'Safe' parallel charging boards

I parallel charge my lipo batteries and from day one have used so called 'safe' parallel charge boards, the 'safe' aspect comes form the use of fuses on the main power rail, and resettable polyfuses on the balance circuit. They cost more, but my thinking is that should anything go wrong, i.e a short, the fuse will go hopefully saving batteries and charger.

Alas, quality control can undo all the good intentions of the design when one of the main power rail fuses has a solder bridge connecting both sides of the fuse together.



My guess is that with a 5000mAh 6S battery if I have a short the fuse and solder bridge will both go, but it's irritating to see that there has obviously been no testing or no visual inspection, and the product is being promoted as "safe"!

In future I think it would be prudent for me to test any charging boards as soon as I get them.

I assume you've removed the bridge now?

Not yet, it's the one I used when my batteries had 4mm bullet connectors, I'm using a different one at the moment for my batteries with 5.5mm connectors. The reason for digging it out was to make up some 4mm to 5.5mm leads so I can use it again. I was dusting it and out of curiously opened it up too have a look inside!

I've contacted the company I got it from just to let them know that their QC is a little iffy, but I have no intention of sending it back as it's an easy fix, I very much doubt I will hear from them, the hobby king version I got is actually a little neater looking, and no solder bridges!

Chris
Rather than make adapter leads (where an additional / inline connection could short) have you considered direct soldering a 4mm male bullet to a 4.5mm female then heat shrink

Also - have you got one of these to remove the excess

www.maplin.co.uk/p/white-box-de-solder-p...CK49ECFWcq0wodG10AXg

Hi Kevin,

I'd not thought to do that, I'll have a play.

I've got a de-soldering pump, not as nice as that though, as in mine's not clear. By the way, Mapins seems to do the exact same pump for £8.99 www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-de-solder-pump-n40ch so good find at 66p from the same place!

I never really understood the technology or safety of parallel balance boards. The first pair of packs I connected to one resulted in the tracks on the board vaporising. Surely if one battery is at a higher voltage level to the other when they are connected, it is going to dump every amp it can into the lower one to bring it to the same level - and if the track thickness allows, this could be hundreds of amps?