Best Quad Battery Charger? BGUAD CQ3 4 Channel Charger for LiPo, LiFe, LiHV, NiMH, NiCd, LiIo

This is a really good battery charger!
I have used the older version of this charger for YEARS with good results. When the opportunity came to upgrade, I went with the more advanced newer version: amzn.to/2ZroAmf
In this video:
0:00 Intro
1:22 Unboxing
1:43 Setup
2:36 Features & Specs
6:01 Settings
9:52 Final Thoughts
*Note: The provided links to the items recommended in this may be associate links. The great news about this: you pay the same price for the item, but I get a small kickback that helps me fund this channel!
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[@garygullikson6349]

I bought the silver and blue version from Get FPV. Seems identical to red B-Quad version except the blue and silver CQ3 comes with XT-60 cables. I ordered adapters for my lipos with Deans Ultra connectors. Same lousy instruction sheet. Yours is one of the most instructive videos about this great charger.

[@RoadsideRC]

Thank you! Agree - I think the CQ3 is probably shared manufacturing with this one. It is also a great charger!

[@nevrxhale9660]

Thanks for the review. Amazon just dropped mine off this afternoon. Ordered after seeing how highly you spoke of your older one in a previous video.

[@RoadsideRC]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@thomasblair7996]

great how to use video troy,had some other brands and love this charger will stay with this brand long as i can,thank you!!!

[@RoadsideRC]

Glad it was helpful Thomas! This charger has done great for me over the years.

[@ericlugo625]

KZbin is the greatest, if you have a question one can find the answer, thanks for the info on the charger.

[@RoadsideRC]

Glad this was helpful!

[@GreatLakesRC]

Great video 👍 A 100 watts per channel charger is great for 4s and below. If your trying to charge up multiple 6s or even 4s around 8000 mah your gonna need more watts. The 10amps Max is true but it's based on the cells and MAH of the battery your trying to charge so in reality it won't get up to that 10amp specification. I have found that I need a minimum 150 watts per channel and for big 6s batteries I really need 200 watts 👍

[@RoadsideRC]

Yes - you are correct. I did leave that whole part of the conversation out of the video. Thanks for bringing it up!

[@RCNITROPRODRIVERS]

Yeah recently starter getting this problem to Got one htrc c240 duo and one t240 duo Both of them only charge at 4.5a max each when charging 7000mah 4s packs And 5-6amp on the 8000 mah 3s packs This is a big let down when getting back from work and wanna charge a few packs up and get on out before it gets dark Also mostly running Losi SRR so need 2packs at least Usually want 6packs or 3 sets witch is not possible unless I charged some the night before I guess I might be better off with 4x200w charger or 2x200w and get two? Wish there was a 1500w 6port charger available, but at what price

[@TheYoungBoaty]

What charger/discharger do you recommend if I am looking for a 4-channel charger with 10A charge/5A discharge each channel? I am condition four ni-mh modules for a hybrid car so I got 28 totally, discharge speed and product quality matter the most.

[@sunriserc1033]

Good review. Best part was the end where you're like..the reason I have faith in this is because I have the older one. That right there was the selling point for me. I've watched a few of your videos now and I'm glad to subscribe.

[@RoadsideRC]

Thanks for those kind words!

[@louddesignzrc38]

Love it I actually been in the neighborhood of buying a quad charger thanks for the product review and the link bud appreciate it and all the videos keep it up

[@RoadsideRC]

Glad this was useful! It really is a good charger for sure!

[@SpeedSyko]

You nailed it, you need a charger that produces 100 watts per channel DC powered. Is this a AC spec or DC spec? The wattage sounds on point if it’s DC rated. I’ve been around the block, seen and bought chargers that trick you saying AC specs confusing DC spec. I will check it out. One Think that worries me maybe, maybe not, it being very light, scares me. That has no facts behind it as chargers technology has come a long way. I’ll check it out. Be careful with a new charger and fires. Sounds good! If I like the specs after research I’ll buy one. Thank you my man! 👍

[@RoadsideRC]

Thanks for the feedback. I am not sure if it is a AC or DC rating. I have been using this charger for awhile now (real-life time vs KZbin video publishing time), and it has done really well for me. No issues at all.

[@Addicted_2RC]

This has pretty much identical specs compared to my Protek 610 Quad chargers. They charge plenty fast enough for me. I started with a dual Protek and quickly realized that was a bad idea. I agree 💯 about buying quality chargers and I never let me kids deal with the lipos either. I always make sure to charge in a lipo bag and store in lipo bags. I’m always careful and respect these lipo batteries. You never know when one can go up in 🔥 Great info 👊👊👍👍

[@RoadsideRC]

You got that right! Caution is key.

