HELP! - LiPo wierdness for newbie

[JaseTT]

I am attempting to charge my FlightPower 2170 mAh 3S for the first time, having used it lightly for setting up my TT Mini Titan.
My charger is a 1st Hobby Power Charger 5 with balancing.
When I started charging the individual cells were about 3.6V each.
The problem is, is charges alright for a while, then the charger comes up with a "Short ERR". I've been charging at 0.5C, and its fine for 20 mins or so, then this error comes up. The wierd thing is the display is flashing "DSCHG" a few times, then "CHCK", but the battery is slowly charging; the cells are now about 3.9 V each. It seems if I leave it for a while and try again it charges fine for a while before the error comes up. Surely if there is a short then it would fail instantly, or explode or something :shock:?

The battery appears to be fine, is not getting hot, and worked perfectly on the heli when I ran it up for a couple of minutes to check everything was working OK.

Is this normal? Is my battery faulty? Is my charger faulty? HELP!! I just want to fly my new heli :(.....

[marchambault]

Just out of curiosity, where did you find this charger and how much did it cost? I could not find any reference to it anywhere.

Good luck.

[marchambault]

Ah, found it First Hobby Power Charger 5. It appears to be another iteration of the venerable Imax B5, which is not known for it's accuracy or reliability (I'm going to get some flak for that comment).

It sounds like your charger is defective. I doubt it's a problem with your Lipo, as they are tested at the factory.

If you can, return it for an exchange or better yet a refund.

You are charging a very good lipo with a very cheap charger (about USD $50-$55 I'm guessing?)

For chargers that have proven themselves, look at:
o FMA Direct
o Thunder Power
o Hyperion

[JaseTT]

Hi marchambault,
Thanks for posting your comments. You're right in that it was a budget charger - I got it from a large Model Centre in Sussex in the UK (;)). I went in to buy my E325 and everything I needed to get flying, I assumed they would have given me an OK charger, but at the time my heli knowledge was zero and was at the stores mercy... I will contact the store and see if they will p/ex for a better charger. No disrespect to the shop though - I went in with a wodge of cash and came out with everything I needed - I guess a better charger would have put me over my budget and I am unlucky in getting a dodgy one!
Thanks for your help,
Jase.

[marchambault]

I found this instruction manual for the imax B5, which is basically the same charger. http://www.heliguy.com/i/iMAX-B5.pdf

The error you describe seems to be related to a short circuit in the output. This could be internal to the charger (intermittent problem caused by heat) or external due to wiring, improperly assembled connectors, etc...

[JaseTT]

Thank you for that info marchambault, that manual is much clearer than mine! It looks like I have been connecting the battery incorrectly - my manual says nothing about not using the main output terminals in conjunction with the balancing leads. It looks like from that link you posted that you only use the balancing lead! No wonder the charger was confused!
Many thanks for helping to sort that,
Jase.:thumbup:.