6s lipos won’t charge faster than 2.3 amps

[DesertRC928]

My problem is none of my 6s batteries will charge faster than 2.1-2.3 amps.

Doesn’t matter what I set my charging amperage at. All 3 of my 6s batteries cap at 2.3 amps.

My current charging/battery setup

Passport Ultra P2 (capable of 10 amp charge rate)

Also have a cheap turnigy (capable of 6 amp charge rate)

I have one 6s power hobby 6000 mah 150c battery I bought at my local hobby shop.

I also bought 2 cheap socokin 6s 7200 mah (lol yeah right ) 100c batteries off amazon.


I’ve also tried charging all three 6s batteries on my other charger with the same results.

I have some other 2s and 3s batteries that I can charge at any amperage on both of my chargers. This makes me think it’s specific to the batteries unless I’m missing some secret 6s charge setting lol.

Initially I only had the power hobby 6s that I bought with my charger at my local hobby shop. I showed them my issue with it charging slowly and they are going to warranty my battery through power hobby. (Waiting for them to ship the new one still) So I bought 2 more cheap 6s lipos from Amazon while I’m waiting on that and I’m having the exact same issue.

What the heck are the chances I have 3 defective 6s batteries in a row lol?

All the batteries seem to work fine other than the slow charge rate. Plenty of punch and run time seems to be sufficient. I’m running them in a 1/7 big rock 6s.

In the pictures I have the charging amperage set at 10 amps, but you can clearly see the charge rate is capped at 2.1 amps. With this issue it takes about 3 hours to fully charge which is super annoying lol.

Is there something I’m missing?

Any of you guys seen an issue like this before?

Any insight you guys can provide would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[RCbuzz]

Chargers operate off max watts not amps (well kind of, max amps as long as its below maximum wattage). What is the wattage of these chargers?

For example, if you are charging two batteries at 24v*2.1A + 24v*2.1A you are at 100.8watts. Makes sense if it is a 100watt charger.

FYI, for battery longevity I would never charge over 1C and never exceed the max charge rate of the battery.

 

[DesertRC928]

Chargers operate off max watts not amps. What is the wattage of these chargers?

 

[RCbuzz]

So it looks like the built in AC/DC power supply is kind of small for this unit, 100watt DC output. That's probably your cap right there.

If you use the DC input (power the charger from your cars 12v battery, or other robust DC power supply) you can probably charge at 4 amps per battery.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Its definitely the charger. They were shady about how they worded things. It looks like with AC power it maxes at 150w and with a DC input power it can handle 200w.
You should be getting up over 4 amps out of each side with DC power source.

24v * 4.4 = 105 watts

Maybe there is a different charge mode? Instead of balance mode maybe try fast charge or some similar named mode?

With the AC power max at 150w it should be doing 75w per side max.

75w = 24v * 3.12 A


Ultimately what you might be looking for is a charger than can output a real 150 to 200 watts per side.

 

[Jon NC RC]

what setting - quick charge?
Balance charge?
I have the same charger...... its essentially 50w x 50w
But I can balance charge my 4S CNHL 8000mAh (X2 batts at once) from storage charge to full and ready to go in an hour or so

Also, what Amp setting did you go for when programming to charge?

 

[DesertRC928]

Chargers operate off max watts not amps (well kind of, max amps as long as its below maximum wattage). What is the wattage of these chargers?

For example, if you are charging two batteries at 24v*2.1A + 24v*2.1A you are at 100.8watts. Makes sense if it is a 100watt charger.

FYI, for battery longevity I would never charge over 1C and never exceed the max charge rate of the battery.

Thanks for that info man!

Even when I charge one battery at a time it still caps at 2.3 amps. The hobby power battery is rated for a 2c charge rate.

At the hobby shop the owner tried to charge my battery on multiple chargers and could not get it to charge faster than 2.2 amps regardless of charger used.

1c charge rate on a 6000 mah battery would be 6 amps correct? I’m not even getting close to that. If I could charge it that fast I’d be happy lol.

I’ve tried every single charge mode this charger has. Fast, balance, regular charge nothing changes. I’ve been through all the settings multiple times.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Thanks for that info man!

Even when I charge one battery at a time it still caps at 2.3 amps. The hobby power battery is rated for a 2c charge rate.