[@TheRCAdventurist]

This thing is pretty awesome. Definitely adding it to my wish list

[@RoadsideRC]

You should!

[@2040RC]

Wow interesting this multi charger batteries! Nicd video and review!

[@RoadsideRC]

Thank you!

[@rickrogers2649]

Good review Troy and good that you remind us to have respect for lipo batteries. No such thing as being too safe.

[@RoadsideRC]

Yes! Thanks Rick!

[@GNCRC]

Great info and review! Seems like an excellent charger!

[@RoadsideRC]

I think it is good for sure!

[@Greywolf74]

That charger isnt going to discharge anything at 5A or anywhere close to it. The specs say it has a max discharge of 10W which on a 2S lipo is about 1.3A. On a 4S Lipo its only going to discharge at half that or about 660mA and a 6S is going to top out at about 450mAh. Its also a good thing that you didnt go above 8A on that 3S lipo because at 100W per channel a 3S lipo charge is going to top out at about 9A. A 2S lipo will be able to be charged at 10A but a 4S is going to be limited to 6.75A, and 6S is going to be limited to about 4.5A. Personally if I was going to spend $240 on this Id rather spend the same amount on 2x HOTA D6 Pro models. Ok sure its an extra AC cord to plug in but the specs are as good or better than this charger on AC and absolutely smokes the specs if you run the HOTAs off of DC power. On DC a pair of HOTAs have a combined Charge wattage of 1300W or 325W per channel. Lets face it theres a lot of places out there selling cheap DC power supplies so why wouldnt you take advantage of DC input at least when youre at home. 24-30V DC input is where its at. Even if you wanted an all in one unit Im not sure why youd buy this anyway. This is pretty much a direct clone of the Protek Prodigy 610 QUAD AC charger which costs the same amount. If they cost the same (and the Protek has a 20W discharge instead of 10W) why wouldnt you buy the name brand model? For me? I would not call this the best charger.

[@RoadsideRC]

Thanks for the feedback - sounds like I need to check out the Hota!

[@Greywolf74]

@@RoadsideRC The one thing that this charger (and Im assuming the Protek charger) has that the HOTA doesnt is the ability to take stand alone IR readings. The HOTA will read IRs during charging but thats not as convenient as the stand alone readings.

[@billyb5057]

looks a really decent charger my friend *fully viewed👍Au👍left a big like*

[@RoadsideRC]

Yes sir! Thanks Billy!

[@gnsukmaofficial]

Thanks for sharing my friend

[@RoadsideRC]

Thank you!

[@user-de5uz4re2h]

I got one of these, it did not come with a booklet. Anyway, i i purchased a 12v 20ah lifepo4 to use with it to field charge on the DC port.. I planned to charge the 20ah with the bquad when i returned.... i hooked it up at a mild 5 amp charge rate and c4 life charge 12:12 setting. After about 45 minutes it started flashing" "capa" instead of full or end. Is this noemal?

[@RoadsideRC]

You need to look in the settings. It has a trigger to stop at a certain capacity. Easy solve!

[@mrxrobot2530]

Hi there. How is it holding up? I'm looking for a 4 port LiPo charger, this one popped out on my screen, but the Amazon reviews are quite concerning. What do you think of it so far and how is it working for you? thanks.

[@RoadsideRC]

Hi there! I have had good luck out of this. Is my main charger still to this day. Works great!

[@garygullikson6349]

Make sure that US seller will exchange defective charger during 30-day, or whatever, warranty period. Chinese EC-Peak company is not responsive . Get FPV sells the CQ3 for $160.

[@RoadsideRC]

Nice tip!

[@MMRConline]

Great review. How has this held up since you got it?

[@RoadsideRC]

It has done great - it is my main charger.

[@dmitryunique6876]

Can this one charge nimh hv battery parts(lexus rx 450), like 8-7-7-8 cell per channel(67.2 or 76.8 volts)? Can it start charging automatically when power is on? want to make a plug in hybrid:)

[@RoadsideRC]

I honestly don't think it will.

[@garygullikson6349]

Is this charger made by Chinese manufacturer EV-Peak? Is it the same exact charger as the original blue and gray EV-Peak EQ-3 charger? I have the old EV-Peak 3260 80 watt per channel that is still working. I don't think that the charger actually measures cell IR, does it? Nicely detailed review.

