Chargers

[RevengeoftheSeth]

Am I correct that Li-Ion chargers should match the voltage of the battery pack and no more than 500mA?

[jjshumpert]

you are correct sir, make sure to set the dip switches per instructions to match required voltage to the pack you are using. also are you using protected cells or a protection pcb in your wiring? you have to use one or the other to make the overcharge feature work, otherwise you run the risk of blowing your cells.

[RevengeoftheSeth]

you are correct sir, make sure to set the dip switches per instructions to match required voltage to the pack you are using. also are you using protected cells or a protection pcb in your wiring? you have to use one or the other to make the overcharge feature work, otherwise you run the risk of blowing your cells.

Oh, I see. So the charger doesn't come with that protection built in. I do have a protection PCB, but that is good to know.

[shef]

This is a good discussion for me... sorry if I'm threadjacking. I have purchased 2 pair of 18650 (2600mah) unprotected cells, and 2 PCBs, for building 2 x 7.4v battery packs. I know I need to 'balance' the cells before wiring them together, so I have also ordered a charging cradle for the cells. Once the packs are built, I can use my smart charger & recharge port, but first, I need to make sure the cells are fully, and equally charged... don't I? Is it safe for me to put the unprotected cells in the charger?

[RevengeoftheSeth]

I guess I would need to know that, as well. I'd never heard of balancing the cells before making them into a pack.

[equinox13]

i know a smart charger has most of the protection circuitry built into it, so it's generally safe to put an unprotected cell in one of those as long as you monitor the temps and make sure it turns off after it's charged. as for balancing the cells to build packs, i have only clues. it doesn't make too much sense to me, what with all the laptop battery manufacturers out there making them out of unprotected cells that only have the factory charge in them. adding a charging time to that many batteries would really slow things down, not to mention all the protection circuitry they would need for each individual cell. it would make much more sense for them to build the battery pack and charge it with a dummy charger using the pack PCB. but then again, this i don't know for certain - if anyone does, please speak up.