MRC Superbrain 969 = misleading/dishonest ad

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Scott Harless - 02 Jul 2003 20:03 GMT

I was reading the Aug 2003 issue of Xtreme RC
Cars and found a 'misleading' ad for the MRC
Superbrain 969. I thought I'd post an article
to warn newbies. Here's a portion of the ad:

"A Delta Peak, AC/DC charger with dual outputs -
each capable of delivering up to 4.50 amps. . ."

Sounds good...but it DOESN'T mention you need
a separate 12v/~10amp power supply to charge
two 7.2v batteries @ 4.5 amps simultaneously.

Later,
Scott
--
"When politicians get ideas, we lose money & freedom."
- P.J. O'Rourke

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Rick Russell - 03 Jul 2003 04:46 GMT

> "A Delta Peak, AC/DC charger with dual outputs -
> each capable of delivering up to 4.50 amps. . ."
>
> Sounds good...but it DOESN'T mention you need
> a separate 12v/~10amp power supply to charge
> two 7.2v batteries @ 4.5 amps simultaneously.

Yes. RC Car Action didn't even mention this gem in their review. Look
closely at the photo, and you'll see that the power supply is only
rated for 5 amps.

It still looks like a great sub-$100 charger, but they should be more
explicit about the limits on the dual outputs.

Rick R.

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!bungle - 03 Jul 2003 05:55 GMT

> I was reading the Aug 2003 issue of Xtreme RC
> Cars and found a 'misleading' ad for the MRC
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Later,
> Scott

Good catch, Scott...

Regarding MRC chargers in general- I thought when I upgraded from a $45
Piranha NiCd-only peak charger to the MRC 959 ($59 with the features I
wanted and what I felt was a nifty little design) I would have a decent
sport-level charger. It seems that I was wrong, because I can't possibly be
getting as many defective Ni-Mh stick packs as it leads me to believe! I've
had about a 50% success rate on new sport-level stick packs working
properly.

I finally gave up and purchased a Duratrax Intellipeak Digital charger ($99
at my LHS) and have had much better luck. What I find very interesting is
that in the new R/C Car Action they review the new MRC 969 and end the
article by stating :

"I can't imagine any way to get more for your charging dollar than what you
get with the MRC Super Brain 969."

OK- let's see here:

~MRC 969~
$100
max charge rate 4.5A
max discharge rate 3A
built-in cooling fan (charger)
separate DC power supply output 5A

Now, compare:

~Intellipeak Digital~
$100
max charge rate 6.5A
max discharge rate 10A
built-in cooling fan (charger has 2, power supply has one)
separate DC power supply output 7A

The only important extra features found on the 969 are the ability to charge
1-8cells (versus 4-8 for the Intellipeak), ability to charge lead-acid and
Li-poly (versus Ni-Cd and Ni-Mh only), and the "dual-output" feature that
has limitations as you mentioned above.

I'd much rather have the increased output rates and extra cooling of the
Intellipeak... only a nitro or micro-flight enthusiast would get any real
use out of the 969's extra features.

And- going by my experience with the 959, I'd hesitate to put faith in any
of the abilities of a MRC charger.

Signature

Dirk
(aka "!bungle")
'96 LS650
(aka "Rhino")
CKKF #A-13C

"Well, you may be a lover but you ain't no d-d-dancer"

P.S. If I was to do it all over again, I'd save up for the Reedy Quasar Pro
($179), which I've seen used by all the serious guys at my local track- and
they love it!

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Brian Dors - 07 Jul 2003 14:45 GMT

Do you find that your Intellipeak Digital is a bit slow in detecting the
peak especially at the high current rates? NiCD or NiMH my packs get hot at
5+amps so I have to watch them. Which defeats the whole reason I bought a
peak detection charger. :(

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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / July 2003

MRC Superbrain 969 = misleading/dishonest ad