ToolkitRC M8AC Balance Charger

Manual V1.0
2025.02

Website: www.toolkitrc.com

Manufacturer: ToolkitRC Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the M8AC balance charger. Please read this manual carefully before use.

Key Points

• Tips ?
• Important ⚠️
• Information ?

Further Information

To ensure you have the best experience with this product, please follow ToolkitRC on Facebook to stay up to date with news, information, and firmware updates for your charger. This information can also be found at www.toolkitrc.com.

Safety

1. Allows input voltage of DC 7-35V or AC 100-240V. Ensure the charger is only connected to a suitable power source and correct polarity.
2. Do not use this product in hot, humid, flammable, or explosive environments.
3. Please do not use this charger without supervision. Never leave charging batteries unattended.
4. When not using this product, please unplug the input power.
5. When using the charging function, please set a current that matches the battery. Do not set an excessive current for charging to avoid damage to the battery. Check the guidelines of your battery's manufacturer for correct charging instructions.

Product Description

The M8AC is a multifunctional tool that integrates functions such as a balance charger and discharge, a signal measuring device, and a signal source.

• Supports AC or DC dual input.
• Charges, discharges, and balances (where applicable) LiPo, LiHV, LiFe, Lilon, LTO 1-8S, NiMH 1-20S, PB 1-12S batteries.
• Charge current: MAX 20A @MAX600W.
• Discharge current: Recycle Max 20A@600W. Internal mode Max 3A @20W.
• TYPEC fastcharger output MAX20.0V 65W.
• Lithium battery cut-off voltage can be adjusted at will (TVC function).
• Measures battery voltage, battery internal resistance, and balances lithium packs automatically.
• Measures / outputs PWM/PPM/SBUS standard signals with an accuracy of 1 us.
• Constant current and constant voltage source output, customizable 1-35V constant voltage, 0.5-20A constant current.
• Can be adapted for charging consumer-grade drone batteries.
• Multi-language user interface.
• Easily upgradeable via USB.

M8AC Layout

Front View:

• Display: Shows charging information and settings.
• Exit button: Used to exit menus or cancel operations.
• Output port: For connecting the battery to be charged.
• Balance port: For connecting the balance lead of lithium batteries.
• Signal port: For signal output and measurement.
• TYPEC output: For charging external devices.
• Scroll wheel: Used for navigation and adjusting values.

Back View:

• AC input: For connecting to AC power.
• Cooling fan: Dissipates heat during operation.
• DC input: For connecting to DC power sources.

Quick Start

1. Connect a 7-35V or AC 100-240V power supply or Battery/Power Bank to the input port on the back of the M8AC.
2. The display shows the boot logo and stays for 2 seconds.
3. A welcome sound (voice pack dependent) is played simultaneously.
4. After booting up, the screen enters the main interface. The main interface displays: Input voltage, accumulated power consumption, internal temperature, main port voltage, main port current, working time, charged capacity, and cell voltages.
5. Press and hold [Exit] to enter the auxiliary function interface.
6. Scroll the [Scroll Wheel] to switch between pages.
7. With the charger idle, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to set the charging parameters. Short press the [Scroll Wheel] during the charging process to adjust the amperage or stop the charge process.
8. With the charger idle, Press and hold [Scroll Wheel] to enter the system setting interface.
9. Short press [Exit] to return to the previous interface.

Charge and Discharge Settings

In the main interface, select and short press the [Scroll wheel] to enter the charging function. Open the battery selection option in system settings, and the battery selection interface will be displayed.

1. Battery Type Setting

Scroll the [Scroll Wheel], and select one of the presets, or create a new battery. Up to 32 battery files can be created. Short press the [Scroll Wheel] to enter a specific battery setting. The available battery types include LiPo, LiHV, LiFe, Lion, LTO, NiMH, and PB. A smart battery mode is also available.

Warning:

• Ensure the correct battery type has been selected prior to charging. An incorrect choice may damage the battery and/or become a fire hazard. Please use caution.
• Do not use this product to charge non-compatible battery chemistries.

Glossary of Battery Terms:

• LiPo: Lithium polymer battery with a nominal voltage of 3.70V and a fully charged battery of 4.20V.
• LiHV: High-voltage lithium battery with a nominal voltage of 3.85V and a fully charged battery of 4.35V.
• LiFe: Iron-lithium battery with a nominal voltage of 3.30V and a fully charged battery of 3.60V.
• Lilon: Lithium-ion battery with a nominal voltage of 3.60V and a fully charged battery of 4.10V.
• LTO: Lithium-ion battery with a nominal voltage of 2.40V and a fully charged battery of 2.70V.
• NiMH: Nickel-metal hydride battery, nominal voltage 1.20V.
• PB: Lead-acid battery, nominal voltage 2.00V.

2. Cell Setting

Move the cursor to [Battery Section], then short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the number of cells. Rotate the [Scroll wheel] to adjust the value. When set to [Auto], the charger will automatically identify the number of cells by checking the total voltage against the balance port data.

