I’ve got an Imax B6 and want to be able to charge 3/6 batts at a time.
Do i charge them in series or parralel?
I would guess parallel and just put the charger to 22v ish (or a 6s lipo) and then set it to about 5amps output
Does that sound right or do you charge them all in series?
Someone else needs to chime in as I know nothing about Hobby chargers, but I would sure expect parallel voltage to be the voltage of one cell (4.20v?). I would expect a series connection to require the voltages of each cell added up.
-Garry
Hi Garry, thanks for that. I knew the two voltages that I’d need I just wondered wether people charged in series or parralel.
Hmm Okay so where would I plug the balancing leads? I’m not sure on that. I will start with a single cell and just put it on 1s lipo and for the others I’m not sure how to do the balancing leads 
If they are of the same capacity and voltage you charge them in parallel. Set the voltage to 4.2V.
IMO since you investing in a hobby charger, why not utilize the balance charging feature. As Kresler mentioned, it’s safer when charging batteries that have different capacities and resting voltages. Otherwise anyone can just rig something up with a normal charger, charging in parallel.
Here’s a diagram generator on a RC website. R/C Calculations
You just select how many cells (in series & parallel) and it shows you how to wire them up (with or without the balancer) You can buy the parts from any hobby store however the balancing plug adaptor should have came with your charger as an accessory.
Thanks for that. I’ve already got the charger from a rather expensive Lipo rc car but I’ve never seen that link before. I will wire up some battery trays for fast charging of batts.
Thanks again!
Benkie has covered this extensively here. Just one of his posts.
https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/3118
Are you sure about that?
I think that, if you use the correct setting (LiPo batt, low current for example 500mA) nothing bad should happen. But if you select higher currents, that would be dangerous because the batt with lower resistance could receive more charge current that it was designed for (normally it is 2C, but it depends on the battery itself).
Actually, parallel charging is very safe even with batteries with different voltages and capacities.
More info here: Li-Ion Parallel Charging | Candle Power Flashlight Forum
The surge current was 6A for two li-ion cells with 2.0V difference, but it died down in a matter of milliseconds, so it should be safe.
If you’re charging 3 to 6 cells in parallel, you can take advantage of the high current (5A) charge rate. I have a hobby charger too, but it’s too much work with balance leads and magnets inbetween cells for a series charge.
Whilst it is too much work - and I’ve got a nitecore on the way - I plan on wiring up a pack so it’s a case of simply dropping 4 batts in and off they go. I can also charge my Samsung batts to a higher voltage that way too.
Found this by HJK elsewere
There is some wrong information about charging LiIon here.
Generallt you do not want to charge 2900/3100 mAh cells at 1C, the recommended charge current is below 1A, i.e. 4 in parallel would be more like 4A charge current.
When doing parallel charging it is best if they are close to the same voltage (i.e within 0.1 to 0.2 volt of each other), but even with one full and one empty, nothing really bad will happen.
With parallel charging it is no problem to charge different capacities at the same same time, i.e. it is perfectly fine to charge a 18650 and a 14500 in parallel.
With serial charging a balancing circuit is needed, this is build into all hobby chargers, but you must connect it.
With serial charging and balancer connected you can also charge batteries with different capacities and different charge states at the same time, it will just be slower, because the balancer will limit the charge current.
This is the perfect accessory for hobby chargers and round cells. If you can read Deutch, click to enlarge:
