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10-06-2012, 09:01 PM | #1 (permalink) |
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PL8 and 1s lipos with software
I have 6 of these little 1s lipos for a tota lof 940ma, in the PL8 it lets me charge at 1.2a or 600ma as the lowest.
I think for now its okay to charge at 1.2a, right? Where can I go to change the charging to 940ma? Or would that be too slow? |
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10-06-2012, 10:28 PM | #2 (permalink) |
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Small balanced or unbalanced presets have the granularity you are looking for. Those presets do max out at 2 amps. For most small LiPos these days anywhere from 2c to 5c is fine. Double check with the pack vendor before going over 2c. Even the Eflight packs are rated at 3c charge.
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10-08-2012, 08:47 AM | #3 (permalink) |
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what is the charge rate for the 1S packs? I ask since if you parallel charge your packs the small un balanced setting will not support this arrangement.
I say this since I charge 6 1S 550mah packs in parallel, the Hyperions are 5/6C charge rates, this arrangement would require 3.3amps at 1C or 9.9amps at 3C, this exceeds the current limit in the default small un-balanced preset.
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Carl Trex 550E FS Vbar Pro 5.2- EXI-450T Mini Vbar Pro 5.2 - EXI 450T BeastX - Trex 250SE - mCPx v1 Hp05 & HP06 w/HP03t tails - AMA #952544 |
10-18-2012, 03:36 AM | #4 (permalink) |
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Hi - this thread popped up in my [exasperating] search for help with a PL8 question, so...
I'm trying to charge more than six 1S LiPo's at once (This is something I could easily do with the previous not-as-complex charger I used to use) But I can only get the per-battery charge rate up to 300mAh per batt if I set the number of batteries to six. Obviously the equipment can handle more, so how the heck do I accomplish this? I read thru the manual, and I tried over & over to create and/or edit user presets and library presets...but not once was I able to enter any characters in any of the Properties fields. Please.
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10-18-2012, 08:47 AM | #5 (permalink) |
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you need to copy the preset to a user preset slot in order to modify the settings. Also if you plan on charging at a higher rate that the factory preset allows you would need to use a high current preset for your starting point instead.
The factory presets are your starting point, pick one that allows you to reach the total charge current you need. Then tweak settings to suit your situation. Remember you cannot adjust the factory presets, you can use them or copy them to a user preset position and then edit the settings.
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Carl Trex 550E FS Vbar Pro 5.2- EXI-450T Mini Vbar Pro 5.2 - EXI 450T BeastX - Trex 250SE - mCPx v1 Hp05 & HP06 w/HP03t tails - AMA #952544 |
10-18-2012, 10:53 AM | #6 (permalink) | |
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Quote:
While the above is a perfectly accurate statement, it is also important to note that any preset can be modified to have the scaling of the small battery presets. You can do this by setting the parameter "Increment 5mA" to "yes" found on the Charge tab of the CCS for every preset. It's generally useful only on small batteries, however, because once turned on, it can take forever to set your charge rate at the PL interface.
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Tim Marks President, FMA, Inc. Revolectrix Partner |
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10-18-2012, 11:02 AM | #7 (permalink) |
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Sounds like you are using the small unabalanced preset or small balanced preset. As I mentioned on post 2, those are limited to 2 amps. Use the accurate preset (preset #1) and you will be able to charge at higher rates.
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10-18-2012, 04:46 PM | #8 (permalink) |
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Nice! Thanks so much. I'll try it tonight.
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12-13-2012, 01:18 AM | #9 (permalink) |
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Merry Christmas! I had a serious go at this on the weekend and I failed miserably.
I tried copying a 'supplied' PRESET into a 'library' slot -- and I succeeded -- but I couldn't edit any of the settings. I fiddled with it endlessly, but I just couldn't figure it out. It's really frustrating; the stupid charger + PSU has such amazing power...and I can't get it to charge more than six 1S batteries at once. Would someone be willing to do a Remote Desktop with me on the laptop and show me where I'm going wrong? Please?
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12-30-2012, 12:10 AM | #10 (permalink) |
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Bump for a response, please & thank you.
(Happy New Year!)
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12-30-2012, 12:21 AM | #11 (permalink) |
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You cannot edit a library preset. Copy the library preset into an active slot then edit it.
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12-30-2012, 03:34 PM | #12 (permalink) | |
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Don't get me wrong - I am VERY grateful for the reply. I suppose this is one of those areas where I just can't seem to grasp some eensy-weensy tidbit of information...the eventual comprehension of which will be like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.
Until that happenes, I am forced to shrug and say: "Huh?" Maybe its the terminology. Maybe I'm mixing up the names of the sections, and making it more complicated than it needs to be. Is it the "FACTORY" section that contains 25 presets...beginning with "Accurate", and then "Fast" and "Hi Power" etc. etc.? And then there are another - what? - 25 "LIBRARY" presets? Where are the "USER" presets? I was trying to follow this: Quote:
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M1 & M2 Evo’s, 180 & 360 Fusion SMARTs, 230S_V2, 2 x S3 Nano's (and - the pride of the fleet - an S107 S&R ship in case the other aircraft go down in inaccessible terrain) : |
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12-30-2012, 03:53 PM | #13 (permalink) |
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There are 25 factory preset slots. The default is only has 23 slots filled. These cover a large variety of charging scenarios and chemistries. Because there are even more scenarios that some users may desire, these are made available in the library presets. You can copy one of the library presets to an active slot if needed. However I'm not sure that is what you are after.
