Ripped out balance plug
 

My son managed to pull the balance plug from his 2cell traxxas Hardcased lipo. I've pulled the cover off but can't tell where the balance plug wires came from.
Have any of you taken one if these apart before or built one of your own?

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[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...nce%20plug.jpg[/IMG]

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

First off, this can be dangerous. Make ABSOLUTE CERTAIN that no wires short against another - cover the terminals you aren't soldering to with tape that doesn't melt quickly, such as masking tape. Solder outside if possible, somewhere you can quickly throw it safely away from yourself.

The black wire goes to the the tab that the negative wire goes to (right side near camera under tape), red goes to positive (left under tape). Blue goes to the tab that connects the 2 cells (back of pic, silver). It should be possible to put the blue on that tab w/o putting much heat into the cell, but the others can be tricky. You can cheat by connecting them at the battery connector at the other ends of the wires. If the blue wire connector doesn't want to stay in, use hot glue on the wire side after inserting - just use it sparingly. You don't want it filling it behind the spring-loaded tab.

In all honesty you don't really need the balance plug if you charge at a lower amperage. 1A and lower usually gets them very close w/o balancing. It also isn't a big deal if you only charge it to 4.0v or 4.1v per cell.

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

Thank you, kinda what i was thinking. Positive to positive and negative to negative. I figured the blue went to the solder (parallel) joint but wasn't positive, as the wire is so much longer. Currently his charger is a Traxxas Slow Ass charger i gave him till he can afford his own (even though he can use mine) and it charges through the balance plug.

[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/s...825_212505.jpg[/IMG]

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

as cheap as 2s batteries are, why even bother with this potentially explosive situation, chuck it and buy a new battery....

here is one, not sure what mah you have...but for 26 bucks....its made for traxxas vehicles...

http://www.valuehobby.com/power-syst...ah-2s-trx.html

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

Only 10 or less charges on it and Because i can fix it.

If somebody is unsure about this procedure, by all means DO NOT DO IT ! Dispose properly and get another one.

I am confident and not scared. Just be prepared.

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

thats fine, its not that I cant do it, but I know enough that there could be unseen damage from the wires getting ripped out...it might be fine, and then again it might turn into a fire ball when you least expect it to... its just not worth the risk in my opinion..lipos can go up for many reasons but when one has been damaged to start with, its too risky to rely on.

I wouldnt charge that in the house and for sure charge in a lipo fire bag outside...

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

Where is the best place to buy balance plugs?

Re: Ripped out balance plug
 

They are used for balancing, but they are not balance plugs. I believe they are jst-xhp connectors. If you look for that you'll find them just about everywhere electronics are sold.