How long to charge lipo pack
- Thread starter stone7223
- Start date
couple factors...
charge rate in amps
mah rating of the battery
A high mah will take longer, a 5000 mah takes longer than a 2000
Most lipo's have a 1c charge limit. So a 2000 mah lipo can't be charged at over 2 amps 5000 over 5 amps. I have some 4500 mah lipo's and at 3 amps they take a bit over 5 hours to peak. My charger only goes to 3 amps, to bad because I could charge them at 4.5 amps and be done much sooner.
What's is nice is with lipo I can charge them on say Monday and run on Fri with no issues.
charge rate in amps
mah rating of the battery
A high mah will take longer, a 5000 mah takes longer than a 2000
Most lipo's have a 1c charge limit. So a 2000 mah lipo can't be charged at over 2 amps 5000 over 5 amps. I have some 4500 mah lipo's and at 3 amps they take a bit over 5 hours to peak. My charger only goes to 3 amps, to bad because I could charge them at 4.5 amps and be done much sooner.
What's is nice is with lipo I can charge them on say Monday and run on Fri with no issues.
Lipos originally are suppose to be charged at a 1C rating. If you read the paper work that came with the battery, it will tell you if you can charge at higher rates. Never assume you can. Call the manufacturer if needed.
The new lipos due out in Jan are newer cell technology. So much so that Orion says you can charge them at 3C rating with no issues.
I charge my lipos (Scooters Motorworks) at 2C rating, but that was after I called and asked if I could. With the newer cell technology coming, the chargers are going to be hard pressed to charge them at the appropriate rates.
The new lipos due out in Jan are newer cell technology. So much so that Orion says you can charge them at 3C rating with no issues.
I charge my lipos (Scooters Motorworks) at 2C rating, but that was after I called and asked if I could. With the newer cell technology coming, the chargers are going to be hard pressed to charge them at the appropriate rates.
Just wanted to see what others might have to say on this since im getting some info that has me confused now. I am using a 4s 5000mah lipo now and a couple 2s 5000mah ones, now the 4s will take 2+hrs for a charge at 5amps and little over a hour at 5amps on the 2s. SO someone is saying that isnt right it should be alot faster which would be nice cause its darn near impossible with that time frame for a recharge so am I missing something?
Also something I havent seen much on how long before a recharge after they have been used?
:tmb
Also something I havent seen much on how long before a recharge after they have been used?
:tmb
The 4S could be taking longer to fully charge because there's more cells to balance. Also, your charger might not be putting out as much current with the 4S pack either. Take notice next time you charge them. Some chargers, especially cheap ones, are severely power limited. I have one than can only output 50 watts.
The easiest way to understand what I'm talking about is to watch a charge cycle. Set the charger to 5A and charge your 4S LiPo. You'll see that the amps out is less that what you would expect. As the pack approaches 16.8 volts (4*4.2), the current will only be 3A.
P=I*E
I=P/E
I=50W/16.8V
I=2.976 amps
Not sure on this but some chargers might set that limit right from the start.
If you want to charge at 5A for the whole cycle, you'll need a charger capable of at least 84 watts.
P=I*E
P=16.8V*5A
P=84W
Got it?
P=I*E
I=P/E
I=50W/16.8V
I=2.976 amps
Not sure on this but some chargers might set that limit right from the start.
If you want to charge at 5A for the whole cycle, you'll need a charger capable of at least 84 watts.
P=I*E
P=16.8V*5A
P=84W
Got it?
Not really lol sorry this isnt my strong area but take your word for it, since it doesnt have 50w it isnt doing 5amps main thing I was kinda wondering was how much faster it might be if I was getting the full 5amps vs whatever im getting now, is it worth looking for a new charger for maybe a little faster charge time? Now if it cuts say 30mins or so then yea I would look to a better charger...suggestions? Been looking at that accucycle I think it is the one from hobbycity I have heard things about.
Ok I really need some info now, I put the 4s on the charger today and it started out at 3amps I believe, the manual for this isnt clear what the number are saying on the display for sure. Then after a bit I checked again and it was at 1.5, just looked and its not at .32! and at 172:00 in charge time its no wonder it takes so long to charge. The pic shows when I check after it had been going for awhile and dropped to 1.56 and just over a hour. So whats up?
HawnMT
Well-Known Member
I only balance charge so I can't tell you how a regular charge cycle is supposed to go but what you see it what happens when I balance charge. When I first balance charged my 3s lipo one cell was way off from the other two so the charger would actually go to zero amps when it got to the other cells than go up to .1 or .2 amps when it hit the low cell. It took about 6 hours on the charger(I had it set at 1 amp) for the battey to fully charge. But after that it never took that long again.
How about this explanation...
Lipos will reach about 90% capacity in one hour, when charged at a 1C rate. If you can't charge at 1C, because you are limited by your charger's power, it will take longer.
So, charging at 5A will take ~1hr (5000mAh/5A). If you charge at 3A, it will take ~1.6 hours. So, a more powerful charger would save you about .6 hours. I guess you gotta figure out how much .6 hours is worth to you.
mfizzlenyc
Well-Known Member
A pic of my setup
2 Max Amps 6000 xls 3s lipo's charge time around 40 min or less @ 6 AMPS...
1 more thing you dont run a lipo down to 0 MAh just the LVC running the pack lower will damage them... so with my 6000's The most I put back in is around 4000 mah... or 3.5 v a cell thats what my LVC is set at...
a pic of my setup
Be safe and have fun!!!
2 Max Amps 6000 xls 3s lipo's charge time around 40 min or less @ 6 AMPS...
1 more thing you dont run a lipo down to 0 MAh just the LVC running the pack lower will damage them... so with my 6000's The most I put back in is around 4000 mah... or 3.5 v a cell thats what my LVC is set at...
a pic of my setup
Be safe and have fun!!!