Charger Question.

[vereybowring]

It's probably been asked before but I'll ask again even if it has.

I am planning to get some IMR high drain batteries for my mods.

The question is what is the best/safest charger to buy that can charge both unprotected high drain safe chemistry cells and normal protected cells ?

I have been building various things so would need the charger to be able to take the widest selection of cell sizes.
Also I am on a very tight budget and while I've seen that Pila are possibly the best chargers I just can't afford it.

[clockworks]

If you want the ultimate charger for a sensible price, get an RC LiPo charger, and use a cheapo charger as a battery holder.

I'm now using one of these: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/iMAX-B6-AC-B6AC-Lipo-NiMH-3S-RC-Battery-Balance-Charger-/400240855459?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d3036c9a3#ht_2238wt_1165

Fully adjustable charge rate (0.1 to 5.0A), and a display that tells you how many mAH you've put back in and the voltage.
A couple of years ago, they retailed at over £70

[Chrissie]

Wow, that looks a pretty amazing charger, Clockworks.

[Anne (fuzzy)]

Mentioning batteries, they were what I had trouble with at my last attempt of vaping all those years ago. They only accepted one charge, then died and I had 6 of them in the end as I kept buying new ones thinking they must be faulty. Nobody else seemed to be having that problem, so was I doing something wrong, or was it just because e cigs were still in the 'trial' period? I know rechargeable batteries only have a certain life span, but I would have thought they could be charged at least about 50 times. :/

[clockworks]

Sept 22, 2011 20:56:39 GMT Chrissie said:

Wow, that looks a pretty amazing charger, Clockworks.

Probably a bit OTT for vaping, but they do a really good job with RC car and plane packs. I reckon using this should extend the life of my batteries, so it'll pay for itself.

The drawback is that I can only charge one battery at a time, unless the batteries are identical. To solve this problem, I've just ordered a second charger from China. I'll hook the "battery holder" up to both chargers, so I can charge 2 batteries totally independently.

The total cost is less than £50 for two chargers and a donor charger to use as a battery holder - around the same as a Pila.

These chargers also have the facility to monitor cell temperature (to avoid any mishaps) and even a PC USB interface. The leads for these functions are an optional extra.
They can also discharge cells down to a suitable level for long-term storage.

[Scylla]

Sept 22, 2011 22:59:13 GMT Anne (fuzzy) said:

was I doing something wrong, or was it just because e cigs were still in the 'trial' period?

All the hardware was dodgy back then, Peg, I had loads of problems with both batteries and atomisers. Some batteries came apart, some caught fire (well, one or two did), and none lasted very long between charges.

Thank goodness we've moved on - up!

scylla

[vereybowring]

Well I got a pair of 14500 and a pair of 18650 high drain batteries, but only the cheap ones from Moju Republic and have to say they do perform rather well compared to standard protected batteries.

For the moment I just ordered a TR001 since they are reported to be quite satisfactory for most battery purposes.
I have to say I will save and get one of the better charger at some point in the future - those Pila chargers do seem excellent and have fantastic reviews.
The suggested imax charger also seems a good option but only charging one battery makes the pila seem better - even when two imax's cost less.
I will see how I feel at some future point when I have the cash.