Can I use this battery charger to charge 4s lifepo4 pack?

[El Luchador]

here is the battery charger i currently use for my SLA 12v car battery

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/xsp-1005/overview/

it charges 12 v and 16 v,

and has lead acid and AGM mode,

and 2, 15, and 25 amp charge settings.

it was very expensive, and is a very good charger.

will it work for a lifepo4 pack?( zippy 8400 mah, 30c, 4s2p pack)?

because if it will it just saved me from buying a new battery charger and power supply.

tthanks

 

[dnmun]

you can buy the same charger at harbor freight for $35. if you have no BMS on the 4S you can still overcharge the cells. lifepo4 cells do not balance themselves naturally and even though the charger does not put out the right voltage and balancing current it can still damage them by overcharging one or more of the 4S.

 

[El Luchador]

nothing wrong with saving money, but harbor frieght does not sell a charger for 16v.

ok, so you are telling me this charger will work. good

but, it wont balance, so i need to be able to do that.

whats the most cost effective way for this? should i get a cheap balancer charger and use that at home(ill be using this battery at the track)

or is there something i can attach to the balance lead of the pack that can discharge the cells individually while i charge?


thanks

 

[El Luchador]

will something like this work? assuming they have a lifpo4 version?

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__10328__Hobby_King_Battery_Medic_System_6S.html

 

[dnmun]

i have never used the battery medics but i know others do use them so that would work. it will tell you if one cell is way outa balance too.

4x3.65V=14.6V and the lead acid charger should make that much voltage so it should work with the medic.

someone else with experience using battery medics to balance may offer a better opinion too.

 

[El Luchador]

thanks much for the information.I will try it this way and see how it works.

thanks again.

 

[wesnewell]

You can use the medics to set max cell voltage as well as balance.

 

[El Luchador]

You can use the medics to set max cell voltage as well as balance.

Great information. thank you

 

[El Luchador]

http://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-25/3-2-lb-lifepo4-track-battery-215618/

 

[SamTexas]

You can use the medics to set max cell voltage as well as balance.

I didn't know about setting max cell voltage. How and what for?

 

[wesnewell]

By setting the discharge voltage to the voltage you want, and then pushing the discharge button. If you set 4.1V, then when a cell reaches 4.1V it starts bleeding off the cell on a per cell basis.

 

[dogman dan]

The 2 amp setting should be fine, but in that size pack, 15 amps might be a bit too fast a charge. It just depends on if the cells are ok to charge that fast or not.

 

[El Luchador]

thanks for the information.

hk says it will charge at 2c, so the 15amp setting may be fine.

 

[DAND214]

DO NOT CHARGE AT 15 AMPS!!!

The medic only discharges at less thean 1/2 an amp. If you don't watch the pack while it charges it will over charge the high cell.

Battery might be cheap but if you have to replace it a couple times, you will wish you got the correct charger.

Dan

 

[999zip999]

Just get a 6s charger, they are cheap. With lifepo4 battery do you have ?

 

[dnmun]

i will repeat once more. the lifepo4 cells do not balance by themselves. if you charge them without a BMS you will overcharge it and destroy it.

 

[El Luchador]

Just get a 6s charger, they are cheap. With lifepo4 battery do you have ?

ok, ill charge at 2a. thanks

Just get a 6s charger, they are cheap. With lifepo4 battery do you have ?

which 6s charger are you referring to?

im 95% sure im going with two zippy 8400 in parallel

 

[El Luchador]

in an interesting twist,

i picked up a hyperion 720i charger and team checkpoint 25amp power supply for very reasonable so im good to go on charging(fingers crossed)

it also opens up the possibility of using lipo batteries instead of lifepo4.

thanks all

 

[TheBeastie]

You don't see many people posting about HK Lifepo4 packs, I have often looked at them on HK wondering if there worth it.
I was wondering if you could use a BC168 charger on them.
I have seen a few posts of people turning their battery packs into fireballs due to charing at a too higher rate using some kind of cell balancer not realizing that the input power is far exceeding the amount of power the balancer can discharge.

 

[dnmun]

i haven't seen any posts where lifepo4 overcharging resulted in fireballs.

the BC168 balance charger will allow you to charge without a BMS but bulk charging lifepo4 without a BMS will result in some of the cells overcharging. but they just die instead of igniting.