ORIGINAL: gaRCfield
Since Beach has a 3C battery, doesn't it need to be balanced? I have a 2c battery, and everyone keeps saying "you CAN balance it" but I don't know what that means. It would be nice to hear about balancing for those of us also new at lipos.
I think you might be getting the C-rating mixed up with the cell count. "C" stands for capacity. You'll see a lipo rated at say "20C". That means for example that a 1000mAh (1A) battery, it can provide 20A of current (20 x Capacity).
When it comes to charging, 1C is generally the max current you can put into the battery. For example, a 2200mAh battery should be charged at no more than 2200ma (2.2A). You can always charge at a lower rate of course.
When denoting cell count manufacturers sometimes use an "S". For example you will see 2s (2 cell), 3S (3cell) and so on.
Here is a link to the charge I mentioned earlier. The thing is an excellent value:
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...lancer/Charger
They also have one that ships from their US warehouse. It is $10 more but you pay less shipping.
Like Minnflyer said, good batteries will have a balance plug that allows a good charger to charge each cell equally. This is safer, will give better battery performance and prolong the life. You can see the balancing plug in the picture below.