At the hobby shop the owner tried to charge my battery on multiple chargers and could not get it to charge faster than 2.2 amps regardless of charger used.

1c charge rate on a 6000 mah battery would be 6 amps correct? I’m not even getting close to that. If I could charge it that fast I’d be happy lol.

I’ve tried every single charge mode this charger has. Fast, balance, regular charge nothing changes. I’ve been through all the settings multiple times.

Most hobby shop chargers are not powerful enough to output over 100 watts for a 6s pack.
I doubt they had a "nice" charger.

For 6A * 24v you need 150 watts minimum per channel.

 

[RCbuzz]

Thanks for that info man!

Even when I charge one battery at a time it still caps at 2.3 amps. The hobby power battery is rated for a 2c charge rate.

At the hobby shop the owner tried to charge my battery on multiple chargers and could not get it to charge faster than 2.2 amps regardless of charger used.

1c charge rate on a 6000 mah battery would be 6 amps correct? I’m not even getting close to that. If I could charge it that fast I’d be happy lol.

I’ve tried every single charge mode this charger has. Fast, balance, regular charge nothing changes. I’ve been through all the settings multiple times.

Hehe yep. It is probably limited to max watts per channel (50watts/50watts).

I have a charger similar to this where the DC input charges the batteries faster than the built in power supply. They were probably trying to save $ on the size of the internal power supply.

Your hobby shop may have had the same limitation.

Also, as the battery gets closer to full it cannot take full amperage, it will go down. Ensure your battery is less than half full to see if you are getting max current from your charger.

One other thing, you probably already know but storage charge is essential for LIPO's. My batts always get storage charged and only charged on the day they get used.

 

[Jon NC RC]

Most hobby shop chargers are not powerful enough to output over 100 watts for a 6s pack.
I doubt they had a "nice" charger.

For 6A * 24v you need 150 watts minimum per channel.

WAIT A MINUTE

I thought you were in Dallas

YOU MOVED ??

 

[slick2500]

As others have mentioned you are limited by watts you will never exceed 2.3 amps with that charger and those batteries. You will only ever hit 6a if you are charging 2s lipos.

In order to charge the 7200mah lipo at 7.2a you need a charger with at least 181w per channel.

You need a better charger. Look at the Hota D6 or Gens Imars D300 and a good DC power supply.

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Perhaps it's already been stated, but batteries are not "limited" in the amount of current they can take and give at any given time. If setup on a circuit that will demand 300amps from the lipo, it will do its darndest to give you 300 amps. Until its blows itself up. Same goes with charging. The lipo will dutifully take 50 amps charging until the cells begin rupturing.

Amperage limitations come from the load takers and givers (ESC, motor/gearing, and charger). Thus, as mentioned above, i would point to your chargers as being the issue.

 

[Jon NC RC]

Perhaps it's already been stated, but batteries are not "limited" in the amount of current they can take and give at any given time. If setup on a circuit that will demand 300amps from the lipo, it will do its darndest to give you 300 amps. Until its blows itself up. Same goes with charging. The lipo will dutifully take 50 amps charging until the cells begin rupturing.

Amperage limitations come from the load takers and givers (ESC, motor/gearing, and charger). Thus, as mentioned above, i would point to your chargers as being the issue.

Its as if Sherlock Holmes and Spock had a child, and produced a brilliant deduction thats logical !!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

WAIT A MINUTE

I thought you were in Dallas

YOU MOVED ??

Yep
We wanted to pay double our old mortgage and drive a U-Haul through a snow and ice storm

 

[DesertRC928]

I am blow away with how helpful and knowledgeable this community is! Thanks guys I really appreciate all the info you’ve provided!

I messed around with it a little bit and tried charging off a car battery. It’s able to charge a 6s pack at 4.5 amps that way.

I also did a little experiment (kinda stupid lol) and plugged the ac power in while it was charging from the car battery. It kicked up to about 6.7 amps for a few seconds before switching to AC power supply and pulled charging amperage back down to 2.2 amps. Hey, I was curious

I am looking into the imars D300 charger. Looking at the specs it can really charge fast with a proper DC power supply.

I can’t seem to find a suitable DC power supply. Could any of you guys recommend me a power supply that would work for imars D300 charger?

Honestly I could live with my current charger with a good DC power supply for a while until I upgrade. I’d think it’s possible to use the same DC power supply on my current charger if I wait to upgrade to the imars D300. They both use xt60 connector for the DC power supply. Is that correct?

