Where to find a balance connector that will accept any cell count (S) connectors - like on a charger?

[chilly81]

You know how most chargers just have a single male receptacle for the balance cable, and it accepts any size - you just leave the unused pins to the right, etc.

Anyone know if that's a type of plug I could find on it's own to make a cable out of? My goal is something like a 6S whip that has that special plug shape that allows me to make something using this same benefit. fwiw, it would just be for voltage telemetry at this point - I connect the whip to my RX VBAT/VCC - and I can just show cell one or something - easier for my tiny brain than . But some rigs I run 6 or 4. I suppose I could just use two - that really is the only case, but would like to know anyway.

 

[Moirae]

I'm having a hard time understanding what you want but maybe this will help.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095VLC125/

I plug those into my chargers so I can then easily connect any cell lipo.

 

[fozzy71]

I think the only reason forums still exist is that people don't know what google/amazon/yt is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Greengaunja]

Why would you need one of those for telemetry? I'm just curious because I fail to see what knowing individual cell voltage during use could possibly tell you. And it seems to be an over complicated way to do it. Hell my Radiolink gives me that with a simple JST plug tied into the battery leads.

 

[chilly81]

I'm having a hard time understanding what you want but maybe this will help.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095VLC125/

I plug those into my chargers so I can then easily connect any cell lipo.

Yes - I want something that does what that does, but in a single connector instead of that board with 1S + 2S + 3S, etc. I know it can be done, maybe more loosely, because that's how most of the chargers I've used are. I want to put it in a car, so don't want the board.

I think the only reason forums still exist is that people don't know what google/amazon/yt is. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Find it first, then make fun. Now you are committed.

Why would you need one of those for telemetry? I'm just curious because I fail to see what knowing individual cell voltage during use could possibly tell you. And it seems to be an over complicated way to do it. Hell my Radiolink gives me that with a simple JST plug tied into the battery leads.

That is what I'm trying to do, with that radio in fact, just via the balance plug instead of the main so I can see cell voltage. It tells me state of charge without having to remember 2S, 3S, 4S, 6S or do math in my head because I'm not that sharp. So it's the same as you are referring to, just a different connector.

 

[Greengaunja]

Yes - I want something that does what that does, but in a single connector instead of that board with 1S + 2S + 3S, etc. I know it can be done, maybe more loosely, because that's how most of the chargers I've used are. I want to put it in a car, so don't want the board.



Find it first, then make fun. Now you are committed.


That is what I'm trying to do, with that radio in fact, just via the balance plug instead of the main so I can see cell voltage. It tells me state of charge without having to remember 2S, 3S, 4S, 6S or do math in my head because I'm not that sharp. So it's the same as you are referring to, just a different connector.

Ok, I get it now. You're doing it wrong.
There are two ways to go about this.
Use the supplied adapter and plug into the receiver. This way sucks because the more connections, the more points of failure and power loss you have.
I took this trick from another member here and it's a much better way.
First you need one of these:

this is a jst connector. They re cheap and easy to get. Handy too.RGBZONE 20Pairs 2Pin JST Plug Connector Cable Wire Male + Female (Style A) https://a.co/d/cjfc6zj that set comes with both male and female. You need the male.
Now, pull your battery connector apart and slip the wires into it making sure red-red/black-black. Now solder the ends to the existing solder and close your connector back up. Or get your hobby shop to do it, they provide soldering cheap. Now plug the JST male into the receivers telemetry port, make not of positive and negative. It almost always positive on left and negative on right when looking at the receiver
There! You have telemetry. It's that simple. Here's mine:

Oh. And here's the telemetry port:

And I should add that if you are running 4s or 6s and the esc battery lead has two connectors, make sure you attach this in the red and black that come directly from esc. Not the wires between the two connectors.

 

[RedOctobyr]

If you really want to connect to a varying-cells balance lead, maybe you could have the other connector (male pins, like on the charger) eliminate the "slot" for the right-hand raised plastic feature on the battery's balance connector?

