HobbyKing Online R/C Hobby Store : Turnigy 2-3 Cell Lipoly Balance/Charger $5.95

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points) 11/7/2009
Here is a link to a site that talks about the issues/questions that are commonly asked about this charger. Alot of it were already mentioned in this forum.

It only talks about one version of this charger, though.

Here's the link:
*******doisanchi.2kmegs****/turnigy5011.html

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Ok, lets try this again**it filtered out the dot com...the link again:
doisanchi.2kmegs dot com/turnigy5011.html

sungwca (0 points) 10/9/2009
I bought a few of these at 2 different time, it come with 2 different set of instructions, perhaps there are different version of the charger out there.

But it all looks and works the same. When power up, led A lights up red. When plug in a battery, led B lights up red. When its finished, led B turns off and led C lights up green.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Does one of the instructions explain the LED indicators? Can it charge a single cell(given an adapter)? The old version can charge a single cell and the indicator works.

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sungwca (0 points);
The 'correct' instruction did mention that LED A(Power), B(Charging) & C(Full). It also state can charge 1 cell, I have not test that yet but I don't think the LED will indicate individual cell status.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
There is a rumor that more than 2 versions exists for this Turnigy 5011 model. The one you have may be another rev. I don't like the new setup, but I'm ordering one, hopefully soon, just to see what is up with the new setup.

doganaksu (0 points) 9/25/2009
My 1750 mah 3s lipo batery is charging in 4 hour.This charger realy 1.2 A?

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
That sounds about right. Go back and read post 13. It charges at fixed 500mA.

Felipe (3 points) 9/1/2009
yep it works!!!

Felipe (3 points) 8/31/2009
trying tomorrow, i'll be able to tell you guys if it's enough!
thinking that the 3s is about 11.1 v and it's a simple charger without displays or anything like that it gona be allright!!!

Hopefully it arrives tomorrow!
Awesome!!!

Felipe (3 points) 8/30/2009
i have a power supply which says : 12v output around 5a but checking in the voltimeter it goes around: 11.7/11.8/11.9
and keep floating on it, it's enough power for the charger?! cheers

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
The controller chip inside has an under-voltage-lock-out feature and supposed to shut down at a certain low voltage threshold. I have not tried this myself though.

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worldedit (34 points);
I dont know how much voltage the charger needs but 11.7 is more than enough. The thing is that the charger runs more efficient if supply voltage is higher and pack voltage. Chargins is faster on a 14 or 15V power supply.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Actually, the charger has a fixed charge rate of 500mA, so the charge time won't change.

david (5 points) 8/11/2009
mine simply justs sits on charge all day ! and never see a flashing light !

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
LED's don't "flash." They're red while charging. Green when finished.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
It does flash when a cell is faulty, though.

worldedit (34 points) 8/7/2009
I think a got a different version of the charger. When i power it ledA lights up red. When i plug in a battery ledB lights up red. When its finished ledB turns of and ledC lights up green. I thought each led is supposed to indicate the state of one of the cells.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Is that the only one you have? It just might be bad**at least the LED set up. The LED scheme doesn't make sense at all. Does it charge ok otherwise?

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worldedit (34 points);
I got 5 of them, they all work the same. It even says so in the manual.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
That's really strange. Does that make sense to you? I don't remember the manual stating that LED behavior. It almost sounds as if the balance connector is mixed up. I even charged a single-cell with the expected LED behavior**RED while charging and GREEN when finished (on one LED only). Do you have this exact model charger pictured above? Also, does you batteries charge ok?

Michael (0 points) 7/28/2009
What does it mean when the "B" LED flashes red when I plug in the battery? It's been on the charger for about ten minutes now and it's still flashing red. What should I do?

Thanks for the help,
-Mike-

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worldedit (34 points);
Maybe one of your cells is damaged. I recommend checken the voltage.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
If it does the same thing for any battery you plug in, then the charger is likely bad.

Dean (0 points) 6/15/2009
Will the IMAX 120 240 Volt 5 amp power supply work with this to charge the 2200 mAH 20C zippy batteries

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
This one is overkill for one charger. You can power several chargers with this power supply.

neo1234 (2 points) 4/22/2009
Hi, can I use wall adapter od DC12V and 500mA? I will only charg at 500mA or can I get more A?

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rooster (95 points);
To HC: Please make an affordable 12v 1200 (at least 1000ma) psupply available to your customers. Thank you.

