HorizonHobby.com Review - Team Orion Advantage Touch Pro Charger

Please click "See More" for links and more information. Team Orion Advantage Pro Charger: http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/advantage-touch-pro-12v-dc-charger-ORI30205 Our full review and write-up can be found at the link below: http://www.horizonhobby.com/article/2450-team-orion-advantage-touch-pro-review Review of the Team Orion Advantage Touch AC/DC http://www.horizonhobby.com/article/2368-team-orion-advantage-touch-charger-review When we first saw the Team Orion Advantage Touch charger we were intrigued. Here was a totally new way to interact with your charger that, while totally new to the RC world, made total sense thanks to the influence and adaptation of smartphones and tablets. We loved how intuitive the menu system was, how easy it was to program and, on top of it, it provided a great charge for our batteries. Now Team Orion is back with a DC-only version of the Advantage Touch with the Advantage Touch Pro. While it looks similar to its AC/DC cousin this version has some key differences and improvements that warrant a closer look. We grabbed both the charger and some batteries and hit the bench to see how well it performed. Speed Specs Charger: Advantage Touch Pro Charger Manufactuer: Team Orion Part Number: ORI30205 Charger Class/Type: Multi-Chemical DC-only Target Audience: Fans of the original Advantage Touch who require higher amperage Bench Notes Just like the original Advantage Touch the Pro version has a very small footprint and doesn't take up much room on the bench at-all. While it looks the same there are some internal tweaks to the Pro over the original beyond the added current capabilities and the removal of an AC-power supply. The case has been modified to include three cooling fans instead of the two found on the original. This allows the Pro to keep its cool, including the huge heat sink that has been added to dissipate the potential 100W discharge current that can flow through it. The overall fit, feel and build quality feels just as good as the original, simply swathed in black instead of the white case. Getting the Advantage Touch Pro setup and ready to go was just as easy as the original Advantage Touch with a twist in the need for an external power supply. I've really come to like the Passport 250W Power Station from Dynamite® and it was the perfect solution for this application. Once plugged in and powered on I was greeted with the same familiar menu system I had gotten accustomed to with the Advantage Touch. Across the top I could see battery type, cell count, capacity, charge rate, discharge rate and the + that took me into more menu settings. Below that there are six options to charge, discharge, cycle, balance, storage mode or view the data of the last charge and discharge. Final setup consisted of connecting the balancing board, one of the best I have ever seen or used, into the side of the charger along with selecting the correct charge adapter Conclusion The best way to sum up the Advantage Touch Pro is that the best just keeps getting better. The Advantage Touch had become my favorite charger and the Advantage Touch Pro has now earned its spot as the main charger on my bench. It has every single feature I loved about the original but now the higher charge and discharge amperages makes it that much more useful. Another benefit of the Touch line, be-it the original or the Touch Pro, is the capability to update the software and firmware via free updates on the web. This extends the overall lifespan of a charger as it allows manufacturers to provide updates to existing product versus having to release a totally new version or require you to send a charger in for an update. I have personally found the Team Orion Advantage Touch Pro to be an invaluable tool in not only charging my batteries, but in maintaining and evaluating them as well. The Advantage Touch Pro has earned its place as my go-to charger and, if you gave it a try, I am sure you'll discover the same thing. Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail us at [email protected] If you like our videos check out our podcast the R/Cast at http://www.horizonhobby.com/podcasts/ Horizon Hobby is on Facebook! Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Horizon-Hobby/55340718934 Come +1 us on Google+! Head on over to google.com/+HorizonHobby Follow HorizonHobby.com on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Horizon_Hobby