Ok i did a search and did some reading and just want to make sure I am understanding correctly.

I have a couple ICE chargers and a couple Orion lipos all with the little round balancer port.

If i buy this
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/12576


will i be set? Or is there somethign else I need to add or instead of?

Now also if that is what I need and I buy a different brand battery with a different balancer plug...will this balancer still work? If not is there a good other general purpose balancer I should look at? Im looking at getting the Promatch 5k lipo for another car here soon is why i ask.

or would this be better since the checkpoint is more like the ICE

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/23927

I use the Orion version of the checkpoint balancer...http://www.teamorion-avionics.com/Ce...lancing+System

basically the same thing. You don't need to match brands but if you do go with the checkpoint or orion balancer, or any other brand, you can use these instructions to fit to the orion lipo packs...http://www.teamorion.com/orion/faq/harness.gif

However, if you are using orion packs you might not use the balancer much. I've only used my once on each pack I have just to to be double sure my voltmeter was working. The pack was so balanced I couldn't even start my ICE in time before the balancer shut off.

Yeah i just worry about it is all. Thank you very much for the info. It was exactly what I was after. Right now all we have is orion batteries and I know they say you never have to balance them but how is it they are the only ones you dont have to balance? a battery is a battery is a battery to some point

I don't know why they don't need to be balanced I just know mine haven't needed to be. I don't question things like that. Every 10 charges I put it on the balancer just to square things up. Doesn't take long to balance.

yeah thats what id like to do...every 10 charges or so

Apogge used to maintain that quality cells don't need to be balanced period. Their view was balancing is needed only for inferior cells. I know my high quality lipos - my NeuEnergy and Flightpowers stay very close to in balance. If my charger did't have an internal one, I prob wouldn't balance them very often.

Orion's lipo's are the best when it comes to safety and they sacrificed a little performance to ensure the best quality on the market. A battery is a battery yes but there will always be little companies cutting corners to give cheaper prices resulting in not so good equipment. I will say that a well used 2year old 4800 hooked up to a trak power had the balancing lights on for maybe 10seconds where a brand new trak power had to be balanced every time.

Hi All

This maybe a silly question how do you exactly use a balancer?

I have just bought some Fantom Racing 3800 IB Lipos and using a Nosram Stealth Evolution charger using a Team Checkpoint Balancer, when i connected it all together the 1S light came on and the 2S light was flickering does this mean it is balancing the 2 cells? then when i started to charge the charger came up DONE which i thought was unusul knowing it was there first charge so i took out the balancer and the Lipo's started charging as normal as can be and switched off at 8.4v

Does the balancer need time to balance the cells before charging?
Cheers for your help

You might have had the balancer in discharge mode.