PL8 parallel charging.

[Van Scott]

I just bought myself a PL8 which I plan on using for parallel charging of 6 3000mah Packs. I was unable to purchase the MPA Board with them being out of stock so only have 1 of the smaller individual Boards that are supposed to be Daisy Chained together and has XH Balance inputs from 2S to 8S.
My question is , until I can acquire an MPA Board , is it ok to plug a standard Parallel XH Loom for 6 6S Packs into the 6S port of the individual Parallel Board to charge multiple Packs.
If this is ok , what settings on the PL8 would be appropriate. For example should I use the Parallel Charge feature or just set a manual Power Rate to match the combined ma's of the Packs being charged.
I do plan on getting the MPA Board once available to me however would like to do some parallel charging in the meantime.

[Slyster]

I prefer these.. tossed all my boards. Cheaper too.

[Van Scott]

That's what I'm asking if possible as that's exactly the Lead setup I have. The PL8 has it's own type of Connector, FMA which does not except HX Plugs . I'm hoping to plug that same Balance setup into the one Parallel Safe Balance Board which is coming with the PL8 that is HX compatible.
If I could plug directly into the PL8 I would !!
The Charger is in the Post & I hope to see it later today or tomorrow. I'm trying to look at what options I have with the Gear I already own.

[Slyster]

yeah when I had a PL6 I cut off the 'odd' white balance connector and soldered it on to the parallel balance cable from progressive. I really didn't care for how the FMA chargers don't have the usual connector... part of the reason I sold it for a iCharger 4010b.

[Gregor99]

Originally Posted by Van Scott

My question is , until I can acquire an MPA Board , is it ok to plug a standard Parallel XH Loom for 6 6S Packs into the 6S port of the individual Parallel Board to charge multiple Packs.

Yes, you can do this. Wiring mode should be set to FMA. When charging tell the charger how many packs are in parallel and the charge rate for each pack. Use Preset #3 High power and manually set the current rate. Don't use the auto charge modes.

Be sure it set the current limit on the charger and DON"T change the low supply limit unless your power supply does not have builtin protections. If you are not sure, post the details of your supply and possible a link. Then I can tell you for sure.

More info

FAQ - Powerlab Quick Start Guide - Wiring modes, Supply Limits and 1s charging

Once you get the MPA you MUST change the wiring mode to JST-XH. Even if appears to work, the wiring mode must be changed to JST-XH for the MPA as well as 3rd party parallel boards.

[Van Scott]

Thanks . Great info !!
My PS only puts out 47A @ 1150w so I should set my PL8 Input a bit under that to protect the PS according to the Manual.

[Gregor99]

Maxing out the charger on 6s only requires 46 amps. You can set it to 45, 46, or 47. Whatever you are comfortable with. Those supplies have under voltage and over current protection. So there's no need to increase the low supply voltage setting.

If you are running off a generator you will hit the buck boost transitions mid way through charging a 6s pack. If it bothers you or your charger, the supply voltage will need to be lowered by about 1v.