Are parallel charging boards any good

[davethepitch]

I have been looking on the net for an XT60 parallel charging board with the balance connectors but are they any good.

Can anyone recommended a good quality board.

[Nige8021]

This the one I bought   http://electriflyer.co.uk/xt60-parallel-balance-board/   

[davethepitch]

This the one I bought   http://electriflyer.co.uk/xt60-parallel-balance-board/   

I was looking at that board on their site about an hour ago and what are your thoughts on yours like quality, build etc.

I read somewhere about getting one that has visible fuses for protection.

Thanks Dave

[Elmattbo]

I';ve been parallel charging for the last few weeks and it';s been ok so far. Here';s a really good article on how to do it.
http://www.electricrcaircraftguy.com/2013/01/parallel-charging-your-lipo-batteries_22.html#.VaA5mxhHmrU
I use the HK board. Main thing is always use identical cell, similar capacity and similar state of charge batteries. Also connect the xt60 first and leave for a few minutes before connecting balance plugs. There can be large currents flowing while the packs become accustomed to each other.

[Nige8021]

I was looking at that board on their site about an hour ago and what are your thoughts on yours like quality, build etc.

I read somewhere about getting one that has visible fuses for protection.

Thanks Dave

Build quality is good, not had any problems with it, been using for about 9 months now, I';ve glued it to the inside of the lid of an ammo box, with the power & balance leads coming through the lid, so I can connect the batteries up, shut the lid and connect up to the charger, that way they can be charged in relative safety  

The only ones I';ve seen with fuses were on a board with "Deans" connectors

[davethepitch]

Also connect the xt60 first and leave for a few minutes before connecting balance plugs. There can be large currents flowing while the packs become accustomed to each other.

Do you mean connect the two XT60';S coming from the lipo';s to the parallel board and then connect the white balance leads a few minutes later.

[ched]

Do you mean connect the two XT60';S coming from the lipo';s to the parallel board and then connect the white balance leads a few minutes later.

Yes Dave. The balance connections are thin low current cables. When 2 batteries or more are connected in parallel they will equalise voltage, effectively by passing current between them. As there is no current limiting between batteries the full current will pass via the xt60. The balance cables can';t take much current without potentially heating up and causing a fire.

[guest325]

Dave the HK boards are ok, but you should pay attention to  ^^^^^^^^
Bang on with that advice!

[bazzerh]

I';ve had a couple of the HK boards burn out on the balance rails. Maybe my packs weren';t equalised enough. The last one I bought however....plugged an xt60 in and had sparks and smoke. Yanked the battery out and when I pulled the back off I saw that the + and - rails had been soldered together by the factory. Not impressed.

Finally learning my lesson I';ve built my own parallel leads now that can handle 3 packs. Just simple Y leads but 3 of them and same on balance leads. At least it won';t set fire to my house,  fingers crossed

[davethepitch]

I';ve built my own parallel leads now that can handle 3 packs. Just simple Y leads but 3 of them and same on balance leads.

Hey up bazzerh

Could I do the same for 2 packs and is the wiring of the lead a case of 2 positives of the XT connectors going to a 4mm banana and the same with the negatives.

[bazzerh]

Yes its just a Y lead for xt60. Just make sure that all the negatives and positives are going where they should. The tricky bit is making a y lead for the the balance plugs. Same theory but more wires to cut and splice. Obviously great care needs to be taken to make sure that all the balance wires are going where they need to be.

[jamesb72]

I don';t bother with parallel boards (I have a couple gathering dust), I use a smart checker to pair up lipos within a couple of tenths of each other and just use simple Y harnesses on XT60 and balance to charge in pairs on a few chargers, so I can double up but still charge round robbin, and not batch.

If you don';t want to solder, you can buy harnesses really cheaply from hobbyking.

84p for 3S balance harness
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27072__JST_XH_Parallel_Balance_Lead_3S_250mm_6xJST_XH_.html

XT60 Y lead £1.48
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__10265__XT60_Harness_for_2_Packs_in_Parallel_1pc_.html

[davethepitch]

I don';t bother with parallel boards (I have a couple gathering dust)

Do those boards have XT60 connectors and the balance connectors.

