Charging higher capacity ego batteries

[snow]

This may be a daft question but I know next to nothing about chargers and batteries etc. except that you should always use a proper e-cig charger to charge ego batteries, which I do and always have. However, if you recall I had and still do have issues charging my 1600 mAh spinners which seem not to want to fully charge up using the chargers I have for my ego's. I use them plugged into an e-cig wall adapter and I have 2 different makes of charger and 2 different wall plug adapters both work without any problem at all on all my ego's under 1600 mAh. both bought in the UK from bonafide vendors. This evening I have been trying to charge up my brand new Clover 2600 mAh battery, the first charger I used had the green light on (which means fully charged) as soon as I connected it to the Clover and it wouldn't go out, thought nothing of it and swapped to the other charger which was fine, red light pulsing/flickering away happily for around 2 hours then solid green. Fine I thought battery fully charged - except that it's not, well I don't think it is anyway, the battery light/ firing button is blue not white/clear which it should be for a fully charged battery, the blue light means a battery only 40% charged. I tried the charger direct into my PC and it again stays green and presumably is not charging the clover which is still apparently only at 40%. 

Now I always thought that the red light on the charger indicated battery charging and when it turned green thats a fully charged battery and the charger stops charging - I could be wrong on that and if I am that makes my next thought a non starter really. But given that these chargers are sold as specific for e-cig batteries and safer than a mobile phone one for example could they be cutting out and indicating a fully charged battery when the battery isn't because they don't recognise that the Clover and Spinners have a much bigger capacity than your bog standard egos? If thats the case then where might I get an ego style charger that will charge a larger capacity battery? 

In any event I'm in the market for a new ego charger - I want one that is recommended and usually charges spinners without any problems. Can you help? 

[thatguy]

Imo, it seems that this issue is down to the battery, not the charger. A charger will report cherging is complete once a battery reaches a certain voltage, usually 3.7 volts. This should occur when a bettery is at, or close to fully charged. If your battery has reached full voltage yet is reporting less than 40% charge then I'd be suspicious of the battery, especially if more than one charger does this.

A battery will only reach it's full voltage at charge levels approaching 100%, no matter the capacity. o I can think of three possibilities.

1. The battery has a higher than normal full charge voltage, which should not be the case
2. The circuitry in the battery is faulty and is either preventing full charging or detecting the charge incorrectly
3. Charger is faulty and reports full when it isn't

It could be any of these, but as you've tried two chargers I'd think 1 or 2 are more likely.

[Ripshod]

iirc these batteries in the non VV version are 3.9volts, so I assume these spinner types have the same internal battery. Standard ego chargers will only charge them to 3.7V. Don't they come with a charger?

[sej016]

Do they have LiPO cells in? These can have operating voltages other than 3.7V

"Just as with other kinds of lithium-ion cells, the voltage of a LiPo cell depends on its chemistry and varies from about 2.7-3.0 V (discharged) to about 4.20-4.35 V (fully charged), for cells based on lithium-metal-oxides (such as LiCoO2), and around 1.8-2.0 V (discharged) to 3.6-3.8 V (charged) for those based on lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4)."

Source - Wiki.

[Ripshod]

I am really glad this came up now. If they are LiPO the buyer should at least be informed of this. At the very least every owner should be very careful.

ronaldo we need you to look at this m8!

edit

Funny, when you need to find something you never can. Was on alibaba but I can't find it now

Just ignore me, I'm doubting myself now!

[sej016]

I think just about every tablet and phone battery is a LiPO now. I am ready to be corrected.

Many are not very clear in their descriptions/specs.

[Ripshod]

There are batteries out there that are rated @ 3.9volts, which would cause problems with our standard ego chargers. But I don't think that's relevant in this case. I'm ready, and would be happy to be proved wrong

Batteries such as this one: www.fasttech.com/products/3001/10008322/1745807-ego-r-2200mah-rechargeable-e-cigarette-battery

[ronaldo]

Sept 4, 2014 20:53:05 GMT Ripshod said:

There are batteries out there that are rated @ 3.9volts, which would cause problems with our standard ego chargers. But I don't think that's relevant in this case. I'm ready, and would be happy to be proved wrong

Batteries such as this one: www.fasttech.com/products/3001/10008322/1745807-ego-r-2200mah-rechargeable-e-cigarette-battery

another one for me to check on the works computer tomorrow I hadn't heard of a 3.9v battery but I will research it at work tomorrow and come back to you on this one it is a really confusing one this one I have my ideas but I will confirm them so I don't confuse anyone I know I sound mysterious but I don't want to give out any false information

[Ripshod]

Any verdict yet ronaldo ?