Remind me again. What is your charging scenario and what would you like the preset to do differently?
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12-30-2012, 09:18 PM | #14 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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When setting it up or whenever youd like, you can edit the power settings to meet your power supply. You can erase a slot, copy from library, and then edit the slot.
Hold both buttons on the left, and then from there you can go ahead and do all that stuff. I haven't tried to charge more than 6 1s lipos at a time because my power board only has room for 6 at a time. I also use accurate charger setting, choose 3c since all my 1s lipos have a 3c charge rating, and from there the pl8 will automatically detect the amount of cells |
01-05-2013, 09:31 AM | #15 (permalink) |
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(In general terms - and exagerrated for clarity)
On my non-PL8 charger, if I connect one mCPx 1S battery I set the charger to charge at 300mA (unbalanced, of course) and that's it. If I connect sixteen mCPx 1S batteries, I set the charger to 4.8A (300 x 16) and that's it. On the PL8, when I select "small/unbalanced" in the menus (I think it's PRESET # 6) it asks me how many packs I am charging. The maximum number is nine - no higher - and at nine, the charge rate for each is 222mA. AFAIC this is unacceptable, so I abort. Since the charger and the PSU are more than capable of charging a zillion tiny batteries at once...I want to be able to program it like the older machine; [number of batteries x mA/battery = charge amperage] I did finally get a reply from FMA on this, and the rep told me it is UNSAFE to charge unbalanced batteries at anything higher than 2.0A total charging rate. This does add a wrinkle to the equation, but I would still like to learn how to create a custom PRESET as it is apparently so simple! Many thanks!
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M1 & M2 Evo’s, 180 & 360 Fusion SMARTs, 230S_V2, 2 x S3 Nano's (and - the pride of the fleet - an S107 S&R ship in case the other aircraft go down in inaccessible terrain) : |
01-05-2013, 12:16 PM | #16 (permalink) | |
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Quote:
There is no way to create or modify a preset to exceed the 2A limitation when charging unbalanced. Don't spin your wheels trying to make it happen. You will not be successful in the end. This is a safety feature of the PL series. If you add balance tap to the packs, then you can use any of the balanced charge presets and set the amps wherever you like.
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Tim Marks President, FMA, Inc. Revolectrix Partner |
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01-05-2013, 01:15 PM | #17 (permalink) |
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Also, since Ron has Powerlab8 (vs 6) and is only charging 1s cells, he can use a balance preset without a balance connector.
Ron, retry it with preset 1.
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01-05-2013, 05:03 PM | #18 (permalink) |
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Thanks, Tim - I'm sure you/FMA are swamped with e-mails asking everything from how do I turn it on to how do I rewire it...and I did not want to wear out my goodwill from the ever-patient Mr. M.
I also want to state that I am not some sort of cowboy who has no regard for safety and/or 'protect-us-from-ourselves' operating restrictions built into the CC software. On the contrary - I am grateful for the safeguards that have been put into place to help us to avoid burning down the house! That said, I am feeling rather dense since buying the PL8. While I acknowledge that it is a fine machine -- far more advanced and powerful than its predecessors -- I find it awfully complicated to master. And that's what I want to do - master it. I don't mean I want to re-program it, or find a way to circumvent its safe operating parameters; I just want to COMPLETELY understand how to use it to its maximum efficiency. Sure - I can manipulate the buttons. And as long as whatever process I am attempting exactly matches the programming parameters I am good to go. But if I wanna stray outside the box a little I am immediately stymied. And it's frustrating, because I don't know if I am just not learning well or whether it is an actual limitation of the machine (and/or the software) So now I am stumped by this 2.0A limitation for unbalanced charging. I guess I just don't understand why -- if I have 32 6-way charging adapters -- I can't charge 132 1S batteries at the same time.
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M1 & M2 Evo’s, 180 & 360 Fusion SMARTs, 230S_V2, 2 x S3 Nano's (and - the pride of the fleet - an S107 S&R ship in case the other aircraft go down in inaccessible terrain) : |
01-05-2013, 05:44 PM | #19 (permalink) |
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Ron,
I replied your PM. Go ahead and email your questions and I get it sorted out. With regards to the question, on the Powerlab8 you can use a regular preset to charge 1s cells. You don't have to use the unbalanced preset. This will let you exceed the 2a limit. On the Powerlab6, you can also do this, but you need to add a balance lead in parallel to the main leads. But since you have a Powerlab8, its as simple as your older charger. Greg
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01-05-2013, 06:41 PM | #20 (permalink) |
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Ron, I will also add... Have you used the CCS (Charge Control Software)?
If not, I highly suggest you try it. Going through all the screens/parameters etc. will really help you understand how the charger works (how memories are configured & swapped) and what all it's capabilities are. There really is no substitute for the PL8.
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