ISDT D2 Charger

ISDT D2 Review | Smart Battery Balance Charger

ISDT have made a name for the themselves the past few years. Not only do they produce great products, but they are also simple to use. The ISDT D2 charger is no exception. The D2 offers two 200watt channels which allows you to charge 2 batteries at once. Most importantly, the 2 channels can be for different Type (Lipo/LiHV etc) or Cell count (1s to 6s).

This makes it a great charger for drone owners. While this is not a new product to the market, it is still one any body looking for a desktop charger should consider.

WHATS IN THE BOX?

The ISDT D2 comes with the charger, a screen protector and a 2 pin power cables (mine was with a UK Plug). There is also a set of basic instructions. While there is not a lot in the box it does provide everything you need.

ISDT D2 Charger

FEATURES & SPECIFICATION

SpecsISDT D2 200W
InputAC 100~240V
Charge Current0.1-12.0A x 2
Discharge Current0.1-3.0A x 2
Max Charge Capacity200W
Max Discharge Capacity5W x 2
Balancing Current1A/cell x 2
Balance Cells6S x 2
Display2.4” 320×240 IPS LCD
Operating Temperature0-40°C
Storage Temperature-20-60°C
Dimensions120x108x70 mm
Weight510g
Supported Battery TypeLiHv (1-6S), LiPo (1-6S), LiFe (1-6S), Lilon (1-6S), NiMH(1-6S), Cd (1-16S), Pb (1-12S)

Features

  • scOs Specially designed OS for smart charging
  • Wild range AC Input, 200w of dual output (without interference)
  • 5V/2A USB output power from side of the unit
  • Short current protection (SCP)
  • Overload protection (OLP)
  • Over voltage protection (OVP)
  • Over Temperature protection (OTP)
  • High-speed efficient synchronous digital power supply technology
  • Dual-fan high-speed ball-bearing fan promotes active cooling efficiency
  • One key shuttle control
ModelStore OptionsChargerWattageRate
ISDT D2BanggoodSmart Battery Charger200watt★★★★★

GET 20% OFF 

Coupon Code: BGHU228

TESTING

I have split the testing between the 3 main functions I want from my
lipo battery charger. Charging, discharging and storage. For my testing, I am not going to parallel charge, however I will talk about it in the appendix at the end.

CHARGING

Once you plug both the Xt60 and balance cable into the D2 it detects the Cell count automatically. It also shows the total voltage and the voltage range between the cells

D2 Charging ISDT

You then select the channel you wish to charge. This then gives you the detailed view of what each cell is currently sitting at. If you scroll the wheel you will also see its resting temperature as well as other details.

Pressing the scroll wheel in lets you change your charging settings. On here you can select the task, in this case we are going to select “Charge”. You can also select the battery types. I am using Lipos for my test, but it can charge LiHv, LiFe, Lilon, NiMH, Cd and Pb. I won’t be testing these options, but they are there if you need it.


Ok, now for a warning, in fact 2 warnings; Firstly, it is recommended that you always charge a 1c. This means that if you are charging a 1300mah battery, you want to use 1.3amp. This will reduce the risk of fire and also prolong the life of your battery. Charging at 1c will mean it takes 1 hour to charge the battery. This sounds slow, but it is the safest way.

Secondly, this charger will allow you to over charge the battery, A 4s battery should be charged to 4.2 volts per cell. Any higher will risk fire / explosion. There is performance to be found here, but I must warn you first. Do not adjust this unless you know what you are doing.

Settings ISDT D2 Charging

So now we have gone over the warning, I have selected, 4.2 for Cell Voltage and 1.3amps for the current setting. Once I have done all of that, I select “Start task.”At this point, the screen turns red to show it is charging. If you scroll the wheel, you will see cell voltages, temperature and cell resistance (which is good for checking the heath of your batteries). It will also show you a timer.

If you connect another battery on the other channel you can switch between them using the buttons on the front.

Once it’s done, it beeps and the screen turns green as it goes into balance mode, where it balances the current between each cell. After that it beeps several times and the screen turns blue. At this point it is complete.

DISCHARGING

D2 Charger Discharge

The ISDT D2 is capable of a maximum discharge current of around 3amp. Which is pretty Average for a desktop charger. The process for setting this up is pretty much the same as the charging, other than you select discharge rather than charge.

