How many Amps can your balance charger deliver?

[Boyntonstu]

My SkyRC is set to charge 6S at 5.0 Amps 24 V.

A car battery is the power source.

Each Cell has 6 18650's in parallel and 1 Amp per cell seems tight.

However the charger starts out pumping 1.5 Amp.

When the charging current falls to 100 mA the end of charge cycle is close.

Is there a charger that would pump 3 or more Amps at the beginning?

 

[Hillhater]

Yes, many, but you will need a better power supply for most of them.
What is the max charge power rating of your Sky charger .

 

[Boyntonstu]

Yes, many, but you will need a better power supply for most of them.
What is the max charge power rating of your Sky charger .

SKYRC iMAX B6

6 Amps 60 Watts.

Thus at 25 Volts the Max Amps = 60/25 = 2.4 A

So why did it start at 1.5A instead of 2.5A?

The SKYRC iMAX B6 is small and lightweight and that is why it is mounted on my bike.

It just finished pumping in 4443 mA-hr. 111 W-hrs at 4.17 Volts/cell.

So, how many is "many" and what balance charger are you using?

 

[Hillhater]

The B6 is often reported as a 50W capacity, so perhaps you shouldn't expect more than 2.0 amps charge @ 25 v.
A bad connection can cause reduced charge rate, so check all contact points.
Also, using a 12 volt supply may well limit the output capacity a bit, ..it certainly did on some of my chargers.
I found a 90 W, 16 v, lap top supply worked better than a 12 volt battery.
But, you certainly won't get 3 Amp charge with that charger.
Choose one with a higher power rating 150. -200 watts, such as the Icharger 106 or the Turnigy Reactor even.
......and use a suitable power supply with enough capacity to feed it.

PS:- generally I do not balance charge, I bulk charge and individually "adjust" cells as needed.
But I do have several balance chargers... Accucell 6, Eco 10-6, etc.
...finally, my experience, and that of many others it seems, .... is that few of these small RC chargers last very long before something fails internally, so it's not a bad idea to have a spare on hand.!

 

[Boyntonstu]

The B6 is often reported as a 50W capacity,

Newer models 60 Watts.
Net Weight: 233g
Input Voltage: DC11-18V
Circuit Power: Max Charge: 60W

PS:- generally I do not balance charge, I bulk charge and individually "adjust" cells as needed.

Have you ever suffered a shorted cell and overcharged the rest? I did.

But I do have several balance chargers... Accucell 6, Eco 10-6, etc.
...finally, my experience, and that of many others it seems, .... is that few of these small RC chargers last very long before something fails internally, so it's not a bad idea to have a spare on hand.!

Good idea. I also have a lab Power Supply that could serve as a spare charger.

 

[Hillhater]

Shorted cell ?..no but several bad cells.
The trick is to monitor cell condition..
..base line from new,....check capacity , IR, etc and record.
Before and after use check individual cell voltages for balance (+_ 0.05 volts ?)
Ditto, before and after charging.
Periodic check IR , or if anything odd appears.
Never trust a charger readout or a BMS to "manage" battery condition. :wink:

 

[dogman dan]

If you are referring to RC pouch cells, my experience has been that bad or going bad cells puff enough to give you some warning to chuck that pack.

But overcharging some cells in a pack is a hazard, hence, "never store them or charge them where you would not build a fire"