› Traxxas Ez-peak Live Dual id Charger
Traxxas’ smartest, most powerful charger does all the thinking for you
Make no mistake—i can program the heck out of a charger. Cell type, voltage cutoff, delta peak, charge rate, safety timer, temperature cutoff…no worries, I know all about it. It’s not exactly fun to know about or to fuss with, but sure, I can do it. I’d just rather not deal with it. And so, I am a big fan of Traxxas’ Ez-peak id charger lineup. All of the id chargers have the same essential feature: when used with Traxxas id batteries, the charger recognizes the battery’s chemistry, cell count, and capacity, and sets itself accordingly. Traxxas offers a Dual id charger that can juice up two packs at once, and the Live id charger, which connects via Bluetooth to the free Ez-peak Live app. But there hasn’t been a dual charger with the Live capability until now. Nor has there been an id charger so powerful; the Ez-peak Live Dual id will charge at up to 16 amps per charging port (aka “channel”), or 26 amps total for both channels combined. If you’ve got an X-maxx, E-revo, E-maxx, Unlimited Desert Racer, or other dual-battery rig, this charger is particularly attractive. To charge id batteries, the app is not required; just plug the pack in and the charger will set the battery type and default to Balance charge. Hit the Start/stop button to begin charging, or select Fast mode (speeds up charging but may not get you to 100% capacity) or Store mode (which will charge or discharge the pack to 50% capacity for storage). LEDS light to show charge status, until the final green LED glows and the charger beeps to show the pack is fully charged.
When you add the app, you can monitor charge progress more closely. Estimated charge time in minutes is displayed as well as a percentage, along with a graphic that “fills” to show charge progress and capacity in milliamp hours. “Charge Info” shows the current flowing into the pack, total voltage, and individual cell voltages if you’re charging a Lipo. “Battery Info” shows chemistry, charging mode, capacity, C-rating, and even the battery’s item number—pretty trick.
The app can also be used to set charge rate and mode when you touch “Enter Settings.” Whenever you’re on the Home screen, the center of the display shows an image of the charger and mirrors it whatever the charger is doing in terms of LEDS lighting and blinking is also shown in the image. Beneath it, arrows show which charging port’s data is being displayed. Just touch the arrow that points to the port you want to see.
CHARGING NON-ID BATTERIES
All of the Traxxas id chargers can charge any brand of battery as long as it has a Traxxas plug; you’ll just need to program the charger manually (and plug the pack’s balance plug into the charger, if it’s a Lipo). For the Live Dual, you’ll need to use the app to input the battery type and capacity.