Tuesday 9 April 2013
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Thursday 28 February 2013
Sunday 17 February 2013
Wednesday 13 February 2013
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Monday 11 February 2013
Review: Elangears Elan R
Today we will be taking a look at the all new Elan R charger from Elangears.
Elangears originally announced the Elan a about a year ago and soon attracted the attention and signed Team Xray's Alexander Hagberg. After this initial hype the company kind of disappeared and we never heard much more from them. Although in late 2012 they refreshed their entire product line with revised 'R' editions of all the chargers.
For anyone interested, here is the packaging. A nice solid colorful box with all the info on it.
The Elan R is an amazingly compact unit, not much bigger than a typical smart phone!
The left hand side has a vent for airflow and the DC inputs from your power supply.
The Right hand side has the charge outputs, temp sensor connection, balance connection and the inlet for the cooling fan.
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The rear bears nothing other than some slits for airflow and two button head screws.
Here is a list of all the chargers specs:
- Up to 15A charge
- Up to 7A discharge
- LiPo/LiFe/LiIon 1-6s
- NiMh/NiCd 1-14s
- Lead acid 2-20V
The charger features various charge programs including the Elangears 'Smart Charge' which claims to give fast charge rates and helps extend the life of Li batteries. It also has a standard and rapid charge modes, and of course just like any modern charger it will balance charge.
The charger is all aluminum and has a great matte finish to it, the orange display is nice and bright with great contrast, really easy to see in bright light.
The only control on the charger is the joystick, to my surprise it is very easy to use, navigating the menus is a breeze! it is not a real joystick in the fact that it moves in all directions but clicks when it reaches one of the 4 points. simply move to the right to advance through a menu, left to go back and up and down to increase or decrease values. simple.
Here is an example of the charge menu.
I have tested the charger and even whilst charging my IP 6800 2S race packs at 2c (13.6 amps!) the charger stayed completely cool to touch. The fan is also smart as it will only turn on when it is charging.
In conclusion I think that the Elangears Elan R is a fantastic charger with some great features, a brilliant compact design and a great look to it. The charger sports all the features you would want from it and has more than the horsepower to charge all the latest batteries. The charger is expensive at £170, no denying that, and quite honestly it doesn't seem like allot of charger for £170. But don't let that fool you, it still has all the features of other chargers on the market, and the all aluminum design is much nicer than many other chargers.
Look forward to more on this powerful little charger!
I would like to give a massive thanks to Elangears for sponsoring me the charger.
Saturday 2 February 2013
Review: Elangears Cronus 400S
Today we will be looking at the all new Elangears Cronus 400S power supply.
The Cronus 400S is the new revised 2012 version of previous 500S.
Features
- Over current protection
- Over-heat protection
- short circuit protection
- 1.5A USB charge port
- LED power indicator
- 100/240V operation
Some pictures of the unit:
Power switch, AC in and 12v outputs:
Sides with Fan and airflow vents:
Heres a better view of the USB port:
On the top of the unit the Elangears branding is shown along with a guide for placing two Elan R Chatgers:
The power supply is a very compact unit, not the smallest but definitely portable.
It has a good weight to it, at just over 1200 grams, the build quality is outstanding with not a single loose screw or rattle. The product has a premium feel to it with its smooth anodized finish and sharp graphics.
I have not been able to test its 30A capabilies as of yet but I have no doubts that it can deliver the aclaimed output, I have two Elan R chargers and both of them charging IP 6800 mah 2s lipos at 6.8A and the power supply had no problems with the demand, it stayed cool to the touch all the way through the charging.
Personally I like the orange colour, it may not be to everones taste though. Maybe I just like it because I'm an xray driver...
Pros:
- Compact design
- Build quality
- USB port
- Safety precautions
- LED indicators
Cons:
- Tad on the noisy side!
- Could do with more outputs
- The graphics on top are a bit pointless unless you have Elan R Chargers
I'd like to give a massive thanks to Elangears for sponsoring me with their products!
New Arrivals: Elangears ElanR & Cronus 400S
Look forward to a review on these fantastic looking new products.
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