Choose the Best LiPo Charger for Your Battery!

Who doesn’t love LiPo batteries? They’re light, powerful and practical. But when it comes to charging them, things can get a little tricky.

In fact, there are several factors to consider when buying a LiPo charger. Here are some of the most important ones:

Factors to consider when buying a LiPo charger

The first step is figuring out which type of charger best fits your needs. A basic charger will let you charge one or two lithium polymer batteries, while more advanced chargers can handle up to six cells at a time.

If you’re not sure what type of charger you need, pay attention to battery compatibility and charging speed. Batteries come in different sizes, so make sure the charger you choose can handle the power demands of your specific battery pack.

Also look at how fast it can charge each cell; this will vary with the number and size of the cells being charged at the same time.

Charger compatibility with your battery

The first thing to consider is the type of charger and its compatibility with your battery. Smart chargers cost more, but they’re easier to use.

Basic (“dumb”) chargers are cheaper, but they need more babysitting. Smart chargers can be used with many types of batteries, while basic chargers work with a limited range of batteries.

Smart vs. basic chargers

If you want a simple charging solution that doesn’t need much babysitting, choose a smart charger. These more advanced models monitor each cell during charging, which lets them perform better by avoiding overcharging or undercharging, conditions that can shorten your battery’s life and reduce its capacity, or even make it catch fire!

With this type of charger on hand, you’ll never forget when it’s time for an update, because it will remind you.

Chargers with automatic balancing

A balance charger automatically balances the voltage of each cell in a LiPo pack, which makes it the most recommended type. To charge a LiPo battery with this type of charger, first connect the battery’s main lead to the charger, usually with a charge lead that ends in banana plugs, and plug the balance lead into the charger’s balance port. Then plug in the charger and wait for it to start charging.

Some chargers can only charge batteries with a certain number of cells

If you plan to buy a LiPo charger, it’s important to know whether it can charge batteries with different cell counts. Some chargers only work with 2S, 3S and 4S batteries; others can also charge 5S or 6S batteries.

What sets the cell count isn’t the number of rotors or motors on your drone or RC vehicle, but the battery it uses. Many larger multirotors run on packs of 4S or more, so if that’s your case you’ll need a charger that can handle up to 6 cells.

If you want to learn more about the batteries used by multirotor setups such as hexacopter drones and octocopters, check the specs for your model and its battery.

Balance port adapters for multi-cell batteries

If you’re going to charge a multi-cell battery, you’ll need the right balance lead or a balance adapter board for your charger. You can find the number of cells on your LiPo pack’s label (LiPo packs are different from individual LiPo cells).

For example: “11.1V 3S2P” means the pack has three cells in series (3 × 3.7 V = 11.1 V nominal) and two of those sets of cells wired in parallel to add capacity.

If you have several LiPo batteries with different voltages, ratings or capacities, it’s a good idea to buy more than one charger, with different charge rates and connectors, so you can use them interchangeably across all your models.

Cell count by charger

When you shop for a charger, it’s important to know your battery’s cell count. The most popular cell counts are 1S to 6S, but there are also batteries with higher counts, such as 7S, 8S and 12S.

• Common battery sizes: 1S–2S for small models and 3S–6S for larger ones.
• Advantages of higher cell counts: each extra cell adds 3.7 V nominal, so the pack delivers more voltage and more power.
• Disadvantages of packs with more cells: they can be harder to find and more expensive, and they need a charger rated for that cell count.

Check the battery pack’s label

You can find the cell count on your LiPo pack’s label (LiPo packs are different from individual LiPo cells).

The cell count is shown as a number followed by the letter S. For example, a pack marked “6S” has 6 cells in series.

LiPo charge rates (C-rates)

When you charge a LiPo battery, it’s important to use the right charge rate, or C-rate. The C-rate expresses the current as a multiple of the battery’s capacity: 1C on a 5,000 mAh pack is 5 A, the current that would charge or discharge it in about an hour.

If you don’t know what current to use, charge at 1C, which is the safest option and the one that’s easiest on the battery. Only go higher if the battery’s manufacturer allows it. The C rating printed on the pack is its discharge rating, which is much higher than the charge rate. Each manufacturer has its own recommended rates for its batteries, so always check them before charging.

Conclusions

We hope this guide has given you a clearer idea of what to look for when choosing the right LiPo charger.

Keep in mind that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the features on today’s chargers, but we’ve tried to give you enough information to make an informed decision about which features matter most for your needs.

If we missed something important, feel free to let us know.