Is a balancer absolutely needed?

[pcar993]

My charger is a ElectriFly PolyCharge4 which doesnt have a balancer built in. Im wondering if i really need one and what is it really? Also where can i find an inexpensive simple to use balancer for my Thunder Power batteries?

Thanks

[Striker]

Blinky. $30 works great.

[Gary JP4]

Blinky http://www.rchover.com/lipo_balancers
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMRZ9&P=ML

Hyperion LBA-6
I can't find one

Great Planes same as LBA-6
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMGS7&P=7

Im wondering if i really need one

Yes you need a balance charger or balancer IMO.

what is it really?
The balancer helps keep one cell from going over voltage and ruining the battery, catching on fire, or blowing up. It also works better to have balanced cells.

If you are not balance charging you are charging all your cells in a battery in series. All you can control in series is the total (cumulative) voltage of all the cells together. If one cell goes over voltage and the others are under voltage the charger only sees the cumulative voltage. One cell can go over and ruin it or start a fire. When you balance charge you are either charging each cell individually or charging all the cells in series and loading any cell that goes over voltage to prevent it (there are two ways). With a balance charger like the Cellpro it is really 4 chargers in one box. One for each cell.

I have a Polycharger. If I knew then what I know now I would not have gotten one. I don't' use it much anymore.

You really should consider just getting some good charger balancers. Even if you get balancers for your Polycharger you wont know the condition for you batteries. You need to be able to tell how many amps went back into the battery so you can:

Tell if you have a battery (cell) going bad.
Trouble shoot problems with your model.
Determine how long you can fly.
Take care of you batteries and make them last.

Also it would be nice (almost mandatory IMO) to see what is going on during the charge.

Also if you get done charging with a LBA-5 (I assume the Blinky will do the same thing) if you don't disconnect the battery pretty quickly the balancer will discharge it. A balance charger like the Cellpro 4S doesn't have that problem.

Also the Polycharger doesn't peak charge (charge to as high a % charge) as say the Cellpro.

For the money the Cellpro for about $65 or the Bantam E-station BC-5 for about $125 (that will work off house current) are the best for the money if you only need to do up to 4S or 5S. You didn't say what battery or model you are running.
http://www.fmadirect.com/products.htm?cat=45&nid=4