Studebaker

I balance every time, started with the ac\dc 606 which i just gave to my dad. I now use one with a graph function and I like it. I don't know if balancing helps, I do know that some cells are closer than others, and when there is more than 2 cells involved there is just to many reason not to balance charge.

Your money, you decide.

Dave H

Yes and no. When a lipo bursts into flames, the smoke is both toxic and highly corrosive.

So it seems to me it’s not just their money involved, it can adversely impact my money (my equipment), and health even!

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

Never. I'm with Tony, if you use decent cells there's no need. I just got some cheap Turnigy 4s packs for 1/8 so I'll watch those.

Do your laptops balance charge?

Dave H

Laptops balance charge? Absolutely!

Pop the battery out and take a look at the connector. It's built into the laptop.

Sandman77

I think lipos come with the ability to be balanced so they should be, its not going to hurt them anyway

Dale88Jr

I balance charge my lipo every time i use it with my dynamite pass port ultra charger and when I'm done with it for the day i store it at 3.75-3.78v per cell. I also try not to hit lipo cut-off i have mine set at 3.5 but i stop at 3.7 lowest i have gone is 3.68 my lipo says it can run down to 3.0v per cell but i think that's just way to low. Running down to 3.mid to high 7;s gives me 30 or more mins in my mmm 2200 4s in my Lst and about 15-20 on the track. Balance charging at a low amp helps to i balance charge at 4.0A when i bash and 2.0-2.5 when i hit the track and storage charge them at 1.0. Lower the charge amp the better the balance in my mind.

mof

Every charge.

Here the rules say that during the national races, all lipos must be charged with a balancer (and in a Lipo bag), so at least during racing everyone balance charges, every time.

morgoth

Everytime I charge a lipo, I connect the balancer cable.

gulio

iTrader: (32)

In the off-season when I'm bored , I check all my packs and if they need balanced I balance them perfectly. 50% are already balanced from the year before.

I use many different multiple packs together in series so it is very important that all cells are balanced (even within different packs) and once in a while I will plug one of those lipo checkers onto a pair of packs, but trouble is they are not very accurate.

chunkyb

So what are you going to say about the two packs I saw burst into flames over the summer in which both guys were using balance chargers?

chunkyb

I'm not going to say to never balance them, but at the same time it seems as if people new to lipos are thinking it offers them some special protection when it really doesn't. I've been running lipos almost exclusively for going on 6 years now, and until last year didn't have a balance charger. I never had one catch on fire, but then I didn't use crap packs either. Just like any rechargable battery lipo packs will go bad over time, but balance charging isn't going to save them then either. When packs go bad, they go bad.

I find it really weird that people buy inexpensive packs, nimh or lipo, and find something to blame for a failure other than the cheap battery.

Justin B

iTrader: (19)

I never said anything about throwing away a good charger.
LiPo batteries have a balance lead and a blinky type balancer plugs right in, no need to buy a new charger. If you didn't have some money to waste, you wouldn't be playing with RC cars would ya... just sayin.

If it wasn't necessary to balance LiPo's, why do ALL manufacturers include balance ports or leads and recommend it?

Dave H

As you seem to be alluding to, lipos can indeed go off for a variety of reasons, and it is certainly a worthwhile reminder to be aware of all of the possibilities. Just as others have included lipo care tips in their comments.

I fully agree on not using substandard packs, or substandard balancing chargers for that matter. Some balancing chargers over the years have been noted to offer less than stellar balancing capabilities, there have been threads on how to recalibrate them and such.

But it is also clear that a good quality balancing charger will prevent overcharging a cell of a poor or deteriorating pack. At first charge time will increase as they do additional balancing, at some point they even refuse to charge. Will it prevent every lipo issue, no, but it will certainly help.

For the record I started with non balancing chargers many years ago as well, but I routinely checked voltages with a known (& rather inexpensive) meter to manage the additional risk as best I could. In addition to many other good lipo practices, not over discharging, storing and transporting properly, etc.

Again balancing chargers are not a complete solution, just a very useful part of it. At the risk of a little arrogance, perhaps especially for those not as up on the technology, or without access to the better equipment and fresh lipos.

Cheers,
Dave

rangerjkb

iTrader: (45)

I like to balance every time I charge them. After race day, I ensure each one is balanced stored at appropriate voltage level. Seems to get the best performance and longevity from the battery.

chunkyb

They do NOW, but many of us ran lipos for years with no problems without the aid of a balance charger. How did we get by all those years?