[@RoadsideRC]

My understanding is it is the next version of the blue EQ-3 that you are referring to. I used to have that charger - it was great also. I actually just used the IR feature this last weekend. It doesn't show it for each individual cell, it shows it for the pack.

[@alexgower7141]

Nice video,can you use it for hybrid betteries?

[@RoadsideRC]

Depends on the chemistry of the hybrid batteries. If it matches one that the charger already accommodates, then I don't see why not.

[@arcaderacer586]

Using the 8000mah lipo as example,when charging at 8A,do you get same amount of run time vs charging it at a slower rate?

[@RoadsideRC]

Yes. Charge rate does not have anything to do with capacity.

[@jamesalles139]

6.5 Amperes is what I need for a Prius Hybrid NiMH battery module! (at 1C rate)

[@hountep871]

So Prius battery fully charged only 5 -7 v only?

[@jamesalles139]

@@hountep871 No. Each module is 6s NiMH so should be 1.2v*6 = *7.2v* normal to 1.35*6 = *8.1v Max* charge

[@profoundminds_9021]

does anyone know what a flashing FULL means?

[@RoadsideRC]

It means either (1) the charge is done - each cell is at 4.2V, or (2) the charger reached the pre-set mah capacity limit. Pretty sure it is #1

[@goneballistic]

I have this charger and using it to charge a 7500mAH battery. I set the auto Discharge-->Charge routine to 3x, and in user settings I set the cutoff voltage to 7500mAH, but the auto discharge/charge cycle is charging the cells to 8.7v (8700mAH). Anyone know why it's not respecting the cutoff? I also have this weird issue where the charger looks at the cell and will say it's at say... 7.7v, but if I check with my ohmmeter, it'll say the voltage is 7.4v. So I'm worried this charger is misreading voltage......

[@RoadsideRC]

You are confusing voltage and capacity. The 7500mah is capacity (how big the battery is), not the voltage (how powerful). Please go back and double-check your settings and what you are trying to do.

[@KurtsRCs]

Nice Charger

[@RoadsideRC]

It really is!

[@EVSA]

Hi Troy, I purchased an EV-Peak CQ3 and ended up with the BGUAD model like you are showing. I have found that when I use the Digital Power mode, the voltage varies around what I set it to. eg. if i set it to 12.0Volts and then turn that channel on the voltage varies up and down around the 12V. ie. vari ying from about 11.8 to 12.2 random voltages but continually changing. Would you be able to setup your CQ3s to Digital Power to see if you get the same result? You have to turn the channel on to see the changing voltage. Thanks, Eric (Australia)

[@RoadsideRC]

Hello! I just tested this on my charger. Same result. Some.voltage fluctuations +/-12V

[@EVSA]

@@RoadsideRC - Thanks Troy - It certainly looks like this cannot be used as a precision Power Supply.

[@Frosty_fusion]

When does the auto shutoff kick in? My 2s gets to 4.5 and doesn’t shut off

[@RoadsideRC]

Are you looking at total voltage or voltage per cell? 4.2V per cell is the maximum. Make sure you have the charger set to Lipo, not lihv.

[@Frosty_fusion]

@@RoadsideRC so I figured it out, I sat and watched them and they go up to 4.5 then slowly goes down until all cells are balanced and at 4.2 total. Then shuts off and says fully charged!

[@simondaly568]

2 channels failed on mine within 18 months.

[@RoadsideRC]

Odd. Mine is still going strong, many years later! Perhaps try contacting BGUAD? 18months is long for a warranty, but I would be curious what they would say.

[@boxboy011]

thank you for your knolege.

[@RoadsideRC]

Thanks for watching!

[@nosferatu49426]

How has this charger held up now after a year? I’m new to RC again after 30 some years and having a crazy old Radio Shack car. Lol.

[@RoadsideRC]

It is great! It is my daily charger!

[@nosferatu49426]

@@RoadsideRC Awesome. Thanks. 🙂

[@JoeOvercoat]

But will the buttons last? I have had two multi-port chargers of this type where buttons have failed for one or more banks. P.S. COLOR CODE THOSE LEADS TO AVOID CROSS-CONNECTIONS.

[@RoadsideRC]

That sucks for sure! I had the older model of this charger - used it for a few years without any issues with the buttons. Which leads are you talking about color coding? The main banana leads and the inputs are color coded already.

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@RoadsideRC Color-code to differentiate the channels, to avoid connecting the balance connector to 'the other' battery.

[@RoadsideRC]

Ah! Good idea! I have actually crossed them before. The charger immediately threw an error.

