Battery chargers

[Yoda]

Hi everyone!
Would ust like to know if one could use any charger that a 18650 battery could fit in that charges at 1-2 amps?
Ordered a subox kit and a battery with it and i know you can use the charge port but most don't recommend it and was looking at chargers and was just wondering?

 

[MarkDBN]

As long as it can charge that type of chemistry battery you should be ok. The total capacity of the battery will dictate the safe upper limit of charge. Generally 1C is a safe charging current. That equates to a 2500mah battery having a safe upper limit of around 2.5a.

That said. It's still safer to give the batteries a lower current charge. Most of the commercial chargers (Nitecore etc) do around 500mah.

 

[free3dom]

If you are concerned with the internal charging capability on a device built especially for taking these types of batteries, I don't see the logic in using a random (as in not specifically meant for charging IMR cells) charger.

If you don't have a charger that was designed to be used for charging these types of batteries I'd personally rather use the internal charger on the Subox (Kbox Mini) - it was after all designed for use with these batteries. Some devices have had issues but these have been isolated cases - generally the internal chargers work just fine on most devices.

The problem (at least for me) with using the internal charger is more not being able to just swap out the battery for a fresh one and charging the depleted cell in an external charger - that is just so much more convenient

The chargers sold by most of the vendors on here (Nitecore, Efest, etc) are not that expensive and really go a long way towards making you vaping journey that much easier (and safer) - I highly recommend you invest in one of these if you intend to use 18650 cells in your devices

 

[Yoda]

Thanks @MarkDBN and @free3dom
Yeah was just wondering will surly invest in one late still have my istick to vape op it its charging, but i am planing to build a unregulated box mod so then ill get a charger aswell!!! Thanks for the advise again!

 

[jtgrey]

The slower you charge the batterys the longer the last . So at .5amp it is better then 2amp if i understand correctly. Ohm @johan will know best .

 

[shabbar]

The slower you charge the batterys the longer the last . So at .5amp it is better then 2amp if i understand correctly. Ohm @johan will know best .

he better not see that

 

[MarkDBN]

Battery charging is a big focus in the remote control racing world I have seen some guys do some crazy stuff, with equally crazy results from puffed batteries to exploding packs. I have had to explain to somebody why it's not a good idea to take off with a R15-20k heli with a puffed lipo pack attached to the nose

The better the charger, the better the results. Having a charger that gives you detail about your batts will also allow for better management of your batteries. You will be able to spot how many mah the battery has taken on charge. This will show you when batteries are starting to reach the end of their charge cycles.

Slower (read lower charge rate) is always safer and will ultimately give more longevity to your batteries.

However, the discharge rate will also affect the longevity of the battery. With extreme dump (especially exceeding the C discharge rating) comes shortened life, and sometimes catastophic results.

 

[zadiac]

he better not see that

We all call him that. It's "Oom" that he doesn't like

 

[shabbar]

We all call him that. It's "Oom" that he doesn't like

my bad....

 

[johan]

my bad....

I like your attitude shabbar, you know exactly when to tread lightly .

 

[johan]

@Yoda there are only 2 parameters that are important in charging the batteries we use, irrespective if its build-in Lithium-polymer or the other Lithium variants we us in our vape gear, and they are:

(1) Constant Voltage; (4.2V / +/-0.05V) and (2) Constant Current; 0.5A (500mA) up to the the specific battery's mAh rating, ie:
2000mAh can be charged up to max 2A (2000mA)
2500mAh can be charged up to max 2.5A (2500mA) etc.
As someone else said the slower the charge (0.5A or 500mA), the longer the battery will last.

So double check that charger and see if it meets above according to the battery you want to charge.

 

[Yoda]

@johan
As always thank you for the advice