Topic: Charging 2 Battery Packs Wired Together In A Series??

[phishy12]

So i take the positive from one pack and connect it to the negative of the other pack and now i have the series connection. i am left with the positive coming from one and the negative coming from the other. can i plug a charger into this configuration to charge both packs at once, or would i need to separate them to charge them individually??

[neumannkid]

I separate mine and charge them.

[pigiron]

So i take the positive from one pack and connect it to the negative of the other pack and now i have the series connection. i am left with the positive coming from one and the negative coming from the other. can i plug a charger into this configuration to charge both packs at once, or would i need to separate them to charge them individually??

Problem is that you just doubled the voltage... unless your charger can handle this (like some of the "universal" hobby chargers used for RV cars/airplanes) it won't work... and can possibly fry the charger.

[phishy12]

thanks for the replies. so if i put two 9.6V together, then i would need a charger capable of charging 18V?? do they make such a charger??

[boojum]

If your current charger can handle the power, wire them in parallel.  If it cannot handle the draw you will fry it.   TINSTAAFL   

[phishy12]

If your current charger can handle the power, wire them in parallel.  If it cannot handle the draw you will fry it.   TINSTAAFL   

i am looking to increase voltage, not mah. wiring in parallel does not increase the voltage.

i have found a charger that will charge 19.2V-24V battery packs, but it is pretty pricey. can someone confirm that if i have the correct charger it will charge both batteries at once when they are wired together in a series?

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

i am looking to increase voltage, not mah. wiring in parallel does not increase the voltage.

You can run the batteries in series but there is no need to charge them in series.  By charging them in parallel you ensure that each gets charged to it's fullest rate.  The best way to do this is to build a wiring harness that les you switch between a series and a parallel configuration.  I did this with a pair of SLAs for an MV100 so I could charge at 12V and run at 24V.

If you are using 9.6V LIon packs with charge controllers built-in, you really don't want to charge in series.  When the first pack reaches capacity, it's controller switches over to maintenance current so your other pack will never reach full charge.