10 amp lipo charge !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rocker]

I charge all my lipo at 2 amps max and I have had no problems with my Lipo ,also I do not let them go below about 30% .All my lipo are fine .It seems I am the only person in our club that do this .I am contently by told by every one else in my club to charge them at 10amps yes 10 amps .that way you can take just one battery down the field and field charge it at 10 amps and fly all day on 1 battery . I really think this a strange thing to do but am I old fashioned or have I miss something !!! Surly this is not a good practise .Am I right in charging my lipo at a max of 2 amps ????

Edited By Rocker on 05/12/2018 15:41:24

[Denis Watkins]

Someone at your field is being unkind Rocker

They were joking, yes?

[Nigel R]

Supposedly there are fancy new lipos that can take very very fast charges and be ok with it.

If you don't own any of those fancy new lipos, stick with 1C.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

.

Edited By Martin Harris on 05/12/2018 16:39:06

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I'd be surly too, Rocker, if I was given this advice! Charge rate depends on capacity and the manufacturer's recommended charge rate. If you followed this advice you could be charging a 1000 mAh battery at 10C !

Most makers recommend 1C - some say 2C is OK and I have seen some that allow 5C although are "emergency" rates rather than advised for regular charging. It's possible that they are charging 5000 mAh packs at 2C without rapid deterioration but I'd say you would be risking serious pack life reduction and even the possibility of fire if charging typical 2200 mAh packs at 10A.

[Geoff S]

Even if you did charge at 10 amps you would still need to carry an energy source with sufficient capacity to recharge your LiPo as may times as you wished to fly. So you'd be carrying a fairly hefty 12v lead/acid battery (or risk not being able to start your car at the end of the day!).

I charge at 1C and I think most people do the same. So my 2200 mA LiPos are charged at 2.2 amps (sometimes just 2 amps) and my bigger batteries according to their capacity, which is currently 4 amps at most.

In winter, when the flying day is short, I rarely charge at the field and just take enough batteries for the flying I aim to do.

Geoff

[Bob Cotsford]

If you only take one battery, what happens if it develops a fault? I know when GiantCod sold Tipple packs they were claimed to be 5C charge capable but I never tried it myself. I'm not that brave! I charge enough packs for the day using a quad charger. I decide what models I'm taking depending on the weather, my mood etc. and charge suitable packs in my concrete shed while I have breakfast. No big leisure battery and charger to hump around and I've always got some good packs spare.

[Rocker]

No I am not joking !! Think I will stick to taking several lipo down the field already charge up 10 amps seems to me to be a bit over the top .Mined you I have never ask them what the life span of there lipo are ,very short I would think ? Has I said my lipo life span are good and are fine ,no swelling up etc so I will stick to 2 amps charge .Mind you one of our members who charges at 10 amps because he was told that is what you should do was charging a lipo from he's car battery at 10 amps and it caught fire ,end of car ..No insurance pay out he was told it was neglected and he's fault .So maybe that answear to the question lies there !!!!!!

[Mark Howard 1]

As Martin says, the charge rate is determined by the capacity. So for a 1C charge rate, a 2200mAh (2.2 amp/hour) battery is charged at 2.2 amps. Most packs are comfortable with a 2C charge rate if your charger can supply the current. Charging to just below the maximum cell voltage (4.1 to 4.15V) each time helps with battery longevity more than a reduced charge rate.

My Revolectrix Powerlab chargers suggest a 'normal' charge at 2C and an 'accurate' charge at 1C. Fast charges can be up to 5C for large high quality, high discharge (>45C) packs if the manufacturers specs say this is safe but obviously you quickly run out of available power supply amps to charge say a 5000mAh pack at 5C.

I usually parallel charge my helicopter packs as I run 12S (2x6S in series) for each flight. To charge 4 x 5000mAh packs at 2C split between two chargers sucks 40 to 50Amps out of the power supply which is its maximum capacity.

So, don't listen to those telling you to charge at 10A unless your packs are at least 5000mAh or you are charging several in parallel so you don't exceed say 2C for each pack.

 

Edited By Mark Howard 1 on 05/12/2018 17:43:59

Edited By Mark Howard 1 on 05/12/2018 17:53:02

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Simon Chaddock]

Rocker

Just remember the poor reputation LiPo initially gained was largely due to misuse & incorrect charging.

The 1C charging limit advice is there for a reason..

[Mark Howard 1]

Posted by Simon Chaddock on 05/12/2018 17:49:30:

Rocker

Just remember the poor reputation LiPo initially gained was largely due to misuse & incorrect charging.

The 1C charging limit advice is there for a reason..

Most manufacturers recommend an ideal charge rate or range. Gens Ace tend to typically be 1 to 3C with a maximum of 5C, Turnigy tend to average around 4C max depending on 'C' rating.

1C is obviously safe for the vast majority of packs but you can seriously save some charging time by following the manufacturers guidelines.

I typically charge at 2C for all but the oldest, lowest C rated packs.