Charging 10440's in series?

[Trib]

Ok, here's my question:

RC batteries are soldered together in a pack. You charge the pack at a rate of 1A per 1000mAh that the battery pack is rated at.
i.e. If you have a 4200mAh battery you would charge it at 4.2A on your charger.

Can you charge 10440 lithium batteries in series on a RC Car style multi-battery charger?

Trib:wave:

 

[LumenHound]

Yes you can but you need to be sure the batteries are matched and that all of them are at the same level of discharge. It would be better if you charge at a much lower rate than 1C. C/5 would be a good rate to start at for the first few charges. If your charger doesn't dial down that low then use the 0.1A setting.
Keep a close eye on the progress of the charge cycles and get a feel for how the cells are capacity-wise after the charge is finished. Test, test, and test again.
A multi-cell balance charger would be the safest thing to use if you have one available.

 

[Willie]

You can do that with hobby charger. Just make sure to add balance tap to your wiring if your charger has that feature. Then, just set it to the number of cells you have in series (1S, 2S, 3S, etc.)

Another option would be to charge them in parallel.

 

[45/70]

Another option would be to charge them in parallel.

Yeah, unless you have the cells wired for balance charging, you'd be a lot better off (and safer) parallel charging them. You might get away with charging them in series without balancing, but I wouldn't try it. The likelihood of two or more "loose" 10440 cells having exactly the same charging characteristics throughout the charge, is slim to none. Some get away with charging LiFe cells in series without balancing, as they are more tolerant of overcharge, but it still isn't good for them either.

Dave