Tips:

• If the connected battery is over-discharged or over-charged, this may cause an incorrect cell-count, in which case the cell number needs to be adjusted normally.
• If the cell count is set incorrectly, it may lead to overcharging, which can present itself as a fire risk.
• The cell count can be more accurately determined if the balance port is connected.

3. Work Mode

Move the cursor to [Mode] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the work mode. The available modes are Charge, DisCHG (Discharge), and StoCHG (Storage Charge). LiPo, LiHV, LiFe, Lion, LTO batteries can be charged, discharged, stored, or destroyed. NiMh battery can be charged, discharged, cycled, or destroyed. PB battery can be charged, discharged, or destroyed.

4. Discharge Mode

Under discharge, storage, and cycle modes, the option of discharging the battery will appear. Move the cursor to [Discharge Mode] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the discharge mode. The charger supports 2 discharge modes:

• Normal mode: Discharge using internal heat dissipation, maximum 3.0A@20W discharge.
• Recycle mode: When a battery is used as the input, the power is recovered to the input side battery through this function, max 20.0A@600W discharge. To activate Recycle discharge mode, enter the setup page and set the Power type under the input setting to "Battery".

5. Max Input Voltage

When the discharge mode is selected to recycle, the Max input voltage option will appear. Move the cursor to [Max Input Vol.] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to adjust. If the input voltage reaches this voltage value during discharge, the discharge will stop.

Tips: Please set the Max input voltage to the highest protection voltage of the power supply. After the voltage is reached, the charger will automatically stop recycling discharging. Setting high overvoltage may damage the input power.

6. End Voltage Setting (TVC)

Move the cursor to [End Voltage] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the end voltage for the individual cells. When charging, it is the charge cut-off voltage. When discharging, it is the discharge cut-off voltage. Scroll [Scroll wheel] to adjust the value, step 0.01V.

Tips:

• Only LiPo, LiHV, LiFe batteries can set the cut-off voltage.
• Do not modify the cut-off voltage if you are not familiar with the battery characteristics.
• The charging cut-off voltage can be set to a range of plus or minus 50mV of full voltage.
• Nomenclature: TVC: English abbreviation for terminal voltage control.

7. Current Setting

Move the cursor to the [Charge Current] or [DisCHG Current] position, and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the current. Rotate [Scroll Wheel] to adjust the value, step by 0.1A. Scroll [Scroll Wheel] quickly to increase or decrease. The charger supports up to 20.0A.

Tips:

• Please set the charging rate of 1-2C according to the battery capacity. For example, if the battery capacity is 2000mAh, please set the charge current to 2.0-4.0A.
• The charge/discharge current is only valid in the corresponding work mode.
• For the discharge mode setting, please refer to the <System Settings> chapter of this manual.

8. NiMH Setting (PeakV)

When the battery type is NiMH, the peak voltage value when the battery is fully charged can be set. The range of which can be set is 5mV-15mV.

Tips: This function is only available on NiMH cells. PeakV: The maximum voltage drop per cell, when the nickel-metal hydride battery is fully charged.

9. Cycle Setting

When the battery type is NiMh, and under cycle mode, the option of Cycle time and Rest time will appear. Move the cursor to [Cycle times] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to set the range of cycle times to 2-12. The charger will follow the pattern: discharge->charge->discharge->charge.... "Discharge -> charge" is 2 times.

Move the cursor to [Rest time] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to set the rest time of cycle charge. The range is 2 minutes to 10 minutes.

10. Smart Battery Setting

When UAV battery is selected as the battery type, there are only two options for battery setting: drone type and Max current. Move the cursor to [Drone model] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to select between different drone models. Move the cursor to [Max Current] and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to set the charge current. The range is 0.5A to 20A.

Charge and Discharge Work

When charging and discharging starts, the charger enters the following interface, which displays input voltage, accumulated power consumption, internal temperature, main port voltage, main port current, working time, charged capacity, and cell voltages.

Rotate [Scroll Wheel] on this interface to toggle between three different displays:

• P1: Power selection in system settings
• 24.00V: Input voltage
• 10.0Wh: Accumulated power consumption
• 45.0°C: The internal temperature of the charger
• V: Constant voltage sign
• C: Constant current sign
• 24.01V: Main port voltage
• 2.00A: Main port current
• 010:00: Working time
• 338mAh: Charged capacity
• 1 4.000V: Voltage for the first battery cell
• ----V: No battery connected

Short press the [Scroll Wheel] to dynamically set the charge current or stop charging.

To end the charge and discharge process, short press the [Scroll Wheel], move the cursor to [Stop], short press the [Scroll Wheel], stop charging and return to the main interface.

When charging is complete or a charge error occurs, a popup will appear along with an audible tone.

Scroll the [Scroll Wheel] to switch to the second page, which shows the internal resistance information. Scroll the [Scroll Wheel] to switch to the third page, which shows general information.

Tips:

• When charging and discharging, never leave the cells unattended.
• When charging and discharging lithium batteries, balancing only occurs if the balance plug is connected. The charger will automatically balance each cell if a balance plug is detected.
• Charging will automatically start for the next battery if the initial battery is disconnected after being fully charged. If a set number of cells is set, ensure that the subsequent cell count matches the cell count of the initial battery. If set to automatic, make sure that the cell count matches what is detected.