Planelover93 (49 points)
I accidently plugged in the battery then i connected the charger to the power supply. Now the "c" LED Light is red even when its not plugged in. And when i do PLug in the Lipo (2s) the B and C LED turns red, not orange, like it says in the instruction manual. WHAT SHOULD I DO? this is my third charger!!!!

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Take a fully charged battery. Power up the charger, then connect that battery. All LED's should be green. Otherwise, the charger may be bad.

If you connect the batt first, then the power, you'll get red LED's corresponding to the batt cells.

See post #13.

Joel (3 points)
I just got this charger and read the manual.On the manual it states it can charge 1 cell(orange flashing) 2 cells (steady orange) and 3 cells (red/green). Am I correct?

One more question:

When I check my 3S pack individual cells are at 4.13V when I connect to this charger it just stays green?

From what I read on the review it is suppose to charge all the way to 4.2V/cell

Appreciate some feedback

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
I'm not sure about the Orange color indicator. I don't think it has that mode. I tried charging just one cell and it's still red and green.

Regarding your second question, the charger will not start charging until the batt voltage goes below about 4.07V.

For this case, connect the battery first to the charger, then the power.

See end of Post #13 for more info.

stripe157 (57 points)
I believe it will be safe on larger packs (just slow), but how about my 2s Rhino 360s 800mA is over 2C for these small packs. Will is always charge these packs at over 2C?

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stripe157 (57 points);
Charges at .5A, this is 1.4C on a 360mAh lipo. I'm not worried. I'd use the good charger for a slow charge to storage voltage anyway.

francisco luis (2 points)
I have that product.
The point is that when I connect the battery 2s stay in green LEDs and no load.
solution that I have
thanks

Alexandre (111 points)
Can i use this safely together with the 800mah $4.95 on a 13.8v 3 amp constant power supply? (5amp surge)

To charge rhino 1050's on the 800mah charger and rhino 1250's on this charger.

Thanks in advance and merry christmas, Alex

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
I don't see why not. I haven't measured it, but according to calculations, the charger requires about 10W of power for the input. That means about 700mA per charger, with your supply. If you have 2, then you need 1.4A at the input.

I don't know about the $4.95 unit(Turnigy, I assume?), but I'm not convinced that it's 800ma output. I get the feeling the 2 may be similar on the inside, even the charge rate. We'll never know until someone gets one and measures it.

Besides, your supply should have a fuse. If it blows you have too much load.

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Alexandre (111 points);
Hi, it has an input fuse.
And i have the 4.95 unit, and it charges my 1050 rather quickly.

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marco (1 points);
Hi if i buy a 2s 500mah lipo has is a zippy lipo will this charger charge th battery safely and not burn my house down?

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
From what I understand, you usually charge at 1C, so that would be 500mA. That would be the smallest batteries you'd want to charge with these chargers, though.

However, you should always be monitoring when charging Lipo's and charge them in a safe place where, in case of a mishap, no harm is done(other than to the battery).

Joel (3 points)
Are the three LED lights independent indicator of the charging status of each cell? (i.e. Charging a 3S lipo pack if one cell reached 4.2v will it turn green while the other cells are still Red/still charging? or is it like E-sky once a one cell reach 4.2V it automatically switch all off or turn all green LED at the same time?)

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
The LED's are independent. All cells are being charged independently.

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Joel (3 points);
Thanks.

I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points)
Here is what I'm finding out about these units.

Actually, it charges at 500mA nominal during the main "current-mode" phase. It has three separate and isolated charge circuitry with a flyback regulator(as far as I could tell) front end to step down the 12V input to about 4.88V.

As mentioned elsewhere, it uses the VM7502 Battery Charger controller.

The charge current veriations between the cells are only due to the component tolerance and the VM7205's refernce voltage used for the current limit.

There is no circuitry to control charge current based on number of cells.

The only other thing that may affect the charging current might be if the supply to the charger is not capable of the required power, or that the Flyback regulator is weak such that IT hits the max current when 3 cells are connected.

Voltage Variations between cells after charging are due to the VM7502's Battery voltage sense threshold of about 4.2V nom. They have a range from 4.168V to 4.232V.

As far as I can tell, the three outputs are floating and they are stacked one on top of the other. So, I don't see why you can't stack multiple of these units to charge 6-cell batts(or any number of cells, for that matter). You just need the make an appropriate splitter** ie: 6 pin con. to two 3 pin con.

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Alain (131 points);
USE CAUTION doing that.

Check first if the current input groung is connected to the negative wire of the charger output plug. If it is you will have to use 2 differents power supplies to drive the 2 chargers.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Good point and it should be advised. Don't take my word for it.

