Lithium care?

[MetalMan]

http://www.commonsenserc.com/product...products_id=40
Another balancing charger. There is another based off the design that the Multiplex LN5014 uses (5s Lipo/14 NiMh, 5amps), but I can't find the link right now.

The Hyperion LBA6 balancer (I'm pretty sure that's what Johnny is talking about) is a good balancer. There is a modification that can be done for charging at rates higher than 3amps that is a very good idea to do. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...&postcount=189

Balancing is best to be done during a charge. If you do it after, one of the cells in the pack could have gone above 4.20v, which isn't a good thing. Balancers shouldn't be used on discharge because under about 3.8v/cell the voltages of the cells won't be similar to each other as much as they are at 3.8v and higher (I know it doesn't make much sense, it's hard to explain).
Balancing isn't about taking from one cell and giving to another, it involves a processor watching the voltages of each cell and applying a load to the ones with higher voltage to reduce them down to the level of the lowest voltage cell.

Probably the best balancer out there would be the TP-205V (for 5s Lipo). It has a higher drain rate than the Hyperion LBA6, which means that it can balance packs faster, keeping them further out of harms way. It also has a more intuitive design, with multiple LEDs that can flash error codes, balance status, etc.

[JOHNNYMAXXIMA]

How long does it take to balance a 5s pack? Do they balance faster if you balance them during charging or after or is it the same?