TrustFire TR-001 & 18650's

[pauly3]

Looking for some input on charging the batteries for my Vamo. I started with 2 no brand 18350's and those always charge in 5-6 hours and the charger turns the LEDs green when done. I decided I wanted to get some 18650's to reduce my downtime and I'm not sure if I am having issues with the charger or batteries. I have left these batteries on the charger as long as 12 hours and the LED never turns green. I took them off to avoid issue although I really need some input... Please help!!!


Charger:
TrustFire TR-001


Batteries:
Samsung 18650 2600mah 3.7v Li-ion
Panasonic 18650 3400mah 3.7v Li-ion.


1. How long does it take to charge these batteries?


2. Once charged should the charger light turn green?


3. After placing in Vamo what should the battery voltage read at?


4. Are these even compatible with the Vamo?

 

[Switched]

The charger is capable of 500mA output/2 or 250mA per side. Yup its going to take a while to charge pairs. Charge them as singles and you are looking at about 8hrs per. As the battery charges up, the output from the charger decreases. The TR001 is one of the worse chargers out there.

 

[pauly3]

Ok thanks for the advice. Which charger should I get?

 

[Talyon]

Nitecore I2, there about 20 bucks, easily googable. GL

 

[salemgold]

The charger is capable of 500mA output/2 or 250mA per side. Yup its going to take a while to charge pairs. Charge them as singles and you are looking at about 8hrs per. As the battery charges up, the output from the charger decreases. The TR001 is one of the worse chargers out there.

I have had my TR001 for 3 years now and not a single issue. I do charge my 18650s one at a time but it is a non issue since I have plenty of batteries. For the the low cost that I paid for mine, it serves me very well.

Besides, I have heard that charging the batteries low and slow is best to prolong the life of the battery.

 

[salemgold]

If you really want a new charger, you can get a good price here with free shipping but it will take a few weeks to arrive

http://www.fasttech.com/products/14...ore-i2-lithium-li-ion-ni-mh-ni-cd-smart-batte

 

[Switched]

I have had my TR001 for 3 years now and not a single issue. I do charge my 18650s one at a time but it is a non issue since I have plenty of batteries. For the the low cost that I paid for mine, it serves me very well.

Besides, I have heard that charging the batteries low and slow is best to prolong the life of the battery.

Salem your golden (no pun intended) The older TR001s are better than the TR001s on the market these days. Chargers have come a long way since those days and more importantly they are affordable now. Low and slow is always best, but then again you can still get fast and good. A 1000mA charger that charges @ 500mA per channel does the same job as charging a single cell on a TR001. You can charge 2 for the price of one in almost the same time.

 

[tcgenius]

How long does it take to charge 2 18650's at the same time? Will the lights turn green when they are finished charging?

 

[salemgold]

Salem your golden (no pun intended) The older TR001s are better than the TR001s on the market these days. Chargers have come a long way since those days and more importantly they are affordable now. Low and slow is always best, but then again you can still get fast and good. A 1000mA charger that charges @ 500mA per channel does the same job as charging a single cell on a TR001. You can charge 2 for the price of one in almost the same time.

Ha, ha! You are the one that I learned about low and slow from

 

[salemgold]

How long does it take to charge 2 18650's at the same time? Will the lights turn green when they are finished charging?

I have been told by a few people that their Panasonic 18650s can charge two at a time in 4 hours or less on their TR001s. My charger is 3 years old and I can't charge two at a time that fast so, not sure.

 

[manonthemoon]

My Trustfire charger is flashes green for one minute when I turn it on. When it stops blinking and I put in a battery is stays solid green. Does anyone know what this means? I can't seem to find a manual online.

 

[BurntHit]

1. How long does it take to charge these batteries?
A While... 250mA per channel is what the spec is, cells in one slot always finished charging before the other, and these were balanced cells. Connecting a DMM I found one channel doing around 240mA and the other doing around 300mA. The charger works, its just not my first pick anymore.


2. Once charged should the charger light turn green?
It should, but if your cells are crap or damaged and it cant reach 4.2v the charger is just going to keep trying to dump a charge into it. Very Bad.


3. After placing in Vamo what should the battery voltage read at?
The cells should terminate no higher than 4.2v. Vamo seems to like to round down, so you may see a reading of 4.1v. Always confirm with a calibrated DMM, Vamo and or any other cheap volt meter may have a larger degree of error. A good charger will almost always have a resting voltage below 4.2v. My hobby charger charges CC/CV to 4.2 and rests at about 4.18v. Now a day with vape batts I terminate at 4.1v to increase cell life.


4. Are these even compatible with the Vamo?
Yes... just make sure the discharge current is suitable for the load you intend to put on the cells.

Its been years since I've used my Trustfire charger... I generally use hobby chargers for all my needs now. I like more control over the charging process, termination voltage, charge rates, all that good stuff. My pannys for example charge in about 2 hours @ 1A. Even faster for the high drain Sony cells which have a max rate of 5A, but I charge around 2.5A just because I don't like pushing limits.

I probably charge 6 x panny cells in parallel in less time that it takes for you to do one cell in that Trustfire...