Dave

[dirtyharry]

Got mine from bang good , works great and I don';t bother matching packs too much , just make sure there all about the same discharge. Have even used it to save a 3s pack I took down to 6v when I went a bit to far from home .

Mine has never sparked , wondering if it has some form of circuit-trickery as theres a few extra components on it, its kind of why I bought the most expensive one ( well expensive for banggood)

http://www.banggood.com/Paraboard-V3-Parallel-Charging-Board-for-Lipos-with-XT60-Connector-p-923916.html

[davethepitch]

That is one of the charging boards I read about with fuses pity it is in China as I cannot be ar5ed wait weeks for delivery and if something is wrong having problems sending it back.

[Ern Stock]

I have used the (uk ebay) board with fuse and JT connector on occasion with no problems.
(May I enquire as to the validity of balance charging multiple batteries ? -my weak logic suggests that one may as well leave the balance leads unconnected ,and just do a standard charge. ?)

[gb0wers]

I use the HK 6 socket XT60 board. I make sure all the LiPo';s are no more that 0.1 V different to each other and I don';t use the balance leads, just a simple charge and monitor the temperature. After the parallel charge is complete I then balance each LiPo individually. Originally I did connect a wattmeter to check on the current flow and duration between the LiPos and if no more than 0.1 V apart the currents were low and of short duration, can';t remember the numbers. I do keep a good eye on my LiPos and any that need a balance charge are not included in the parallel charge session. If some packs are at a higher state of charge, they get connected in when the rest are up to that voltage. I';m using a Bantam BC8 with has a max output of 7A, so if charging 6 2200 3S they are charging well below 1C.

[davethepitch]

I make sure all the LiPo';s are no more that 0.1 V different to each other

This is something i was thinking about earlier as sometimes my lipo';s are at different levels of use as an example lets say one may have about 30% charge left and the other may have about 60% charge left so where would i stand as far as connecting those two lipo';s up to a charging board.

[guest325]

Don';t, that would be asking for trouble - you really need to make sure they are within 0.1V of each other even if you have to deliberately discharge the highest one down; this is the reason why I just added extra chargers as I need the capacity, too much of a faff for me!

[ched]

This is something i was thinking about earlier as sometimes my lipo';s are at different levels of use as an example lets say one may have about 30% charge left and the other may have about 60% charge left so where would i stand as far as connecting those two lipo';s up to a charging board.

I wouldn';t connect them together. They will try and equalise themselves by one discharging into the other. Remember lipos are rated in terms of C discharge and C charge. So depending on internal resistance one lipo could exceed it';s C discharge rating into the other and also exceed the low lipos charge C rating.

May I ask why you want to parallel charge?

[Elmattbo]

Read that article I posted and have a look at the discharge graph!

[davethepitch]

Don';t, that would be asking for trouble

That answers my question and helped me decide against the idea as all i wanted to do was charge two packs together for convenience.

[Elmattbo]

I';ve found parallel charging has been a real time saver. You can charge several packs in the time it takes to charge 1 and because you save so much time, you don';t have to charge any higher than 1c, which is better for the batteries in the long run. There are precautions to take, which have been all covered here. The only other things to keep an eye out for (sorry if this was mentioned and I missed it) is the battery with the rogue bad cell. I use a battery checker before and after charging and before and after flying and you soon get to know how they behave.

[davethepitch]

So I could simply just discharge both lipo';s down on my Imax B6 charger to a similar voltage and away I go doing the parallel charge.

[Ynot6]

i have mostly 2200 3 cell packs. i run pairs in my Y6, and i leave the double adapters on. so when i charge, they';re already connected and at equal states of (dis)charge. and i ALWAYS balance charge.

[gb0wers]

So I could simply just discharge both lipo';s down on my Imax B6 charger to a similar voltage and away I go doing the parallel charge.

If you wish, but its less faff to bring the one with the lowest state of charge up to the one with the higher state of charge, then plug the second one in. In practice when doing this I charge the first at 1C, stop the charger, plug the second in then up the charge rate to 1C for the pair.

In reality I monitor my LiPos with telemetry during a flying session so end up with 5 or 6 that are within 0.1 V of each other. I verify the state of charge prior to the charging session then if they are still within .1V (i.e. I haven';t mixed them up) I plug them in and charge at 1C for the combined pack, or 7A which is my charger max.