Balancing Boards

Racing Quads, Self-builds & FPV
1

I have 1 of these

Which I wouldn’t recommend. So looking to replace with one of these.

what is everyone’s using and your general thoughts on Balancing Boards ???

2

Quick question, is your home insurance up to date? :thinking:

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3

What home insurance :rofl: :rofl:

I made a steel box at work which I charge my batteries in so there is no chance of anything burning down…

Also are you saying the 1 I have is :poop: ???

4

Meh, I personally don’t parralle charge for safety reasons. It only takes one pack to be too far out of voltage range and poof you’re up in smoke.

I have 2 lipo chargers 1 2port charger and one 4port charger so I can charge 6 packs at once without the added risk of mismatch voltages burning down my house :+1:t2:

5

Yah I get that, but I always check mine before I charge them if one is way above then I charge it separately…

I thing the JB one sorts all that out for you though, hence the price difference, I also have limited plugs in my garage …

6

I personally don’t recommend parallel charging.

But each to their own pal :+1:t2:

7

A nine port balance charger
NOT a balance board :laughing::laughing:

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8

I had a balance board but blew it up twice. I now use it for spare xt60 connectors.

The problem is the balance connectors on the lipo. Sometimes there can be an intermittent break in the wire (probably as we all unplug them by pulling on the thin wires).
I’ve charged lipos up which connect ok, but the intermittent connection can break and the charger stops so as not to overcharge the remaining cells.

This safety feature is nullified by the parallel board. There is no way to know if one balance pin is a dicky connection.

9
10

Are you trying to convince us or yourself? Lol There is so much that can go wrong with parallel charging and when it goes wrong it goes seriously wrong! You need to weigh up if its worth the risk to save a small amount of time? How many batteries do you need to charge? You would probably be better off investing in another/better spec charger

11

No im happy carrying on, its all about precautions, they way I see it unless your standing over them with an extinguisher they’ll burn your house down whether just using a charger or parallel :man_shrugging:

12

Not strictly true. As Karl said if you’re balance charging individual batteries and one of the balance leads disconnects during charging the charger should detect this and stop the charging cycle. If you’re doing the same with multiple batteries in parallel and one of the balance leads disconnects it will continue to charge causing overcharge in the remaining cells potentially causing a fire. At least this is the way I understand it. There is always a risk charging lipo batteries whichever way you choose to do it but there is definitely more risk charging in parallel

13

I hear you, but looking at the JB charger it eliminates a number of those issues.

If iv understood it right :thinking:

14

Wow that picture looks soooooooooooooooooooo wrong :flushed:

15

Looks like fpv porn :rofl:

16

I’m happy charging 6 packs at once on separate channels. :+1:t2:

If you’re happy to take the risk then crack on :slightly_smiling_face: :+1:t2:

17

The only way I see a parallel charging board being remotely practical and safe is if you only intend to charge batteries that are all the same capacity, cell count, and have been discharged to the same level prior to charging. It’s for those reasons I’ve never used one.

Even the all singing and dancing JB Parallel Board is not without risk. Fuses only work when there is excessive current flow, they do nothing under a no-load situation. So if a cell in one of the batteries has a higher resistance than the cells in the other batteries being charged, those other batteries will receive an excessive amount of charge in the same cell. At best this will result in possible damage to those other batteries, or instead of just one battery spontaneously combusting multiple batteries will give up the will to live, very violently.

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18

I think you have your answer @BigDog that is 4 people now that have advised against it. So take from that what you will :+1:t2:

19

For a little more than the price of a JB parallel board you can get a decent 2port iSDT multiport charger coupled with the fancy electric key stuff inside them.

I’ve been using one of these for a few years for field charging multiple batteries.

Other than the fan being a bit noisy when switching on from cold it has worked flawlessly for the last 4to5 years. I’ve used it in environments from - 10c to 30c, and even in the rain. I generally charge my batteries in the field rather than at home, mainly as I get very little notice as to whether I’m fit to fly or not.

20

I use the (Hota) Hobbymate D6 Duo paired with the SkyRC Q200 Quattro :+1:t2:

The (Hota) Hobbymate D6 Duo:

https://banggood.onelink.me/zMT7/936ee445

And the SkyRC Q200 Quattro:

I then take the Hobbymate with me to the field for field charging and just leave the SkyRC at home due to its size.

But allows me to charge 6 batteries at once any size any type can mix and match as long as I set the chargers channels up accordingly. Much safer and less to think about.

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