[NSRCA-discussion] Big LiPo pack charging

[Dean Pappas]

Hi Adam,
Yes, that's what it does: it thieves from the high cells, and if the thieving current isn't enough, then the chargre is throttled back until the low cells catch up. A simple adaptor can be made to fit any other brand's power and tap connector(s). According to the folks in the FMA booth, they plan on selling TP to CellPro or TP to BalancePro adaptors, as well as for other brands of batteries. The lack of display on the BalancePro is a shame, though the cheaper 4-cell CellPro has one! It's just a more recent design, and folks like myself griped about the lack of a display enough that they made the next product better.
Hey, I just look at my watch and do some simple arithmetic. It ain't that hard! 
Dean

Dean Pappas
Sr. Design Engineer
Kodeos Communications
111 Corporate Blvd.
South Plainfield, N.J. 07080
(908) 222-7817 phone
(908) 222-2392 fax
d.pappas at kodeos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
[mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Adam Glatt
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 5:26 PM
To: NSRCA Mailing List
Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Big LiPo pack charging


The BalancePro HD 6s 10A charger sounds like a solid option, Dean, at 
$130.  That's certainly great power for your dollar.

It, too, looks to be charging through the battery power wires and then 
monitoring cell voltages for imbalance, at which point it drains and/or 
slows the charge (correct me if I'm wrong).  Couldn't this charger work 
with any brand of tapped battery via a simple adapter cable?

The other downside is no display, so only when a computer is connected 
can we know how much capacity goes back in.

-Adam

Dean Pappas wrote:
> Hi Bob,
> Good to hear from you ...
> The only chargers I know of, today, that meet the requirement I laid out in my last e-mail, are the FMA BalancePro and CellPro.
> I was on the fence as to whether to plug something on this forum.
> Dean
>
> Dean Pappas
> Sr. Design Engineer
> Kodeos Communications
> 111 Corporate Blvd.
> South Plainfield, N.J. 07080
> (908) 222-7817 phone
> (908) 222-2392 fax
> d.pappas at kodeos.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org
> [mailto:nsrca-discussion-bounces at lists.nsrca.org]On Behalf Of Robert
> Mairs
> Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:03 PM
> To: NSRCA Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Big LiPo pack charging
>
>
> Everyone will prob disagree, but I like the approach Kokam is trying to 
> develope.  Larger cells that can be run in a 1P configuration, where each 
> cell can be monitored, not a group of parallel cells, for voltage during 
> charge as well as voltage during discharge.  Hopefully the weight and 
> performance of the cells will be within our limits.  With such a simple pack 
> configuration, I could envision even being able to replace a faulty cell, 
> instead of having to forfeit the entire pack.  I hope they succeed.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dean Pappas" <d.pappas at kodeos.com>
> To: <chad at f3acanada.org>; "NSRCA Mailing List" 
> <nsrca-discussion at lists.nsrca.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 10:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Big LiPo pack charging
>
>
>   
>> Hi All,
>> I hear discussions about this charger versus that, and while I am not 
>> going to try and sell my preference, I think I
>> should tell you what a proper charger, for our purposes, should do.
>>
>> I really think the important thing to remember, here, is that a real 
>> balancing charger will always be better than a charger plus an add-on 
>> balancer.
>> Why? The add on balancer and charger combo will do its job, perfectly 
>> well: until there is a problem with a battery pack.
>> Unfortunately, this is where the safety hazard happens (not to mention the 
>> premature aging of expensive battery cells).
>>
>> When there is a problem, and the imbalance between cells is not slight, or 
>> some cells have appreciably different capacities than others due to age,
>> the controlled bypass current around the higher voltage cells may not be 
>> high enough to keep things balanced.
>> That's how balancers work, they put a current "leak" across the higher 
>> voltage cells;
>> during charging this leak shunts some of the charging current around the 
>> higher voltage cells, until the lower voltage cells catch-up.
>>
>> For things to really work properly, the balancer part of the works needs 
>> to be able to throttle-back the charger current,
>> to something equal to or less than the maximum leak current, at any stage 
>> of the charge, if the imbalance isn't getting better.
>> That really requires a one-piece balancing charger, or some sort of fancy 
>> communication between the charger and balancer.
>>
>> Right now, very few companies make a real balancing charger, but this 
>> can't stay the same for long.
>> It has also been suggested that with a true balancing charger, that never 
>> charges too fast to maintain balance,
>> that 2C and 3C charges are possible, with the high C discharge packs we 
>> find necessary, in Pattern.
>>
>> later, friends,
>>
>>
>> Dean Pappas
>> Sr. Design Engineer
>> Kodeos Communications
>> 111 Corporate Blvd.
>> South Plainfield, N.J. 07080
>> (908) 222-7817 phone
>> (908) 222-2392 fax
>> d.pappas at kodeos.com
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>     
>
>
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