Chargers and balancing (technical but i dont have rights to post there)

[KirstinS]

Hi all

my Imax B6 seems to not recognise the third S of my 3s booster pack

As it charges through the main leads it recognises a 3s pack but shows 0.00v on the individual series monitor during balance charging. It does show voltages for s1 and s2

The pack is clearly fine - i have tested whole pack and also indivudial S outputs which all read as they should (4.15v each)

I think something might have died inside the charger itself then.

in which case can anyone recomend a similar priced charger that can do the same thing BUT charges through balance leads. Balancing takes a long time on a B6

much appreciated

 

[averhamdave]

Hi. I've used lipos in RC modelling since they came out. I have them in all configurations from 1s to 6s.

When the IMAX b6 came out (it's a clone of a Bantam B6) I tried one. It didn't last too long as it burnt out - because it had no cooling fan, and I was charging 2200mah packs one after the other at its maximum 50w charge rate. The Turnigy equivalent is a better charger by far because it has a cooling fan, otherwise it's basically identical. - but cost c£30 in the uk.

The IMAX 2/3 cell chargers really are the pits. I know I used to sell them - well I sold a few and scrapped the rest. They do not balance charge well enough, full stop. They'll soon ruin your lipos in fact.

High power charging is not carried out through the balance leads. On a proper charger, the charging is done through the power leads and the balancing through the balance leads as with your IMAX.

You just need a more powerful charger but they can be expensive. I use a cellpro that can charge at an output of 1000w. I can charge 6 off, 6s 5000ah packs simultaneously in under an hour - but then the set up cost over £250.

There are lots of rules (and myths) surrounding the use of Lipos but one you must respect is that you charge accurately and balance frequently. I'd say if you are a lipo user buy a reasonable charger. If you don't want to spend on the big kit then accept higher charging times but at least do it properly.

 

[KirstinS]

That's all really useful stuff , thanks

I should say I don't use lipo but rather 18650 packs that I build from old laptop batteries so I need charge/discharge testing abilities as well

Im keen to know the model of the turnigy equivalent to the IMAX b6 please. Shoulda like a good option

I totally agree the 2s/3s are the pits. However it works well enough as a backup at work. I never trust it to turn off at 4.2v per series and I check the voltages of each s regularly during charging with a lipo alarm voltmeter strapped to the pack (it has been proven/tested as accurate enough)

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The BC168 is pretty good. It charges through the balance leads, so it's really good for balancing your main battery too. There's no messing about with main battery leads, so it's much more convenient.Mine worked fine for about a year until I accidentally shorted a couple of the pins. Now it mis-reads the voltage on those two channels, so I can only use four of the six channels.
BC168 RC Model Super Speed Li-ion Li-Polymer Li-Fe Hobby Balance Charger BC016 | eBay


Whenever you get a new charger, you should always do a plausibility check on the cell voltage readings.