Charging LiPo batteries

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flyroycie

New Member
Hey there, very new to this and a bit confused. We purchased an XK Alien x250 quadcopter, which came with 3.7v 780mAh LiPo batteries (20C) as well as the usb charging cable, but no dedicated 240v wall charger. From reviews I've seen this is pretty standard, but can I use any usb/240v such as a smartphone charger, or do I need to use a dedicated charger to avoid overpowering the batteries? Ideas appreciated (can't contact supplier for a few days!).
 
flyroycie said:
as well as the usb charging cable
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That is the charger, that is what senses and determines what the proper voltage to charge at (~4.2v) and when to terminate the charge (battery full.)

flyroycie said:
I use any usb/240v such as a smartphone charger
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The charging circuit is actually in the phone. The 'smartphone charger' is basically just a power supply. Any USB output (~5V) wall adapter should work with your XK usb charging cable. My LG phone 'charger' outputs 5.1V @ .7A.
 
Jackson said:
That is the charger, that is what senses and determines what the proper voltage to charge at (~4.2v) and when to terminate the charge (battery full.)


The charging circuit is actually in the phone. The 'smartphone charger' is basically just a power supply. Any USB output (~5V) wall adapter should work with your XK usb charging cable. My LG phone 'charger' outputs 5.1V @ .7A.
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Thanks Jackson, that is very helpful. The output of the wall adaptive fast charger is 5V 2.0A or 9V 1.67A.
If the charging terminates after the battery is full, does it not become a problem if the power remains on after that point? without any led indicator, it is difficult to determine if the charge has finished.
 
Jackson said:
So the charger that came with the quad has no light?
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Actually, as it turns out, it does have a red indicator, the one for the fpv monitor does not. The indicator does not light up red while charging, nor does it turn green when charged. We have seen it red, however it seems inconsistent. Maybe it lights up red only when it is fully charged? We have been cautious not to overcharge it, so maybe we haven't been fully charging?
 
You may as well get an inexpensive multimeter, it helps to check your voltages (and more). It doesn't need to be fancy.
 
Agreed with Jackson, I bought a SkyRC B6 it was really affordable and it lets me charge all kinds of batteries. Plus you can use a parallel board and charge multiple batteries at the same time.
 
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