Review: LRP Touch Competition Charger

THE FACTS
Manufacturer: LRP
Product: Pulsar Touch Competition Charger
Part Numer: LRP41555
Price: $245
Battery Type: NiCd, NiMh, LiPo, LiFe
Cell Count: 1-8 NiCd/NiMh, 1-4 Lithium
Balancer: Built-in
Charger Rate: .1 to 8.0A
LCD Display: Backlit
User Profiles: 5 Factory pre-set, user customizable

The charger world has come a long way since I’ve been in the industry. Back in MY day, the top of the line chargers were huge, had VERY basic LCD screens, had no ‘features’ and could only charge up to a 7-cell NiCd pack. Thankfully, like any industry, technology raises the bar!

The LRP Pulsar Touch Competition has certainly taken advantage of that technology and given racers a feature-packed, state-of-the-art charger. For starters, the Touch will charge or cycle from 1-4 LiPo/LiFe cells or 1-8 NiMh/NiCd cells at a charge rate of .1 to 12amps. It can also discharge the cells at a rate of up to 20amps and has a user-adjustable cut-off voltage rate. Both modes also feature a cutoff temperature setting where you can tell the Touch at what point to stop charging (or discharging) depending on the temperature of the cells. A cool feature, but unfortunately you need to purchase the optional temperature sensor separately. Five factory, pre-set profiles are included with the Touch, and each can be customized (and re-named) to suit your needs. The Touch finishes off its feature list with its Multi-Protection System. This system protects against output reverse polarity, short circuits, input voltage errors and overcharging.

All this technology is wrapped in a brilliant blue, futuristic case. Integrated into the left side of the Touch is an external, easily replaceable fuse, a USB port, a brushless motor sensor port and a servo/ESC port. The latter two ports allow the user to check the function of their equipment through the charger, a great feature that should help most racers diagnose any electronic problems they may be having. The USB port is designed to allow the user to download data to a PC or upgrade the Touch’s firmware. The firmware update will guarantee that the Touch will always have the most current charging methods installed. On the opposite side of the charger are the output plugs, a built in balance port and the temperature port. The balance port will only accept EHR style plugs so, if you don’t have LiPo’s with that balance plug, you will need to purchase an adapter (available through LRP).

Set in the center of the faceplate lies one of the Pulsar Touch’s coolest features, a smartphone-like touch screen. Turn on the Touch and you are greeted with the blue-backlit P1 – Charge screen. This screen shows the Charge Mode, Current, Pack Voltage, Charge Voltage, Safety Time and four, on-screen buttons: Next, Up and Down Arrows and a Set. This is all you need to file through the very intuitive interface to see and adjust the settings within the charger. Tap the little X in the upper right of the screen and you will enter the Config mode. This mode allows you to start or setup the Charge mode, Discharge mode, Cycle mode, Balance mode, View Last Data mode, Config mode or Motor-ESC-Setup mode. There’s a TON of things to cycle though and check out, but as I mentioned before, the intuitive menus make it a breeze to figure out.

To test out the Touch, I dug around and found a Max Amps 5250MaH pack with an ERH plug. I plugged it in, gave a few taps on the Touch to adjust the settings and hit start. The Touch responded with a cute little tone and then off it went. During the charge, the screen displayed the Charge Time, Capacity, Charge Current, Voltage, Resistance and Temperature (the Temp value showed 0.0 C since I didn’t have the Temp Sensor installed). When completed, the Touch played another catchy little tone and displayed a recap of my last charge. What I was really interested in was the servo/ESC checker. I plugged in a servo and ran my finger back and forth across the screen. As I expected, the servo moved back and forth according to my touch. I did the same test with an ESC (with motor attached) and it too reacted to my touch.

All of this technology isn’t cheap. At $280, that’s probably outside the average Joe’s price range. On top of that, it doesn’t come with a power supply. For the hardcore racer, however, the Pulsar Touch has enough state-of-the-art features to justify the cost. With its space-age styling, integrated status ports and the ability to upgrade the firmware, this charger has cemented its place at the top of the uber-cool charger heap!

LINKS
LRP, Distributed by Team Associated, www.RC10.com (949) 544-7500