What Makes a Great LiPo Charger? - Hobbymate D6 Duo Pro

I've been using the Hobbymate D6 Duo Pro for a few months now, and am convinced that it's a great first purchase for any beginner. Your charger is a piece of equipment that is tempting to cheap out on but is one of the most important tools that you will need as an FPV pilot. You'll be using it non-stop so take my word for it... buy something good.
If you guys enjoy the review, feel free to give it a like and/or consider subscribing if you want to see more. Everything helps!
Hobbymate D6 Duo Pro: amzn.to/3da66rt
The above is an affiliate link. It will not cost you anything extra but will give me a small commission if used! I will only ever promote products that I've used and enjoyed myself and promise to always be honest with my reviews.

[@MattPochwat]

Thanks for watching! What kind of videos would you be interested in seeing in the future? Interested in seeing me cross off things on my "fpv bucket list"? More reviews? More tutorials? Let me know!

[@EliProductions]

Hey matt! just found your channel here and your production value is pretty high coming out of your home! If you're wanting to target these videos toward more beginner and first time FPV users, i recommend doing tutorials that are easy to understand, explaining jargons, and offer straight forward solutions or buying recommendations. FPV is already a really complex hobby so level of entry is really high. Keep it up buddy!

[@MickBenjamins]

Would love to see a video where you walk through the D6 Pro Dual and show which settings you are using for charging/storing. I think it will be a great help for beginners! :-)

[@MattPochwat]

@@MickBenjamins hey Mick, check out my other videos on lipo batteries. The settings you use will depend on the size and cell count of your battery and those videos should help

[@MickBenjamins]

@@MattPochwat Actually, I should have watched this all the way through before commenting (who would have thought... ;-)) as it answered the questions I had. Nice one Matt!

[@cheechfpv]

Matt great video! Would like to see a video on how to color grade using Adobe premier or FCPX.

[@junjett6358]

To calculate the amount of batteries you can charge at one go, you actually don't use amperage, you use wattage. Watts = volts * amps, and your charger can output a maximum of 200 watts . To charge one LiPo at 1.5 amps at 14.8 volts would consume 22.2 watts. Therefore, you could safely charge up to 200/22.2 = 9 batteries at once. A wall outlet that can output 12 amps at 110 volts can deliver roughly (accounting that it's AC power and power calculations for AC are wonk) 1320 watts, which is far higher than what your charger needs. Regardless, great content and I'm looking forward to see your channel grow!

[@MattPochwat]

Thanks for the clarification!

[@kenyimathey4653]

Thanks so much for this video. Ive been trying to learn FPV for the past month and I wasn't sure how to use the charger, but your video helped a lot!

[@clay6440]

Dude I can't thank you enough for your videos. Extremely helpful for a beginner like me, please continue! Also you should make a build tutorial! 🤘

[@solring]

Dude this videos are very well done, also really useful. Carry on with them

[@MattPochwat]

Thanks! I will do my best

[@aaronseiha]

Dope info man definitely convinced on getting this charger now. Joshua did recommend it but you def made me want to make the jump 👌🏼

[@johnellefa]

This video is so aesthetically pleasing and informative. Thank you so much for this.

[@tomspencerful]

Great content and presentation Matt. Keep making videos please!

[@makss3525]

Very useful video. Thanks for your job, man!!!

[@majestynyny]

Thank you, I picked this rc hobby up 7 years ago, bought a ton of stuff, put everything aside a little over a year later, hear I am 5 years later not knowing what the hell is going on, so this video was great help because I need a lipo charger thats almost dummy proof. Great content by the way.

[@Pablocabrerapvc]

Mine only charged my Lipo batteries up to 80%. Anyone have an idea what’s going on with it

[@nicolasazar96]

Great content as always!

[@schums123]

Just earner a sub! Great content Matt, very difficult to find someone that explains so well as you! One question: Just bought my Taranis, but what battery/charger should i buy? Many thanks!

[@lateball119]

I only gave a thumbs up because you have a frisbee on the wall.🤣 I got into FPV to film disc golfers. Thanks for the charger info!

[@tanahhuat1757]

Hai Matt. Greetings from Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia. Awesome videos on all your reviews/tips/advices. Just a question. I was wondering what type of antennas did you upgraded on your box goggles? Do you mind sharing. Thanks. Fly safe👍

[@gior12_]

Thank you very much! Can you speak in terms of volts (for a 6s 1400mah) to get the best stop for: Balance, Discharge & Storage? thank you again for any advice

[@Starkman3]

Matt, I've been flying small helicopters for about a year now, and picked a charger that had good reviews, the Toolkit M4Q. It does a good job charging, but the balance leads tend to fall out of the sockets unless I put something heavy on the wires to hold them in. What is your experience with how snugly the balance leads fit in the Hobbymate D6 Duo Pro? Thanks.

