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Generally this is for LiPo batteries, if you're still using NiMh then there is no balancing necessary.
When LiPo's first came out, I never balanced my LiPo's in order to get faster charge times. What this means is that one of the cells will get slightly over charged while the other cell is left slightly under charged... I periodically checked the cells after a charge and they were generally within 0.07V within each other which I felt was nominal.
More info here on the risks of over charging LiPo cells:
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries
In my case, my batteries would age faster than I could hit the reduced cycle limit.
I have since bought a higher quality charger and I always balance my LiPo's now where having a high balance current rate is what I've found to be extremely important to me:
When LiPo's first came out, I never balanced my LiPo's in order to get faster charge times. What this means is that one of the cells will get slightly over charged while the other cell is left slightly under charged... I periodically checked the cells after a charge and they were generally within 0.07V within each other which I felt was nominal.
More info here on the risks of over charging LiPo cells:
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-808-how-to-prolong-lithium-based-batteries
In my case, my batteries would age faster than I could hit the reduced cycle limit.
I have since bought a higher quality charger and I always balance my LiPo's now where having a high balance current rate is what I've found to be extremely important to me:
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LiPo batteries have multiple cells (2s, 3s, 4s, etc.) Lithium-Polymer is not the most stable formulation, but it offers great efficiency for it's weight.
Having the cellls at widely different voltages can cause issues, so balancing them means having them at the same voltage. The small balance lead on LiPo packs allows the charger to monitor the voltage level of each cell, so it can keep them balanced as they charge, or discharge.
Having the cellls at widely different voltages can cause issues, so balancing them means having them at the same voltage. The small balance lead on LiPo packs allows the charger to monitor the voltage level of each cell, so it can keep them balanced as they charge, or discharge.
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We used to balance NiCd-batteries in the ’90s with dischargers that would stop at the same voltage for each cell – not necessarily at the same time.
Because of slight variation in capacity between cells, some of them will be full sooner than others when charging a battery pack. This exposes them to overcharging – or leaves the others a little short of the peak voltage if you stop sooner.
These cells will also discharge the fastest when you run the vehicle. Their voltage will be the lowest when you are done.
Stressing the cells like this makes their useful capacity go down faster than the other cells. This is called the memory effect. We used to test individual cells and select ones that were the most similar to each other, these were called matched packs.
Balancing each cell individually to a set voltage helps, well, retain the balance within the pack so none of the cells are worked harder than the others. This gains performance with any pack and with the ferocious LiPo batteries it improves safety as well.
Because of slight variation in capacity between cells, some of them will be full sooner than others when charging a battery pack. This exposes them to overcharging – or leaves the others a little short of the peak voltage if you stop sooner.
These cells will also discharge the fastest when you run the vehicle. Their voltage will be the lowest when you are done.
Stressing the cells like this makes their useful capacity go down faster than the other cells. This is called the memory effect. We used to test individual cells and select ones that were the most similar to each other, these were called matched packs.
Balancing each cell individually to a set voltage helps, well, retain the balance within the pack so none of the cells are worked harder than the others. This gains performance with any pack and with the ferocious LiPo batteries it improves safety as well.
thatcraig
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I thank you for the reply, I'm just learning the things about rc but anyways thanks for the reply.
