Hooking balancer to charger...

[BrianG]

Yeah, I think I've done it both ways and it does work. Once in a while, I get the fast mode blinking thing, but I simply disconnect and reconnect.

Think of the mode button as an on/off switch. When the mode LED is solid, the connection of the main leads is off between the charger and the pack, so it doesn't see the pack at all and errors out. Once you press the mode switch and it blinks, the "switch" is on and the connection is made.