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Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 4:52 PM   
daveopam



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From: ELK CITY, OK, USA
Status: offline 		I am including a picture of my set up. Doing this it is taking an hour to charge a 1300mah 3S Lipo. Other guys I fly with say there charger has a built in balancer and they can charge in 20 minutes or so. So is the balancer slowing the process down? I have used several different power supplies with the same result so I know it's not a problem there. I have also tried 2 different chargers. The only common denominator is the balancer. Or maybe that's just how long it is supposed to take?? Tower has this one on sale http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LWH225&P=1 was thinking of trying it if it's faster.


Thanks, david

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 5:00 PM   
guver


 

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Status: offline 		It is not the balancer slowing it down , but rather the 1.2 rate you've set. 1.2 amps delivers 1200 mah (per hr). If you were to double that rate (2.4 amps) it may reduce the time to 30 minutes (not quite 30 minutes) If I remeber correctly the equinox balancer has a 3 amp limit for the stock leads/adapters.

See pg 9 of the manual for an explanation of how the Triton2 sets the rate , and you would have to lie to it by telling it you have a 2.4 battery to get the 2.4 rate (thus losing the over-capacity protection)

In short, yes. That is how long it's "supposed" to take.

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 6:58 PM   
CK1



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quote:

ORIGINAL: guver

It is not the balancer slowing it down , but rather the 1.2 rate you've set. 1.2 amps delivers 1200 mah (per hr). If you were to double that rate (2.4 amps) it may reduce the time to 30 minutes (not quite 30 minutes) If I remeber correctly the equinox balancer has a 3 amp limit for the stock leads/adapters.

See pg 9 of the manual for an explanation of how the Triton2 sets the rate , and you would have to lie to it by telling it you have a 2.4 battery to get the 2.4 rate (thus losing the over-capacity protection)

In short, yes. That is how long it's ''supposed'' to take.

+1 Its working as designed .
BE CAUTIOUS OF INCREASING THE CHARGE RATE

Refer to your battery maunufacturer for the correct c rate before charging at more than 1c , a higher c rate can cause out gassing and fire hazzards.


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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 7:59 PM   
daveopam



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Status: offline 		Thanks to you both. That is the info I was looking for. Since these packs are $24 each. I think my better solution is to buy a few extra packs, instead of trying to cheat the packs I have and maybe have a problem or a short battery life. I noticed one of the guys charges his packs through the Deans and the balance lead at the same time. I kind of thought that was not strictly kosher.

Maybe that's why all of his packs are blown up like a baloon.

Thank you again, David

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 8:13 PM   
guver


 

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Status: offline 		He's doing it correctly. I can't see in your pic nor can I remember whether the equinox uses the main leads at all (with std adapter) Maybe it is just the high power adapters that use the main lead AND the balance tap. In your case all of the charge is going thru the balance tap. Going thru the main leads is a better way to do it especially when using higher currents. This can be accomplished 2 ways with your equipment. One way is to buy the high power lead and then the max rate is 6 amps I think. The other method is to use the balancer in quick balance mode "on the side" so to speak. The main lead is plugged into the charger and the balancer is plugged into the balance tap on the pack. You lose cell overvoltage protection with the last way.

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/4/2012 8:24 PM  1 votes
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Status: offline 		I use the exact same set up and the balancer will slow down the process because it is stopping the charge on the cells that are higher than the others until all the cells are balanced. If you have a 1300 mah battery and you you charge it at 1.3 amps it will take 1 hr to fully charge. Since your battery should not be fully dead it will take less time, but the balancer will cause the charger to take longer to reach the full capacity. You don't need to balance charge your batteries everytime you charge them, it is just a way to make the cells last longer and prevent a cell from overcharging and causing a fire. I use a cell checker to see what the volts are on each cell and when they get to be .5-.8 out of balance I then balance them. CAUTION that balancer will not stop the charger from over charging like a charger with a built in balancer will do, you still should charge them in a lipo safe or outside for safety. I will attach the balancer tothe balance tap and then plug the charger into the deans plug to speed it up some, by setting the balancer in quick balance mode. DO NOT EXCEED THE RECOMMENDED CHARGE RATE OF YOUR BATTERY !  If it's 1C then 1.3 amps is max 2C 2.6 etc.. The safest way to prevent overcharge is to use the temp probe to shut off the charger if the battery gets too hot.


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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/5/2012 12:33 PM   
RCPAUL


 

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Status: offline 		Triton 2 is designed to charge at 1C.

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/5/2012 2:52 PM   
KW_Counter


 

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Status: offline 		Yes, you are doing it correctly!
My first LiPo charging was the same as yours.
Yes, it take longer than an hour to charge with this setup.
No, do not accelerate the charge rate;
it's not good for the batteries in the long run.

Look for a charger that uses the power leads and balance connectors.
They seem to do a better job and are faster.
Hobby King has some good ones at very reasonable prices.
If you get them from their USA warehouse they arrive in a reasonable amount of time.
You can also get more batteries, I take about 6 to the field and never field charge.

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/5/2012 4:12 PM   
daveopam



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Status: offline 		Thanks guys. For now I think I'll just get an extra pack or two and go at it that way. The pack in the pic is for a foamie. If I have 3-4 of them, that will get me where I need to be. My only other Lipo flying right now is on the RX of a 50cc gasser. One charge on it will go all day so it's not really an issue. Maybe a 2nd balancer so I can charge two at a time would be money better spent. As time goes on and I get more Lipos a better charger will be in my future. The one I have seen used is a Hyperion. Nice unit I just cant justify the price right now.

Thans again, david

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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/5/2012 7:12 PM   
raptureboy


 

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Status: offline 		Triton 2 will fast charge up to 8amps so if your battery can handle it it's capable, but it is better to stay at the 1 C rate so your battery lasts longer. Here is a great place to learn all about batteries http://hangtimes.com/index.html
quote:

ORIGINAL: RCPAUL

Triton 2 is designed to charge at 1C.




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RE: Why so long to charge? - 10/5/2012 7:28 PM   
guver


 

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Status: offline 		You must be thinking of the Triton 2 EQ. The Triton 2 has a 7 amp limit. In either case they are both intended to auto charge at 1C rate using the capacity set by the user. Both can charge at much faster rates on small packs by lieing to them.

The Triton (2.5 amp limit) along with an Equinox balancer and std adapters isn't a bad combo. A lot out of date perhaps.
The Triton 2 along with an Equinox balancer and hi-power leads isn't a bad combo either. A little out of date perhaps.

A triton EQ might be a step above and then the Triton 2 EQ is definitely a step above. Unfortunately both are still somewhat out of date and overpriced.

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