Charger question

[bombagee]

Hi, I have a Dynamite Onyx 245 charger and just got a Trail Trekker and want to switch to lipo, just wondering if this charger is suitable for small lipo's like that, the lowest setting I can set it to charge is .8A (general rule of thumb is 1A per 1000mAh) so I think that means the smallest pack I can charge with it is an 800mAh pack right?

here's a link to the charger.

Duratrax Onyx 245 AC/DC Dual Charger with Balancing

[dieselmudder]

look at what the pack is rated for, i have a couple turnigys that say right on the pack that they can be charged at 5c. i think theyre 350mah. i charge all my under 1000, lipos with a charger that came with a rtf heli, and 800 mah batts. use some common sense and be safe. use a lipo bag, check temp while charging.

[bombagee]

Originally Posted by dieselmudder

look at what the pack is rated for, i have a couple turnigys that say right on the pack that they can be charged at 5c. i think theyre 350mah. i charge all my under 1000, lipos with a charger that came with a rtf heli, and 800 mah batts. use some common sense and be safe. use a lipo bag, check temp while charging.

Cool, thanks and sorry, still noobish to charging and lipo's, is charging at 5c the same as charging at 5amps?

Yes, I'm going to order a lipo bag, didn't know they existed, but cheap insurance lol

[bombagee]

Originally Posted by dieselmudder

look at what the pack is rated for, i have a couple turnigys that say right on the pack that they can be charged at 5c. i think theyre 350mah. i charge all my under 1000, lipos with a charger that came with a rtf heli, and 800 mah batts. use some common sense and be safe. use a lipo bag, check temp while charging.

Ok, so I'm looking at this battery and from what I understand of c rating, basically you multiply the c rating by the mah of the pack and that gives you what Amp you can charge with?

(battery in question) TGHL04502C50 - G3 Li-Po 7.4V 450mAh 2S1P 50C @ Great Hobbies

it's a 450mah pack and says charge rate of between 3-5c, does that mean I could charge it at 1.5A?

Thanks again.

[happymachinist]

.45x5=2.25amps so with that charger 1.5 would be the highest you could safely charge. Keep in mind lipos last longer when charged at 1C. It's give and take.


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[deftony]

A 1C charge rate for that battery would be .45A (or 450mAh). the battery is rated for charge rates of 3-5 c, so it's capable of charging anywhere from 1.35A to 2.25A. On the Onyx 245 the 1.5A rate would probably be best, and would probably take around 20 minutes to charge that battery.

[bombagee]

Cool, thanks for the quick replies guys, the help is very much appreciated.

[deftony]

np, I was pretty confused by the whole charge rate thing too for awhile.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by deftony

NP, I was pretty confused by the whole charge rate thing too for awhile.

OT, Clark's Summit?? I have a customer site in Clark's Summit, PA. I'll be there soon.

As to the original post, I always charge @ "1C", it tends to make the pack last longer. Multiple packs & multiple chargers means more time to do a decent charge on packs.

[happymachinist]

If it were me I would charge at .8A since that's the lowest the onyx will go. 1.5 is doable and faster but its harder on the lipo. .8A is almost 2C and shouldn't take long at all. My opinion.


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[bombagee]

Originally Posted by happymachinist

If it were me I would charge at .8A since that's the lowest the onyx will go. 1.5 is doable and faster but its harder on the lipo. .8A is almost 2C and shouldn't take long at all. My opinion.


Sent from my iPhone using autocorrect

I agree, that's what I was planning on doing. It shouldn't take that much longer to charge the pack and will help with longevity of the battery.