Chargers, all the same ?

[Tubamanandy]

Are chargers all basically the same ?

Would it be fair to say that as long as your charger gives enough power, it's the quality of the BMS
that controls how well the battery is charged ?

 

[WorldClassAccident]

I don't know but I would guess...

...they are basically similar but put out different power. I have two iPad chargers, one charges my iPad in about an hour the other takes about 4...

...better chargers have some anti-spike / surge protection built in...

...really cheap ones will have rubbish components and build quality and are best avoided

 

[flecc]

Most e-bike lithium chargers tend to be 2 amp rated, but a few are faster chargers at 4 amps rating. Otherwise they do the same job and it's only the connectors that need changing.

The most common brand over the years has been HighPower of China, branded HP.
.

 

[Tubamanandy]

So its just the amperage & connectors that really differ

 

[flecc]

So its just the amperage & connectors that really differ

And the voltage. Yes, the BMS controls whether charging takes place as you suggested. Their job is just to supply when wanted.
.

 

[Alan Quay]

So its just the amperage & connectors that really differ

And the voltage, and the cutoff point.

Chargers are actually quite different for different battery technologies.

Some charge at a constant voltage (SLA) and simply allow the voltage to equalise. Others (nimh) look for a voltage drop which occurs at the end of charging. Some charges use a constant current, and others do a bit of both.

As far as I'm aware Lithium chargers use a constant current, and presumably stop when current draw drops off.