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Battery Basics: Li-ion Cells

Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂) cells generally require a 2-stage, Constant Current (CC) – Constant Voltage (CV)*, charge profile due to the fact that their saturation time varies. When choosing your desired charge voltage for Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂) cells, be aware that the charge voltage (CV) has a direct relationship to the percentage State Of Charge (SOC) and the number of charge cycles you can expect from the battery pack. For more info, read this article.

Li-ion (LiPo, LiCoO₂)
Chemistry Lithium-ion
Nominal Voltage (per cell) 3.6-3.7V
Max Charge Voltage 4.2V
Charge Profile 2 Stage CC-CV*

What voltage should I choose for my LiPo or LiCoO₂ cells?

Standard Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂) cells have a max charge voltage of 4.2V per cell which equates to 100% SOC and ~300-500 charge cycles. If you charge to 4.05V per cell (80-85% SOC), you would expect around 850-1,500 charge cycles. Whichever voltage you choose, multiply it by your number of cells (in series) in your battery pack and you’ll get your desired charge voltage. For example, a battery described as “4S2P” has 2 parallel sets of 4x cells combined in series.

4S CC-CV* Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂)example:

4S Li-ion (LiPo, LiCoO₂) CC-CV*
Constant Current Voltage increases
Constant Voltage 16.6V – 16.8V

Genasun’s pre-programmed controllers for Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂) have a 2-stage CC-CV* charge profile and a per cell charge voltage of ~4.17V in order to minimize stress on the cells without sacrificing significant State of Charge (SOC) and improving performance and longevity of the battery. Blue Sky Energy controllers can be programmed for any type of charge profile by the onboard display or by an external accessory.

Genasun charge controllers are off-the-shelf for 3S or 4S Li-ion (LiPo/LiCoO₂)and can be programmed in the factory CC-CV* or multistage charge profiles for any variation of Li battery with the SKUs GV-5-Li-CV, GV-10-Li-CV, and GVB-8-Li-CV.

 Genasun models  CC-CV* 3S LiPo/LiCoO₂  CC-CV* 4S LiPo/LiCoO₂
GV-5 GV-5-Li-12.5V GV-5-Li-16.7V
GV-10 GV-10-Li-12.5V GV-10-Li-16.7V
GVB-8 (Boost) GVB-8-Li-CV(1) GVB-8-Li-CV(1)
(1)programmable in the factory

Blue Sky Energy controllers SC30 and SB3000i can be programmed by the user for any type of charge profile by their onboard display. The SB1524iX, SB2512iX-HV, and SB3024iL/SB3024DiL can be fully programmable when paired with an external accessory.

Blue Sky Energy models CC-CV* or multistage LiPo/LiCoO₂
SC30 / SB3000i programmable via onboard display
SB1524iX programmable(1)
SB3024iL / SB3024DiL programmable(1)(2)
(1)Nonvolatile memory programmable by users with the IPN ProRemote, BT Connect, or UCM (2)Limited programming via internal dip switches

As always, please drop us a line for details or any questions.

(*)CC: Constant Current allows the full current of the charger to flow into the battery until the power supply reaches its pre-set voltage.CV: Constant Voltage provides only enough current to maintain a pre-set voltage, reducing output as the battery becomes fully charged.

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