Problem with my B6 Imax charger

[ebike11]

Hi guys
Im trying to charge my Lipo 5S pack and I connected it as well as connected balance wires to monitor each cell. 1 cell is lower than the other 4 so Im trying to increase its voltage to similar levels.
I set my charging amps at 2A. However the charging amps drop from the set 2A all the way down to 0.1A within the first minute of charging
Then I increased the charging amps to 4A but the same thing happened
It does this on both the regular charging and fast charging settings of the charger.

Would anyone know why this is?
Thanks for your time!

 

[jonyjoe303]

all balance chargers do that, if the 4 cells are already at 4.20 volts, the charger reduces amps until the weak cell catches up. This can take all day or several days.
My isdt q6 balance charger behaves the same way, and that charger can balance at up to 1 amp per cell (imax b6 has a max of 300 mah per cell).
The chargers will heat up too much if they try to bleed 4 amps of power, so they just reduce the current.

The only work around I found was to use usb load testers to bleed amps as you are charging. But you would need 4 of them to bleed the high cells, with these load tester you can charge at 4 amps, the weak cell will charge quicker. But they cost 8 dollars each.
usb load tester 35 watt (bleeds at up to 4 amps adjustable)

 

[ebike11]

all balance chargers do that, if the 4 cells are already at 4.20 volts, the charger reduces amps until the weak cell catches up. This can take all day or several days.
My isdt q6 balance charger behaves the same way, and that charger can balance at up to 1 amp per cell (imax b6 has a max of 300 mah per cell).
The chargers will heat up too much if they try to bleed 4 amps of power, so they just reduce the current.

The only work around I found was to use usb load testers to bleed amps as you are charging. But you would need 4 of them to bleed the high cells, with these load tester you can charge at 4 amps, the weak cell will charge quicker. But they cost 8 dollars each.
usb load tester 35 watt (bleeds at up to 4 amps adjustable)

usb load tester.jpg

Thank you for your reply!
I thought maybe it was my imax b6 because iits mot a real imax b6
I got it from aliexpress but when i got it, i realized it wasnt genuine imax.
So would a real imax b6 do the exact same thing? Or are the charging specs different/better? Thx

 

[Volt_Ampere]

Most B6 clones are very poorly calibrated so they imbalance your pack rather than balance it. I would invest in a better charger that is calibrated well or can be calibrated. I use the ISDT Q6+ chargers for that very reason.

 

[ebike11]

all balance chargers do that, if the 4 cells are already at 4.20 volts, the charger reduces amps until the weak cell catches up. This can take all day or several days.
My isdt q6 balance charger behaves the same way, and that charger can balance at up to 1 amp per cell (imax b6 has a max of 300 mah per cell).
The chargers will heat up too much if they try to bleed 4 amps of power, so they just reduce the current.

The only work around I found was to use usb load testers to bleed amps as you are charging. But you would need 4 of them to bleed the high cells, with these load tester you can charge at 4 amps, the weak cell will charge quicker. But they cost 8 dollars each.
usb load tester 35 watt (bleeds at up to 4 amps adjustable)

usb load tester.jpg

Is there a balancer/charger where the charging current is higher in order to charge that single cell higher? 0.1A is SO SLOW haha

 

[dustNbone]

You could connect the low cell individually, and charge it as a 1S. That would be the fastest way to get it close to the other cells so you can more quickly perform the balance charge.

 

[ebike11]

You could connect the low cell individually, and charge it as a 1S. That would be the fastest way to get it close to the other cells so you can more quickly perform the balance charge.

But the imax b6 charges from 2 to 6 cells according to the JST connectors

 

[dustNbone]

You just connect it through the main big leads, and set the charger to 1S. The JSTs are for balancing, nothing to balance charging a single cell.

 

[ebike11]

You just connect it through the main big leads, and set the charger to 1S. The JSTs are for balancing, nothing to balance charging a single cell.

Ok i see thanks!

 

[dogman dan]

To single cell charge, make up a rig to connect direct to the balance plug. Make it from a spare balance plug extension wire.

Dissect out the black wire and the red one from the plug. Cut off the female plug, and then remove the housing from the male end so you have male contact prongs on one end, and cut wire on the other end.

Then attach whatever plug you are using on the main charge wires of the B6. Red wire positive of course.

Now you have the adapter. The bare male prongs attach to the two ports of the female plug on the battery that lead to the cell you want to charge.

Connect to your low cell, and set charger to 1s, at no more than 2 amps. ( max for the tiny wires) It will then charge just that cell much quicker than regular balancing takes. Though set to 2 amps, expect to see more like .2 amps flowing, because it does slow as any battery gets close to full. In other words, you offer the cell 2 amps, but it will only take it in at less than 2 amps.


Discharging works the same way, but it might be quicker to do discharging with a light bulb connected to two wires with the male prong contact.