers’ normal charging needs. I
did take issue with the timer setting that is
not programmable or cannot be disabled,
but there was considerable discussion about
this with Great Planes ElectriFly marketing.
Only time and the marketplace will tell if it
was a good decision.
Promises, Promises—a tour of The Battery
Clinic: Look at the photo. Maybe I’ll
include more details next time if I can dig
my way out from under chargers to review.
And don’t forget that we are starting our
prime flying season. Just so you know that I
don’t spend all my time trying to let the
smoke out of new products, there are two
photos of my latest endeavors.
The Rascal, owned by my brother-inlaw,
held a SuperTigre .40 but was never
flown. It ended up in my hangar and got an
attitude change when I added an AXI
2826/12 motor with a 3S 4400 Li-Poly
pack.
That worked out so well that I canceled
my plan to build a 70% Tango for electric
power in favor of sticking another AXI
2826/12 in my old .40 FP-powered Tango. I
may be slowing down a bit, but both
models’ performance more than keeps the
adrenalin flowing.
I’m still at 12219 NW 9th Ln., Newberry
FL 32669. Send an SASE, please. I answer
E-mail faster.