Accessibility

After selecting and long pressing [Exit] in the main interface, you can enter the auxiliary function interface.

1. Measure Resistance

Short press the [Scroll Wheel] to test the internal resistance of the connected battery and return to the main interface display.

2. Measure Signal

Move the cursor to measure signal, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to enter the signal test interface. Scroll the [Scroll wheel] to select the signal type.

• PWM: Displays signal waveform, pulse width (1500us), and frequency (20.0ms/50Hz).
• PPM: Displays signal channels and their corresponding values.
• SBUS: Displays signal channels, overall status, channel data (e.g., Channel DG1, Channel DG2, Frame lost, Failsafe, Endbyte).

3. Signal Output

Move the cursor to Signal Output, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to enter the Signal Output interface. Scroll the [Scroll wheel] to select the type of signal to be tested. Choose PWM.

Scroll the [Scroll Wheel], move the cursor to [Manual], short press the [Scroll Wheel] to set the output mode, which can be set to manual, auto 1, auto 2, and auto 3. In manual mode, you can change pulse width and cycle values by using the cursor.

When set to auto 1, 2, 3, the pulse width value of output PWM will automatically change at 3 different speeds. The width can be set from 800 to 2200us. The cycle can be set between: 2.5ms (400hz) to 50.0ms (20hz).

Select PPM, scroll the [Scroll wheel] to move the cursor to the value of the channel to be modified. Short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the output pulse width value of this channel.

Select SBUS, scroll the [Scroll wheel] to move the cursor to the value of the channel to be modified. Short press the [Scroll Wheel] to modify the output pulse width value of this channel.

4. ESC Test

Select ESC test with the cursor, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to enter the ESC test mode, scroll the [Scroll wheel], move the cursor to pulse width/ cycle, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to change the corresponding value.

5. Power

Select the adjustable power supply with the cursor, and short press the [Scroll Wheel] to enter. The voltage and current of the output power supply can be set at will. Move the cursor to start, short press the [Scroll Wheel] to start power output and return to the main interface.

System Settings

After pressing and holding [Scroll Wheel] in the main interface, you can enter the system setting interface.

Input Settings

• Power select: Auto, Power 1, Power 2, Power 3.
• Power type: Choose between battery pack and adapter. For battery packs, recycle mode is enabled; for adapters, recycle mode is disabled.
• Max power: Maximum wattage allowed via the input port during charging.
• Max current: Maximum current allowed via the input port during charging.
• Voltage range: Input voltage range.

Security Settings

• Safe inter Temp.: Charging will stop when the internal temperature of the device exceeds this value (e.g., 70°C).
• Safe Exter Temp.: Charging will stop when the temperature of the environment exceeds this value (e.g., 50°C).
• Safe time: The maximum time limit for continuous charging/discharging operation (e.g., 200Min).
• Safe capacity: The maximum accumulated capacity for a charging/discharging session (e.g., 20Ah).

Personalization

• Backlight: Brightness level of the display, set from 1-10.
• Operation volume: Volume value can be set to 0-10. A value of 0 means silent operation.
• Announce volume: Set to Low, Medium, or High.
• Warning volume: Set to Low, Medium, or High.
• Language: System display language (e.g., English, Chinese).
• Theme style: Can be set to light or dark themes.

Battery Selection

Option to show/hide frequently used parameters. The default is not enabled.

Continuous Work

Enables/disables continuous charging/discharge under the same settings after battery replacement. The default setting is OFF.

Work Completed

Determines whether to stop or trickle charge after charge complete. The default is not trickle.

Balance Start Vol

Balance cells prior to full current charge.

Default

Restore factory settings.

ID

Independent ID for each device.

Other Functions

1. Firmware Upgrade

After connecting the M8AC to the computer with the USB cable, the computer will recognize a USB drive named Toolkit. Download the upgrade file (app.upg) from the official Toolkit RC website and overwrite the files in the drive to upgrade the firmware.

2. TYPEC Output

TypeC USB supports 20.0V 65W output to charge mobile devices.

3. Automatically Continue Charging/Discharging

When a battery is fully charged, connect the next battery. The device will automatically continue to charge and discharge. You can start and stop this function under the settings menu.

4. Fan Level

When the internal temperature of the device reaches 40 degrees, the fan starts to work. The speed is increased by temperature linear control. When AC input power is higher than 100W, the fan works at full speed.

6. Manual Voltage Calibration

With the M8AC powered off, press and hold the [Scroll Wheel]. Without releasing, connect the power supply, and the system will enter the manual voltage calibration mode. Use a voltmeter to measure the actual voltage of each battery, move the cursor to the corresponding voltage value, modify the voltage value to match the voltmeter value. After the calibration is completed, move the cursor to save, short press once, the buzzer will beep once, indicating successful save. Exit or shut down after calibration.

7. Full Charge Mode

When the lithium battery is fully charged, it will prompt "Fast charge complete". If the battery is not removed, the charger will trickle charge until the battery is disconnected.

Specifications