Post by zero_sector™ on Jun 16, 2009 7:00:15 GMT 8
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-chargers.gif)
(Image 1). These are balance-type chargers. They are often referred to as compact balance chargers or CBC for short.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/yanllcharger.jpg)
(Image 2) YANLL SAFE CHARGER. "SAFE CHARGER" is a more accurate name or description.
The following so called "compact" balance chargers(Images 3-5) are balance-type chargers:
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-socket.gif)
(Image 3). Typically, compact chargers have sockets ONLY for 2 & 3 cell Lipoly packs. This is because their low output makes it practical for the charger to charge only 2 or 3 cells. More cells will mean a lower output. For example, a 1A output divided by 3 cells means that each cell will be charged at only 333mA. For a 3S (3 cell) 1600mAh battery this will take more than 5 hours. For 4S (4 cells) the 250mA splitted output means that a 1600mAh battery will take almost 7 hours to charge (Now you know why some manufacturers intentionally mislabled their total unsplitted output such that those unaware will easily misinterpret it as the charging output for a 7.4v or 11.1v LiPoly).
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-socket2.gif)
(Image 4). Another compact charger with output sockets for 2 and 3 cells lipoly.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-w-lights.gif)
(Image 5) Note the charging sockets in the lower left corner(also in images 3 & 4 above). These are the balancer-type output sockets that people often mistook for a balancer. Actually, in a true balance charger these same sockets function as balancer sockets and balances lipoly cells but in the case of compact or balance-type chargers, these sockets are simply used to access, and to supply the charging current, to each cell in the hope that each cell will be charged with the same current or voltage. But no balancing is performed here. (The cables in the upper right corner are for 12v power input).
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-esky-clone.gif)
(Image 6). Now look at this charger carefully. At a glance, it looks like an ESKY compact charger in Image 7 below. This ESKY compact charger is a low quality charger and yet it's design and color is being imitated. I was told the ESKY charger was popular because it used to come free with a number R/Cs.
BALANCE-TYPE CHARGERS IN ACTION
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-charging3.gif)
(Image 7). Note that only the balancer plug is connected to the charger. The Tamiya connectors usually used for charging are left "hanging around".
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balance-type-charging1.gif)
(Image 8) Again, only the balancer plug is attached to the charger and the charging connector is left hanging. If they are all charging via the balancer plug, how or where do they do the balancing? The answer is they don't balance.
Balance type chargers rely on the balancer plug to access and charge each cell individually. In its simples form, they attempt to charge each cell upto 4.2v and if everything goes smoothly, you will have a lipoly pack all with 4.20v which is balanced. But in reality, these low-cost chargers rarely charge all cells to 4.20v with variations from usually from 4.11-4.20v but on some occasion can exceed 4.20v.
TRUE BALANCE CHARGERS
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-etronix-with-typic.gif)
(Image 9) A typical balance charger looks like this with 1 charging cable (upper right) and assorted adaptor cables.
The rectangula PCB board near the middle is the extrenal balancer board and the cable with multiple wires below it is the cable to connect the balancer board to the charger. Some chargers have the balancer p0lugs built into the charger. The CD says it has a PC interface and chances this model, like the Vislero A6, displays some information graphically.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/output-cable-banana-dean.gif)
(Image 10) This type pf charging cable with the banan socket is more common on balance chargers which charges the battery via the battery's Tamiya or Dean's plug (Balancing is carried out separately via the battery's balancer plug). But this charging cable is absent in balance-type or compact balance chargers which uses the battery's balancer plug for charging and therefore don't need this cable. This cable has a banana-type plug on one end which connects to the charger's banana output socket. The other end, a dean's plug, is connected to the battery for charging. The other cables are adaptors for attachment to the dean's plug and used for batteries with other type of connectors.
Now, the big question. If a compact balance charger uses the balancer plug to charge a battery, how or where does it balance the Lipoly? The answer - it doesn't. A compact balance charger does not balance a lipoly because it is not a balance charger.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-t6-cable.gif)
(Image 11) Another balance charger with an output cable assorted adaptors.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-sockets.gif)
(Image 12) Most balance chargers comes with the banana sockets typically on the left side(on the right end of the balance charger) used for charging and the balancer socket(s) usually on the right used for balancing. Also note the upper 2 chargers with assorted balancer sockets built right into the charger. The lower charger has only 1 balancer socket because the other sockets are housed in an external balancer board.
