Can I charge at 4S?

[Boaterguy]

I have an accucell 6, not the best and will probably invest in a hyperion soon.
I have seen people who say they can charge 4S+ using a 12V p.s.
that doesn't make sense to me but is that possible or do i need a better charger.

[Fluid]

The Accucell6 charges up to 6S packs - what do you want to do???




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[pescador]

You can't unless you have 1000mah packs. A 4C charge on a 5000mah battery is 20 amps, a 1C charge would be 5 amps.
The Accucell 6 is a 6 amp charger.
Also the battery has to be rated for a 4C charge.

[siberianhusky]

There are various was of boosting voltage, I'm not sure about all chargers but some use what is called a buck boost circuit. IN an AC situation they use a step up transformer, some of the guitar amps I work on boost 110 vac to more than 350 vdc.
In our chargers they give up amperage to get the voltage, you would be able to charge at 1c for 4s packs, you will probably be less than 1c if you were to charge a 6s 5000mah pack with your current charger.
It's pretty easy and cheap to build a lower voltage lower amperage charger, once you step up to quality components to be able to handle higher voltage and currents the price really jumps, at least for something that stands a reasonable chance of lasting for years instead of months of hard use.
There is also the bigger power supply, even expensive chargers will not give maximum charge rates at less than a certain voltage, for some it's under 15v, others it's 24v. UNless you get the PS to run it there is no point is getting a high power charger, it can only do so much if you don't give it enough juice.
A charger that can handle a 24v minimum input can be powered by two computer server supplies in series.

[Fluid]

A 4s charge on a 5000mah battery is 20 amps...

No, a 4S charge on a 5000mAh battery is 16.8 volts. I see now that some don't know the difference between volts and amps. 4S signified volts, 4C signifies amps.

I'm still unclear what the OP is actually asking - volts or amps. The Accucell is a 6S charger, meaning it will charge a 6S (22.2 volt) pack. It is also a 50 watt charger, so it's maximum amp charge rate for a 4S pack is about 3 amps. For a 6S pack it is about 2 amps.



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[rcboatmanwithkids2880]

Hi Guy 's

Unless your at a race meeting in need of a faster charge for an upcoming heat , charging at home does not require a wiz bang charger !!! . The Accucel & others similar ( happy with mine ) are quite adequate in charging up to 22.2V ( 6S ) & charging at a rate that should be reasonable .....

Brad
Oz

[Make-a-Wake]

I think he means 4c

[lenny]

No, I think he is looking at ps 12v and the 4s 16.8v and not looking at the build up of the volts in the cells.
From the charger.

[Make-a-Wake]

Well, then he needs to come back on and be clearer....................

[Boaterguy]

sorry, can't go on much because I exceeded my internet's 60 gig for the month (lots of family using the wifi)
I want to charge a 4S (16.8V) pack, I don't understand how it gets the 12 volts coming off the power supply and turns it into the 16.8 (or more) volts to charge a 4S pack.
i now know (from one of the posts) that it has to give up amps.
I guess my question is: if I charge at 4S (17V) and 2A, will my accucel 6 be able to handle it?
the answer seems to be yes.

[lenny]

Yes it will charge it, If your PS can handle it,
If you get a better PS you charger will work a lot better and handle the amps you need,
For faster charging the cells.

[Boaterguy]

theyre 1000mah cells anyways, 2 or 3A should be more than enough.

[pescador]

You can't unless you have 1000mah packs.

Sorry meant 4C not 4S

[siberianhusky]

Yes it will handle it no problem. Plain and simple, as I said above there is a circuit that takes your 12 volts at x amps and boosts the voltage but at the expense of amperage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter

Give this a good read, this is what is going on inside the charger.
If you're interested I can send you a few links to amplifier power supplies, you can see how they use a transformer and rectifier along with filter capacitors to take 110 vac up to near 400vdc.
LOL I remember your post about the smart people, no better way of becoming one than figuring how the things you use work. For me it started when I was young trying to keep old junk guitar tube amps working. Then there was learning how to reverse servos before you could buy a radio that would do it for you.

[Boaterguy]

i can reverse a servo, just reverse the motor and pot wires (two outside ones but I don't think it matters)
i'll read that for now, then i can google up some other links if I'm bored.