A charger to test used cells

[Martini]

Hi all,

I'm trying to save a Phylion battery. The range was 6 km (4 miles) before I opened it. Two cells were reading below 3V (1.7 and 2.5). I charged them up to 4.XX with a cheap transfo (that type). I extended the range to 24 km (15 mls). Normally, it's close to 50 (30).

That made me think there might be hope and I might be able to build a working battery pack out of the two I have at my disposal. But for that, I'd like to test the 20 prismatic cells to keep the 10 best.


Hence I'm looking for a decent charger to test the capacity of these Lithium-ion cells and charge the 10 best to their full capacity (I'm ok with doing it in several batches). I don't need anything too fancy since I might well be using it once or twice only.

To sum-up, I'm in the market for a Li-ion charger that:
- works (charhing, balancing, measuring capacity)
- has a 230V imput (or is sold with a power supply)
- is cheap (I'm not spending £100 on this)
- is to be used with crocodile clips
- doesn't catch fire

 

[trex]

something like the Imax B6 with DC PSU?
http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/lipro-balance-charger-imax-b6.html

 

[Martini]

Something like a real B6 (with EU plug).

I'm quite worried to read « Although the enclosure is labeled as an Imax B6, this is not the same charger as the more expensive charger by the same name. »

But I'm lookin for alternatives. What are Turnigy Accucel worth compared to the imax for instance?
Aren't some products from imax available with an AC imput?

 

[patpatbut]

I have been using turnigy one and it works fine. It is pretty the same as b6

 

[trex]

I've got a cheapo £10 B6 bought a few years back, which I only used a couple of times. For power input, I made an extension lead to tap an unused HDD power lead from my PC. It does the job. Ebay has more convenient B6AC that plugs straight into the mains for about £23. I suppose the Turnigy Accucel does the same, I read their marketing spiel but can't see the difference.

 

[Martini]

Could the difference be that Turnigy Accucel are less likely to be fake?

 

[trex]

fake a B6 charger? it won't take more than a couple of days to design one from scratch.

 

[Martini]

The majority of the "B6" are counterfeited. I'm wondering if the Turnigy Accucel, being less well-known, might not be a target of the counterfeiters.

 

[trex]

it's very possible that it was fake. I can't find it at the moment, so can't check out.
It did do the job OK though.

 

[Martini]

I'm sure yours work fine but there are a lot of discussions on the Internet about "B6s" that really don't.

 

[Martini]

What about the connection? Are some sold with crocodile clips?
I'd need 5 pairs to charge 5 cells at a time.

 

[trex]

Mine comes with a small board a bit like this one:

you can then charge the cells through the balance wires or get a bunch of crocodile clips

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You take a lead like the one above left, and put pinstrip in the connector so that you can plug it into the one on the cell-pack:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-40-Pin-Strip-PCB-STRAIGHT-Header-Pins-0-1-2-54mm-Pin-Headers-/291079083350?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item43c5aa5556

 

[Martini]

That's great solution if I leave the packs wired. The crocodile clips would allow me a better flexibility.