[@tonyfrench3862]

great video i have been looking and what about the Turnigy Reaktor D6 Pro Duo is it the same charger diff branded ??

[@avsaase]

Have you tried that external discharge function like you described it here? In the manual it says you need to plug the battery you want to discharge in the DC in on the back, and connect a resistor (not another battery) to one of the channels. So that means no individual cell checking and no balancing of the cells. Not really intuitive but I suspect that the internal circuit cannot send current to the DC in port, which is directly connected to the internal PS. I am also not sure if you can just jam DC current into any AC-DC PS and that i get converted back to to AC or something. I suppose you can use the charge program to charge your large battery from the small one that you want to discharge, but any charger can do that.

[@TLVGAMING]

I use the HTRC C150 and it has most of the capabilities of this charger for half the cost. It's a really good charger and it's been working very well I've been using it for about a month now. Great video tho mane!

[@joshuasterling2144]

I have a lot of chargers that I run at a time. I love my HTRC 250, the touchscreen interface and extended features are fantastic. If you have an external power supply it can really put out some amps. I plan to buy another one at some point or get the model above it. I also have a DC banana plug power strip which is really cool.

[@jjanass]

It has a function called power supply. I saw one guy use it to power antennas for testing signal strenght. I was wondering. Can you power the lipo soldering iron like TS100 using that power supply mode on the charger?

[@krayzenvy]

Been looking at this one and the d6 Plus for the higher 300w on AC. I'm just looking for one that can charge maybe 4x 6s on parallel board. Is the d6 pro duo sufficient? Maybe get the parallel board you used in the other video by iflight. Thank you!

[@photolab1656]

Great video, but this charger is too expensive for me so do you have an alternative ?

[@khairulanuarmd1976]

i might get one of this..thx matt

[@colossalbigfoot256]

Back in the day we always discharged our batteries after every race. Using 2 brass rods with 6 car bulbs soldered to them. I’ve known a long time about battery memory and such and have been the battery police for all my friends and they thought I was crazy..

[@dhalimon]

I bought one after watching video, what are the settings for working on quad on bench. 16,8 volts what are the other settings amp and wattage?

[@neomayad]

With both batteries connected the External discharge says "do not connect the battery! Confirm". What does this mean?

[@kamalrazak9736]

hi.. what happend if the battery already finish charge? then u forgot to off the charger? or is it that device automatically cut off the power going in the batt??

[@meeiu]

Any suggestions for if I need XT30 and XT60 plugs? :) Thanks for all your videos~ Very informational

[@cinialvespow1054]

you can get an adapter from xt60 to xt30 if you just need to charge one, or if you're gonna be parallel charging multiple lipos then just get a parallel board with both xt60 and xt30 sockets on it, That will plug into the xt60 output of your charger aswell as the balance port :)

[@justride5041]

Do you need a balancer to charge the 1s batteries with the usb port?

[@honestreview9019]

Is the isdt k2 a better alternative than this one?

[@claudiocosterni6488]

Hi man... what is the max cut-off voltage [End voltage] the user is allowed to choose in the menu for Li-HV batteries before to start the charge? Is it perhaps possible to rise it up to 4.45V, or the limit wrote there is lower, maybe only 4.40V? And what can you say about this for that generic LiXX in the list? I well know what I am doing overcharging 6S Li-HV batteries added to my modified Inspire 2, just few hours before the flights, using other chargers, after 1 years and hundreds of flights, so no need you repeat to me a safety warning, many thanks.

[@jnIcksbkallday]

How do I charge an xt30 connector?

[@we4fm175]

Just retired and getting into the hobby. I'm interested in purchasing this charger. I need advice on what adapters and/or cables are needed to charge an E-flite 7.4V 280mah 2S 30C Lipo Battery: PH Planning on getting the kids and grandkids into the hobby! Thank you for any help, its much appreciated.

[@Joe-bs9dj]

Great vid

[@shaneintegra]

Isnt the balance feature common to practically all chargers?

