balancing while charging... inline vs separate

[hockeyhead019]

hey guys,

ok my question is which is better to balance using the balance in line with charger or charge and then balance externally... to clear it up i have a regular charger and then a seperate unit which balances my lipo 2s packs (equinox from electrifly) which can be used in line with the charger and balance while charging at three amps...

problem is that's a little slow as the packs are 5000mah so i wanted to know would it be fine if i charged the packs directly and attached the balancer to the leads and let it bleed whichever battery was higher keeping them balanced?

i know my explanation is sort or confusing i'll post some pics in if i can find my camera

cheers,
-Jim

[Dazzler]

Balancing whilst charging would be my preference, this ensures that the individual cells can't be over charged. If you ae balancing after charging, this implies that one cell in your pack is over or under charged.

Also, if you have a problem arise with a pack, balancing whilst charging will also be safest...

[Marvin]

Inline balancing is far superior - if one cell is bad and shoots up in voltage, then this will be detected and the charge stopped. Conversely, if one cell lags behind the others, the charge will be stopped - it's just an extra safety measure.

[hockeyhead019]

ok so i guess the phrase "patience is a virtue" applies here haha so i'll just wait it out at 3 amps

thanks guys

-Jim

[bigred5765]

to be honest if your only running 5 min races it should only be a relatively small top up any way,

[Marvin]

Maybe time for a new charger...

Can you give me some power specs, and say what you are charging - there may be another reason for it.

[bigred5765]

core rc charger/balancer built in, vampire 5200 30c run in a cat 5.5-6,5 and usually take about 30 mins to top up at 5 amps

[Marvin]

I meant hockeyhead019 to be honest...