18650 testing - help me speed things up

[Synon]

So I've got a large amount (150+) of 18650 cells that I need to test capacity so I can pair them up for my first 18650 pack. I've been doing these 1 at a time so far (charging and discharging at .3c) with my Thunder 1220 charger, ultimately there will be 12 strings in series which is why I bought that particular charger. I'm hoping I can take advantage of all the balance leads to start testing these 12 at a time with dozen 18650 cell holders I bought off ebay... hoping this is possible?

I've posted a picture below of my setup and the accessories that came with the charger. The balance lead that says 12s has 13 pins, anyone have experience with these balance chargers and know why this might be? Is there a plug that will go straight into that 12s port that I could hook up to my individual cell holders? Will this not work at all? I haven't seen a ton of threads that covers mass capacity testing with their charger, am I going about this the wrong way or am I just missing these threads?

 

[district9prawn]

The balance lead that says 12s has 13 pins

Yes this is normal. Each cell has a balance lead at each end. So 1 cell, two leads. Two cells, three leads and so on.

Is there a plug that will go straight into that 12s port that I could hook up to my individual cell holders?

You could buy a 6s JST XH extension cable. Snip the cable in half. One plug goes straight into the charger. The bare wires on the other end you can solder to the contacts on the 18650 holders. Keep in mind that the contacts on 18650 holders have fairly high resistance. Charging and discharging at a low current will probably give you more accurate results.

 

[999zip999]

Where did you buy your 1220? Maybe they can sell you a 12s harness it will have 13 wires . I start at the neg . End of battery one wire on the neg. End of battery the 12 wires go to the 12 pos. Termenails in order. Last wire is same as pos. Lead.

 

[DrkAngel]

Several methods discussed.
See - Bulk Capacity Testing