Frustrated with charging 1 LiPo at a time ? How about make it 2,4,10 at once ?
But before we get started we need to understand what is parallel charging vs series charging.
*Warning* Do not charge Nixx Packs In Parallel
When does charging in parallel makes sense?
-When I have multiple packs with the same cell count.
-When I want to charge them at the same time, thus reducing overall charge time, or avoiding the hassle of starting multiple charging processes.
-When the packs have slightly different states of charge (<30%, to be safe).
-When the charger can provide the current needed for parallel charging, but not the voltage needed for series charging.
Advantages of parallel charging
-No need to care about different capacities or slightly different states of charge.
-Reduced balancing times.
-Simple wiring, fits for a multitude of packs.
When does charging in series make sense?
-When I have multiple packs of the same capacity constantly wired together in series, making a bigger pack
-When the pack's state of charge is nearly identical.
-When the charger can provide the voltage needed for series charging, but not the current needed for parallel charging.
How do I wire packs in parallel?
That is very simple: Just connect every contact of one pack with the corresponding contact of the next pack. The positive contact is connected to the positive contact, the negative contact is connected to the negative contact.
Materials to build your own plugs (In this example I will be building a set of power leads and balance lead for 3s Lipos charging 2 packs at the same time...
- Soldering Iron
- Soldering Gun
- Soldering Flux
- Heat Shrink Tubes
- (Optional) Lighter or Hair Dryer for heat shrinks
For Power Leads...
- 2x Male Ultra Deans Plug
- 1x Female Ultra Deans plug
- 1ft+ of 12ga Positive Dean's Wire (low resistance, high current transfer)
- 1ft+ of 12ga Negative Dean's Wire (low resistance, high current transfer)
For Balance Leads...
I got lazy and went to radicalrc.com and buy 2 "XH 3S, 12" Extension/ADAPTER" and cut them in half and re-solder them for my own pigtails.
http://www.radicalrc.com/category/Balance-Harness-Connectors-295
**Make Double Sure Positive goes w/ Positive, Negative w/ Negative**
Charger Setting for Parallel Charing
Example: I have 2 packs of 3s1p 5000mah 30C lipos and I want to charge them in Parallel mode.
Physical Connections:Connect the 2 male deans to the the battery and the other end to your power, same thing for the balance leads.
Charger Setting: I set my charger at 3s LiPo balance mode which is 11.1v (3s) at 5amps.
**Important** Please keep in mind charging parallel mode we are ADDING the Capacity(Mah) NOT THE VOLTAGE. Think of it as charging 1 BIG PACK of 3S lipos at 10000mah so the 11.1v(3s) stays the same And always charge at 1c to make your LiPo's life expectancy longer.
Example #2: For charging (4) 2S 2200's, what settings should my charger be set to ?
Charger Setting: 7.4v(2s) balance mode, 8.8amps at 1c(2200 x 4 = 8800mah)
As for Series charging. you add the voltage not the mah capacity.
Hope this guide helps. Thanks for reading.
But before we get started we need to understand what is parallel charging vs series charging.
*Warning* Do not charge Nixx Packs In Parallel
When does charging in parallel makes sense?
-When I have multiple packs with the same cell count.
-When I want to charge them at the same time, thus reducing overall charge time, or avoiding the hassle of starting multiple charging processes.
-When the packs have slightly different states of charge (<30%, to be safe).
-When the charger can provide the current needed for parallel charging, but not the voltage needed for series charging.
Advantages of parallel charging
-No need to care about different capacities or slightly different states of charge.
-Reduced balancing times.
-Simple wiring, fits for a multitude of packs.
When does charging in series make sense?
-When I have multiple packs of the same capacity constantly wired together in series, making a bigger pack
-When the pack's state of charge is nearly identical.
-When the charger can provide the voltage needed for series charging, but not the current needed for parallel charging.
How do I wire packs in parallel?
That is very simple: Just connect every contact of one pack with the corresponding contact of the next pack. The positive contact is connected to the positive contact, the negative contact is connected to the negative contact.
Materials to build your own plugs (In this example I will be building a set of power leads and balance lead for 3s Lipos charging 2 packs at the same time...
- Soldering Iron
- Soldering Gun
- Soldering Flux
- Heat Shrink Tubes
- (Optional) Lighter or Hair Dryer for heat shrinks
For Power Leads...
- 2x Male Ultra Deans Plug
- 1x Female Ultra Deans plug
- 1ft+ of 12ga Positive Dean's Wire (low resistance, high current transfer)
- 1ft+ of 12ga Negative Dean's Wire (low resistance, high current transfer)
For Balance Leads...
I got lazy and went to radicalrc.com and buy 2 "XH 3S, 12" Extension/ADAPTER" and cut them in half and re-solder them for my own pigtails.
http://www.radicalrc.com/category/Balance-Harness-Connectors-295
**Make Double Sure Positive goes w/ Positive, Negative w/ Negative**
Charger Setting for Parallel Charing
Example: I have 2 packs of 3s1p 5000mah 30C lipos and I want to charge them in Parallel mode.
Physical Connections:Connect the 2 male deans to the the battery and the other end to your power, same thing for the balance leads.
Charger Setting: I set my charger at 3s LiPo balance mode which is 11.1v (3s) at 5amps.
**Important** Please keep in mind charging parallel mode we are ADDING the Capacity(Mah) NOT THE VOLTAGE. Think of it as charging 1 BIG PACK of 3S lipos at 10000mah so the 11.1v(3s) stays the same And always charge at 1c to make your LiPo's life expectancy longer.
Example #2: For charging (4) 2S 2200's, what settings should my charger be set to ?
Charger Setting: 7.4v(2s) balance mode, 8.8amps at 1c(2200 x 4 = 8800mah)
As for Series charging. you add the voltage not the mah capacity.
Hope this guide helps. Thanks for reading.