When you select this, it will change the current setting down to 0.2amps (however it will let you have anywhere in the range of 0.1amp to 3amps) and set the cell voltage to 3.30v (again the range here is 3.20v to 3.40v).

I am less worried about the rate I discharge Lipos as its nothing compared to the rate we discharge them when flying (well above 50c).

STORAGE

Again, the process is the same for putting your batteries into storage charge. Just select “storage” and the setting will automatically change. I did notice that the D2 picks 3.8 volts for storage voltage which is slightly lower than the recommended 3.85v per cell. This is easily changed on the interface. Again, I change the current setting to 3amps for a faster discharge.

Overall it is very easy to use and the performance is good. I would say, for putting my batteries into storage charge I will continue to use my ISDT FD-100 Discharger, which offers a 6amp discharge rate.

DETAILED LOOK AT THE ISDT D2 200W

The D2 to runs off mains power, which means that you cannot run it off DC (Battery) power. The unit itself has 2 Xt60 connections and 2 connectors allowing anything from a 1s upto a 6s battery.

Each channel can output upto 200 watts, which if you want to parallel charge will allow you to charge around 8 or 9 1300mAh 4s batteries at 1c on each channel. If you do push your D2 this hard you will be glad that is has Twin Fans to keep the charger cool, link this with short current protection, overload protection, over voltage protection and over temperature protection, you have a very safe charger.

d2 charger

The Interface is simple to use and is totally controlled with 2 buttons (that let you select the channel) and a scroll wheel that lets you do the rest. The screen is bright and clear. The Interface is also consistent, it does not change much between the functions and is very easy to understand.

One of the features that I think is very useful is the D2s ability to test the internal resistance of the batteries it’s charging. This is a great guide to the health of your batteries and can give you an early warning when the battery is on its way out.

Wrapping up, the main features is a USB Charging output, which offers 5v at 2amps. This makes it handy for keeping your mobile phone topped up before you go out to fly.

D2 Charger USB

Pros

  • + Very affordable at $100
  • + Built in DVR
  • + High quality 5 inch display
  • + Ground station modularity
  • + Auto Scan
  • + External video receiver option

Cons

  • – Battery duration
  • – Weighty at facefront
  • – Face foam pad cannot be removed, only replaced
D2 Smart Lipo Battery Charger

CONCLUSION

The ISDT D2 is a fantastic charger. For most users it has plenty of power and having 2 channels will mean you can charge different types of battery at the same time (which I do quite often). Also, if you are not comfortable with parallel charging you can quite simply charge 2 batteries at the same time, which is very handy.

Price wise, it is quite high compared with other products on the market. However, there are a number of safety features which are there to protect you which are not always available on other models. For me this is important, as I really don’t want to burn down my house (this is a very real danger when charging lipos), so the cost of this charger is worth it in my eyes.

When you line it up tothe ISDT T8, the D2 has a lot less power, so if you are looking something to push a lot of power out into a large parallel charging array, this charger is not for you. But for me, I have around 10 batteries on the go at any time in a mix of Lipo (4/5s) and LiHv (4s) so it has plenty of power for my needs.

APPENDIX

Parallel Charging

The basics of Parallel charging are simple. You join several batteries together using a parallel charging board to make 1 big battery. So, by connecting 4 1300mAh 4s batteries together you create 1 5200mAh 4s battery. This means you can charge 4 batteries at one time. So instead of taking 1 hour to charge 1 battery at 1C, you can charge 4.

Now this sound great, but the risks are much higher. If 1 of the cells is bad or there is some other issue, fire is a very real possibility. So, you need to take a lot of care if you are planning on Parallel charging.

The main rules of Parallel Charging

  • All Cell voltage range should not be greater than 0.3 volts when you start charging.
  • Vary mixed batteries with different numbers of cells
  • Never mix battery chemistry (Lipo V LiHv)

You can mix capacities. Effectively mixing 1400mAh and 1000mAh batteries just change the total size of the battery so there is not issue.If you are not confident, don’t do it!

CHARGING WARNING

When charging indoors, never leave your charger unattended.Lipos can combust very quickly and can cause significant damage if they go off. Ideally charge in a location with as little flammable material as possible.

Author: Paul Rose

DN

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