The Hota D6 Pro has been the gold standard LiPo charger for FPV pilots for its unmatched value and performance. Hota just dropped a more powerful charger – the S6! Is it a better charger? Let’s find out in this review.
Table of Contents
Where To Buy?
Get your Hota S6 400W LiPo charger here:
- AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeeWDyZ
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-oyp1
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-2qpm
In the box comes with the following items:
- 1x HOTA S6 charger
- 1x Power cable
- 1x Manual
Hota S6 Specifications
- Input Voltage: AC100-240V / DC 10.5-30V
- Charge Current: 0.1-15A per channel
- Charge Power:
- DC 325Wx2(650W)
- AC 400W(Support power distribution)
- Discharge Power:
- Internal Discharge Current: 0.1-3Ax2
- Internal discharge: 15Wx2 (balance port 10Wx2)
- External Discharge Current: 1-22A
- External discharge: 325Wx2
- Battery Type:
- LiHv/LiPo/LiFe/Lilon/Lixx : 1-6S
- NiZn/Nicd/NiMH : 1-16S
- Smart Battery : 1-6S
- Lead Acid(Pb) : 2-24V
- Enelop : 1-16S
- Balance Current: 1600mAx2
- USB Output: 5V 2.1A x2, 45W Type-C x1
- 12V 1A output (XT60 Female)
- Dimensions: 116×116x85mm
- Weight: 800g
Closer Look at the Hota S6
The Hota S6 is a bigger charger in all 3 dimensions than the D6 Pro (116×116x85mm vs. 108×105 ×76mm). Weight is also much heavier (800g vs 555g). For charging at home, I think size and weight are not a huge concern, but if you often take the charger to the field then the D6 Pro is a more portable option.
The S6 has a darker matte finish, it has two outputs just like the D6 Pro, both can be powered from AC and DC, and the specs are fairly similar too.
The biggest difference is the built-in AC power supply. Hota doubled the AC power from 200W in the D6 Pro to 400W in the S6, while DC performance remains the same at 650W. This makes it a more capable charger for home use.
They also put an extra 5V 2.1A USB-A port on the side, as well as a 45W Type C USB port. You can use it to power a laptop or even soldering iron off it!
On the back, it has a 12V 1A output which is the first time for me on a charger. I measured the voltage it’s actually 12.5V. It’s useful for powering a monitor or other 12V low power equipment which is handy. I wish the amperage was higher so you can power a soldering or even another charger from it for charging smaller batteries, it would be more useful.
The menu and options are more or less the same as other main stream smart chargers on the market.
During charging you can see status of both channels. You can start, edit and stop charging on each channel independently.
You can see the internal resistance during charging, which is useful for monitoring the health of your battery.
Here’s the system settings menu, you can get there by holding down the scroll wheel.
Here’s the manual.
Voltage Reading Accuracy
I verified the voltage measurements of the charger. Overall it’s pretty accurate and is acceptable. I don’t think mine needs calibration, but if you want you can calibrate the XT60 and balance port voltages in the system menu.
| charger report | DDM | |
| CH1 XT60 | 23.48 | 23.44 |
| 1 | 3.92 | 3.905 |
| 2 | 3.913 | 3.907 |
| 3 | 3.913 | 3.902 |
| 4 | 3.908 | 3.901 |
| 5 | 3.914 | 3.902 |
| 6 | 3.908 | 3.903 |
| CH2 XT60 | 23.46 | 23.44 |
| 1 | 3.911 | 3.905 |
| 2 | 3.911 | 3.907 |
| 3 | 3.909 | 3.902 |
| 4 | 3.904 | 3.901 |
| 5 | 3.908 | 3.902 |
| 6 | 3.912 | 3.903 |
| Input Voltage | 23.5 | 23.44 |
| 12V output | 12.55V |
The only annoying thing about calibration is that you need to enter this 16-digit code to unlock it using the scroll wheel! Is this some sort of prank? :)
Should You Get the S6 or D6 Pro?
