Batteries and power - information and specs

[Bastage]

I just measured the real charging current on this cheap ass Trustfire "500ma" charger, and it actually charges at 180ma. What a piece of crap. So now knowing the real charging current, in order to completely charge an 18650 2500mah battery it takes 13 hours. The ONLY good thing about that is, now I can charge overnight and not have to worry about leaving it on charge. Stay away from Trustfire chargers. If they are lying on the charger rating, then they are likely doing the same thing with the battery capacity rating.

[TribbleTrouble]

This battery at the link below looks like the same size battery as my E-Cigar battery that I am using now. I didn't actually measure my battery to compare it to the dimensions listed on the link.

DealExtreme: $5.77 UltraFire LC 17670 1800mAh 3.6V Rechargeable Battery

[parapo]

This battery at the link below looks like the same size battery as my E-Cigar battery that I am using now. I didn't actually measure my battery to compare it to the dimensions listed on the link.

DealExtreme: $5.77 UltraFire LC 17670 1800mAh 3.6V Rechargeable Battery

i read in other posts this is a suitable battery upgrade for the e-cigar.
DealExtreme: $4.32 Ultra Fire 10440 3.6V 500mAh 2Pack


and this a good suitable double charger
DealExtreme: $12.58 Ultra Fire 10440 14500 Ac Charger

if you sure it is the link you posted, give it a try and let us know.
1800mah is way much more than 360 (stock) and this one 500mah....

[Frankie]

I would like to hear more about the USB destroying PCs. I own 3 now and when the switch (and/or non-detachable atomizer on one case) dies, i would like to rewire them using a cheap manual swith. Trog says this will destroy my PC, which I cannot afford. Is it really true, or is it just another way of discouraging other then his own battery solutions???

I also bought mains usb converter. Will direct manual destroy the converter, too? Or the mains line in my apartment as well? Electrocuting me in the process?

[parapo]

I would like to hear more about the USB destroying PCs. I own 3 now and when the switch (and/or non-detachable atomizer on one case) dies, i would like to rewire them using a cheap manual swith. Trog says this will destroy my PC, which I cannot afford. Is it really true, or is it just another way of discouraging other then his own battery solutions???

I also bought mains usb converter. Will direct manual destroy the converter, too? Or the mains line in my apartment as well? Electrocuting me in the process?

if you press the switch too long,the amp-draw will be way more than a computer can provide...
a passthough has a 3-5 seconds cut off safety.

this could do some damage, since a usb port can only output 500mah.
but if you are sure you won't "over do" it,
i don't see a difference in a normal passthrough and one with a manual switch mod.
i'll mod one this week..

[Frankie]

This is disturbing, because it does not have to be me who overdoes it. The switches get stuck sometimes and it´s quite a different game to have a cooked notebook with work instead of just a destroyed atomizer. Well, I probably will only use it with the mains adapter then.

When the damage occurs, does the PC USB port have any safeguards to limit the damage to itself or are we talking about a major disaster?

[PeteMcArthur]

This is disturbing, because it does not have to be me who overdoes it. The switches get stuck sometimes and it´s quite a different game to have a cooked notebook with work instead of just a destroyed atomizer. Well, I probably will only use it with the mains adapter then.

When the damage occurs, does the PC USB port have any safeguards to limit the damage to itself or are we talking about a major disaster?

Can't answer that question, they tend to be different implementations. Most people seem to get away with using USB to power their e-cigs, but good old lucky me fried a USB port on my Advent 4211 notebook. Thankfully they replaced it under warranty but I won't try again. Janty put that battery in the USB lead for a good reason, it protects the port.
I know you will have a lot of people who use them without problems, but I won't try again. I suppose 99.9% of PCs will be OK but I got one of the 0.1%!!

[Kate]

Here are some measurements that might be useful:

I mocked up a more reliable battery set-up yesterday using a dead battery with the innards removed and the tube reduced to about 20mm in length.

Soldered a couple of wires to the 'screw' and connected it, via a small push button switch, to a Maplin 3 x AA battery holder - works like a charm.

Whilst in the workshop I also did some electrical & mechanical measurements - results as follows:

Output voltage (off load) of Normal, fully charged 'Classic' battery = 3.9 to 4volts.

Resistance of 'Classic' atomiser, around 4 ohms.

Off load Output voltage of 3 x AA (2500 mA/hr) ni-mh battery pack = 4.1 volts.

On load Voltage, (connected to Atomiser and with button pressed) = 3.9 volts.

Current pulled by atomiser = 1 amp.

I reckon this battery pack will last 3 or 4 days before needing to be re-charged - maybe longer.

There's not really enough male thread on the battery/atomiser connectors to get a real accurate measurement - but I'm pretty certain that it 10mm dia x 1mm pitch (in old money that's 0.393" dia x 0.0393 pitch or 25.4 tpi)

Because there is so little thread I pretty sure that a 3/8" UNF tap & die set will do the trick - thats 0.375" diam x 26 tpi.

Hope this info is of some help.............

Cheers
Barry

anyone know a way of testing the voltage on the batteries?



This might be of interest also:

What does extra batteryx power mean? Higher voltage? Higher current with the same voltage? USB is 5V. Does that qualify for extra (non-battery) power that will prolong atomizer life?

just to use the one example.. a 901 battery first of all it isnt big enough to do the job its being ask to do.. its a donkey on steroids doing the job a carthorse should be doing.. it does it but only just and its rate of attrition is high..

this is simply down to the size factor.. a carthorse wont fit into the desired small smoking tube.. this is e cig battery fact..

a normal 130 mah 901 battery leaves the charger at 4.2 volts.. when new its capable of delivering the current of near 1 ah an e cig heater coil needs without any noticeable voltage drop.. as the battery ages the time its capable of doing this drops off..

a bigger carthorse battery dosnt suffer from this problem.. it delivers the required current for much longer and it lives for far longer..

a usb socket is five volts but there is some kind of regulator in line somewhere to cut the current delivered to the heater coil.. its better than the normal battery but has wires which are not ideal.. the wires also break after not that much usage.. poor quality cable.. not enough copper strands in it and poor stress relief at the bend points..

no portable battery powered device will work properly without an adequate sized battery.. when the chinese designed e cigs they put form over function.. okay for light occasional use but thats about it.. they are not fit for heavy 30 a day type use

a decent power supply and a manual switch improves e smoking.. combined with a nice fresh atomizer and the whole thing gets workable..

a certain user skill is needed but that comes with practice..

none of this is what the average e smoker wants to hear their new wonder device not being quite up to what its made out to be but that dosnt alter things..

trog

switching from old to new atomizer

[Kate]

This thread has developed into a discussion about charging lithium ion batteries - Battery university

[LVD]

This battery at the link below looks like the same size battery as my E-Cigar battery that I am using now. I didn't actually measure my battery to compare it to the dimensions listed on the link.

DealExtreme: $5.77 UltraFire LC 17670 1800mAh 3.6V Rechargeable Battery

A 17670 battery wont fit the cigar which takes 10440's. The number xxyy0 is the diameter xx and lenght yy of the battery in millimeters. For those who still use imperial and didn't figure this one out allready.