I have been monitoring the cells in my packs with the EOS Sentry
http://media.hyperion.hk/dn/sentry/default.htm after charging via the power connection and the balance plug. I have found there is no discernable difference at the end of the charging cycle no matter which method is used. I have made up Y harnesses and monitored the individual cells during charge and discharge cycles to see if either charging method made any difference. Nothing I could detect with the equipment I had on hand which is what most of us will be using. I imagine there are a few with access to infinite test equipment who might beg to differ but for most of us we will never notice the difference.
The biggest difference was the charge time. Since most of the wires are a light gauge on the balance jack most battery manufacturers I contacted recommended no more than 2 amps with most advising 1.5 amp max. This limits the size of the battery if you want to charge even at C1.
Everything I have read indicates Lipo’s actually are more compatible to rough or fast charging rather than slow or trickle charging. Some batteries can be fast charged up to 12 C in 5 minutes but to do this you will have to use the power leads as the balance wires could not handle the amps.
Any charger can be configured to parallel charge identical packs there is lots of information on the web site on how you can build the wiring harnesses to do this. For Christmas Santa brought me a Cellpro Power 8 at 1344 watts with a parallel charge board for up to 6 battery packs at 8S each. Of course I will need a 24 volt 40 amp power supply to make this work so I have two 12 volt 47 amp server power supplies in series and will run this off my generator.
All of this info is available on line and there are even suppliers who are selling this stuff on line at very reasonable prices. I got tired of trying to run 4 to 6 chargers to keep up with my needs at times so I am hoping this new set up will simplify things.
When buying a charger be careful to understand what you are actually getting as far as usable output. For instance I have a Hyperion EOS 0606i and if you look at the specs
http://www.hyperion-world.com/produc...ct/HP-EOS0606i they state will charge 6S 6amp max. It will not charge a 5S 5000 mah battery any higher than 2.5 amps or 2500 mah, less than it’s C1. The wattage and max input voltage is what you want to pay attention to and if it’s a multi port charger total wattage is much different than wattage per charge port.
Take for instance the Hyperion charger above with a rating of 6amp at 50 watts which is the max output. Using voltage (V), current in amps (A) and power in Watts (W) arrange them in a triangle see the picture below.
From this are the formulas Watts = Volts X Amps
Volts = Watts/Amps
Amps = Watts/Volts
From this we see that this charger is limited to a 50 watt output. A 5S packs voltage is 18.5 volts. Using the last formula we can calculate the maximum amps this charger will charge this pack at.
A=50 watts/18.5 volts or 2.7 amps which seems to default to 2500 mah charge rate when it should be 5000 mah for at least C1
You have to be careful to look at both sides of the charger. If your input is less than what the charger will pull it can damage the power input device. The Powerlab has the ability to limit the draw it will put on your input devices.
I am not an electrician or electronics expert but I have tried to understand through reading and asking questions from knowledgeable people I hope I have it right I know it’s what has been working for me. Being an old guy stirring the grey mater with stuff I haven’t used for many years is a real challenge. So far I haven’t fried anything including me. If I have something wrong please feel free to correct me. Keep it constructive and simple so we all can learn please.
Thunderpower TP-1010C and TP-210V Balancer
Thunderpower TP-610C
Hyperion 0606i
Turnigy Accucell 6
Different prices a few different features all worked flawlessly as designed and advertised
Dennis