Ultra Power UPS6-AC Battery Charger for Micro Drone

Ultra Power UPS6-AC Battery Charger for Micro Drone

The UPS6-AC is a 1s specific lipo charger ideal for charging batteries for micro drones such as the Tiny Whoop or Tinyhawk. As 1s chargers go this one is on the higher end as opposed to the cheap boards you just plug the lipos into and wait for the light to come on!

What’s in the Box?

Not much to be honest, the charger, an power lead and an instruction sheet. Nothing more is really needed so I can’t complain.

The charger is relatively compact in a simple form with inputs on the front and back, connectors on the sides and a small character display with two buttons on top. The build quality seems pretty solid and I would feel confident throwing the charger in my backpack.

A 1s Charger doesn’t have too much to say about it so I will move straight on to the key features

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Key Features

AC or DC Input

Straight away this sets it apart from the competition. On one side we have an XT60 slot so we can power it with a lipo, on the other we can use AC mains power to save using our batteries. This makes the charger very versatile as you can use it either at home or out and about.

AC-DC-battery-charger-input

Independent Charging

This is one of the highlights of the charger, it is essentially six chargers in one with a central screen controlling all channels. This means that you can independently set the voltage (either LiPo @4.2V or LIHV @4.35V) for each channel and the current (between 0.1 and 1A).

General operation is super easy as lipos begin charging the moment you plug them in. The screen shows the current state of each slot and a press of the menu button cycles through the options. The set button allows you to change the values for each channel or all 6 at once. Operation was simple after a 30 second skim of the included manual.

Having this feature allows you to continuously charge multiple packs thought a session and if you pace yourself you will never run out! I have 7 seven 1s lipos, that’s one on the quad and six always on charge. If I charge my 500mah packs at 2C (which is the chargers 1A capacity per channel) I can charge each pack in just under 30 minutes. Half an hour for 6 packs means I can have a fresh pack every five minutes 😀

Multiple Connectors

One of the nice features of the charger is that it will work with almost all 1s batteries without the need for an adaptor or additional charge board. Each of the six charge sections has an independent connector for Micro, MX, JST, mCPX. This makes the charger super versatile for a combination of lipos. Even better the ports are labelled so you can use it to identify your battery type.

LCD Screen

The charger features a blue LCD screen that shows basic text. It’s simple but conveniently allows you to monitor the voltage, current, mAH and charge time of all packs individually. Having the screen makes changing settings straight forward and allows you to work out when your packs will be ready.

This makes a nice change from the typical 1s chargers where you only get an LED that changes colour once the pack is charged. On the UPS6-AC LEDs are also present to indicate charging (red) and full (green) a beeper also sounds as each lipo is fully charged.

Detailed Specifications

  • Input voltage: AC 100-240V / DC 7-17V.
  • Charging power: max. 4.35w x 6, ±10%
  • Charging current: (0.1-1.0A) x 6, ± 10%.
  • Battery type: LiPo / LiHV.
  • Number of batteries: 1 cell.
  • Display: LCD screen + LED light.
  • Support battery connection: Micro, MX, JST, mCPX
  • Item size: 125 x 70 x 42 mm.
  • Item Weight: Approx. 219g

Problems

The only issue I could say about is safety. These are very small points that you should be wary of with any electrical device. Firstly the charger was supplied with an EU power cord and a cheap international adaptor as seems to be the norm when ordering from China.

I’ve had loads of these adaptors before and not had a problem but this particular one was really loose fitting. This could of potentially caused an arc and a fire so I didn’t even try it. To power the charger I just used an old IEC C7 plug I had in a draw that almost everyone will have somewhere in their home.

The other issue was the XT60 input. When the charger is powered by AC voltage an internal power supply converts the voltage to DC for the charger to use. The XT60 is connected to this and as such touching it by accident gave me a very small shock.

I verified this by measuring the voltage across the pins and saw 12.3V. That’s not enough to do any kind of harm but is a bit of a surprise. It makes me worry about what would happen if you tried to plug a DC supply in at the same time as using an AC one. I didn’t try this but my guess is that the chargers internal power supply would get fried.

Who is It For?

I would recommend this charger to anyone looking for a way to charge a few 1s packs on the go. In particular those who attend micro drone meetups and events.

Cheaper options are available if you don’t require the AC input but for most this will be the main selling point of this charger. It’s versatility of multiple connectors and multiple inputs is tough to beat. Along with all possible charging options and the ability to see the voltage of all your packs on the main screen.

If you only have one or two lipos you may get away with the normally included USB chargers but for anyone else this one is ideal. For those not interested in the AC input a smaller DC only variant is available.

  • + AC/DC Power input
  • + Charge 6 different lipos independently
  • + Small and well built product
  • + Competitively Priced
  • + Screen to set/monitor charging
  • – Ships with EU power cord/adaptor (this may vary for your country)
  • – Cheaper models available for those not needing the AC input
DN

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