Batteries not getting full charge. Need new batteries, or charger?

[BigCloudz]

Hey guys, I currently have a TrustFire TR101 and 2, AW IMR 18650's. I bought all 3 items the same day, which was probably a little over 2 weeks ago. From the get-go I have had some issues. I have a feeling it's the TrustFire charger. Some times after 5-6 hours of charging both lights go from red to green, I test them in my SVD and am getting ~4.3v. Other times it goes 8+ hours, lights remain red, test them in my SVD and ~3.9v. At first I thought I wasn't seating the batteries down all the way, but I am make darn sure they are all the way in when I set them to charge.

I highly doubt my AW's are toast after a couple weeks. I am really close to just dropping 25 bucks and grabbing a Nitro Intelligent Charger (or whatever it's called) from a local vape shop.

Anyone know what's going wrong? It's quite frustrating to not be able to get a full charge on these things.

Oh and another thing. My TrustFire has a switch on the side. 3.0 and 3.6v are the options. It seems weird the option isn't 3.7v, so that may be the issue, but I am not too sure.

Thanks guys

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Some Trustfire chargers have a 3 and 3.6 volt switch while others don't. My old Trustfire chargers had an output of 4.2 volts/ 500ma with no switch. After failing I threw them in the trash. Look at the bottom sticker to see what the output is.
Here's a Trustfire charger with the switch BUT note the output is 3.0~4.2V
$11.60 Trustfire TR-006 3.0V/4.2V Li-ion Battery Charger - for 25500 / 26650 / 26700 / 18650 / 16340 at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Arnie H]

Hmm, I have the same charger, and I always wait for the lights to turn green, sometimes this is an all night or all day affair for me with my two 2900 mAh batteries, but they always turn green eventually. I posted a picture of me waiting for my batteries to charge, where is it?

Here it is:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/arnie-h/4714-waiting-my-batteries-charge.html

 

[BigCloudz]

Some Trustfire chargers have a 3 and 3.6 volt switch while others don't. My old Trustfire chargers had an output of 4.2 volts/ 500ma with no switch. After failing I threw them in the trash. Look at the bottom sticker to see what the output is.
Here's a Trustfire charger with the switch BUT note the output is 3.0~4.2V
$11.60 Trustfire TR-006 3.0V/4.2V Li-ion Battery Charger - for 25500 / 26650 / 26700 / 18650 / 16340 at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

On the bottom the output reads 4.2v 500mah.. I am ready to trash this thing here pretty soon. I charged both my AW IMR18650's all night (8+ hours) and both still have the red light on and are reading 3.9v on my SVD. When I put them to charge they were 3.6! What the heck is up with that! Not cool lol

 

[BigCloudz]

Hmm, I have the same charger, and I always wait for the lights to turn green, sometimes this is an all night or all day affair for me with my two 2900 mAh batteries, but they always turn green eventually. I posted a picture of me waiting for my batteries to charge, where is it?

Here it is:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/arnie-h/4714-waiting-my-batteries-charge.html

lol. I can surely relate!

 

[Thrasher]

could be the charger, it should always be on the 3.6 setting. I have heard of a couple chargers only getting to 4v. this make the battery last a long long time but not the best for maximum charge/vapetime.

If they do not come off the charger everytime at the same voltage (4.2) I would invest in a different chargeras proper charging will make the batteries work their best.
I have also heard that some of the tr chargers are not fully finished even after the light turns green which is kinda odd.

 

[Choc_Addic]

Your charger may be just have a bad chip in it.

I would suggest getting it replaced or obtain a better charger such as Nitecore intelicharger. I use Ultrafire WF-139 and Nitecore charger. Both works fine.

Goodluck.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

On the bottom the output reads 4.2v 500mah.. I am ready to trash this thing here pretty soon. I charged both my AW IMR18650's all night (8+ hours) and both still have the red light on and are reading 3.9v on my SVD. When I put them to charge they were 3.6! What the heck is up with that! Not cool lol

I gave up on anything battery related with the name "Fire" in it after many Vets advised as such. My first failure was when my Trustfire batts on a Tr charger became warm and were overcharging. Fortunately I listened to the Vets and never left my batts charging unattended and was able to unplug the charger before anything happened. In my first 3 months of vaping I had 2 Tr chargers fail on me. NiteCore or the Review of / Measurement on Xtar WP2 II charger are good chargers and are a world of difference IMO.
The only reason I began with the Tr charger was because it was included with my first PV/ Mech Mod.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I would scrap the cheap charger with fire in the name, and get a workhorse Nitecore.

It's not top of the line, but it is a great, smart charger. I've used them for years.

 

[Jval23]

agreed with the above posts. scrap the charger and eat the money for a good one.