[@momo.maru-kun]

You should invest on FPV goggles next, the flying experience on them are way way different since you can really fly with precision on 35-50 degrees FOV. And the Caddx Ratel + an 03O, HDO2, or Orqa combo is butter HD experience 👌🏻

[@MattPochwat]

Man, I love my goggles. I probably won't be upgrading until i can justify getting a digital pair. I personally don't want to invest too much into analog right now

[@tomaschmelevskij623]

Had Hota version, AC stopped working after few months, bangood won't refund 😭 Don't know if would take take the risk now of getting another one...

[@damascusg]

What do you think of the D6+?

[@Cicadawee]

Any Compatible USB Charging for cellphone?

[@chadaztig07]

mine changes from yellow into blue background color while charging what does that mean?

[@KryptoSteel]

lol, the batteries.... I thought i wouldnt get more than 10... now i have over 50

[@joshuasterling2144]

I have entire bins full of batteries. I get geeked out when I buy new packs, its a problem...lol I just got into 6s so there goes more battery back logs I need to buy....

[@TeeWalz]

When I charge a battery with this charger, should the charger show the mAh at whatever the battery says it is? Like if I have a 1400mAh battery and the charger gets it to full, should the charger say 1400mAh? Mine only shows mid 800’s. :(

[@dimitarnaydenov90]

Is it the same as hota d6 pro

[@dalesilvernell2053]

Do you have a link for that little 1S parallel charging board you plugged into the USB?

[@dalesilvernell2053]

BTW: thank you for the excellent tutorial!!!

[@kevindigit]

sorry for asking a noob question lol anyway so you don't need a balance board with this charger, i will be using 5000mah 4s 60c lipo batteries?

[@MattPochwat]

The charger has two channels. Each channel can charge one battery at a time without a balance board.

[@Miguaelable]

You're good!

[@albinoorange7351]

Is this and the Hota D6 Dual Pro the same charger under different brands? They seem almost identical and the Hota is only 120$ at RDQ. if the 300 watts of output power is enough, the hobbymate d6 dual lite with the power supply is also only $100 and has the same software features as both of the previously mentioned chargers as far as I'm aware.

[@albinoorange7351]

*edit* The Hota charger also has a pure power supply mode in a sync charge mode

[@orothercoverlord5531]

can this charger charge a CNHL BLACK SERIES 1300mAh 22.2V 6S 100C Lipo Battery? if not, i know you have the nazgul5 4s but i want the 6s version so can you give me a link to the best 6s battery and battery charger for the iflight nazgul5 6s? THANKS!

[@joshuasterling2144]

I can give you some options... Check out the HTRC T240, its my favorite duel channel that can do internal power and external power depending if you have a power supply or not. I have a quad channel charger and a single as well.

[@andrew_hall]

I am commenting because I know that he will comment back. I have said this before but you are super underrated 😀

[@MattPochwat]

Not true.

[@andrew_hall]

@@MattPochwat yes

[@RandoManFPV]

As someone that knows nothing of batteries but seen Josh's video of one of these blowing up.. seeing both the big batteries and all the tiny ones plugged in at once just looks scary 🤣

[@danielnunez3518]

The old Hitec X2’s are just as good imo and cheap. I picked one up at a swap meet for 30 bucks. It even has a second power supply plug so that you could run it off a cigarette lighter port in a car

[@faisaluae123]

Great vedio

[@royfoley2591]

I'm new to FPV so my question is.. what if I buy this charger and need to charge a battery with x30 connector.. can I just buy a reducer cable ?

[@MattPochwat]

I use a xt60 to xt30 converter. Mine isn’t a cable but that would work too!

[@Yan-rv8mi]

Searching "Hobbymate D6 Duo" in Google gives me results of "HOTA D6 Dual". Do you know if Hota is replacing Hobbymate?

[@franciswong26]

HOTA is the original maker of this charger.

[@3dimmoportfolioarchitectural]

Is this charger the same then the ''HOTA D6 Pro AC 200W DC 650W 15A Charger Lipo''?