[ronaldo]

Ripshod the only details I have at the moment is

I have actually got 12 different batteries coming to work that are all rated at 3.9v for testing but I have phoned all the testers that have tested the batteries in the past and I am not happy with what I am hearing the reports that I have been sent are as follows batteries put on a industrial smart charger that determines the safe charging level has detected 3.7965213 volts so it is a lot closer to 3.8v and that is still higher than a standard battery eg ego batteries record 3.72156219 volts and 3.75653263 volts for a cheap clone so in my opinion first set of results show that they all come within the correct voltage band to be licenced as a ego style battery but should not be advertised as a 3.9 volt battery I will be able to give more details when I do my own testing as I only ever trust my own readings

[charlesdavis]

I think it is your battery's fault, not your charger. Check your battery once.

[Ripshod]

Sept 5, 2014 21:26:29 GMT ronaldo said:

Ripshod the only details I have at the moment is

I have actually got 12 different batteries coming to work that are all rated at 3.9v for testing but I have phoned all the testers that have tested the batteries in the past and I am not happy with what I am hearing the reports that I have been sent are as follows batteries put on a industrial smart charger that determines the safe charging level has detected 3.7965213 volts so it is a lot closer to 3.8v and that is still higher than a standard battery eg ego batteries record 3.72156219 volts and 3.75653263 volts for a cheap clone so in my opinion first set of results show that they all come within the correct voltage band to be licenced as a ego style battery but should not be advertised as a 3.9 volt battery I will be able to give more details when I do my own testing as I only ever trust my own readings

Keep me in the loop on this one ronaldo - personal interest.

Think we should let the thread get back on track now m8

[snow]

Sept 4, 2014 18:49:25 GMT Ripshod said:

iirc these batteries in the non VV version are 3.9volts, so I assume these spinner types have the same internal battery. Standard ego chargers will only charge them to 3.7V. Don't they come with a charger?

No they don't however I've just ordered a vision spinner 2 charger from myepack plus another wall charger, I've also ordered 3 ego charger cables from slowtech which were a barginous 87p each! Hopefully I'll be able to find a combination that works - or at least be able to narrow it down to being a battery rather than charger issue. 

(I also ordered 5 more batteries from slowtech all 1100 mAh as I know I can charge those   ) 

[DiscoDes]

OK, first off in my opinion it is NOT the battery but the Charger LEAD the but than runs from the power supply (the bit you plug in to the wall) and has the bulbous bit on the end with the battery connector & charge indicator LED.

THIS:



In the end of the charger lead are some electronics that sense the current supplied to the battery and switch to trickle mode when (very slow charge) when it senses the battery is charged. I think yours MAY cut out too early.

Another thing is ALL LiIon batteries are fully charged at 4.2 volts. A charger will normally give 500mA for the main charge current at 4.2v. As long as the POWER SUPPLY can meet the output current of the charger and gives out 5v then it will charge a battery.

The 3.9v shown in Ripshod 's picture I suspect is the OUTPUT of the battery, this battery has voltage stabilisation (buck/boost) to hold the output of the battery steady as it's output changes as it charges/discharges.

All this is reliant on a good connection between charger and battery of course, it is very important to clean your battery connector and charger connector clean.

My Recommendation is to use the charger lead that is supplied along with the battery (did yours come with the battery?)

If things are not going right you should swap out one part at a time, for instance does your power supply and charger charge another battery OK? Eliminate things one by one until you find what is not working.

A 2600mAh battery will probably take up to 8 hours to charge from 3.2 or 3.4 volts.

I stand to be corrected on any of the above points.

[winterc]

I am having the same problem charging the Clover mods, did you figure out the problem?

Thanks in advance!