Hi all
here is a question for the leccie techies:
I can only charge one lipo per evening due
to monitoring the charge for a full hour
If I charge one battery each night, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, will they be
OK to use Saturday and Sunday??
1. This safe
2. Will they hold charge
3.Is there a charger that will charge 4 Lipos at the same time
I will be using 3800mah 14.8V

Vincent,

Get yourself a Thunderpower TP1010C charger and a Tp 210V balancer. These units are linked together and talk to each other during the charging process. They will charge and balance up to ten cells at a time. (so you could charge and balance up to 2- 5S packs at a time) You would need a good strong power supply to do ten cells. (look at IOTA on Ebay).

Closed loop computer controlled charging and balancing is the safest way to go and your batteries will last longer. There is no need to monitor the charging process in person. Put the battery being charged in a metal tool box with the balancer and charger (it's easier to hook up that way) and close the lid most of the way. (you want to be able to hear the various beeps)

You should also always use good batteries like Thunder Power. You get what you pay for.



Kim.

Vincent,
   If you want more info the electric column in the July issue of CLW was dedicated to lipo's.

Mike

Hi Vincent,

I would follow Kim's excellent advice. I took his advice last year and I am very happy I did. The TP charger, along with the TP large balancer, is perfect for our needs. I use them to charge two of my 14.8V (4 cell) 4,200 mAh ECL batteries at a time. This charger has a data port (feed back loop) that will shut down everything if there is any problem with any cell. A great safety feature.

FWIW: an extra charger can save us $$$ by increasing our flying time at the field. It is much cheaper than doubling the # of batteries. I also have a Multiplex charger (about $100). This added to the TP unit allows me to charge three batteries at a time. With six batteries this allows me to fly as long as my old reflexes can keep it up. BTW, the Multiplex charger is also an excellent unit. I have used it for over 3 years. Used with a balancer it does a very good job with our ECL systems.

Like the others have said, you do not need to monitor your batteries too closely if you are using good charging equipment. The metal box Kim mentioned will work well. I use rectangular ceramic pots from Home Depot to cover the batteries during charge. I also highly recommend placing the batteries on a piece of tile during charging.

I have only had one LiPo mishap. It was a few years ago. It was with one of my smaller, 11.1V  E-R/C plane batteries. It was with another brand of charger that blew the battery shortly after it was plugged in. Pieces and ashes where spread all over my shop, with a lot of foul smelling smoke. The remains of the battery welded itself to the tile. BTW: tile melts at around 2,000 degrees. I now cover all my batteries and make sure they are on tile while charging.  I have never had any problems with my Thunder Power, or Multiplex chargers, but I will still try to be careful. 

For a power supply I use the Radio Shack 12V, 24 Amp switching power supply. I think it is around $85? It is light, small, quiet, and has a fan. This can run both chargers at the same time. I am sure there are many others.

Good luck with your your setup.