Lipo charger question

[Redcat1234]

Hey guys finally got me a lipo. So my question is about charging my battery is a turnigy 5.o
It is a 2s 5000 mah 20-30 c what amp should I charge at? I was thinking 5 amps? Also I heare people talking about balancing I read up on it its to keep all cells equal and should I balance every time or run a few times then balance? also what do you balance at? Thanks for any help new to this just font wana mess up the battery just yet haha

[bbking9]

you should be able to charge at 5amps - but you may see your charger getting warm. I'd go a little lower 3.5 to 4.0. will take a little more time but it cant hurt. I balance everytime I charge. why not - its just a matter of plugging in a connector.

[SDheavymetal]

I read some where the first time to charge at 2.5 amps. Then after that charge at 5 amps.

For the balancer you just plug the small connector into the charger and it will balance it.

I charge all my batteries on my fireplace just in case.(brick)

When your done with the battery. Put the battery in storage mode. It is a setting on your charger.

[AX10wannabe]

i just got into lipo but have friends that have been running them for a long time.. here's my plan the charger i just bought only charges at .065amps and takes about an hour charge a battery. but if your charging at home charge at a lower amp like 2-3amps if your at a buddies house crawling charge it at like 4-5 amps so your not waiting all day on a battery to charge. when i go to a buddies house to crawl i'll most likely use his charger because it charges more than .065amps. he also has a $350 charger that goes up to 10amps, it will charge a 5s 5000mah battery in 30mins or something like that...

to sum that up if you have the time charge at a lower amp if your at a buddies house crank that sucker up!!!

[Charlie-III]

For maximum battery life, I stick to "1C" charge rates, this means:

5000mah pack = 5A
1300mah pack = 1.3A

Some packs can take a higher charge rate, but a 1C rate takes about an hour or a bit longer (if it needs lots of balancing).
Since I have multiple packs, I charge the day before, then charge again the day of to make sure they're charged. Maybe 10 minutes is all it takes.
I don't use a storage charge, but have not owned LiPO's long enough (~1 year) to see if this hurts overall life of the pack.

[Redcat1234]

Ok thx alot guys if im just doing quick charges I dont plug in the balancing plug? If im going to balance just plug it in correct?

[ZippoMan]

I would plug the balancer in every time, it is there for a reason. I also charge my 5000mah Onyx lipo at 5.0Amps. No problems at all. My charger has super cooling fans! I use a Duratrax Onyx 245 dual charger! It is great for me.

[Zeus.:God]

Every 1000mah is 1 amp. 1C is whatever your capacity converts to in amps. My 5300mah battery would charge at 5.3 amps at exactly 1C, however you do not have to charge at exact C levels. My charger's max charge rate is 10 amps, so when I charge my battery, I just set it to 10 amps on balance and let it go, but the exact 2C would be 10.6 amps. I believe the Turnigy packs are generally rated at 2C maximum charge rate, but many/most people tend to charge at 1C due to fear of fire or shortened battery life, but 2C is typically regarded as safe on most current packs.


^Just what I've learned thus far in my short time with Lipos.