CompetitionX reviews the Hitec X2 AC Pro Multi-Charger, a great 2-port unit that can charge NiMH and LiPos. It also comes with a soldering iron port.

1. Review: Hitec X2 AC Pro Multi-Charger
www.competitionx.com/reviews/review-hitec-x2-ac-pro-multi-charger/
Dual Port’s And An Optional Iron
Hitec has been busy with their charger line-up, adding different levels of top end chargers to suit your needs and
budget. Hitec was nice enough to send over one of their new flagship 2-port models, the X2 AC Pro. It’s got all the
features you’d ever want, comes in a beautiful red package and has one of the most intuitive on-screen menu
systems available on the market. But the X2 AC Pro doesn’t stop there. You see, this unit goes that one step further
by including a soldering iron port! Yup, you read that right – you can hook up a 60W iron to the X2 AC Pro – and it’s
included in the box! I’ve got a lot more to tell you about this unit, so let’s get started at the beginning.
Specifics
Product: Hitec X2 AC Pro Multi-Charger
Part Number: 44238
Cost: $199.99
Type: Charger/Discharger/Balancer
Input Voltage: AC 100-240V / DC 11-20V
Charge Circuit Power: Channel A – 200W / Channel B – 100W
Charge Rate: Channel A – .1 to 20A / Channel B – .1 to 10A
Battery Type: NiCd, NiMh, LiPo, LiHV, LiFe, Li-Ion and PB Batteries
Cell Count: 1-15 NiCd/NiMh, 1-6 Lithium
Discharge Rate: .1 to 5A
Display: Front facing LCD
Soldering Iron: 60W max, 400°F – 840°F
Additional Ports: Temperature Sensor Port, Micro USB Port, USB Port
1/5

2. What’s In The Box
Because this is their ‘Big Boy’ 2-port unit, Hitec has loaded the box with more than just a pretty red charger and
instruction manual. You also get a universal balance board, a XH-only balance board, a Deans-style charge lead,
an XT60 charge lead and two blank charge leads to attach whatever connector you need. A 60W soldering iron is
also included, however it comes unassembled so that you can build it with either a pencil or chisel tip – both of
which are included. A soldering stand and cleaning sponge wrap up the ingredients.
The Charger
Ok, the box is open, the goods are out – let’s talk a bit about the
charger. On the top there is a large LCD display surrounded by
a black face with 5 function buttons just below it. The screen
displays both the A and B channels in a split-screen setup;
Channel A up top and Channel B on the bottom. Both channels
remain on the display at all times.
External
On the front of the charger you will notice the left and right
charging port setups, both exactly the same. Each side includes
a 4mm positive and negative banana plug port, 6-pin balance connector port and a Temp port. Stationed between
them is a USB port (great for charging things like your phone or GoPro), a micro USB port (for powering a PC Link
or, one of my favorite items, Hitec’s WiFi Module) and a circular connector for the soldering iron.
While the left and right sides of the charger don’t have any input
areas, they do have large vent openings as well as a circular
port for the cooling fans. These fans do a great job of keeping
the X2 AC Pro cool even under heavy loads.
The back of the X2 AC Pro has the AC power cord input as well
as the DC input port.
Internal
Outside complete, let’s move on to the 5 function buttons and
see what they do. The CH A and CH B button flips through the
charging channels; the channel being used at the moment will be highlighted on the screen. The BATT/PROG
button allows you to select which battery type you are using. In addition, you can also cycle through to the Battery
Meter, Battery Resistance, Battery Memory and System Settings sections of the charger. This button is also used to
stop the charging process. The DEC/INC button is used to cycle up or down through the menus to alter the values. It
is also used to check the status of individual cells during the charging process. The ENTER button starts or resumes
the charging process as well as confirming any value changes within the settings. Remember how I said the menus
were very intuitive? I basically pulled the charger out of the box and within a minute was blazing through the menu to
set it up – it’s really that easy.
2/5

