B6 charger difficulties

[dylanhigher]

I got one of the IMAX b6 balance chargers and I've been having some trouble using it. Everytime I try to charge my lipo with more than 0.2 amps, it will run the charging stage for exactly 6 seconds, then will go back to the starting screen. I can charge with 0.2 amps, but it takes incredibly long, it's been 10 mins and I've put 22 mAh into a 5200 mAh battery. Any idea why this is happening?

 

[FDS]

What PSU are you using? Your mains adaptor needs to be able to put out enough current to supply the charger.
Also have you tried other charge modes, like balance or fast charge?
5200mah is a HUGE battery, that charger will not charge it at more than 4-5A current.

 

[dylanhigher]

The thing is, if I try a faster current, it resets and doesn't charge. Explain PSU

 

[dylanhigher]

Oh, I'm using a 15v computer charger, which is well within the 11-18v range.

 

[FDS]

Its not the voltage, it’s the CURRENT you need to check, the charger will not run a higher current out than what is coming in. If you have 0.5A @ 15v that’s not enough power. Watts are going to be a problem with that huge pack. Both in the PSU and the charger. You want a minimum of 50W in the PSU to run the charger, ideally more. You need peak wattage plus 10-20%.
Now the problem of charger power.
A B6 has a maximum power output of 50W, so if you are charging a 3s 5200mah at 1C you are going to need 12.6x5.5= 69.3 A. More than the maximum the B6 can manage.
If that’s a big 6s then your problem is going to be worse. Your W requirements will then be 25.2Vx5.5A =138.6W
Have you tried all the charge settings? Have you tried a smaller pack?

 

[dylanhigher]

That helps a lot. And I have checked the settings and there's nothing to fix the issue.

 

[FDS]

So you have tried charging in Balance, Fast and Charge on the Lipo menu? Have you tried charging a smaller battery?
Is the big pack 2s, 3s,4s or 6s?
What is the power output of the PSU? It’s shown on the sticker or embossed panel displayed on the unit.

 

[dylanhigher]

Yes, Ive tried all the modes. I haven't tried a smaller battery. It's a 3s. The psu has a 15v output.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Yes, Ive tried all the modes. I haven't tried a smaller battery. It's a 3s. The psu has a 15v output.

A power supply supplies current at a voltage. Please inform us what is the maximum current capacity of the power supply. The voltage is meaningless unless the current capacity is also known!

Voltage multiplied by the current gives the maximum power the power supply can provide!

Have fun!

 

[FDS]

See my comment above about CURRENT and POWER output. Voltage is not your problem.
So to charge that that 5500mah at 1C, basically the regular charge rate for lipo, is 12.6v x 5.5A= 69.3 WATTS. Max charger output is 50W.
Your power supply is unlikely to be more powerful than 60W, probably less.
Go look at the PSU. Look at the output label/panel, it has to be on there by law in almost any country. That will tell you if it’s the PSU or the charger that is causing the problem.
Also does it show any error message on the screen?

Here’s Bruce explaining charger power.

 

[Merv]

I had the same problem with a cheap PSU from eBay. It was advertised as 12V @ 4 Amps, it only put out about 3/4 amp. My Imax B6 would quit if I charged any faster that the PSU could output. Now I have a decent PSU and everything works.

 

[Steve Fox]

Grab yourself an old ATX power supply from an old pc, they output decent current and even old 250w units can supply as much as 25A on the 12v rail depending on how that 250w is configured.
to turn it on you connect the green wire to any ground wire ( black) and all the yellow wires output +12v.

I have an old ATX psu rated for 22A on the 12v rail supplying 2x Imax b6 chargers, 2x two way radios, a powerful 12v fan rated at 2.5A and have a xt60 on a lead for bench setups and also using my XT60 phone charger at my desk plus I also have screw down / banana posts for hooking up anything else 12v.

I can use everything at once while charging on both b6 chargers at 5A each
With no issues.

The great thing about ATX power supplies is they will shut down if they sense a short instead of just continuing to pump power and will save your equipment which is particularly useful if your testing a new wiring setup on a model.

they also have over current protection and will shut down if you try and pull too much from them instead of burning out but you won't come close to the 12v limits of an ATX psu on just one b6 charger.

i regularly run both my b6 chargers at their max 5A current charging multiple packs on balance boards.

In the pic, the 9v displayed on the xt60 phone charger you can see is not the voltage it's getting, it's the voltage it's charging my phone at, the ATX psu outputs 12v.