 

[ImThatGuy]

8 hours to charge it? That's nuts. I'm using an efest luc charger and it's great. It doesn't take 8 hours to charge an 18650. I noticed when I charge a battery with a nitecore, shows full charge, pull it out, then put it on the efest charger, and its still charging. I'm assuming the nitecore charger is just showing a full charge once it hits 4.2v, but the efest charger is still charging to the battery's max capacity.

I wouldn't say trash your current charger, but use a different charger and see if you get the same results.

 

[BigCloudz]

8 hours to charge it? That's nuts. I'm using an efest luc charger and it's great. It doesn't take 8 hours to charge an 18650. I noticed when I charge a battery with a nitecore, shows full charge, pull it out, then put it on the efest charger, and its still charging. I'm assuming the nitecore charger is just showing a full charge once it hits 4.2v, but the efest charger is still charging to the battery's max capacity.

I wouldn't say trash your current charger, but use a different charger and see if you get the same results.

It is nuts! What's even more nuts is it was more like 9+ hours AND neither were fully charged. I actually brought the charger to work, placed 1 of the two on the charger, and the light turned green around 8ish am (I get here at 6 am), put the 'charged' battery in my SVD and it still only read 4.1...

Mind if I ask where you grabbed your charger from? Thanks a ton.

 

[SilverZero]

It is nuts! What's even more nuts is it was more like 9+ hours AND neither were fully charged. I actually brought the charger to work, placed 1 of the two on the charger, and the light turned green around 8ish am (I get here at 6 am), put the 'charged' battery in my SVD and it still only read 4.1...

Mind if I ask where you grabbed your charger from? Thanks a ton.

This is the one ImThatGuy was referring to: Efest LUC Charger

I have one and like it a lot. It charges up my 18650s in a few hours, can charge different batteries at the same time, and the screen is really great. You know exactly where your batteries stand at all times.

 

[Mattmancool34]

I use a night core i4 and i2 haven't had issues with either and they charge pretty quick. I also like their safety features. You can pick them up on fast tech for 15 and 20 respectively or amazon also has them for a bit more.

 

[N2rock]

I have a Trustfire charger, and 18650 batteries. Takes forever to charge, so I always have one on the charger at all times. And at night before going to bed, I'll take the one that is currently in my PV and put it on the charger.

Typically, the fully charged battery that I start my day with, will die around 7pm. Put it on the charger and it is still not charged by 7am. But the 2nd battery is- so I use that one, rinse & repeat.

I've been doing this cycle since I bought them in December, and have never had a time when I didn't have a battery to vape with.

 

[WarHawk-AVG]

Yes...if your charger is NOT charging the batteries correctly it could prematurely kill them!

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
There is a specific way to charge Li Ion batteries...a smart charger MUST charge this way or it could lead to a shortened lifespan or even a catastrophic failure (aka kafoosh burny burny)
Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

If you suspect your batteries aren't charging correctly...time to look at the charger...not the batteries

$22.16 Nitecore I4 Lithium Li-ion Ni-MH Ni-Cd Smart Battery Charger - with car cigarette power adapter at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

$16.38 Nitecore I2 Lithium Li-ion Ni-MH Ni-Cd Smart Battery Charger (US) - car charger cable + US plug AC charger cable at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[205jca]

Definitely the charger. I was using a cheap single channel charger that had flip out prongs you plug in to the wall that I bought from MadVapes the first month and a half I was vaping. I thought I was going to pull my hair out. It took forever to charge and then when it was done the batteries read 4.1 volts on my Vamo and QUICKLY went to 4.0. Definitely not a full charge.

I invested in a Nitecore i2 ($17 or $18 shipped from Amazon). Aside from my Vamo its the best money I have spent on vaping supplies. Fast, full charges every time and it seems really safe. Always stops charging at 4.2 volts, batteries come off the charger cold. Awesome, awesome, AWESOME charger. When I get the cash I'm going to buy a 2nd i2 for a backup.

 

[N2rock]

Thanks for the links. I'm ordering one of those right now.

Edit: found the 2nd one on Amazon for a couple bucks less
http://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-i2-I...=UTF8&qid=1377721035&sr=8-8&keywords=nitecore

 

[xpen]

I couldn't find the mAh of your AW batteries in you posts here, but if they're 2000mAh or more it may take an awful lot of time to top them up with that charger..

Trustfire chargers are slow with 18650 's (they charge at 500mAh, nominal) , and in my experience they come cheap for a reason ;-)

I'd recommend an XTAR or a Nitecore charger, either one is a good investment for your batteries.

 

[205jca]

Thanks for the links. I'm ordering one of those right now.

Edit: found the 2nd one on Amazon for a couple bucks less
http://www.amazon.com/Nitecore-i2-I...=UTF8&qid=1377721035&sr=8-8&keywords=nitecore

Nice! I wish I would have found that listing on Amazon when I ordered my i2. Would've thrown some batteries in there too and got the free super saver shipping. $14.15 and free shipping for an i2 is an amazing deal.