BR2000 & CR2000

Futaba has been a trusted name in radio systems for years, and now it brings its reputation and technological background to battery care! The CR2000 is a new battery charger, and the BR2000 is a new battery discharger and checker. Both units work with Ni-Cd and NiMH packs.

The CR2000 is ideal for charging transmitter and receiver packs and glow-plug igniters. Along with easy, pushbutton operation, it features peakcharge detection with autocutoff and an audio alert, and its LCD screen displays input and output voltage, charge current, peak voltage, charge time and charge reached. It also comes with an adapter for use with a car lighter and alligator clips for use with a field battery or a power supply, plus a 28-inch-long transmitter charge cord and 20- and 80-inch-long receiver charge-adapter cords. The CR2000 battery charger will retail for $170.

To check receiver packs with the BR2000, simply connect the pack, set the unit for 4.8, 6, or 7.2 volts, and push the button. Red (danger), orange (caution), green (attention) and blue (safe) zones on the circular graph clearly indicate voltage status. Holding the button down for 3 seconds starts the discharge function with a current load that can be varied from 1 to 3 amps (slow to fast). The LCD display is backlit in red when it's checking; a blue backlight means it's discharging. A built-in fan keeps the unit cool while it's discharging a battery, and it automatically shuts off when the discharging has been completed. The BR2000 checker and discharger cost $50.

Futaba; distributed by Great Planes Model Distributors (217) 398-6300; (800) 682-8948; futaba-rc.com.