Battery chargers
 

I know at VCU they said we could use last year's battery chargers
My question is doues this apply to all regionals and the nationals or not?

I got an email that at the LA regional, any charger, up to 4 amps, will be allowed. However, I've only been able to find 1 amp and 10 amp chargers, nothing in between.

4 amp chargers
 

For Powersonic chargers, contact www.aegi.com. It will take about a week to recieve one. I'm not sure of the price.

The same 4 amp chargers we have used in the past are available from McMaster-Carr I think the part # is 7448K68 $138.16.

Will the chargers provided in the kit suffice for charging between competition or will we not have a fully charged battery by the end of the day?

The chargers in the kits are 1 amp chargers. They are very slow. I would recomend getting a four amp charger, if possible. If not, other teams might let you borrow an extra one at your regional.

Stephen

I dont know how fast you all go through batteries, but...
 

we had 2 charges and 4 batteries (this years and last) and we always had 1 full battery on the robot, 1-2 charging, and 1 ready to go. Alot of times last years charge would finish its battery, so we'd put it to our other charging bat and take this years charger and put it on whatever battery was going to be used next, just to make sure it stayed full. Unless your robot is a real power eater 2-3 chargers and 4-5 batteries should be more than enough. Though i agree, this years charger doesn't have the speed needed on its own... Although, isnt there a little red switch on the back that changes it from 1amp to 2amps? i thought i had noticed somethin like that.

Re: 4 amp chargers
 

I can't find any chargers on their site above 800mA.

As to the 1 amp chargers...
They will charge a dead battery to full charge in 18 hours. (give or take an hour) Since most teams will not run their batteries fully down (since a terminal voltage of 8 volts will reset the controller) you can guess that a 1 amp charger will bring a battery back to full charge in 8-10 hours. This is good enough for overnight in the hotel room but not fast enough to recharge the same day in the pit.
For those rookie teams that have not had experience with the four amp chargers, the heatsink on the back of the charger runs hot!! Make sure it has plenty of air and nothing gets laid on top that would melt. (i.e. plastic sheet, man made fabric, carpet, etc.) In most cases the four amp chargers should be able to bring a battery up to full charge in an hour or two (say over lunch break)

The 4 amp battery charger is PS4000A. I did not see it on the website but it is availble. It would ship out the next day if ordered early enough. Call the 800# if you need to.
David