Dynamite Passport Duo 400W Dual AC/DC Touch Charger

Written by Tony Stillman Simplified charging is at your fingertips Product review As seen in the Summer 2017 issue of Park Pilot.

Specifications:

AC input: 100 to 240 volts DC input: 11 to 18 volts Battery balance connector: JST-XH Battery temperature monitoring: Temperature sensor (not included) Battery types: LiFe, Li-Ion, LiPo, NiCd, NiMH, and Pb Display: Monochrome touch screen, 400 x 240 Input connector: AC cord Maximum continuous discharge rate: .01 to 5.0 amps/25 watts per channel Model memory: 20 battery settings Output connector: Banana to EC3; banana to Deans compatible; banana to transmitter PC connectivity: USB, external adapter required Price: $249.99 Info: horizonhobby.com

Features:

>> Intuitive touch-screen display >> 500-watt internal power supply >> 200-watt charge power per output >> 25-watt discharge power per output

Product Review:

The Horizon Hobby Dynamite Passport Ultra Force Duo charger arrived in a full-color box with the contents well protected in a nice foam container. In addition to the charger, inside the box were the following: • Instruction manual in four languages (English, French, Italian, and German) • AC power cord • Dynamite LiPo charge protection bag, $10.99 for small; $14.99 for large • Two banana-plug-to-EC3 battery connectors (DYNC0066) • Two banana-plug-to-XT60 battery connectors • One banana-plug-to-Futaba J connector • One banana-plug-to-male Deans connector • Two JST-XH balance adapters (DYN5032) The charger looks very well made. It’s housed in a nice aluminum case with two large LCD displays for easy readout of information. A nice feature is the five-year warranty that is prominently displayed on the box! In today’s world of battery chargers, this is a welcome feature. I have always recommended that modelers purchase quality equipment from a dealer that can support the item in the future. With this great warranty, you can rest easy knowing that you have spent your money well. The front panel includes connections for each of the charger ports, balance ports, temperature sensors (not included), and a USB 2.1-amp charger port. The side panel has inputs for DC power, AC power, the main power switch, and large fans to keep the unit cool.

The Dynamite Passport Duo Charger’s components as they come out of the box.

This versatile charger has the ability to charge, discharge, and balance all major types of batteries used in RC today. For testing purposes, I chose a 3S 1,100 mAh E-flite LiPo battery. I installed the proper EC3 battery connector to one of the charger outputs and connected the JST-XH balance adapter to the charger. After turning on the unit, I connected my battery pack power lead and the balance lead. The touch-screen display is intuitive and easy to use. The main screen helps you select the battery type and what you want to do to the battery. Using the left or right arrows on the screen, you can scroll between LiPo, LiFE, Li-Ion, NiMH, NiCd, and Pb. This is also where you can access the setup, balance, and memory portions of the charger. After choosing the LiPo option, I pushed charge on the screen. This moved me to the specific setup for the battery that I wanted to charge. This LiPo Charge sub-menu screen displays the following information: pack voltage, capacity, current, and end-cell voltage. To set up the unit for a battery pack, I used the up and down arrow buttons to scroll to the item that I wanted to adjust. I set mine to the top line and pressed enter. This highlighted the menu and allowed me to select the number of cells and voltage. I set it to 11.1 volts for 3S, then hit select and the down arrow to move to capacity. I hit select again to highlight it and used the arrows to adjust the capacity to fit my battery (in this case a 1,300 mAh LiPo).

This is how the charger’s main screen looks at power up. Its dual screens allow for easy setup to charge two packs at a time. Use arrows to select battery type, charge rate, etc.

Note that the adjustment is in 50 mAh increments. Move to the current and adjust the charge rate, if needed. It defaults at a charge rate of 1C. This is what I use for all of my batteries, so I didn’t have to change it. The end-cell voltage is preset, and for LiPo batteries it defaults at 4.2 volts. Now that the charger is programmed for a battery, slip the battery pack inside of the provided charge sack for additional safety. After closing the bag, press and hold the word charge on the bottom line for approximately 2 seconds and the unit begins charging. If you use the balance board, you will be balance charging the battery—always the best option. The display changes to provide information about the current battery status including elapsed time, capacity that the charger has put into the battery so far, current going into the battery, battery voltage, resistance in micro ohms, and peak temperature (if you installed a temperature sensor). You can also go to a second page to view individual cell voltages by pressing the word unit. Press the word “res” to see the cell resistance screen, and press the word graph to see the battery voltage graph. The charge will continue until the battery is fully charged or the user cancels the process. When the charge is complete, the unit will emit tones to indicate it’s finished. Just unplug the battery and your pack is ready to use.

This shows a LiPo battery charging on a Dynamite Passport Duo 400W Dual AC/DC Touch Charger. The battery charger provides great data about the current state of the charging process.

I have many batteries, so another of the Passport’s nice attributes is the memory feature. This allows me to preprogram charge parameters for several types of batteries, making setup much quicker. There are also handy charge ports on the front that allow you to charge your phone or iPad at the field. With dual outputs and a DC input, the Dynamite Passport Duo can quickly charge any of your battery packs. In addition to charging your batteries, it can discharge all battery types. You can select Lithium Storage charging to prepare your batteries for storage. The Dynamite Passport Duo is also a great diagnostic tool that checks your packs to see how they are holding up. Horizon Hobby thought of everything! One of the best purchases you can make in this hobby is a good-quality charger that has the features to handle virtually any battery pack. The Passport Ultra Force Duo certainly fills this bill well! Knowing the condition of your batteries goes a long way toward enjoying your day at the field and gives you confidence that your batteries won’t let you down. With the Passport Ultra Force Duo, you have a charger that won’t let you down either! -Tony Stillman [email protected]