"Balance" charging LIPO batteries

[Den72]

I am new to crawling but not new to LIPO batteries as I have been using them for years in airsoft.

I crossed over and was surprised to learn that the new LIPO battery chargers require you to plug in both plugs in order to balance charge the battery.

I was always under the impression that the 2s or 3s plug with a normal lipo charger did the trick.

Is this a new standard for crawling or have LIPO batteries really evolved and require this extra charging?

 

[Jboucher]

I am new to crawling but not new to LIPO batteries as I have been using them for years in airsoft.



I crossed over and was surprised to learn that the new LIPO battery chargers require you to plug in both plugs in order to balance charge the battery.



I was always under the impression that the 2s or 3s plug with a normal lipo charger did the trick.



Is this a new standard for crawling or have LIPO batteries really evolved and require this extra charging?

You need to balance charge LiPos unless you want unnecessary risks.

Unbalanced cells lead to puffy LiPos and dangerous situations.

Charge at 1C in Balance mode
Storage mode after use.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Oblander]

I am new to crawling but not new to LIPO batteries as I have been using them for years in airsoft.

I crossed over and was surprised to learn that the new LIPO battery chargers require you to plug in both plugs in order to balance charge the battery.

I was always under the impression that the 2s or 3s plug with a normal lipo charger did the trick.

Is this a new standard for crawling or have LIPO batteries really evolved and require this extra charging?

Just a different charger. There are balance chargers that just use the balance plug, which essentially charge each cell individually. The B3 AC charger is an example of this.

Other chargers charge all cells at once and then balance at the end. They typically have a lot more options.

 

[rkj__]

Is this a new standard for crawling or have LIPO batteries really evolved and require this extra charging?

Some actually consider it the "old" standard now. For example, Spektrum SMART G2 batteries and chargers have now deleted the balance plug. The cells are instead balanced by some proprietary wizardry.

 

[Den72]

Just a different charger. There are balance chargers that just use the balance plug, which essentially charge each cell individually. The B3 AC charger is an example of this.

Other chargers charge all cells at once and then balance at the end. They typically have a lot more options.

So do I need to upgrade my charger or will these style of chargers suffice?

 

[HumboldtEF]

So do I need to upgrade my charger or will these style of chargers suffice?

I would say yes, a balanced charge is always recommended. If your current charger cant balance charge I'd look inot getting a modern charger that can.


I've been shocked by the opposite position knowing that lipo needs a balance charge and seeing so many lipos are used elsewhere with no concerns for balancing or how long they stay at full charge.
I just assume in these applications they dont fully charge the battery 100% but rather 50-60% for safety sake. I'm just assuming that would be the smart thing to do an have no clue how its actually handled.

 

[Oblander]

So do I need to upgrade my charger or will these style of chargers suffice?

What charger do you have exactly?

There are features you could be missing, like discharge, storage charge etc

 

[Den72]

What charger do you have exactly?

There are features you could be missing, like discharge, storage charge etc

I am currently using the Prophet Sport Lipo charger that has selectable amps charging capabilities starting at .5 amps up to 3 amps in .5 amp intervals.

I am currently running 5200 ma 2s 80c battery on this charger

 

[Jboucher]

I am currently using the Prophet Sport Lipo charger that has selectable amps charging capabilities starting at .5 amps up to 3 amps in .5 amp intervals.



I am currently running 5200 ma 2s 80c battery on this charger

I suggest you invest into a good balance charger.
SkyRC S65 (single) or SkyRC D100 (dual) are good starting points.

There are many others but I like these for simplicity.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Den72]

I suggest you invest into a good balance charger.
SkyRC S65 (single) or SkyRC D100 (dual) are good starting points.

There are many others but I like these for simplicity.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Thank you for your input, I will start looking for a newer charger

 

[big specht]

Being this subject got brought up. Is there any charts out there for how many ‘C’s to charge any given battery at ? I’m wondering cause like many of you I have numerous battery’s all makes and sizes and when charging on a aftermarket charger you can set it to what ever amp you want is there a chart that will help take the guess work out of it?

 

[Oblander]

I am currently using the Prophet Sport Lipo charger that has selectable amps charging capabilities starting at .5 amps up to 3 amps in .5 amp intervals.

I am currently running 5200 ma 2s 80c battery on this charger

That's a decent charger but is doesn't show you a lot of info.

I use 3 chargers.

SkyRC s60

https://www.skyrc.com/Charger/S60_Charger

Prophet Sport Charger

https://www.amazon.com/Dynamite-Charger-Prophet-DYNC2010-Battery/dp/B00HQ2RPUS

B3 AC Charger

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingr-b3ac-compact-charger-us-plug.html


They each have their purpose. The SkyRC has the most options and information.

