Delta 6 Quick Charger from Mainlink Systems

At a model show in mid 2000, taking place on an overcast day at RAF Halton, I wandered into the big hangar to see an old BumpyGreen associate (A vintage freeflight modeller and Fokker DR1 expert I might add) I was disappointed to have just missed him. As I wandered amongst the antique toy circus displays I realised Choddy and I had bought new Overlander batteries but had no method to charge them. I stopped and watched this guy giving a demonstration of a charger that to me initially looked like an old Triang train transformer I had as a child. Spotting Choddy approaching through the crowd with Grot I watched for a few minutes as the demonstrator plugged and unplugged a variety of batteries. As the people in front of him moved off I stepped in for a closer look. ''Will it do Nickel Metal Hydrides'' I asked casually, glancing at the Battery Book on display. ''Of course'' said the guy sitting down.

I put down the book and turned to Choddy, who had just reached me, ''Hydride flight pack charger, does 4 at once and 2 r/x packs at the same time too." As we had just bought 4 Nimh packs we began plying the 2 guys with questions. 10 minutes and much convinced later we stepped away so Choddy could whisper he had seen another charger he wanted to look at. ''Go ahead'' I said ''I'm buying one of these'' and stepped back to engage the guys in conversation as the hangar was emptying for the second half of the model flying show.

The guys where great, really chatty and helpful and I am glad I picked this time to chat as nobody came up for the demo for about 10 minutes. They said they were Chris Bashford and Roger Bowyer-lowe. ''The guys who wrote this'' pointing to the Battery Book and feeling a bit silly for not having realised. I soon took their minds off my embarrassment by waving my VISA card at them. £90 poorer and one Mainlink Systems Delta-6 more better off I was well chuffed with my end of the deal. They only had the 240v mains version left but said I could upgrade at anytime I liked for the same price as if I had bought it 240/12v operation and not pay the whole upgrade charge. Very pleased with that and the fact they threw in their battery book; as I probably asked too many questions: I thanked them and headed off to spend the rest of the day hardly able to wait to get home.

My earlier comparison to a Triang train transformer was accurate only because the sturdiness is apparent as soon as you handle it.

It even looks good at night.

The build quality is perfect, a sturdy powder coated steel case keeps all the ciruitry inside and all the dirt out. A standard IEC mains lead connector (kettle type lead) and an illuminated mains power switch are on the left hand end of the case. A large red Start Charge button is located on the top on the left hand side with a transparent, flashing red LED indicating when the unit is charging. Each output socket is clearly labelled with it's charge rate and comprises of a stanless steel 2 pole jack similar to a JR transmitter charging socket. All 6 outputs have bright red LEDs to indicate which socket is in use and charging. The back of the unit is taken up by a huge heat sink which gives an indication of the sort of heat which may be generated by this unit as well as testimony to the excellent build quality of the Delta-6 overall.

I began by asking choddy to solder some gold plated bullets onto the charging leads provided with the Delta-6 to match the various battery packs we now had. He also made up a lead to charge reciever packs and at the time he still owned his Ikarus Piccolo so made some adapter leads for the packs it used so the charging leads didn't have to be modified. The cables supplied are like JR/Futaba charging leads on one end and bare tinned wires on the other. Extras can be purchased. You plug your suitably adapted lead into the cell pack you wish to charge and the other end into the appropriate charging socket. Packs can be put on all together or added even when the charge cycle has started on another pack. To charge a transmitter you can join 2 of the cables together - ensuring polarity is correct for T/x type.

I started using the Delta-6 almost as soon as the first lead was ready. My 1100mAh Ripmax pack was back from a Topic400 session and ready for a charge. It took about 2 hours to charge, which was a quarter of the time it would take on my old charger.
Another problem with the old charger was it was only for 8.4v 7cell packs so I could not charge the 9.6v packs and Nimh cells must not be left charging once they have reached full capacity.
The Delta-6 is ideal for all the charging needs I have and I do not hesitate to suggest this charger or the Delta-4 to anyone who flys electric powered on a regular basis.

Many hundreds of charged battery packs later, the Delta 6 is still going strong.
It's workload recently has included various r/x packs, JR Transmitters,
8.4v Nicad packs to 2400mAh & 9.6 Nimh packs to 3000mAh.

 

All figures are from personal experience, and should be used as a guide for charge times of various capacities. Battery packs when fully charged should also be left to cool before use.

Visit www.mainlinksystems.co.uk for all your charging needs.

Article by Chinman from Bumpy Green Model Aerodrome
14th May 2001

Comment by on 00000000000000. Rating none

this charger looks like something out of the 60's

Comment by Pete Wills on 20040216105845. Rating 5

I bought one of these s/hand for £40 from a club member and was so impressed with it that I have just bought a Digiliser (battery cycler) to go with it. I was really impressed by excellent quality and performance of both units. My Delta 6 has the 12v jack socket as well as mains, so I can use it as a field charger as well, or run it off the car lighter socket. I've already ditched 2 Rx Ni-Cad batterys that were proven to be faulty (i.e. having a capacity of less than 95% of stated), which has potentially saved 2 planes. Well worth the money!!

Comment by Pete Skillington on 20041122195437. Rating 5

I bought the Delta 4,mainly because it is idiot proof,just what I needed,Operation is easy, quality is great.

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