Here are other balancer chargers.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-supermate-dc6.gif)
(Image 13) The Supermate DC6 has only one balancer socket. It uses an external balancer board which houses the balancer plugs for different cells.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-xtreme-x605.gif)
(Image 14) IMAX Extreme X605. Note the banana and balancer sockets on the lower left and the cables on the lower right. The various balancer sockets are housed in the charger.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-b6.gif)
(Image 15) The various balancer sockets is housed internally in the IMAX B6.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/balancer-B6AC.gif)
(Image 16) The is the IMAX B6AC. Again, note the banana output socket and the balancer sockets.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/bc6-charging1.gif)
(Image 17) The BC6 balancer. Clockwise from upper left corner. 1) Note the separate charging and balancing sockets. 2) Insert the banana plugs. 3) Insert the balancer board plug(most models have the balancer sockets built into the charger so the balancer plug from the battery is plugged directly into the charger's socket). 4) This is how a typical balancer charger looks like with the charging and balancing cables plugged in.
![](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/BroJames/battery/balancer/bc6-charging-lipo2.gif)
(Image 18) Note that both Deans plug and Balancer Plug on the battery are connected to the BC6 charger. This is how a true balance charger should be. I have not yet heard of a charger being able to charge and balance at the same time through the balancer plug. This feat has only been claimed by some balance-type chargers and selelrs. Sophisticated and microprossesor based balance chargers charge and balance separately.
ARE BALANCE-TYPE CHARGERS WASTE OF MONEY?
NO.
(1) They have their own uses and are
(2) a cheap alternative to the more expensive balance chargers. YANLL more accurately described their own product as a SAFE charger because a balance-type charger usually splits its charging output into 2 or 3 channels and is indeed SAFER for LiPolies than a wall charger. Although it attempts to charge each cell to 4.20v, which is the basis of the claim of some company that the compact balance charger is a balance charger, most chargers I've tested failed to achieve a perfect 4.20v balance. Out of the more than a hundred charges using various balance-type chargers less than 10% were able to achieve this feat - but not to repeat them on subsequent charge. Of course, results will vary depending on how or what one use to measure the voltage.
LiPolies does not need to be balance charged everytime although same is ideal. An r/c enthusiast who charges 10 or more lipolies for a weekend of playing does not need to buy 10 or more balance chargers to charge all his/her lipolies in just an hour or two. He or she can do with 1 or more true balance chargers and the rest balance-type chargers. How or when he/she balance the other lipoly packs depends on his/her charging/balancing practices.
A balance-type charger only provides a balanced current or output and not a nalance charge. And in general, they are unable to charge each cell to 4.20v. My tests and experience with most compact chargers is that they will charge cells to 4.15-4.23v. If one cell weakens, as all batteries will over time, there is no assurance that the other cells will not be charged beyond the weakest cell's voltage which tehrefore widens the imbalance. For example, the weak cell will be charged to its maximum of 3.95v while the good cell will be charged upto 4.20v. Based on experience, cell packs with more than 0.10v differrence between the highest and lowest cell needs special attention or performance suffers.
A person with multiple batteries and multiple balance-type chargers but only a single balance charger can detect problems in a LiPoly pack easily and charging with a balance-type charger is much less an issue.
What is the difference between a balance charge and a balance current?
I cannot answer that technically but practically, a LiPoly charged with a true balance charger will have a longer useful life and give a better performance. I was given an example like this once.
There is also one thing I noticed with balance chargers. The charging current of each cell will go up and down (balancing?) during the whole charging-balancing process. A LiPoly that is full charged with a balance-type charger, will be re-balanced charged by a balance charger for another 30-60 minutes. Whatever is really going on I cannot say. But in these times where most of us are in a hurry, I don't think that any unnecessary process that eats up time will be incorporated in a more expensive product.
Stocking 1000 sacks or rice.
2 people will stockpile 1000 sacks of rice within a 10 square feet space. One is an expert "kamador" and the other a regular laborer. The kamado" will be able to arrange each layer more neatly and finish the job more quickly and the stockpile will be more compact. Sure, the regular laborer can also get the job done too but how efficient and how stable is another story.
I am not against compact or balance-type chargers as I have been selling them even before I publicly refute the claims of some that compact baloance cahrgers are not true balance chargers. Like I said above, they have their own use and purpose. But one thing they are not - true balance chargers.
I hope the above info will be helpful to those looking for a true balance charger or compact balance charger. I will not recommend any specific brands as there are many good chargers out there but as a general guide, don't be spendthrift(barat) or be blinded by fancy packing or sweet talk. Google and research well and go for the brand.
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Taken from the original post of BroJames at FAS Forums. Thanks Sir!