Thanks again gentlemen!

 

[Hector_Fisher]

I am blow away with how helpful and knowledgeable this community is! Thanks guys I really appreciate all the info you’ve provided!

I messed around with it a little bit and tried charging off a car battery. It’s able to charge a 6s pack at 4.5 amps that way.

I also did a little experiment (kinda stupid lol) and plugged the ac power in while it was charging from the car battery. It kicked up to about 6.7 amps for a few seconds before switching to AC power supply and pulled charging amperage back down to 2.2 amps. Hey, I was curious

View attachment 350242

I am looking into the imars D300 charger. Looking at the specs it can really charge fast with a proper DC power supply.

I can’t seem to find a suitable DC power supply. Could any of you guys recommend me a power supply that would work for imars D300 charger?

Honestly I could live with my current charger with a good DC power supply for a while until I upgrade. I’d think it’s possible to use the same DC power supply on my current charger if I wait to upgrade to the imars D300. They both use xt60 connector for the DC power supply. Is that correct?

Thanks again gentlemen!

View attachment 350243

I don't personally have any power supplies (yet), but these are the ones i've been looking at:
ISDT SP2417 400W
https://www.amazon.com/ISDT-Adapter-Charging-Emergency-Batterry/dp/B09WDFDD4Q/
Fantom 900W
https://www.amainhobbies.com/fantom...ve-front-cover-12v-75a-900w-fan28591/p1200006
SkyRC efuel 1200W
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804316539657.html

Main thing is to make sure the power supply provides DC voltage within the range your charger can accept.

I also know @slick2500 always mentions that you can find deals on old server power supplies off ebay too.

 

[Diem Turner]

I am blow away with how helpful and knowledgeable this community is! Thanks guys I really appreciate all the info you’ve provided!

I messed around with it a little bit and tried charging off a car battery. It’s able to charge a 6s pack at 4.5 amps that way.

I also did a little experiment (kinda stupid lol) and plugged the ac power in while it was charging from the car battery. It kicked up to about 6.7 amps for a few seconds before switching to AC power supply and pulled charging amperage back down to 2.2 amps. Hey, I was curious

View attachment 350242

I am looking into the imars D300 charger. Looking at the specs it can really charge fast with a proper DC power supply.

I can’t seem to find a suitable DC power supply. Could any of you guys recommend me a power supply that would work for imars D300 charger?

Honestly I could live with my current charger with a good DC power supply for a while until I upgrade. I’d think it’s possible to use the same DC power supply on my current charger if I wait to upgrade to the imars D300. They both use xt60 connector for the DC power supply. Is that correct?

Thanks again gentlemen!

View attachment 350243

One of the specs that is not often talked about but is the one that can really make or break a charger, is this one:

The bulk of the charging goes over the two primary leads of the battery up to around 4.15V/cell at which point the charger switches to balance charging in order to ensure that all cells achieve the same voltage when everything is said and done. To the surprise of absolutely no one, balance charging is done via the balance lead which, due to the small cross section of the wires, is only rated for a 2A load max. I know it might seem trivial but, it really isn't. Ideally you want your charger's balance current to be as close to 2A as possible as those last 0.05V can take as long (sometimes longer depending on the health of the cells and how in or out of balance they are in a given pack) as the bulk charge from storage voltage to 4.15V/cell. Hence the importance of a high balance current when choosing your charger. Just something to keep in mind while you're shopping around.

Good luck hunting!

 

[CrashBoom]

I can’t seem to find a suitable DC power supply.

It's easy to make one out of an old computer server power supply for < $20 on eBay. For example, something like this. Videos on Youtube, but basically you solder a connctor(s) to the positive and negative tabs and then a bridge between two other contacts so it's "on".

 

[jamesbea]

I use the below power supply and it works well. Has everything you need to plug directly into your charger.

https://www.racedayquads.com/produc...argers-and-others?_pos=4&_sid=141c15814&_ss=r

 

[LibertyMKiii]

One of the specs that is not often talked about but is the one that can really make or break a charger, is this one:

...... the importance of a high balance current when choosing your charger. Just something to keep in mind while you're shopping around.

As far as I am aware iCharger is top dog in that spec. Have you seen any others that are decent for this? I imagine iSDT probably is in the top 5 list.