Don't let your eyes off when charging LIPOs

[ron upton]

I have never charged any of my 5000 packs at more then 5amps ive heard of guys charging a 5000 pack at 8 to 10 amps....

a few months ago at a race I heard a loud pop and saw the trailer owner tose out a pack into the dirt....30 seconds later a 3 foot flame erupted ..the guy used a fire ext on it to knock down the flame and next thing I see a flameing battery pack flying into the lake...man those thinks go up fast

what amp does everyone charge a 5000ma pack at?

 

[RodneyPierce]

I never charge over 1C. I think ol Grim gave me that advise back when I first started using Life/Lipo.

 

[Jim Caldwell]

10 amps on Dinogy packs. Depends on the pack quality, if you buying cheap packs 5 amps and balance charge and watch for out of balance by more than .05 volts on each cell.

 

[Grimracer]

I have never understood the "hurry" My vote is no more then 1C I don't see any reason for any faster.

Understanding and planning is the key to good battery management and the best safety.

Truth is do whatever.. just be cautious.....

Grim

 

[Duck899]

I see this never charge over 1C, is that 1amp?

 

[Grimracer]

On a 1000mah pack.. .Yes..

3200 would charge at 3.2 amps, 5000mah 5 amps and so on....

Grim

 

[darryl whitman]

I dont push the charge C rate, 1C maybe longer to charge by 25% longer . Y push it .

 

[Duck899]

On a 1000mah pack.. .Yes..

3200 would charge at 3.2 amps, 5000mah 5 amps and so on....

Grim

OK, I get it, thats what I have been doing then, 5000 mah at 5 amps, 4500 mah at 4.5, etc

 

[Grimracer]

I did some testing regarding "balancing" and I was very surprised.

I flew my 3S heli packs for one summer (about 7 months) WITHOUT balancing them.. I was "Shocked".. no I wasent.. lol.. they were just as good as new after MANY months and MANY cycles without a balance charge. (put them back on the test stuff in the lab)

Is there a good reason to balance.. sure.. if you feel you want to. BUT.. necessary.. not from what I have tested..

BTY.. those batteries (Flight power) are STILL going great gonzo after now in there 4th year.. (pack quality might have something to do with it)

Grim

Most good balancing chargers let you check individual cell voltages while charging and often you can see right away if there are any potential issues with a cell which is usually the tip off of impending battery problems. Not saying it's perfect but I've heard of many individuals catching a potential issue early on before it could potentially become catastrophic. I myself will not charge any of my LiFe or LiPo packs without balancing.

And Z where do you fly up north that has a 7 month summer??? LOL!!

Don.. who needs SUMMER...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Xlo0RnawU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpFGqGZf0z4

Grim

 

[ken turmon]

Lipos should NEVER be charged indoors.Lots of guys charge out of balance and puffed up packs without trouble while others charge a perfectly good pack and have a fire. Lipos are very unpredictable to say the least.Glad it didnt end up worse.

 

[lohring]

I've charged a lot of lipos without any problems at both 1C for the 2008 batteries and 2C now. The older Enerland batteries could have been charged at 2C, but we didn't have the generator capacity. Of the two fires I personally know about, the first was from deliberately charging a possibly damaged pack without the balancer and the second came from leaving the packs on a charger and the charger possibly failing to shut off. In both cases, quick action when the fire started prevented serious damage. The moral is use quality equipment, discard packs with bad cells that won't balance, and don't leave the batteries alone while charging.

Lohring Miller

 

[Duck899]

If a battery starts a charge with unbalanced cells while using the balancer connection as well and when finished charging is still not balanced, should it be tossed? What is the safe range of differential between cells?

 

[BrianTooms]

Rob my Powerlabs go into safety mode (.5 amp) if a cell is 150mv different and one cell is over 3.8. A cell is considered worn out when it only charges to 80%.

A better measurement is IR internal resistance it lets you keep track of the packs and see if any cells are starting to fail. Some chargers can measure individual cell IR while you charge and there is a stand alone meter for instant readings.

I think older chargers and external balancers charge the cells and then discharge down to the lowest voltage cell. Powerlabs charges the lowest cells first and only carries on across the pack when they are all equal and the charger will shunt current around a cell during charge so that all cells remain in balance during the entire charge cycle.

The error checking and safety algorithms in a good computer charger are worth their weight in lipo bags for me.

 

[Gilbert Pun]

So which is the best charger with all the useful features ?

 

[Gilbert Pun]

I consume some 16 to 20 Lipo packs on an average running day, and I do run on Saturdays, Sundays and 1 or 2 weekdays, it is kind of rush to charge the batteries after a day's running and preparing for the next day.

At the moment, I am using a SkyRC Quattro B6 AC charge, which has been survived from the fire, with four ports.

Additional charger is needed to speed things up.

 

[Jim Caldwell]

FMA Powerlab , best charger I have used in 20 years, it does EVERYTHING!

 

[Don Ferrette]

If a battery starts a charge with unbalanced cells while using the balancer connection as well and when finished charging is still not balanced, should it be tossed? What is the safe range of differential between cells?

Discharge the pack, soak in salt water for 10-14 days then discard.

 

[Duck899]

Rob my Powerlabs go into safety mode (.5 amp) if a cell is 150mv different and one cell is over 3.8. A cell is considered worn out when it only charges to 80%.

A better measurement is IR internal resistance it lets you keep track of the packs and see if any cells are starting to fail. Some chargers can measure individual cell IR while you charge and there is a stand alone meter for instant readings.

I think older chargers and external balancers charge the cells and then discharge down to the lowest voltage cell. Powerlabs charges the lowest cells first and only carries on across the pack when they are all equal and the charger will shunt current around a cell during charge so that all cells remain in balance during the entire charge cycle.

The error checking and safety algorithms in a good computer charger are worth theirweight in lipo bags for me.

Thanks Brian, I'm still learning about all this electron stuff. Currently, I have a Turnigy Accucel 6 and an Onyx 245. The Onyx is only good for 1-3 cell packs so I use it mostly for my 3 cell aircraft packs but the Turnigy will do up to 6 cells. I will need to get another charger in the future.

I've also got one of these cell checker gizmo's, good for checking percentages of cells, and voltage readings. All my boat packs are new, just noticed one of the 2 cell packs was reading funny, hence asking what might be going on.

 

[lohring]

I've always used Hyperion chargers. I notice that several of my Hyperion packs had a cell that didn't balance in the time limit after sitting all winter. A little more time on the charger balanced the battery and they charge fine now. Turnigy nano packs don't seem to recover as well and have a much shorter racing life. They still work fine on low discharge applications like an IC engine starter as long as there isn't a completely dead cell.

lohring Miller

 

[gil sonsino]

Icharger 208 as I only run 6S has great features like IR and good calibration....havent had any issues with my packs in the last two years.Gill