PL6 Charge Presets and Parallel charging advice needed

[chrisleematt21]

I have PL6 and have been charging my 6s 5000 packs at 5.00amps on the "Accurate Charge Pre-set".

1. What is the difference between the accurate charge and High Power pre-sets? (I have been using the Accurate Charge Pre-set as I assumed (rightly or wrongly) it was the best for the batteries)

2. I have several packs and have been charging them individually, each pack normally takes about 35-45 mins. I would like to speed up charge times without damaging the pack.
Some sites / reviews say that you SHOULD NEVER charge above 1c (5 amps for my 5000 packs?) where as others say you can and the packs say 1-3c charge rates. Is it OK to charge at 10 -15 amps?

3. If I were to parallel charge the 6s 5000 packs and wanted to do it at 1c (5 amps each) would I set the charger to 5 amps or set it to 10 amps (5 amps per pack)?

4. Which pre-set should I use?

5. Would parallel charging take twice as long?

6. I currently have 3 x PL6 Adapter board and 3 x Discharge cables. Can I parallel charge with these or do i need one of these ?

my Current power supply is this one

I have searched various sites and forum but to be honest I am still unsure what to do for best.

[milly0812]

Parallel charging is far quicker. The high power setting is needed as you will be pulling more than 5 amps. Just select parallel charge,number of packs and charge rate

So for example if you wish to charge 4 x 5000 packs you select packs 4 and for 1c select 5 amps. for 2c select 10 amps the charger will do the maths so at 1c it will pull 20A and 2c it will pull 40A

[myxiplx]

I've just picked up a PL8 and reprogrammed my pre-sets, so while I'm fairly new to the powerlab range, I think I can answer your questions.

1. I believe there are two differences. Firstly the high power presets default to a higher charge current. Secondly, the difference between the 'accurate' and 'faster' charges is simply when the Powerlab stops the charge. The accurate charge only stops when the charge rate hits C/20 (or one twentieth of the current rate). The faster charge stops when the charge rate drops to C/10. Basically it just stops the charge a little earlier, so the pack may be at 99% rather than 100% charged.

2. Depends on the pack, go by the manufacturers recommendations. 2C charging is fine for the vast majority of packs out there. Some packs are rated to 5C, but 3C is more common. I know people who charge every pack at 5C and have reported no problems with any pack, but personally I think that's overkill, especially if you parallel charge.

3. You would set it to 10A. Basically you add up the mAh rating of all the packs you're charging in parallel, and treat it as one giant pack. The packs all need to have the same cell count (ie all 6S or all 3S), but the mAh capacity can be mixed, you can safely charge a 2000mAh pack in parallel with a 5000mAh pack.

4. Whichever you like. The Powerlab will charge and balance them great on any of the settings :-D The only difference is whether the preset will try to top the pack up for that last few percent, and the 'default' current the preset starts with. It's well worth picking up the USB adaptor for the powerlab software as you can then create your own presets for your packs. I now have a 'Trex 250' preset which starts with the ideal rate for my 3S packs, and a 'Gaui X3' preset which has the ideal default settings for my 6S packs.

5. No. Because you increase the current, you can charge 2, 3 or 4 packs in the same time as one. It's the big benefit of parallel charging if you have a powerful enough charger. It's also why charging above 2C isn't really needed, you're saving a ton of time anyway by charging multiple packs, do you really need 4 packs fully charged in 15 mins flat? (Although it is fun! When I bought the PL I charged 6 small packs in parallel in 12 minutes, that used to take me hours!!!)

[chrisleematt21]

Parallel charging is far quicker. The high power setting is needed as you will be pulling more than 5 amps. Just select parallel charge,number of packs and charge rate

So for example if you wish to charge 4 x 5000 packs you select packs 4 and for 1c select 5 amps. for 2c select 10 amps the charger will do the maths so at 1c it will pull 20A and 2c it will pull 40A

3. You would set it to 10A. Basically you add up the mAh rating of all the packs you're charging in parallel, and treat it as one giant pack. The packs all need to have the same cell count (ie all 6S or all 3S), but the mAh capacity can be mixed, you can safely charge a 2000mAh pack in parallel with a 5000mAh pack.[/QUOTE]

Don't these contradict each other?

[myxiplx]

No, they're talking about different ways of doing the same thing. I was explaining the underlying concept for parallel charging, whereas milly0812 is explaining to you how the PowerLab does it.

Basically the PowerLab understands the concept of parallel charging, so if you have several packs that are all the same it can do the math for you. For example, if you are charging 4x 5000mAh packs, you can tell the charger:
- I'm charging 4 packs, at 5A each
- Or you can ignore the parallel pack setting, and just tell it to charge at 20A

If you have mixed packs, (such as a 2000mAh and a 5000mAh), then it can't do the calculation for you and you need to manually tell it to charge at 7A for 1C or 14A for 2C, etc...

[chrisleematt21]

No, they're talking about different ways of doing the same thing. I was explaining the underlying concept for parallel charging, whereas milly0812 is explaining to you how the PowerLab does it.

Basically the PowerLab understands the concept of parallel charging, so if you have several packs that are all the same it can do the math for you. For example, if you are charging 4x 5000mAh packs, you can tell the charger:
- I'm charging 4 packs, at 5A each
- Or you can ignore the parallel pack setting, and just tell it to charge at 20A

If you have mixed packs, (such as a 2000mAh and a 5000mAh), then it can't do the calculation for you and you need to manually tell it to charge at 7A for 1C or 14A for 2C, etc...

I see! Thanks.

[simon_s]

You could choose a fused board or a non fused one.

Quantum Parallel Charge Board for XH and EC5 Q-B-0013

[myxiplx]

I'd definitely recommend a fused board. You don't necessarily need to use the FMA one, but it's a bit of a pain getting the right connector otherwise, and the FMA board is pretty good quality.

A fused board will protect your board, your batteries, and your charger if you ever make a mistake. And it's really easy to make a mistake, I shorted a 3S lipo for my Trex 250 a while back, just accidentally touched it on the 4S pins rather than the 3S ones and it instantly fused itself to the board and I had to rip a pair of batteries off the board to separate them, with them coming away with a ton of pins welded to the balance leads. I managed to save the batteries as they'd only been shorted for a second, but the board was toast and I had to buy a new set of balance plugs and re-crimp the batteries.