[@MattPochwat]

I just bought one of the Hota chargers. The Hota charger feels a tiny bit less premium and smells like it came right off the factory conveyor belt but they work exactly the same and the Hota is cheaper :P

[@3dimmoportfolioarchitectural]

​@@MattPochwat This is the answer I was waiting for haha thanks Matt

[@wreckdproject]

I was just wondering the same. Thanks. Hota version is $120 on RDQ while hobbymate is $160 on amazon

[@justinsurla6043]

Hey matt can i ask what is the voltage in the south korea? And if its ok to plug this on 220 volts

[@MattPochwat]

The charger comes with an American plug so I use it with a power converter

[@justinsurla6043]

@@MattPochwat what type of converter or the specs? Does it is ok to 220volts

[@MattPochwat]

@@justinsurla6043 Yes the charger can take 100-240V from the wall. The power converter is nothing special. I just bought it at a department store and it lets me use American plugs. However, if you buy the charger on banggood.com you can buy it with any style plug so you won't need a power converter. I dont know about other websites

[@justinsurla6043]

@@MattPochwat thanks for replying man but promise this is the last where did you buy your hobbymate d6 duo pro banggod or amazon. Thanks again

[@MattPochwat]

@@justinsurla6043 I bought mine on amazon because shipping was faster. 90% of my fpv gear I buy on banggood though.

[@KTHKUHNKK]

Excellent excellent excellent

[@FPV-ke1ef]

Ihave 2s 18650 3000 for each sell what the best settings to charge it with this device i have same one and i make this 2s and i have no idea how to charge it please help thx 🚶

[@cshobbycool1591]

Great review, shared

[@MattPochwat]

👊

[@RealBlackBox]

quality videos

[@solring]

How long can batteries be stored without getting damaged?

[@MattPochwat]

At a full charge I would say no more than two or three days. If properly stored however, they should probably last a few years!

[@joshuasterling2144]

Most chargers have a storage option for functionality. But like he says a lot of batteries like voltages above the bare minimum. I usually take the top 30% charge off for short term storage for maybe under a week and if its rarely longer I discharge to about 20% above the minimum voltage of the cells. The quality of the battery can be a key factor for the type of abuse it can take....lol

[@tommygleason9060]

@@MattPochwat But what exactly does "properly stored" mean? Stored while being charged every two or three days? I'm a newbie and bought batteries two weeks ago that have been stored while I'll pick up on this... I'm I potentially causing a fire?

[@MattPochwat]

@@tommygleason9060 I have a few videos on batteries that I think you'll find useful! By "properly stored" I mean "stored at storage voltage". Storage voltage is about 3.8V per cell, so storage voltage for a 4S is around 15.2 and 22.8 for a 6S battery. You can keep batteries at this voltage for a while and they shouldn't degrade

[@haroldofkernow9279]

I've just got one but it's all in Chinese so i don't know how to read the options to select languages...

[@RealEstateTorontoPhotography]

is this compatible with xt30 batteries ?

[@MattPochwat]

Yes but you will have to get an xt30 to xt60 converter for your batteries

[@RealEstateTorontoPhotography]

@@MattPochwat Thank you

[@superspirofpv]

I got it today for 100$ on sale!!!

[@la-margriffiths2481]

Lol the mkbhd of fpv help videos

[@RFamily360]

i am subscribing man..haha

[@hakzeify]

ninja cut at 4:11

[@touqeergaming4156]

next video about Googals

[@Matty__Matt]

It doesnt cost $160 anywhere other then Amazon. AKA go buy it from somewhere else for 120 or less on other sites

[@deeehmt_305]

I messed up and accidentally bought the HOTA D6 duo thinking it was this one 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@MattPochwat]

The Hota D6 Pro is the exact same as this one. The cheaper version can't be plugged into the wall though.

[@userunknown2771]

Yo, can i power my Portable Soldering Iron off of this setup?

[@ericcartman6376]

u dont want one of thse cheap charges go big or dont get a icharger 4010 duo yes there 300 bucks or more but they are accruate in readings and 2.2 amps for the ballance dicharge leads you can use regen mode to send the power to a battery or a discharge resistor you can charge every battery out there its big heave etc also get a rack 80 amp power supply 12 or 24 volts these little chargers discharge super slow the ballance takes forever you can also get a icharger the 10 amp small one its new i chargers are the best ones

[@airart6350]

You are better than Joshua!!!!!

[@MattPochwat]

No way man. Everything I know about fpv is thanks to him.

[@airart6350]

@@MattPochwat Okay let me say that: you have got the most underrated channel, but at thehighest quality !!

[@MattPochwat]

@@airart6350 thank you 😁

[@trymacs7729]

9:32 you can charge a power supply wow

[@salesale204]

You are not discharging a lipo with your charger?! Don’t wonder when it last not long. Buy a discharger what is made for that.

[@yoeycrack1]

Why the F would I want a Wireless charge for my Cell Phone Im just getting into the Hobby RN and bet you $100 bucks that I can Find something that does the same thing for half the price THIS IS BS