How can I charge my lipo battery without a lipo charger? I guess I cant just plug it into an outlet.
Hi,
What type battery / cell (Model numbers?)
LiPos can be dangerous if overcharged!
You need something to control the current flow in and monitor the voltage so it is not overcharged.
Can make up a simple charger with MAX1811, couple of Rs & Cs, and a USB power source.
terryking228:
Hi,
What type battery / cell (Model numbers?)LiPos can be dangerous if overcharged!
Turnigy 3000mAh 3S 20C Lipo 11.1v
To answer to your question
In esseence the answer is "Yes" but you run the real risk of destroying your battery with possible serious consequences (ie fire)
When charging Lipo chemistry you need a balance charger which monitors each cell to determine state of charge and once a cell starts to near its peak voltage the charger will automatically bypass that individual cell.
The small flying lead coming out of the pack is the balance line used by the correct charger - ignore it at your peril
Is this charger good enough for my battery (Turnigy 3000mAh 3S 20C Lipo 11.1v) ? http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-iMAX-B6-LCD-Screen-Digital-RC-Lipo-NiMh-Battery-Balance-Charger-LK-/322058605848?hash=item4afc305518:g:rx0AAOSwxp9W~NfN
I'm not so sure a $6.00 constant current output charger is all that good for lipo batteries. I use a SkyRC iMAX B6 charger for my lipos and they are all in top shape. This charger uses a charging profile that decreases the current as the proper voltage gets close, 12.6 V for your particular battery. Do a little research on it and learn about properly charging lipos. (Amazon sells them for around $35. Make sure you get the SkyRC ones, the B6 has many rip-off clones out there that tend to over charge.)
I'm sure there are many other quality chargers out there, but not for $6.00.
First at all, sorry if my english is bad.
I own the imax b6, and it´s a good charger. Look up, tere are many clones.
If you want to build it at your own, you will need to control the charching voltage of each cell and its charging current. The little conector is used as charging port and test port, and the big connector is used to know the total charge. As I said, you must control the charge of each cell indivisually, so if you have the total charge in one cell, you must stop charging it but continue charging the other. It's a little tricky but possible.
Why are you using lipo's ?
They are commonly available because they are used extensivley by the RC aero modelling crowd.
Lion are safer to use and common in electric drills ETC, more bulky though.
Lipos need proper balance chargers for safety and longevity.
Lion should be charged the same way but often are not, much more forgiving though when incorrectly charged, they just fail rather than catch fire.
Boardburner2:
Why are you using lipo's ?They are commonly available because they are used extensivley by the RC aero modelling crowd.
Lion are safer to use and common in electric drills ETC, more bulky though.
Lipos need proper balance chargers for safety and longevity.
Lion should be charged the same way but often are not, much more forgiving though when incorrectly charged, they just fail rather than catch fire.
As you say, lipo are used in rc and aero modelling due to its lower weight and its high discharge capacity , some times of hundreds of amperes. I think he is trying to build some RC car or plane, but if he can spend some money on parts for a plane or car, possibily he can spend some more in a dedicated lipo charger.
LiPo chargers exist because charging them is complex and you have to monitor current and voltage
(and ideally temperature). But you can do it if you have a bench power supply and are prepared to
watch it. And balancing cells is a further complication if a series pack, you need to monitor every
cell's voltage.
Get a LiPo charger? Seriously, what other answer is there?
I guess I cant just plug it into an outlet.
Not unless you want to try for a Darwin award...