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@RoadsideRC Now that's a smart charger and a strong selling point.

[@zaheen96]

I did only balance port with the small adapters and it takes the light to get green in about 6 to 8 hours hahaha. My first time with the balance charger, Question, I thought balance port is the charging port and the other one discharging port but here I see you connected both does it have to be like that?

[@RoadsideRC]

For this type of charger, yes. It uses both the main leads and the balance port for charging.

[@zaheen96]

@@RoadsideRC ❤thanks

[@oufikjeho1170]

What do you think about UltraPower UP9?? (can be purchased on aliexpress) Thanks :)

[@RoadsideRC]

I have never used it.

[@oufikjeho1170]

@@RoadsideRC And what do you think about the brand, or if you look at it on internet?

[@extremercbashers9975]

You mean when you put your batteries in storage mode you set this charger to storage mode and you turn it up to 10 amps I have a buddy that thinks you're trying to discharge and from what I understood if you used it discharged function on a charger you would destroy your lipos because that's how you dispose of them by discharging them ?

[@RoadsideRC]

When I am putting my batteries in storage: 1) Put charger on storage mode 2) Set charge amps per what the battery needs (anything from 1-10A) 3) Hit Start The charger will automatically charge or discharge to hit the 3.85V/cell target based on where the battery is. I literally have NEVER used the discharge setting.

[@extremercbashers9975]

@@RoadsideRC alright that is what I thought I shared this link with a buddy of mine who's looking for a charger like that and from him watching your video he thought you was using the discharge to put your batteries in storage

[@extremercbashers9975]

@@RoadsideRC thank you

[@garychios]

How do you know when a battery is fully charged?

[@RoadsideRC]

The charger shuts off automatically. As an example for lipo, it will automatically shut off at 4.2V/cell

[@garychios]

@@RoadsideRC Can you tell by the fans being off??

[@gnafin]

have you tried the internal resistance testing

[@RoadsideRC]

I didn't! I saw that it had it, but haven't given it a shot.

[@gnafin]

@@RoadsideRC i did try it but dont know how to read it. i thought it would read each cell. also i see you can do data logging, did you find that?

[@RoadsideRC]

@@gnafin I saw that, but didn't really think I needed it for anything.

[@andredaniel2877]

nice but where to by in germany

[@RoadsideRC]

I am not sure, sorry.

[@hountep871]

I tried to charge the NIMH battery. I got only 5v, and I set for 3 cycle which it's running only one cycle.

[@RoadsideRC]

I set my nimh to "auto" and it works great. Charges them fast.

[@Chemike21]

Hey, i bought a turnigy quadcore which is very beefy, but apparently it doesnt test capacity. Could you expand on weather or not this charger can do the following?? 1. Cycle battery multiple times. 2. Show capacity of low mha when discharged and high mha when charged for each cycle?

[@RoadsideRC]

Hi there! I have not specifically tried to do what you are talking about. 1) I don't think so. I have not seen an option like that. I have cycled batteries, just manually. 2) It shows the gained mah during the charge, but that is the total for the pack, not by cell. Out of curiously, can you tell me more about why you are trying to do that?

[@Chemike21]

@@RoadsideRC ya, people use these for testing and cycling prius batteries which are 28 modules of 7500mah NiMh 7.2v. But to test them, you need a capacity reading, to know what the mah is @ discharged and mah @ charged is.

[@bevinsracing]

It's a knockoff of all the name brand ones protect.. dynamite.. hrc.. they all seem the same

[@RoadsideRC]

It does well for me!

[@LesAdventuresdeschtisNomade]

👍🏆

[@RoadsideRC]

Thanks!

[@nonospammo2142]

Who sells it?

[@RoadsideRC]

Here you go: amzn.to/3LphhNT

[@nonospammo2142]

@@RoadsideRC Currently unavailable.

[@RoadsideRC]

I clicked the link - shows available for me. I wonder why not for you?

[@nonospammo2142]

@@RoadsideRC Not really sure? perhaps because I am in Australia? tried setting my VPN to the US no change

[@travisklein7293]

Yes i want this charger this is TDK America 🇺🇸 TRAVIS Dean KLEIN

[@RoadsideRC]

I hope you like it when you get it!

[@christiansrcs7789]

Hahah! That’s expensive 😞

[@RoadsideRC]

When you compare to 4 smaller chargers, it is actually much cheaper. Just depends on how much charger you need.

[@christiansrcs7789]

@@RoadsideRC yeah