Balance Charging (Link Mode)
To commence balance-charging the V-Balance unit must be switched into Link Mode (Link Mode creates a
connection through the balancer between the battery pack and the charger). To do this first make sure the
unit is turned on. If all the LED’s are off then you must press the reset/mode button momentarily to wake
the unit. When you have done this press and hold the reset/mode button for 3 seconds, the Link LED’s will
light at the top of the unit. On some chargers this will automatically start the charging process whilst other
chargers will require you to start the charge process manually. Once in Link Mode, the V-Balance will not go
to sleep when the pack is balanced, instead it will monitor and correct imbalance throughout charging.
Whilst charging you may notice the cell status LED’s blinking to indicate some balancing activity, if for
example one cell in the pack has a slightly higher voltage than the others then the V-Balance will flash the
corresponding LED as the V-Balance attempts to correct it.
Your charger should alert you that the charge is complete in its normal way, however, if the V-Balance
detects that the whole pack, or any one cell is full, it will drop out of Link Mode and end the charge process.
If Link Mode is still active at the end of the charge process, simply press the Mode / Reset button for 3
Seconds to switch out of Link Mode, and then disconnect the pack from the V-Balance module. As with any
charging system that has two male bullet connectors going to the charger, disconnect the battery first.
Other functions of the V-Balance unit.
The V-Balance unit can also be used as a stand alone cell balancer without connecting it to a charger, simply
connect your pack to the V-Balancer as described before and the V-Balance will equalise the charge of your
battery pack (as long as the pack is not over discharged). The V-Balance has a low voltage cut off of 3.0V
per cell to prevent deep discharge. Your V-Balance unit also features a battery fuel gauge for checking the
state of charge of the total pack and of individual cells.
To access this feature simply connect your TrakPower pack to the V-Balance unit, the V-Balance will
automatically turn on and go into smart balancing mode. On the right hand side of the unit is a four bar
battery fuel gauge; this will illuminate to indicate the state of charge of the connected battery.
Green = 75%-100% - Fully Charged
Yellow = 50 - 75% charged
Orange= 20 - 50% charged
Red = 10 - 20% charged
All bars flashing = Connection error, check wiring is correct.
Lowest Red Bar Flashing = All or one of the cells is critically under voltage (below 3V per cell).
V-Balancer will flash to warn and then shut off to prevent charging.
Highest Green Bar Flashing = All or one of the cells is over voltage (4.21V) V-Balance will attempt to
bring voltage down to below 4.21V and then commence ‘smart’ balancing.
Using the Battery Fuel Gauge to check individual cells in the pack
To use the battery fuel gauge to check the voltage status of one cell in the pack press the reset/mode
button momentarily from ‘smart’ balance mode, this will show a reading for the first cell in the pack, to
check the next cell press the reset/mode button again and so on to check every cell in the pack. When you
have checked all the cells, the balancer will go back into smart balancing mode automatically.
The V-Balance can also be used in Link Mode as part of a discharge process using a charger with this feature
or another load, although it is not generally recommended to cycle Lithium Polymer batteries in this way it
can be useful to measure total battery capacity. The V-Balance will make sure the cells in the pack are
discharged evenly and that the load is disconnected before any cell is overdischarged, it is important
however to make sure you do not exceed the 10 Amp rating of the balancer.
