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I have this remote controlled helicopter: http://www.clasohlson.com/se/Radiostyrd-helikopter/31-8071

Currently it is charged by connecting the remote control. However, since the RC runs on batteries, I am thinking it would be nice to charge the helicopter with a battery charger or similar.

I am a complete beginner, and am now looking for how to understand how I can solve this problem. How do I find out what I need? Can I use for example an iPhone charger or anything simliar that many homes has?

Sten
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  • No, you cannot use a phone charger. Although they are called chargers, they're actually power adapters. They have no charge-control circuits whatsoever. To prevent damage to the battery, only charge as the manufacturer says you should. – Bimpelrekkie Mar 21 '16 at 14:11
  • It looks very much like a S107G (or a clone), if it has a 3.7V/150mAh Li-Poly battery, you could search AliExpress on "S107G USB charger" and you'll find ready built ones for less than a dollar (and in my case free shipping). – Louis Somers Nov 27 '16 at 23:24

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You need a charger which is matched to the battery in your helicopter. Typically these use a single Lithium Polymer cell with a capacity of ~100mAh. To charge this properly the charger must limit current to 0.1A and voltage to 4.2V maximum.

If a Lipo battery is charged incorrectly it may explode and burn up anything around it. This is not just theoretical. I have personally seen the results of some Lipo fires, and they were not pretty.

An iPhone 'charger' is just a 5V power supply that simulates a USB port - the actual charger circuit is built into the phone. Some devices use an external charger, but this will be matched to the battery in the device. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you should only use a charger with the device it was designed for (and similarly, never use a charger that was not designed for that device!).

You could use an iPhone 'charger' or other USB power supply to run your own charger, eg. this one from Adafruit. Then you just need to attach the correct plug to suit your heli (perhaps removed from the transmitter).

Bruce Abbott
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  • Amazing reply. Thanks! According to the site the heli indeed does use a lipo battery (3.7V). I guess it is very risk free then to buy the Adfruit Micro Lipo and start charging. – Sten Mar 22 '16 at 09:01