C23212 LiPo Voltage Checker w/ Adjustable Voltage Level Warning Buzzer

Product Review: RioRand RC Hobby C23212 LiPo Voltage Checker + Warning Buzzer Design and Build: At first glance you may seem underwhelmed, it is clear that it is not trying to win any beauty awards for the simplicity and minimalistic design may make the average passerby do just that, pass by, however this actually place to the strengths. Whether or not this product can truly boast “superb craftsmanship” it can and I am please to say that the materials are much closer to “top-quality” than other voltage checkers of the same price range. The product had a sturdy feel to it, a bit lighter than I would like but it doesn't feel like its about to break in my hand nor if I drop it. The prongs are tough and I’m not afraid of them snapping when trying to hook up the more “stubborn” of batteries. Everything has a satisfying click and loud audible beep that allows for very little confusion on whether or not it is working or if you are handling it correctly. Ease of Use: This product has very little functions and buttons on it, and that may sound like a bad thing but actually this is very desirable. There isn’t a learning curve, everything you need is one or two button presses away and everything is clear and concise to avoid any confusion. I honestly wish everything was as simple to use as this product. Practicality: Ease to use is nice but is it practical? Does it do what you need it to do? The answer is a resounding yes. Its small enough and sturdy enough for you to throw it into your RC bag, or keep it with your tools and not worry about it breaking so it wont burden you anytime your need it. Price: This is a big point that needs to be brought up in any review. it’s nice that the item works perfectly, and the quality it top-notch, but will it put a dent into your pocket? Luckily most voltage checkers are fairly cheap, however RioRand’s VC has given the best bang for your buck, quality for very dime that can be given for Voltage Checkers. You can find cheaper ones, but find frustrations when the prongs snap off, and there are some with higher quality builds however you will see a price two or even three times that of this product for a minimal and often too subtle of an “upgrade” that sports redundant functions. Conclusion and Recommendations: In conclusion, is the RioRand RC Hobby Voltage Checker worth the buy? The answer is yes, and it would be a detriment of you didn’t buy it. It may not be the prettiest voltage checker on the market, but if you are a lover of anything remotely controlled, the great materials, the sturdy build and the low price tag makes this a buy now. -Alexander I Ramirez

I use this primarily as a voltage checker. It's a great way to quickly check the status of my Lipo batteries. Per the labeling on the unit, it can be used with 1S-8S Lipo, Li-ion, LiMn and LiFe batteries. Shows overall voltage for entire battery pack, as well as voltage for each cell in the pack. Very close (<0.1 volts) to the readings my charger gives. If you use this as an alarm while running/flying your RC, it should be plenty loud, even if placed inside a completely closed body. I've put a couple layers of electrical tape over the outlet for the buzzer, as it is quite ear piercing as is when using it handheld. Not a negative, as it is intended for potential use as an alarm. If you do want it for an alarm, it is preconfigured to an threshold of 3.3v on a cell. It can be configured with different thresholds, using a single button on the unit. Instructions are contained nicely on bottom of unit. Granted, you need some good eyesight or glasses to read it due to the small size of the unit. But you would most likely be configuring it once. Measures about 1 inch by 1.5 inch by 0.5 inch. So it's very easy to have in a pocket as needed, and should be easy to fit in an RC if desired. Overall pleased with it. A simple solution to a common need with Lithium based batteries.

This little thing is fantastic. You just plug it into the balance connector on your lipo battery and your good to go. It will beep when one of the cells gets to low. When you first plug it in, it give four quick beeps so you know the beeper is working (quite loud). It's well sealed so it's easy to velcro to your RC / Drone. When running it cycles through and tells you the voltage of each cell, then the total voltage (For example "No.1", "3.58", "No.2", "3.56", "All", "7.14".....) To change the low voltage setting, you just press a button on the display (while it's hooked up to your battery), and it will cycle (...., 2.8, 2.9, etc... and you just stop when you get to what you want). *NOTE*, it comes with no instructions except for a little writing on the back of the buzzer. All you have to do is plug the negative terminal of the balance charger into the negative pin (it's labeled as a "minus sign with a circle around it" next to the pins) of the buzzer. The positive pins will then be in the right positions. Really cool, really easy to use. Well worth the money. I've been guessing on my lipo flying and have missed out on a lot of flying time. My Lipo charges to 16V and I've only been flying down to around 14.6 V. I highly recommend this gadget. It gets my seal of approval!

I bought the checker to monitor the voltage of the LiPo battery while flying my RC airplanes. The checker sequences through each cell and emits a series of loud beeps whenever any cell on a LiPo falls below a user-set voltage. Beeping seems to stop temporarily if a subsequent cell is above the preset check voltage. All of this is well and good as long as all of the cells in the battery are approximately of the same capacity (typical). So, one cell might dip below the preset check voltage but the other cells will be above it which is virtually always the case as the battery discharges under load. At this point the checker will emit a series of beeps, stop, series of beeps again, etc. (Battery voltage may also drop temporarily under load causing beeping which goes away altogether after relaxing, undemanding flight.) I wait until the charger goes into continuous beeping for about 45 seconds, indicating that all cells have fallen below the check point I set. I find that that's the point at which the battery has reached approximately the voltage below which I don't want the battery further discharged. (LiPo's can be seriously damaged by discharging to too low a voltage.) The checker works perfectly at detecting voltages of up to 6 individual cells, and the beeper sounds off loud and clear and can easily be heard 100 yards or more away. The only problem I've found is that the switch that sets the voltage warning level to trigger the beeper is poorly constructed and is defective on my device. With some difficulty (due to the switch's defect) I've set my detection level at 3.8 volts for each cell and there it will remain. My conclusion ... this is worth the money as a checker/warner as long as you are willing and able to set the detection voltage and leave it there permanently. If you want to fiddle with different detection levels, look elsewhere. By the way, if you just want to use it as a checker (ignore the detection/warning function), be warned that it makes a single ear piercing beep when you plug a battery into it.

