Charging A Lipo

[Geoff BirdParticipant @geoffbird11926]

Hi Folks

I have a lipo S3 11.1v 6100mah battery. My charger is a ThunderAC6

With a max output of 5amps. Wil I be able to fully charge the battery with it

Many Thanks

Geoff

[Geoff BirdParticipant @geoffbird11926]

Can I fully charge

[shipwrightParticipant @shipwright]

Hello Geoff,

Not quite sure why you are asking this question. You might find this video helpful :

**LINK**

I don't use LiPo's so have no experience of them. Your charger has the capacity to charge your battery in just over an hour – but charging at that rate (ie 5 amps) could significantly reduce the life of the battery. I charge my NiMH batteries at C/4. If you have the time (ie there is no pressing need to charge in a short time) the best charging rate is about C/10 (incidentally C = the Ah rating of the battery) – in your case C = 6.1 Ah so C/10 = 0.61 amps. Hope this is of some help.

Ian

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

Hi Geoff,

I have just started using Lipo batteries so I'm not an expert, but your charger looks very similar to the Sigma that I use (I looked it up and I think all these intelligent chargers are basically the same). Mine will charge up to 12.6v on a 3s, which is the battery I'm using, and stay there until 100% charge is reached. I check mine with a wattmeter which will tell you whether you have 100% charge.

I always use the balance charge mode and again check with the wattmeter to see that the batteries are balanced- the wattmeter will also balance the cells. I have been advised to charge at slightly less than the capacity of the battery, eg mine are 2650mah and I charge a 2400ma so you should be OK at 5ah but ,as already pointed out, a lower rate will just take longer.

There is a lot of info about lipos on the internet and it's worth boning up on it to make sure all goes well- I was frightened to death when I started using them, but so far, I haven't burnt my workshop down! I use a lipo safe bag when charging and check and double check when starting a charge.

They always say you shouldn't leave lipos unattended when charging so a faster charge can mean less time watching them! I must confess- I risk leaving them now-in the fireproof bag.

Incidentally, I use low voltage alarms in a visible place on the boat (velcroed in a window), with balance lead extensions, so that I can ensure I don't over discharge the batteries.

Hope some of this is helpful.

 

All the best…Ian

 

 

Edited By Ian Gardner on 09/12/2012 10:38:00

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