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battery charger question

PostPosted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:25 am
by erobertson
The recommended battery for the Penguin build I'm working on is a 5100mAh 4S 35C Lipo Pack. Here's my question. Do I need to invest in an expensive battery charger that charges at 20 Amps ($200) or can I go with one that charges say at 5 or 10 Amps? I'm not talking about taking the charger out in the field with me, I'm talking about just a charge at home while I sit and watch it..albeit a little longer than I would at 20 Amps. I guess I'm questioning the expense of the fancy 20 Amp charger (iCharger 206B plus Junsi P350 power supply) versus just one say for around $80 bucks. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
ERobertson

Re: battery charger question

PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 11:22 am
by Nightfae
From what I know - and I am a beginner, you cannot use a higher current to charge you batteries than they are rated.

Usually you can always charge your batteries at the same rate that they have capacity: so your 5100mAh would per default be charged at 5.1A as a setting in your charger. However, most batteries are rated to withstand a current. Usually there is a print on the side stating that for example charging at 2c is ok. Which would translate to 2 times the capacity. So, you need to have a look at the specification of your lipos to see what they can do.

As I understood, charging a lipo at higher current, reduces charge time, but will also put more stress on the cells. However, I lack the experience here.

So to answer your question: Investing into a high powered charger only pays off if you have lipos that work with that, and if you need to charge them faster.