iMAX B6 Mini Charger Review for 2019

Whether you’ve been into the hobby for awhile, or you’re just starting out, it might help to know a thing or two about battery chargers. I mean, you can hardly hit the road with an RC that’s all out of juice. This iMax B6 Mini Charger review covers the product in depth, as well as a ton of points every beginner will find useful: how to interact with your Lithium Battery Meter, the Internal Resistance Meter and all the knowledge standing between you getting your RC car or truck ready for the road!

Company Background

What you’re getting here is a genuine iMax B6 mini charger developed by SkyRC. I thought I’d kick things off with a bit of history on this company so you can have some real insight on what you’re working with, and also who you’re buying it from.

Based in China, SkyRc is one of the most trusted names when it comes to RC power systems and radio control technology nationwide.

They were established in 2008 with R & D Team in Shenzhen. Not only have they managed to provide top of the line services on a national level, but they also maintain healthy relationships with distributors on a global scale.

iMAX B6 Mini Charger Review

Enough with all that, what we’re really going to talk about is the iMax B6 mini charger. As promised, this review will be very beginner friendly, and insightful with regards to operating your charger, and getting to the fun part. You know, tearing up tracks and blazing through trails!

Features:

Easily Verify Your Product

I’ll start this section by letting you know there are a lot of fakes out there. But there are ways you can make sure you don’t get duped. This charger comes with an anti-fake holographic serial number on the back. How does this help you? Simple. All you have to do is type this number into the SkyRc’s website to verify its authenticity.

It’s hardly a hassle, and it’ll let you know where you stand.

You should notice there are two serial numbers provided. The holographic serial number is the one you want to use for verification purposes.

Lithium Battery Meter – How it Works

Once you’ve plugged your LiPo/ LiIo/ LiFe balance plug into your charger, you can now use the meter to test and read the voltage of each cell.

The Internal Resistance Meter – How it Works

With this function, you can quantify the resistance in each Lithium battery’s cells. Now you have more insight on the health of your cells, AND whether you’re getting enough juice out those bad boys.

Keep Charger Away From Certain Surfaces

Unless you have a proclivity for fireworks (and not the ones you see on July 4th) I’m going to say keep the charger and battery on a surface that is:

• Heat resistant
• Nonflammable and
• Nonconductive

That means keep them away from car seats, carpet, etc. Also keep any inflammable materials away from areas of use.

What you get in the package

• T plug with a banana connect charging cable
• A DC cable with an alligator clip charging connector
• T plug with alligator clip connector charging cable
• You also get a T-plug with a Futaba connector charging cable
• T plug with a JST connect charging cable
• T Plug with an XT60 connector charging cable and finally
• RCLite mini USB light

The iMax B6 is a rapid charger that features a powerful microprocessor. I’ll get into more about its features:

Operating Software Optimized For Efficiency

The iMax B6 comes with an Auto Function that keeps the charge rate in check during the charging process. It helps to prevent overcharging if the user didn’t adjust the settings properly, which can lead to those fireworks we talked about earlier.

Once there is some kind of malfunction this is what happens — the circuit is disconnected (automatically) and the alarm is triggered. Simple right? Right. Sometimes simple can save you a whole lot of trouble.

Two-way communication (between battery and charger) controls all operating modes. This creates an environment for optimum safety. Users can also configure all settings to their liking.Internal Independent Lithium Battery Balancer

The iMax B6 boasts an individual cell voltage balancer, which might not sound like a big deal at first. But what this basically means is you don’t need an external balance when charging.

Balancing Individual Cells Battery Discharging

Whenever in the process of discharging, the balance of each battery cell is monitored by the eXtreme 6o5. It carries this out individually. In the case where even one cell displays abnormal voltage, an error message will pop up, and just like that the process will be over.

Great with various types of Lithium batteries

When it comes to charging Lithium batteries, you have options. There is the “Fast Charge” which as the name suggests, REDUCES charging time. At first, that might sound great, but maybe it’s not all that.

I’ll explain why.

You also have “store charge”. This can control the final voltage of your battery. In other words, if you plan on using your battery for a decent amount of time and get your money’s worth out that thing, store charge is your friend. It’s here to help you prolong the life of your battery.

When charging NiCd or NiMH batteries, you can always set the upper limit of the charge current. If the NiMH isn’t efficient in auto charging mode, you’ll find this immensely useful.

Control Internal Temperature Reaction

The internal chemical reaction can cause things to get a bit heated inside the battery while charging. That’s why this thing comes with a temperature threshold. As you’ve probably gathered, this means when or if the temperature gets to a certain level — the charging process is terminated.

Control Charging Time

With the iMax B6, you can also determine the charging time. What you should do is make it so that if the charging time exceeds the limit you’ve set, the process will be terminated right away. So basically you’re regulating maximum charging time.

Before we get into the pros and cons, let’s have a look at the specs of this product in point form:
iMax B6 Specifications:

• 2 – 6 Balance cells
• 10 different charge/discharge profiles
• 60W (charge wattage)
• 5W (discharge wattage)
• 1 – 720 minutes (safety timer)
• 0.1A – 6.0A (charge current)
• 100 – 5000mAh (pb)
• 100 – 5000mAh (LiPo, LiIon, LiFe)
• NiMH/NiCd – 100 – 5000mAh (battery capacity range)
• 200mA/cell (battery current)
• Weight – 233g
• Dimensions: 102x84x29mm
• Four buttons for controls
• Metal case
• Backlight – blue
• 2×16 LED display
• 11-18V DC input voltage

I know that’s a lot to take in. Let’s move on to the positives!

Positives

• Product features AUTO function
• Stores up to 10 charge/discharge profiles (pretty convenient)
• If you’re an expert go ahead and change the end voltage
• The iMax B6 is adaptable to a wide range of LiPo batteries
• You can regulate process time

Negatives?

If there’s one negative about this deal, it’s that no power cord ships with this thing. That’s hardly a deal breaker. But it can be one if you’re not aware before purchasing. So here I am letting you know.

Conclusion

Overall you really can’t lose. The iMax is a solid charger, versatile, and efficient. It even works on a wide range of RCs, although you may have to get the appropriate plug to get the ball rolling. SkyRc has put a bunch of features in place to make sure you have the safest experience possible. AND you get a fully capable product that won’t cause you much hassle.

Looks like a deal if I ever saw one!