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1S LiPo Charger: DIY Serial Charging Board

1S LiPo Charger: DIY Serial Charging Board

1-cell LiPo batteries are widely used with RC gliders up to 2 meters as well as with tiny whoop drones 😉

Regardless of the purpose of using this kind of battery, you need to charge and store them after you return home.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to charge 1S LiPo batteries is an adaptor that will connect it to your charger and charge/store it as a single cell.

But there are some drawbacks to this approach, especially if you need to do this to a couple of batteries, say 4, 7, or __ (paste your number here).

So in this article, you’ll find out how to make life easier for you and turn your charger into a decent 1S LiPo Charger, with a DIY serial board that can charge/store 1-6 cells simultaneously.

5S LiPo Serial Charging

Moreover, since it is a serial board, you can connect cells that differ in voltage significantly without any risk.

Components

First of all, you will need to prepare the following list of components:

  1. 6S balance lead (4S or 5S will work as well and will determine the max amount of 1S batteries you can charge)
  2. XT60 female pigtail (or another connector that your charger output features)
  3. Prototype PCB board
  4. Single row male header 2.54 pins
  5. 2.54mm jumper cup
  6. Some scrap wire to create lines on the PCB

1S LiPo Charger Board Diagram

The image below shows the diagram of the serial board for charging 1-5 single-cell LiPos.

But you can follow the same scheme to adapt this amount to your needs by adding or removing lines at the top end of the balance connector.

1S LiPo Charger Board Diagram - 1S Serial Charging Board

How To Use

In the end, you will get something like this.

1S LiPo Charging Board

As you can see this particular board uses PH2.0 connectors, but you can use whatever is needed.

Now, connect your board to the charger, connect the batteries, and install the jumper to circuit the “last” cell in a series to a positive power lead.

By moving the slider up and down the rows, you will determine how many cells you can charge.

Once the jumper is installed, double-check if the charger detects all your cells and launch the needed program.

The charger will act like it’s working with a multicell battery.

What Are The Alternatives?

As mentioned before, the simplest alternative is a single-cell adapter.

It works great when you manage 1-3 batteries but comes with cons for larger amounts.

The second best alternative option is a ready-made serial board, something like VIFLY 1S Series Charging Board.

It offers pretty much the same features as the DIY board explained above, but also has a built-in smoke stopper and a rotary switch instead of the jumper.

And of course, a special charger designed for 1S LiPo and LiPo HV batteries that you can plug and unplug when needed.

A great example is a VIFLY WhoopStor works with various power sources, including USB Type C.

Summary

So whatever you choose, hope it will help you to stay longer in the air and less on the bench.

Happy flying!