 

[Den72]

Being this subject got brought up. Is there any charts out there for how many ‘C’s to charge any given battery at ? I’m wondering cause like many of you I have numerous battery’s all makes and sizes and when charging on a aftermarket charger you can set it to what ever amp you want is there a chart that will help take the guess work out of it?

I haven't searched for a chart but I have followed the 1 amp for every 1000 mah the battery is rated for.

Of course the less amps you use the longer it takes but the more thorough/balance of a charge you get.

I am also curious about the "storage" voltage. Do you just partially charge the battery and measure the voltage? I have never done this and have opted for the top off method to ensure it doesn't sit drained and kill the battery.

Of course I never considered the repercussions of storing a fully charged battery. I have never had a problem.

 

[Oblander]

If you stick with the prophet charger you should get one of these to check your balance.

https://www.amazon.com/LiPo-Battery...ds=lipo+battery+checker&qid=1616598051&sr=8-6

 

[Oblander]

I haven't searched for a chart but I have followed the 1 amp for every 1000 mah the battery is rated for.

Of course the less amps you use the longer it takes but the more thorough/balance of a charge you get.

I am also curious about the "storage" voltage. Do you just partially charge the battery and measure the voltage? I have never done this and have opted for the top off method to ensure it doesn't sit drained and kill the battery.

Of course I never considered the repercussions of storing a fully charged battery. I have never had a problem.

Store batteries at 3.8v per cell. The SKyRC (or most 4 button chargers) will have a lipo storage mode that charges/discharges each cell to 3.8

 

[Den72]

If you stick with the prophet charger you should get one of these to check your balance.

https://www.amazon.com/LiPo-Battery...ds=lipo+battery+checker&qid=1616598051&sr=8-6

Is this for post charging to ensure that each cell is at proper voltage?

 

[Den72]

Store batteries at 3.8v per cell. The SKyRC (or most 4 button chargers) will have a lipo storage mode that charges/discharges each cell to 3.8

How often do you have to check to ensure they maintain that voltage? Does that voltage drop over an "X" amount of time?

 

[Jboucher]

How often do you have to check to ensure they maintain that voltage? Does that voltage drop over an "X" amount of time?

I got stored LiPos that have been at 3.8v for 2 years.
It's a good practice to cycle them every now and then but they hold without any trouble.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Kingmeow]

Being this subject got brought up. Is there any charts out there for how many ‘C’s to charge any given battery at ? I’m wondering cause like many of you I have numerous battery’s all makes and sizes and when charging on a aftermarket charger you can set it to what ever amp you want is there a chart that will help take the guess work out of it?

Some have already hinted to the answers.

The general consensus now a days considers 1 "C" as the standard charge rate. So if you have a 5000 mAh (C)apacity pack. a 1C charge rate will be 5000 mA or 5.0A. There really is no chart. Just read the capacity of your pack and that's your charge rate.

If you are in a REAL hurry you can do 2C but the higher the charge rate beyond 1C the more you are shortening the life of your lipo. For some, it doesn't matter as you can buy packs for under $20 on Amazon. :mrgreen:

Some of the more expensive packs, you can go up to 5C charge rate! :shock: But I wouldn't attempt to use that rate unless I'm outside and waaaay away from my house! These packs are typically NOT used for the crawler segment of RC but rather for RC helis and EDF jets.

Better chargers, if not all by now(?), have a Storage charge mode. It charges or discharges each cell in your pack until they reach 3.80V. No need to remember what the volt per cell is or even when to stop the charger. It's automatic.

 

[ovidiugm]

In the old times (like Duratrax ICE era 15 years ago, maybe? ) the chargers only did the charging. You would use an external balancer that would take care of balancing your packs.

I somehow feel that the bigger brands went with this approach, as this allowed the consumer to go with higher or lower quality separate components, as per their budget.

I saw the widespread integration of the balancer in the charger itself in the era of iMax B6 & its clones.
You could only connect red and black, and go with charge only, or also connect balancing port and charge + balance the pack.

There are now slow / cheap / simple-option chargers that only charge and balance over the balance port. This is mostly for low charging currents, as the wires are pretty thin.

I understand that some of the manufacturers saw fit to move the balancer into the pack itself, like Spektrum did. I see no real rationale for that, that would benefit the savy consumer.

Indeed best choice, and most flexible one, in my opinion, would be to get an intelligent, configurable charger that has both charge ports and balance ports.