3. Now that we’ve given you a basic overview of the X2 AC Pro,
let’s dig even deeper into what makes it so good. First off, the
X2 AC Pro has two different maximum charge rates on its two
channels; 20A on Channel A (currently the highest charge rate
Hitec offers on any of its models) and 10A on Channel B. It is
capable of handling all the normal cell types – NiCd, NiMh,
LiPo, LiFe, Li-Ion – but is also capable of handling the newer
LiHV packs. The X2 AC Pro has the Charge, Fast Charge,
Discharge and Balance functions as well as the all-important
Storage function. In the System Settings, you can adjust things
like Capacity Cut-Off, Temp Cut-Off (if you have the optional Temp Meter), Rest Time during battery cycling as well
as having a Safety Timer.
Additional systems include a built-in Battery Meter and Battery Resistance Monitor. The Battery Meter lets you to
check your battery’s total voltage, highest voltage, lowest voltage and the voltage of each cell. The Battery
Resistance Monitor checks the battery’s total internal resistance, highest total resistance, lowest total resistance and
the resistance of each cell. Both of these are great features to help you monitor the health of your packs.
The X2 AC Plus comes loaded with PC Control Software, aka “Charger Master”. This software lets you control ever
facet of the X2 AC Pro right through your computer. It also lets you monitor a packs voltage, cell voltage and other
charging data using real-time graphs. You can also use the Charge Master to update the firmware on the X2 AC Pro!
Finally, there’s the soldering iron attachment. As I mentioned before, the iron comes unassembled, allowing you to
build it with either a pencil or chisel tip depending on what you are soldering. Assembly is easy; insert the desired tip
into the holder and attach the cord to the X2 AC Pro charger. To operate, select Channel A and use the DEC/INC
button to cycle through to the ELECTRI C IR setting. You can set the desired tip temperature and the screen will
show you two numbers; the ‘Set’ temp and the ‘Real’ temp. There is even an option to switch between Celsius and
Fahrenheit.
Performance
We’ve talked about everything the X2 AC Pro can do, but how
does it actually work? For this test, I charged multiple packs; a
4S LiPo for my 1:8 scale buggy and a 2S shorty pack for my
1:10 scale buggy – both being charged at the same time.
Charging was easy; connect one end of the charging lead to
charger, then connect the other end to the battery. Select CH A
(port 1, or Channel A), set it to LiPo/2S/15A (starting ‘low’), then
press start. Select CH B (port 2, or Channel B), set it to
LiPo/4S/10A and press start. Immediately the X2 AC Pro did its
pre-charge check to make sure everything was good, then proceeded to start the charging process.
A few minutes in, I cycled the X2 over to the Battery Meter and Battery Resistance to check the condition of my 2S
pack. This is a well-used LiPo, so I was half-expecting the charger to tell me it was in need of replacement, but
instead showed me the pack’s voltage was good (you can see the voltage on each cell). It also informed me that the
pack had decent Internal Resistance as well. I was able to gather the same information from the 4S pack, data that
will certainly be useful from here on out with all my batteries.
I noticed that, while I was charging at close to max amperage, the cooling fans kicked on a couple times. That’s
good to see as I’d hate to have a melt-down in my pit area when there are two perfectly good fans there to keep
temps under control.
3/5

4. Conclusion
I’m a big fan of Hitec’s chargers; I have them at home and in my pit bag. Their simple menu is extremely easy to use
and the dual-port functionality makes charging multiple batteries very simple. I wasn’t sure about the soldering iron
since I have a full-blown iron setup at home, but I packed it away in my pit bag just in case. That turned out to be a
good thing; the second time at the track, a local racer needed to solder a motor wire back on. I became the hero of
the moment – thanks Hitec!
Dual Port's And An Optional Iron Hitec has been busy with their charger line-up, adding different levels of top end
chargers to suit your needs and budget. Hitec was nice enough to send over one of their new flagship 2-port models,
the X2 AC Pro. It's got all the features you'd ever want, comes in a beautiful red package and has one of the most
intuitive on-screen menu systems available on the market. But the X2 AC Pro doesn't stop there. You see, this unit
goes that one step further by including a soldering iron port! Yup, you read that…
Bottom Line: If you have the budget, I highly recommend this charger to help keep your batteries in tip-top
condition. I know not everyone will need the soldering iron, but it does come in handy if you don't already have one.
The footprint is compact for a charger with this many features and, as I said before, it looks great!
Connect
Hitec, www.hitecrcd.com
Where to Buy
4/5

5. 5/5