anyone use bantam e station bc-5 charger
 

i just switched to lipo and need help with my new charger and new batts!

Read the manual...

I have the BC6 version, as do most people really who use the Bantams... :neutral:

What exactly is it you need help with?

NEW 5s Zippy-R's wont balance charge on my new charger
 

i read the manual,it is very simple and easy to understand.....i ran my new 5s 4800mah,18.5volt Zippy-r's on my UE LIGHTNING emaxx.....wow both batts in parallel are SWEEEEEEET!.....they ran for 45 minutes!...i went to charge them and the charger would only recognize 4s(i set it for 5s)......i could not get them to balance charge,but they did lipo charge up to 4800mah and 20 volts each,i will run them again this afternoon and try to balance again,thanks for offering to help,i will let you know how it goes!!!!Lincpimp suggested cheching each cell(they were all 3-3.2 volts)...he also suggested i test the cells through the balance tap.They all have aboout the same voltage.

Ah, I have that problem with the A123 cells too often. The voltage drops to a point where the charger (being thick) thinks it is only seeing a pack with 4 cells, rather than 5cells; or a 5s A123 pack rather than 6s in my case. What you need to do is set the charger for a 4s pack and charge it for about 10-15 minutes, then stop the charge. Now, reset the charger for a 5s pack and it should recognise all 5 cells- balance charging can now take place.

I am fortunate, my BC6 has performed flawless to date. I've charged no more than 3s at a time, though. Is this a common problem? Is it a certain cell number I need to worry about?

Nah, it happens with pretty much any charger, but only if there is no balancing plug connected up between the charger and battery pack. The resting voltage of the cells can drop below the nominal voltage quite easily on a drained pack, so the charger sees the total voltage, and thinks it is charging a smaller pack than it actually is. No biggie, just do like I said before if it ever happens to you or anyone else for that matter.