Charger/balancer stops at 3.7v per cell

[mjp8081]

I just got an Turnigy Accutel 8S Charger. I read the manual, and I tried to charge/balance up my 4S battery, but it seems it wont charge beyond/finishes at 3.7v (nominal)per cell. My cheapo DC-4S charges them all up to 4.21 (full). I can't seem to find a setting to increase the voltage limit. What am I missing?

Out of the box, on LiPo setting, this thing should juice them up to 4.2v per cell, right?

 

[torqueboards]

It should charge to 4.2v but if it doesn't it could be a bad cell. Do you think it could be a bad cell? Has the pack been undervoltage before?

 

[maxchilton]

you have the charger set to storage mode.

 

[mjp8081]

After hooking up the DC-4S simple charger, I saw that, yes, 2 of the cells were at about 3.7 but 2 were at 4.2 after charging to "complete" with the Turnigy charger. Right now I have the DC-4S simple charger/balancer filling them up.

But why wouldn't the Turnigy charger just top off the 2 lower v cells in charging mode? Is there no individual cell checking going on in this mode? I tried using the "balancing" mode, but as far as I could tell, nothing was happening.

I will check for a "storage" mode.

 

[dnmun]

the balancing charger can only charge up the lowest cells at the rate of the balancing current and that is determined by the shunt resistors in the BMS inside the balancing charger.

lipo does not usually need balancing so the balancing current is small on those types of chargers.

it is easiest to just use a power resistor and drain charge off of the higher cells and then allow the charger to charge them all up together after you drain the high ones down to the level of the low ones. what could be simpler?

 

[mjp8081]

the balancing charger can only charge up the lowest cells at the rate of the balancing current and that is determined by the shunt resistors in the BMS inside the balancing charger.

lipo does not usually need balancing so the balancing current is small on those types of chargers.

it is easiest to just use a power resistor and drain charge off of the higher cells and then allow the charger to charge them all up together after you drain the high ones down to the level of the low ones. what could be simpler?

I'll try that using the storage (found it) and/or discharge function--thanks

 

[dnmun]

why? what is the point of that?