Gents,
Looking for some charger options for a 12s4p battery. If possible I’d like to have 12A charging capability but I feel those might get expensive.
This is the one that has been recommended to me which can do 4A but there but the minimum shipping cost to the USA IS 75 dollars!
Thanks!
12A? Holy amperes, batman. That equates to 600W!
12A is going to put a significant stress on your cells, if you could even find a charger that huge. It is better to charge at a slower rate. Generally it is recommended to charge at 1C or less (e.g., charge a 5Ah pack at 5A or less)
I charge my 12S battery at 4A and that is plenty
My 12S4p pack will be 12A. So it WILL be 1C charge 
If you really want a 12A charger (…you don’t), here’s a bad idea on how to make one:
yea i just don’t know if an off the shelf 12amp / 50.4v charger really exists.
your best bet will be a 12s balance charger, my 10s balance charger goes up to 10amp. or some scientific / industrial grade constant volt / amp power source, but that’ll probably super expensive.
@jmasta You didn’t read my post. I won’t be charging over 1C
@thisguyhere I have a BMS so balance charger wouldn’t work right?
@pshaw Just because the cells can be fast charged at 1C doesn’t mean it is good for them. A standard charge is 0.5C. Higher charge rates adversely affect the life of the cell
I would recommend charging your 4p pack at 6A or less (=4x 1.5A)
Assuming these are your batteries:
yea you’ve got a bms, no balance charger then.
like @jmasta said, you shouldn’t be charging at any more than 0.5c so…just stick with a 4amp charger.
i’ve been charging my 12s4p pack with a 2amp brick charger, and while it takes a while, you can just plug it in and forget about it since you’ve got a bms.
Go with a MeanWell LED driver. Fanless, waterproof, metal construction -
HLG-600H-48A - $170
HLG-600H-54A - $170
http://www.meanwell.com/webapp/product/search.aspx?prod=hlg-600h
I have the 185 watt version HLG-185H-48A (4A charger @ $45 USA shipped) and it works awesome. I like it because you can slightly undercharge the cells for much longer cycle life, or crank it up to the full 4.2v per cell. Would take 2.5 to 3 hrs to charge your pack.
It charges at CC then CV to float it off.
All sizes:
Fantastic! Any idea if there is a place in the US I can buy a BMS that supports 12S too? That would be super helpful!
@jaykup is that a power supply or only a charger. It has 3 wires coming out of the output it looks like. Sorry but exactly sure how this works haha
It’s technically a power supply but works great as a charger.
EDIT: post below doesn’t apply to the 600w version, only the 80-320w versions
see http://www.electric-skateboard.builders/t/12s-charger-for-12s4p-pack/28205/27 for the 600w explanation
One end is for AC 110v input, so it has 3 wires. Hot, Neutral and Ground. Just cut an extension cord or old computer power cord and solder/join together.
The other end is the DC Out and just has two wires, positive and negative. Solder a connector that can plug into your battery (in this case I used an XT90).
Plug it in and measure the DC Out with a volt meter. Turn the V Adjust screw on the top (under the rubber plug) until the volt meter reads the desired voltage (50.4 for 12s charging to 4.2v per cell).
Then plug it in and let it charge!
Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!
What would be the difference between the models. Someone has a clg-150-48 and they mentioned it gets hot. Is the hlg model better? Trying to get a charger for 12s
About to purchase a charger either hlg-185h-48 or hlg-240h-48. They should both work for 12s correct? Also can I charge without bms, the charger will shutoff automatically if I set it to 4.1v per cell?
Correct both will work. Both will shut off at the max voltage set on the charger. So for 4.1 at 12s set to 49.2v. Will work without bms, should work with it.
Awesome thanks