Works great. Very loud. It scared me the first time I plugged it in! I use this on my Parkzone Radian. It goes very high and stays up for hours. I wanted to know when the battery was getting low without having to bring the plane down to check it and ruin my enjoyment. Not to mention the extra battery usage it took to get it back up there again and find those thermals. I've always been able to hear it beeping even when my plane was really high. It gets quiet when the plane really gets up there. But if you train your ear to listen for it you'll hear it. The Alarm voltage is really easy to set. Just push the little button on top of the voltage alarm and it will display the new alarm voltage each time you press it. Keep pressing until you get to the voltage you want the alarm to go off at. I run 3 cell 3s batteries so I have the warning set to go off at 3.7 volts. This is 3.7 volts per cell so 11.1 volts total. I don't like to drain my batteries below 11 volts and this setting works out great.

Wow! Finally got around to playing with this. *NOTE- There is a button/micro-switch between the 2 buzzer horns (on the circuit board) that lets you "cycle" to set the MIN voltage for alarm. It even has an "OFF" setting. This can be used with not only LiPo, but Life/LiFePO4 cells or any cell(s) with a "balance lead". Since it is multi-pin, it can determine cell count when you connect it. Rated from 1S to 8S cells. No risk of damage if you connect it backwards (it just won't work, so swap it around). Back of unit is marked POS & NEG (it is hard to see) Just match black wire of balance lead to NEG of buzzer. It should beep 3 times and show info on display. Alarm can be set from 2.70 to 3.80 VDC in 0.10 increments. (Press the button/micro-switch between the buzzer horns) If I can count correctly, that is 12 minimum voltage settings + OFF (OFF = no buzzer/alert for low voltage) I ordered 2 more and plan to mark them with a Sharpie with either LiFe or LiPO and use them accordingly. I have multiple battery packs and want to know when voltage gets down to a preset level. Reason to have these: Cheap Visual display of Voltage per cell + overall Voltage (total) Audible buzzer when low voltage occurs Helps to keep battery pack in good shape by not over-discharging

Although this little device did not come with Instructions, really simple to figure out. On the back you will see a - and + side. Always connect the black - negative lead connection from your battery's balanced plug to the negative pin on the buzzer. All other pins fall in order according to how many battery cells your battery has. To adjust the low voltage setting according to the battery manufacturer. My 2 cell is rated at 6.6 volts / 3.3 volts per cell. Low voltage cut off is 5 volts /2.5 volts. I set my warning buzzer at 2.7 volts. To set this on the warning buzzer. There is a small square black button in the center of the 2 round black buzzers on the opposite side of the voltage pins. When the battery is first connected to the warning buzzer, it will beep loud. It will begin flashing in sequence. "ALL" then total voltage reading, then "NO 1" showing number 1's batteries voltage. Then "NO 2" also showing number 2's batteries voltage and so on. Having a small allen wrench or toothpick ready placed on the small black button between the black round buzzers, when "NO 1" appears, press and release quickly, repeating till you see the voltage you desire. Then be ready for "NO 2" to appear and then repeat on all other cells. My Life nano-tech 3000 mah 20 C 2 S 6.6 volt has 2- 3.3 volt batteries. I have my warning buzzer set at 2.7 volt warning setting. 2.5 volts is the cut off, but I set mine slightly higher for extra safety. Works for me. Hope it works for you. Hope this helps.

Aside from taking entirely too long to deliver, I am very pleased with this purchase. Being able to test batteries in the field without a battery charger is near paramount. Any question as to the charge state on a bunch of LiPo batteries is eliminated with this device in a matter of seconds. There is a slight discrepancy between what my new charger/discharger reads and this voltage checker but it's a matter of .01-.02 volts so it's not terribly significant. I have no idea which is the more accurate of the two since I haven't calibrated either of them yet. I originally purchased this device to mount on my multirotor for low batery warning but decided against it since I probably can't hear it or see when I'm downrange, anyway. It's pretty loud but not that loud. I simply use it to verify battery voltage in the field for which it is perfectly suited. I have not changed the factory settings on this yet so I can't speak to that function.

Très bien

A very neat instrument. Use it all the time to check voltages of the cells, and to set the audible timer now and then on the larger quad copters so I know when the battery is getting low. Grampa Ken

Good item and fast services , thank s.

tres bon produit

First one didnt arrive, seller immediately shipped a replacement no problem. Showed up as described and during its estimated shipping window. works well great price