Stupid newbie question alert

[Cossie]

Why do lipo's have what seems like two connectors? On mine I have a deans connector which powers the heli, but I also notice a smaller connector that looks like an RX charger lead but it wont accept the charging cable I have?

Sorry if dumb

[LipolyGone]

It's a ballance lead Mate some times the cells can go out of ballance ie one has more voltage than the other a badly ballanced pack isnt as good as one in ballance & if it goes to far out of ballance the cells that have the most voltage can get over charged & will quickly die.
Martin

[Thomas]

Its a balancing connector, LiPo cells need to be kept between certain voltages, go over or drop under those voltages can damage the cells.

You plug the lead into a balancer and it keeps all the cells the same.

... unless you got a Kokam then you don't need it

[Cossie]

I'd better go Kokam as there's no way I'm paying for ANOTHER charger. I have three already. One for cars which I think I'm going to sell (used once) the pro prodigy (which I've not used at all yet) and I've got some other trickle chargers.

Can I charge my lipo with the Prodigy? Been told I can?

I'm spending more on this hobby than I'm getting to actually enjoy atm

Do love my Trex though.

Thanks Thomas

[Bikeracer]

I think the Prodigy charges lipos according to the case,but it won't balance the pack.A proper charge and balance will make your lipos longer lived,I also try not to use more than 70% out of mine at a time.

The FMA Cell Pro 4s charger is a real simple to use charger and gives all the information on the screen that you need,it also has an automatic cold weather program that kicks in if need be.Just plug and play.

Plenty of info here.
http://www.aurorra.co.uk/

Allan

[XH558]

Can I charge my lipo with the Prodigy? Been told I can?

I have a Prodigy and I asked the very same question months ago on another forum - A copy of this quote from Ripmax themselves, which confirms it as ok, was posted and I kept it.......

Pro-Peak Prodigy Charger information.
Posted byStuartn on Sunday, February 15 @ 18:36:31 GMT
Contributed by Robsony

I bought this charger around xmas. It charges Lithium ion batteries but there is no mention of Lithium Polymers. I emailed ripmax and they replied with this :

"We can confirm the Prodigy Charger does charge lithium polymer batteries.

Regards,
Ripmax

Ripmax Ltd
Ripmax Corner, 241 Green Street, Enfield, EN3 7SJ

Tel: 020 8282 7500
Fax: 020 8282 7501
Email: JM@Ripmax.com"

And I'll be darned if the name 'Stuartn' isn't in there... so it probably originated on this forum before I joined

[showtime]

when i was looking into LiPos & trying to gather as much information as i could about them i learned that by not balancing a LiPo when charging it was easy to overcharge one of the individual cells or by running them too long so the voltage goes below the ideal would also damage them!
old news BUT this makes a big difference to the life of the battery pack!
typically packs that are abused wont last more than 100 cycles often less but a pack thats balanced everytime & never over discharged should see (depending on make) 300 to over 500 cycles

is £50 for a Cellpro an excessive investment now?

i've already got way too many chargers & was reluctant to add another but there is a Cellpro in my toolbox now

plug & play, impossible to use wrongly & gives accurate information on the state of each cell as it charges them
amazing bit of technology for the money

i'm assuming you're using 4s or less by recommending this charger?

[Cossie]

All good points and all helpful... Crickey this hobby sure keeps you spending doesn't it

Maybe I should take the plunge then.

[showtime]

things like a decent charger are more of a one off investment rather than a continual spend, it just seems like you're always shelling out when you start dabbling with a new class or hobby

give Mike a ring & he'l tell you more about LiPos & their charging/use than you ever thought you'd need to know 01142 570401
he'll take calls til 10pm (outstanding & unmatched commitment to customer service!) & will be glad to help you

http://www.aurorra.co.uk

[Cossie]

Think you've hit the nail on the head with that last comment. I need to worry less about the initial spending as when I've got what I need things should be all good. Trouble is this... The missus dont see it that way at all lol

I'll think of getting a balancer when I buy another pack, I'll just play with what I have for now and keep the missus off my case for a while heh.

[Sesame]

Another problem we have with Lipo's is that all the different manufacturers want to use different types of balancing connectors and unless your a real wizard with electronics and soldering messing with lipo cells can be a dodgy passtime.

bout time they standardised. However I use the cellpro and I recon its a great little charger well worth the money for keeping the lipos in tiptop condition

[showtime]

just use an adapter board that can be purchased alongside your charger, i've got 2 different boards that cover pretty much ANY LiPo available



thats a pic of one of the boards & it even has a warning LED that lights up if you have connected wrongly!
there is at least 1 other board available but no pic online for it, cheers to Mike for pinching his image