Multi charging batteries

[GregD]

already up to 3 batteries for my new e-flight 130x and expect to get a couple more so I can keep practising, from looking through posts many seem to run parallel boards/cables to charge all your batteries at the same time. Also seems like different options for fast charging.

Looking for good suggestions as to which charger & boards/cables I should get in the UK.

Many thanks

[TheDarkPassenger]

This cable will do the job for the 130x
Quantum Parallel 6x JST-PH Charge/Balance MCPX BL and 130X Q-CL-0031

Pretty much any of the cheaper chargers will do the job for smaller helis (you'll likely need a mains adaptor too), such as:
ProPeak Pro-Peak Gallant Eq Dc Charger - O-IP3030 | HobbyStores

[cjcj1949]

If you charge three in series you don't have to match voltages.

[jimmyhorns]

If you charge three in series you don't have to match voltages.

Sure, but nor would they be balanced....

Parallel charging would in my opinion be the best solution

[cjcj1949]

They will be balanced. Series charging is what we always use. You get a series charge board with an icharger.

[GregD]

Sorry whats the difference between series and parallel charging?

which I charger would you recommend?

[jimmyhorns]

They will be balanced. Series charging is what we always use. You get a series charge board with an icharger.

How would they be balanced?..

If you were charging 3 at a time, it would be like charging a 3S without a balance lead?...

[cjcj1949]

A 6s battery is 6 single cell batteries in series. A connection is made to the positive terminal and the negative terminal at each end. The same current flows through all cells. Each cell is slightly different and so some cells will charge quicker and reach a higher voltage. If a cell is charged too high it will get very hot and give off toxic fumes and may cause a fire. To avoid this chargers make a connection to each cell and stop charging that cell if the volts get too high. Most chargers do this by taking current, usually about 300ma, out of any cell that is getting too high.

With parallel charging cells are connected positive to positive so that all cells have the same voltage, and an assumption is made that all cells with the same voltage have the same current flowing through them. If a cell gets weak this will lead to problems as all the current can end up going through one cell. There is no current limit on this weak cell current unless you have a safe parallel board with fuses.

Parallel charging relies on the user not making an error and having perfect batteries. It is a cheap convenient method and works so long as people follow the rules. There is a lot of debate about these rules. The more the cells differ and the more cells connected in parallel, the greater the risks. Many people charge up to eight 5000mah 6S batteries in parallel and do it indoors. They call this a preferred low risk approach.

[jimmyhorns]

so you are suggesting a charging lead and balance lead so that the charger would see the three single cell batteries as one 3 cell battery?..

Charging multiple packs in series is not something most of us do. Most of us with 3S or greater packs will be parallel charging.

[cjcj1949]

Yes. I'm saying make the 3 2s batteries look like a 6S battery. The alternative with parallel charging is to use the Safe Parallel Charging board. At least then you are protected from the worst mistakes. There isn't a convenient option for charging 6S batteries other than charging at the field with more than one charger.

With a series charging setup there is no problem if the batteries only have one plug, like the small 2S batteries for the 130-X and the mcpx brushless. If using batteries that have two plugs you must make sure that the balance plug and the main plug cannot be plugged into the wrong sockets, by spacing the pairs of connectors further apart than their balance lead lengths.

[Spud gun]

I'm new to the hobby to mate and I've just got a pl6 with an MPA board it's the nuts ;-)

[GregD]

So help me understand what is the difference between £25 Propeak Gallant referenced above, Thunderpower 610 at about £90 and Powerlab6 or the Ichargers at well over £100. I get some have built in power and some you need a power supply. It seems the more expensive need an external power supply to provide the wattage. All seem to balance, however non list parallel charging, which is where the higher wattage I believe comes in, however for charging 4-6 2C 7.v not sure how much wattage or other specifics I need,

Too many options and to broader price range leave me unclear.....

thanks

[cjcj1949]

The higher power chargers and power supplies are for charging more and bigger batteries. I find that I need a 30 min rest after flying my 130-X so I only need to charge one or two small batteries at a time. Most addicts have 5000 mah 6S batteries or more. It is not that easy to charge them at the field and so people charge them before they go. The easiest and most convenient way is to connect your batteries together and to charge them all at the same time. This usually takes about 1 hour. It's not a good idea to be too far away from charging lipos as things can and do go wrong and people sometimes have to throw them out the window.

6S batteries are about 25V when fully charged. The usual charge rate is 5amps and you should be charging from storage voltage of half charged. This will take about 45 mins.
The charger will need to supply 25V at 5 amps. This is only 125Watts. But that is for one battery. For 6 you need 30 amps and 750 watts. The power supply will need to be able to give about 1000 Watts.

Now for say one 130-X battery you only need to charge at between 300 and 450ma for each battery. The battery is only 2S which is 8.4V max at end of charge. That's about 4 watts. So even with 6 batteries you only need 24 watts at 12V or 2 amps.The charger will be charging at between 1.5A and 2.7A. Any charger or power supply will do that.

If a 130-X battery does develop a fault it's not as bad as a much bigger one. The smaller chargers do't mention parallel charging. This is just something people have worked out for them selves.

The main thing is to get all the batteries to the same voltage. Then connect them up with the balance connectors. Then charge to storage charge if the batteries are not needed straight away. The reason for getting the batteries to the same voltage is that the higher battery will quickly charge the lower battery. Generally higher current charging reduces the life of the battery. What you can get away with is tricky to define and all users have their own ideas.

The icharger 106B is a good charger and available from here:-

iCharger 106B+ « ElectriFlyer

Chris will explain anything you want to know and advise on parallel and series setups. You do need to know exactly what you are doing with charging as mistakes are costly. If you are not sure ask someone, don't guess.