Those who are thinking of doing this make sure the input supply negative is NOT connected to the negative pin of the output (mine is not connected when ohmed out in both dirctions).

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
One thing I forgot about these things. They have no protection circuits. The charger simply uses a series transistor to control the current to the battery, so if the trasistor shorts, the battery cell sees about 4.9V and if you don't catch it right away, your Lipo's may catch fire.

This is one thing I'm affraid of. They may last for ever, but how do I know?

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
The instruction mentions that you connect the power first, then connect the battery. In this case, the charging will start if the battery is less than the "Re-Charge" voltage of about 4.07V. So, if you have a slightly discharged batts, they may not charge.

If you connect the battery first, then the power, the charging process will start if the battery is less than the final voltage of about 4.2V. This is not documented in the instructions, I think. I tried this method and it worked fine. This is actually mentioned in the datasheet for the charger controller IC, VM7502.

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worldedit (34 points);
I measured resistance between - input and black wire output. Its 85 Ohm. So i wouldnt recomment charging a 6s pack with 2 chargers simultaniously.

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I_Gotts_Ta_Fly (31 points);
Worldedit: Yours must be either bad or a different version,(if that exists). I have 2 and both are isolated between input and output completely, which, from briefly looking at the design, it should be.

Fl_red61 (25 points)
How is thic charger different from the "Turnigy balancer & Charger 2S-3S" (Hobby City part number "Turnigy-3S")?

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Eric1180 (689 points);
That is what i was wondering.

Fred (0 points)
does this charger come with charging leads? If no, what can I buy for charging leads?
Fred

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bothal3 (1194 points);
You do not need leads. The pack plug in directly, using the balance plug.

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VIEW ALL REVIEWS | SUBMIT REVIEW

The best charger

Igor Rodrigues

This charger operate with 1.2A. Can charger a 1200mAh battery on only 1 hour!!
It�s fantastic!!
And have the best price!!
I�ll reccomend!!

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urnigy 2-3 Cell Lipoly Balance

michi

fantastic charger!!!
cuts of at a voltage of exact 4,2V per cell...
turn it on, connect the battery witt the ballancer-cable and wait until the rad lights turn into green!
you can�t use it in a wrong way!!
50 stars, its cheap, very simple to use and very save, recommend it!!!

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Questions answered - 5011 char

Walt Bankes

Got two and bench tested them to resolve 2 unanswered questions:
1. What is the smallest mah battery this charger will work with? Answer - If you want to strictly adhere to battery mfg. recommendations - 1000 MAH BATTERIES - because the charger is set to maintain a constant current of 1 amp until the max voltage is reached - this is not adjustable - I will probably charge my 900 mah batteries (close enough). Larger batteries will charge at 1 amp, also, resulting in a slower charge proportional the the size of the battery.
2. Will a voltage supply of only 12 volts be high enough for a 3 cell (12.6 volt) charge? The advertisement says to use a 12 to16 volt source causing this question to arise - Answer - YES - I connected a well regulated 12 volt power supply to the charger and the output with no load measured 12.6 volts - therefore the charger has a voltage step up circuit in the design - impressive for a $6 charger.
I will use these easy to use chargers for my biggest batteries and continue to use the harder to use power supply for my little ones. Thanks Turnigy and UH.

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Turnigy 2-3 Cell Lipoly Balanc

Garry Poulton

Fantastic addition to any electric flyer's kit. At this price I wish I'd ordered two.
It balance charged my 1800mh 3 cell pack in about 90 min.

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Estimated Charging time

Maxim Smolensky

The instructions indicated the approximate time charge.

3S 3500mAh ~ 280 min
2S 2500mAh ~ 210 min
3S 800mAh ~ 80 min

I plan to use it with ZIPPY 500mAh batteries (charging current ~1c).

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Turnigy 2-3 Cell Lipoly Balanc

Mari�n �evč�k

Very useful charger. It's small and light, so you can use it everywhere. Charge and balance well and quickly. If you have 6 cell lipoly there isn't better choice than order two of them and 6S -> 2 x 3S Splitter (JST-XH). It's much cheaper than others 6 cell chargers.
Recommanded.

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Neat little charger

Ashwin Candade

Really neat little charger.
charges 2S at 500mah and 3S at 330mah..
balances to within 50mv.. which is great for 6$
finishes the charge at 4.21V

The Manual included is pretty decent, although it doesn't take rocket science to figure this out:)

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hmm...

Franklin Pearson

I planned on building two more DIY Li-Po chargers but couldn't buy the parts for the cost of these. I bought two.

