Can I fool iCharger?

[ryguy76]

I have a new transmitter lipo that I bought for use with a new DX6. Problem is, I have no way to charge it as its intended for a DX8 which has a charge port.

This lipo doesn't have a balance tap and therefore I my charger won't allow it to charge because it's not balanced. Of course normally, I would never not balance while charging, but this 2S transmitter lipo has a built in cell cutoff that won't allow more than 4.2V/cell.

I need to see if there's a way that I can fool the iCharger into allowing it to charge. I can't set 1S pack, as I get an over charged error and I can't set 2S as it wants the balance connection.

Any ideas on this?


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[Slyster]

The DX8 pack needs straight DC power.. not sure what voltage, a DX8 wall wart should say.. it has a built in balance charger right in the lipo... I don't think its possible to charge using a lipo charger.

[ryguy76]

Originally Posted by Slyster

The DX8 pack needs straight DC power.. not sure what voltage, a DX8 wall wart should say.. it has a built in balance charger right in the lipo... I don't think its possible to charge using a lipo charger.

I've seen others solder on balance leads, but I was hoping to avoid that.
I bought the DX8 charge cable from HH which is intended for use with a lipo charger. So I'm thinking a cheap charger that's using "Charge" mode and not "Balance" mode might work.

http://www.e-fliterc.com/Products/De...ProdID=SPM6834


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[RedOctobyr]

Which iCharger?

The manual for my 106B+ says the balance lead is Optional if doing a Charge, not Balance Charge.

If you really want to try it, you *should* be able to select that type of charge profile, and charge through just the main leads.

[ryguy76]

Originally Posted by RedOctobyr

Which iCharger?



The manual for my 106B+ says the balance lead is Optional if doing a Charge, not Balance Charge.



If you really want to try it, you *should* be able to select that type of charge profile, and charge through just the main leads.

I have a 308 Duo. I don't think the same applies. I'm going to mess around some more and see if I can figure something out.


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[ryguy76]

If not, I should be ok to use a friends imax charger and select the "charge" mode and it should do the trick, hey?


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[RedOctobyr]

I can check the manual for my 308Duo later.

But if you Edit a profile, and then edit the Charge portion, there are options for Balance. Normal, Fast, etc. I'd check there, and see if there is an option for not balancing at all.

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[ryguy76]

Originally Posted by RedOctobyr

I can check the manual for my 308Duo later.

But if you Edit a profile, and then edit the Charge portion, there are options for Balance. Normal, Fast, etc. I'd check there, and see if there is an option for not balancing at all.

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Has already tried that, but sadly, it was not the key.


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[RedOctobyr]

I just tried it too, same result. I'm running firmware 2.15. I set Charge Mode to "Not Balance".

The manual doesn't explicitly state whether or not the balance lead is required, that I can see. But it does seem odd.

I asked Junsi about it in their thread on RCGroups, hopefully they'll at least be able to confirm whether this is intentional. In my opinion, you should at least be given the *option* to charge that way if you'd like.

[ryguy76]

Originally Posted by RedOctobyr

I just tried it too, same result. I'm running firmware 2.15. I set Charge Mode to "Not Balance".

The manual doesn't explicitly state whether or not the balance lead is required, that I can see. But it does seem odd.

I asked Junsi about it in their thread on RCGroups, hopefully they'll at least be able to confirm whether this is intentional. In my opinion, you should at least be given the *option* to charge that way if you'd like.

Whoop! I read the answer from RCGroups thread and switching from auto to 2S, and selecting "not balance" is the key. I'll post my results of whether the house still stands or not afterwards. Good thing for charge bunkers, as they ease the mind a bit for shady scenarios like this.


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[RedOctobyr]

Excellent, I was just going to post that tungsten2k posted the answer, in the RCG thread.

As you said, you have to select Charge Mode as "Not Balance", and manually set the cell count. You can't use Auto for cell count.

Sorry, I should have thought of the cell-count setting. I typically leave it at Auto. And I don't think I've ever done a multi-cell LiPo charge without connecting the balance lead. Manually setting the cell count didn't occur to me.

Mystery solved, at least

[ryguy76]

I thought I tried it that way last night. I did change it from auto and tried both 1S and 2A, and selected "not balance" at some point, but perhaps I didn't do both at the same time. Either that or the balance board needs to be unplugged too, as it was today.


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[ryguy76]

Charge cycle completed. All is well. Pack is registering 8.27V after sitting for a bit, but never went above 8.4V while charging. I have to trust the built in cutoff did its job and neither cell is above 4.2V. Mission accomplished.


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[chris-fry]

I charge the LiFe pack in my XG11 on my 406Duo. I just make sure that the charger is set to "Not Balanced" or some variation like that.

Now, the 106B, I'm not familiar with, but you should be able to plug in a 2S lipo and set it on a 1C charge and be merry. There is just no balance tap on the pack.

But if you need a "dumb" Lipo charger, I have 2 that I'm not ever going to use. Feel free to send me a PM and I will set you right up!