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Review on AstroFlight Blinky Battery Balancer
By Stephen Horn
"Blinky" what is it?
It is the best thing for your Li-Po batteries.
Most of us are using the stock E-flite charger that came with our Blade cx2.
Nothing is wrong with this at all, but when it says balanced charger this doesn't mean it's balancing your batteries.
Over time your batteries are becoming out of balance and this means less flight times.
Also, you are taking a chance of one cell going very low in voltage. Low voltage can cause a Li-Po to swell and the loss of a battery.
We all know once a Li-Po swells it is not safe to keep using, and it should be removed from our line of batteries.
• This Battery Balancer is specially designed for Lithium Batteries.
• The balancer accepts one to six cell lithium battery packs.
• Now you can see if all cells are above 3.2 volts before charging.
• Now you can Balance your pack while you are charging.
• Now you can Balance your pack after you are finished charging.
• Now you can Discharge individual cells that are over charged.
• Now you will know that your batteries are balanced.
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The Blinky Li-Po Battery Balancer
When I received my Blinky the first thing I noticed was it had no case. This is pretty cool, now I don't have to rip it apart to see what makes it tick. It is wrapped in a clear hard shrink-wrap and you can see all of its guts. I must have looked at it for over an hour wondering what all that stuff is. I am glad my TV didn't come this way or I would never watch a program on it. So now that I got past the wonder of just looking at my Blinky, it was time to try it. The first thing I found was just how easy it is to use. If you can see the Negative end on the Blinky, and see the black wire on your Li-Po's white plug, then you are close to being in business and ready to go.
The first thing you want to do is plug your 2 cell Li-Po into the Blinky. Take the white connector and line up the black outer wire with the negative side of the Blinky. The negative side on the Blinky is clearly marked so you should have no trouble finding it.Once you have it plugged in you should see 2 LED's light up. They will stay on for about 3 seconds If Both LED's lit up then both cells are between 3.2 volts and 3.7 volts. Then you can go ahead and charge up your Li-Po battery. If only one LED lights up or none at all, then you have a cell(s) that are below 3.2 volts. You should then charge your Li-Po at a slow rate of not more than 1/10 the mAhr. After you have charged up your battery let the Blinky check it to see if it is balanced. Plug it in the same way and the Blinky will check the cells. The Blinky will determine the lowest voltage cell and discharge the other cell at 150 milliamps until a balance is reached. When the Blinky gets close to balance, the LED's will start to blink and jump around. When the battery is completely balanced, all the LED's will be turned off. The main things you want your Blinky to do for you are the following: Check the Li-Po and make sure no cell is below 3.2 volts. Balance the Li-Po by discharging the highest cell down to match the lowest one.Tell you when the Battery is balanced, so you can charge both cells close to the same voltageThe Blinky will make sure you don't have a cell that is over charged. If it finds a cell that is over 4.25 volts it will discharge it until it is down to 4.25 volts. This is by far one of the best tools you can own for your CX2 Heli and any Li-Po's you get in the future. I balance my Li-Po after 4 to 5 runs, and now I know I'm getting both cells fully charged. It is like the saying, "You can pay me now or you can pay me later". Over time the Blinky will save you money by getting the most out of your Li-Po's. At the same time, you are getting a Li-Po that is safer to use. Additionally, you know the cells are not over 4.25 volts or lower than 3.2 volts. The Blinky has taken the guess work out of the condition of my Li-Po's. I have used my Blinky on over 100 Li-Po's and it was fast and very easy to use. I know my Li-Po's are Balanced now and I am getting the most out of them. If I had this Blinky just a few months ago, it would have saved some Li-Po's from a early death. I sleep better knowing my Li-Po's are now charged correctly. This is one tool that is too important to do without. You can just hope they are balanced or you can know they are balanced.
Should you buy the Blinky? YES
Price ..... $24.95
Ease of use ...................
Product performance ......
Trust in company.........
Shipping ........................
Company ..... AstroFlight Inc.
13311 Beach Ave.
Marina del Rey, CA
Website: www.AstroFlight.com
Rating
AstroFlight Blinky Balancer