Be Aware before you buy that the charge rate decreases with the more cells you charge.
I was able to charge a 640mAH 3s in a little over one hour. A 1000mAH 3s took about 1.5hours and a 1300 2s about 2hours.
The charge current starts dropping off when the voltage is brought up, it's not constant rate.

A vm7205 cell phone IC is responsible for each cells charging. I'm not sure what limits the charge rate, perhaps the switching voltage converter.

But the bottom line is it works and it works good. Just buy more than one to save time on charging multiple batteries.

9 people like this review.

Turnigy 2-3 Cell Lipoly Balanc

zaplane

Worked wery well during 10 first charges with hxt460mAh 2s lipo. Now one led lights still red when no battery is plugged and doesn't seems to turn green after a charge. I hesitate to use it now and ordered HX8080 instead.
Does any body experienced the same issue with the leds?

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Customer Rated

Dan

Beware of the marketing hype on this. 1.2 MAX amps means for a 3-cell, each cell is getting 1.2A/3 = 0.4Amps...at this rate your 1200mah 3-cell pack will charge for roughly 3 hours!

I'm not sure who the first guy was that said you can charge a 1200mAh battery for 1hr. Must be an associate of hobbycity -)

Anyway...who can beat $5-$6 for a balancer+charger!?

good luck on your purchase!

8 people like this review.

Bostjan Valencic

Well made charger.
It has build in DC/DC isolated converter with 3 separate outputs, based on UC3843 and 3 Li-Po charger circuits based on VM7205 http://wenzi.blog.dianyuan.com/u/53/1179760207.pdf
Need to modify - limit charging current, if you are using LiPos less than 800mAh.

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Brandon Doi

I was skeptical at first, but ordered 2 of them. For $6, I'm not losing much. It turned out that they work just fine. It seems to charges at a fixed rate of about 600mA, calculated from data in the manual as well as from what others are saying. However, that all depends on the discharge state of the battery.

The battery stopped charging at 4.18V/cell and all the LED's tured green. The cells were balanced within less than 10mV of each other.

Only minus is the fact that you'll need a wall adaptor, or a bench top power supply. Many other chargers come with one, so you can use those as long as it meets the specs. I had one that even had the correct plug.

I wouldn't say, "you get what you paid for" on this one. You can buy one of those passive balancers for about $25, which may take just as long to balance and you still need an external charger to charge the batteries.

Besides, charging at lower rates may be better for the batteriesthey may last longer.

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charger

barry wilson

This is the second unit I have ordered. Very accurate charger. You actually get a balancing unit with three good cutoff regulator circuits included. Not the bells and whistles of expensive chargers but does the job well. You can spend quite a bit more for really practical purposes not much better. This is especially good for entering level flyers of electric. Very very cost effective.

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Works great!

Kevin White

Simple, give it 12V DC, 1.2A.. plug a battery in.. 2S = 600mA/cell, 3S = 400mA/cell.. 2S1P 1200 mah takes 2 hours to charge.. 3S1P 1200mah takes 3 hours to charge.

4 people like this review.

Works GREAT!

Craig M

Was my first balance charger. I ordered 2 and wish I'd have ordered 6.

I saved 2 old unbalanced 3s packs with it - it already paid for itself right there.

Easy to use and charges/bals my HXT 3s 1000's in about 1hr.

The chargers do get a little warm during charge/bal which alarmed me at first, but it's normal.

You can't even buy a balancer only for 2x this price.

One of the best bargains I've ever come across...well, the HXT500 servos for $3.50 are tied with it.

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Great little charger for adding to the tool box at an amazing price.
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low cost battery charger

barry wilson

Low cost accurate battery charger. Not auto sense for amount of cells present. Instead determined by appropiate plug receptical on case. Or foolproof if you wish. Seems to work really well and will not break the bank for new people to the hobby. Much better than a non balance type charger to use both for battery life and reducing the fire risk.

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Markus

Mehrfach getestet ladet die Akkus zuverl�ssig.Abschaltsp. ca.4,21 V.

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Perfect balance

Eric Cruz

After recharging, my 3-digit multimeter shows _exactly_ the same voltage in the battery, and within the specifications! Amazing! Excellent product, easy to use, already bought another.

Don't forget that it requires an external power supply!

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Oliver Scholl

I have got 3 of them. Use them instead of the original charger to load parallel 3 lipo's of my coax-heli on site. Fit perfect to the standard power supply of the coax helis.
Very good price for perfekt loading. 3 control light for each cell show their single charging level.

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