Best charge rate?

[Andy-E]

Hi all, call me a newbie but what';s the fastest but safest charge rate for my Zippy 5000mah 3s 20c lipo? I';ve been balance charging at 5a but it seems to take longer than I thought it should. Is it safe to up the amperage? Could it be the charger? (Cheap crap) thanks

[DebianDave]

5A would be 1C for a 5Ah battery, which is what most recoomend for longevity of said battery. No idea about what is "safe" for that battery, but I charge almost everything at 2C most of the time...

Had a look at on the HK site, looks like 5C should be ok for this battery. I wouldn';t personally (and couldn';t, I only have a 50w charger lol)

[Andy-E]

Right ok so 5a is charging at 1c. Is it not wise to go over 1c? Should I charge it at less than 1c for a longer battery life?

[DebianDave]

C rating is the capacity of the battery over an hour. 1C would be 1 x the capacity over the course of an hour (though balancing will take a little longer). Is it taking about 75 minutes to balance charge?

1C charge rate has been bandied about forever as the best rate to prolong the life of batteries, though if the manufacture states 5C, I';d be tempted to try 2.5/3C day to day. That';s still a hefty charge rate though, but it is a big battery. What charger/PSU do you have?

[Andy-E]

Yes it does take about 75mins to charge. My charger is a B6D and I';ve just checked and it only goes to 5a max anyway. It was my old charger than went to 10a so I can';t go any higher anyway lol.