Balance connectors on batteries have those raised plastic "blades" near the left, and right, ends of the connector. If looking down at the blades, with the battery wires down, the connector grows to the right as the cell count increases. And the raised plastic blades are always located near the ends of the connector. The - balance wire remains in the same location, and the + balance wire moves further and further to the right, as the cell count goes up.

So you could probably plug a 3S battery into a 4S+ mating connector (male pins) if you were to shave off the raised plastic blade that's near the + balance wire. The - end would remain aligned by the raised plastic blade on that side.

Mind you, I don't think this suggestion is a fantastic idea. And I'd probably want to make a little adapter to do this, and cut the plastic blade on that adapter, rather than modifying your actual battery balance connectors, in case this doesn't work out.

 

[chilly81]

Ok, I get it now. You're doing it wrong.
There are two ways to go about this.
Use the supplied adapter and plug into the receiver. This way sucks because the more connections, the more points of failure and power loss you have.
I took this trick from another member here and it's a much better way.

Yeah that’s the normal way, just soldering instead of using the supplied xt60 plug. I do exactly that for a a direct power servo on one of my crawlers. I’m just trying something different in this case, not wrong.

If you really want to connect to a varying-cells balance lead, maybe you could have the other connector (male pins, like on the charger) eliminate the "slot" for the right-hand raised plastic feature on the battery's balance connector?

That may actually be all there is to it. I do have some spares. Maybe I’ll try hacking it up a bit and seeing how that works out.

 

[morrjr71]

You know how most chargers just have a single male receptacle for the balance cable, and it accepts any size - you just leave the unused pins to the right, etc.

Anyone know if that's a type of plug I could find on it's own to make a cable out of? My goal is something like a 6S whip that has that special plug shape that allows me to make something using this same benefit. fwiw, it would just be for voltage telemetry at this point - I connect the whip to my RX VBAT/VCC - and I can just show cell one or something - easier for my tiny brain than . But some rigs I run 6 or 4. I suppose I could just use two - that really is the only case, but would like to know anyway.

You might be able to take the connector out of one of these battery checkers:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1657038923...6cYdtqeBAWEESjvzxgWjK1FA==|tkp:Bk9SR77hqoXcYQ

 

[RedOctobyr]

One thought is for the connectors still being able to help encourage you to plug it in correctly. That is, facing the right way, and with the first pin in the proper location).

As an example, you could use a male-pins 6S connector (male pins, female plastic housing), but cut away all of the area that has the 2 slots. Letting you easily plug in 2S, 3S, etc. But with all of the plastic cut away, you could accidentally plug in the balance connector starting at pin 2, rather than pin 1.

You could leave the battery's balance connector stock, and cut away most of the 6S male-pins connector's plastic housing, but leave the area at the first "slot". To try and encourage plugging in the balance connector lined up with pin 1.

At the other end of the spectrum is cutting away all of the male-pins connector plastic housing (so it's more like the cell checker linked above). Then you can plug in whatever you want, but maybe not lined up with pin 1. And maybe even upside-down, which could be bad.

 

[chilly81]

One thought is for the connectors still being able to help encourage you to plug it in correctly. That is, facing the right way, and with the first pin in the proper location).

As an example, you could use a male-pins 6S connector (male pins, female plastic housing), but cut away all of the area that has the 2 slots. Letting you easily plug in 2S, 3S, etc. But with all of the plastic cut away, you could accidentally plug in the balance connector starting at pin 2, rather than pin 1.

You could leave the battery's balance connector stock, and cut away most of the 6S male-pins connector's plastic housing, but leave the area at the first "slot". To try and encourage plugging in the balance connector lined up with pin 1.

At the other end of the spectrum is cutting away all of the male-pins connector plastic housing (so it's more like the cell checker linked above). Then you can plug in whatever you want, but maybe not lined up with pin 1. And maybe even upside-down, which could be bad.

I think in my case, when I just want 2 pins to take the voltage across, it wouldn't do any harm if I plugged it in shifted over... just probably wouldn't read anything. But leaving something to remind me visually which end to snug up to would be helpful.