li ion charger for lipo

[t_tberg]

Can a charger like this http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=35_37&product_id=153 be used for lipo? It has variable voltage so I could bulk charge a 20s pack most of the time and balance occasionally to preserve the connectors. It is explicitly for li ion but would it charge lipo?

 

[Ykick]

Li ion uses the same voltage specs as RC Lipo. I use Li ion BMS and chargers for bulk charging RC Lipo.

That is a 21S charger and not 20S as you're asking about. You need 84V for 20S full charge. Ask if they can customize the voltage if you need 20S?

 

[t_tberg]

Yeah I'll certainly ask, I interpreted the folowing quote from the link to mean that there was a pot to adjust the voltage between 88.2 and 79.8, I guess it only has a switch to choose between these voltages. "Chargers come with a 3 position switch to set output voltage to 88.2V, 86.1V and 79.8V. This enables charging to approx 100%, 90% and 50% SOC" I should read a little more thoroughly before posting :lol: It's nice to hear that it will work, I wasn't sure if lipo required a tapered current at the end of the charge or something like that..

 

[dogman dan]

The pots inside should allow at least 4v of adjustability,, likely more. So that should work for a 20s bulk charger.

Ask Paul to adjust it to 20s for you of course.

The current will taper, but I think that is just the cells filling up causing that. I could be wrong about that, but I think they just can't absorb that much current near the top. The difference between the charger voltage and pack voltage is not much by then. I may be full of shit, but I think of it as being like a siphon slowing down as the levels equalize.

I use the similar 14s charger for all my lipo bulk charging, and it's by far my favorite charger. Many charges to 4v, but for longer rides I charge to 4.15v. I turned it down, so I could get away with a more out of balance pack safely.

If I don't plan to use the battery for awhile, I use the half charge setting, then set it aside.