The Hota S6 is a great charger, it does everything you need if you fly FPV drones, but for some people the older and cheaper D6 Pro might be enough. Take a look at the specs comparison here.
| S6 | D6 Pro | |
| Price $ | $159.99 | $118 |
| Total Power DC | 650W | 650W |
| Total Power AC | 400W | 200W |
| Max Charge Current | 15A | 15A |
| Max Balance Current | 1.6A | 1.6A |
| Max Discharge Current | 3A | 3A |
| Support External Discharge | Yes | Yes |
| DC Input Voltage | 10.5-30V | 6.5-30V |
| No. of USB Outputs | 3 (10.5Wx2, 45Wx1) | 1 (10.5W) |
| Wireless Charging | No | Yes |
| 12V Output | Yes | No |
| Dimensions | 116×116x85mm | 108×105 ×76mm |
| Weight | 800g | 555g |
If you already own the D6 Pro, I don’t think the improvements in the S6 is enough to justify an upgrade. But if you are new to Hota chargers, the choice comes down to what kind of battery you are charging and how you are powering the charger.
If you plan to power your LiPo charger from DC, i.e. using an external power supply or from a battery, then it doesn’t matter which charger you get, both will offer the same performance. But for the S6, you need to use a powerful enough PSU to get the most out of it and justify spending the extra money, as AC can already do 400W, e.g. using this 1200W PSU: https://oscarliang.com/product-lq1c.
Get the Hota S6 400W LiPo charger here:
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-oyp1
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-2qpm
The S6 is indeed more powerful when powered from AC, but whether or not it’s a better choice still depends. The S6 is more suited for those who charge large batteries or often “ parallel charge“, e.g. charging 6S packs over 4.5A on each channel. If you are charging below this, then the D6 Pro would be adequate. If you don’t parallel charge, but only charge a single battery (for example 6S 1000mAh) per channel, then you’d be better off getting the D6 Pro and save some money.
Get the HOTA D6 Pro here:
- Banggood: https://oscarliang.com/product-gj71
- RDQ: https://oscarliang.com/product-xyjj
16 comments
32 bit processor ??
Thanks for your time
Hi Oscar, what is the maximum amps per channel on AC, when you charge 6s battery’s parallel?
Hi Oscar, what are the max amps per channel on DC if you charge 6s batteries parallel?
Sorry, I mean the max amps on AC (400w) if you charge 6s batteries parallel?
For AC, one channel can use up to 400W because it has power distribution feature as stated in the specs, but the combined power of the two channels will not exceed 400W in AC.
So in theory the max amp for a single channel in AC can be higher than DC, however due to the charge current limit, 15A is the highest you can set.
And when you use 15A on one channel (that’s 333W), you only have 67W left on the other channel.
If you want to charge equal amount of 6S lipo on both sides, then you should set both channels to 200W/22.2V = 9A charge current.
Thanks for the quick response👍🏼
Wouldn’t you need to divide by 25.2 which is the max voltage for a 6S charge?
So the max power per channel is 325W according to the specs, 6S has a nominal voltage of 22.2V. So the max current per channel would be 325/22.2 = 14.6A.
Hi Oscar. I got the S6 the other day and I have used it about a dozen times to charge batteries and it works perfectly. But. There’s a steady buzzing sound coming from its insides when it’s plugged in to AC and this sound speeds up when the charging process begins. You can hear the sound in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg02Kbb3POU
Is it normal? Did the S6 that you reviewed make this sound?
sorry can’t really hear it in the video. But yea the fan turns on faster when you use AC because of the powerful built-in PSU inside.
No, it’s not the fan. It’s like a buzzing sound, a constant bzzzzzz (reminds me of cicada in the summer) coming from, I don’t know, the coil maybe? I can hear it in the video. If you turn the volume up you will hear it too. And you will hear it speeding up when the charging begins. Anyway. I suppose it’s normal since you didn’t hear anything strange.
ok I have to use my headphone to hear it.
It does sound like the motor is making that noise, almost like rusty bearing or something? I am not entirely sure. The charger I have doesn’t make that high pitch noise. Definitely not normal.
If that’s something you can’t work with, you should contact the reseller and see what they can do.
Ok, thank you Oscar.
Do you have a review of something like the cheaper B6 charger like this: hobbybitz.co.uk/product/digital-imax-b6-lipo-nimh-polymer-rc-battery-balance-charger-discharger/
Do this charge just the same in terms of balancing a lipo?
I do not recommend this charger, it’s old and lacks a lot of modern features.
Get one of these instead: https://oscarliang.com/best-lipo-battery-chargers/
Gibt es beim S6 sowie beim D6 die Möglichkeit im Menü eine Netzteilfunktion zu wählen, um damit ein Gleichstromgerät zu betreiben?