Another question about batteries.

[Papillon61]

Now that I have gotten into unregulated mods I've been doing a lot of reading about batteries... well actually I had started reading before but now that I am actually using them I want to know more.

One thing I am a little puzzled about is that you should recharge a battery when it's about 2/3 discharged and you should never charge a battery that is completely discharged. My questions:

1. How do I know the level of discharge in my battery? - I don't own a multi meter
2. What do you do with a fully discharged battery? - just chuck it?

 

[Mooch]

i highly recommend getting a multimeter!

You don't have to throw away a fully discharged battery. Unless you mean that you've brought it down to zero volts. batteries are made to be regularly discharged down to 3V, even lower. You can extend the life of the cell by stopping before the cell drops this far (3.2V-3.4V), but it's certainly not necessary. I think you'll notice the voltage dropping before you get too far down in voltage though because of the power drop in your coil(s).

Using a charger that recognizes low voltage batteries and gently charges them until the voltage has risen up far enough is also highly recommended. It makes caring for your batteries much easier. Some even display the mAh put back into the cell so you can get an idea when a cell is losing capacity (wearing out).

 

[Thrasher]

Its a little tricky at first, you do get used to it though.

Does your charger show you voltage?


Some people do a system, when starting out they vape a tankful or for like drippers after so many refills. Pull the battery and check it.

After a while you get a system, I vape two tanks, my battery is always right around xxx volts so two tanks=charge

Or my dripping bottle always gets to this point then charge.

I'm my set up its like, what happened to the vapor? it takes a huge pull to get same cloud- pull the battery always 3.3-3.4 charge.

Even if you have to use one of your mods temporarily to check the voltage, its annoying but will help you get the " feel" for it

 

[Edward Aiz]

Never under any circumstances let the battery discharge lower than 3.6 volts.

On your unregulated device, be a tube or box mod always use an inline mod voltage meter (you can pick one up for about $10). As you vape, every 20 vapes or so, place the meter on the unregulated device, press the firing button and you will get a read out. This tool is a must have. Without it you will ruin your batteries.

On a fully discharged battery you can purchase a recharger for a battery in this shape but it is very expensive.

The key to any unregulated mech mod is the battery...and the key to any battery is an inline mod voltage meter. Without these two devices your unregulated experience will be greatly degraded.

My question for you is a rather simple one: would you rather purchase an inline mod voltage meter for about $10 or rather go through batteries at $10 a pop.....and not only this, discharging a battery can lead to a potentially dangerous position because you putting a resistance on a battery that let's say discharged down to 3.2, it can very well overheat, vent and/or explode.

Please before you vape the next time on your unregulated mech go purchase an inline mod voltage meter, okay?

 

[Papillon61]

I have a Nitecore Intellicharger i2. It says it "automatically detects battery status and selects the appropriate voltage and charge mode." It doesn't give a voltage that you can read... just has these three lights that are all lit when the battery is fully charged and then stops charging automatically.

 

[Thrasher]

"Never under any circumstances let the battery discharge lower than 3.6 volts."



I have to ask where does this belief come from.??

Most batteries are rated to 2.7 and many 2.5 even

 

[Papillon61]

Thank you for the advice. Naturally I come here and ask a lot of questions because I want to learn and gain experience.

 

[Mooch]

Never under any circumstances let the battery discharge lower than 3.6 volts.

Why do you recommend such a high cutoff voltage?
It's anywhere from 0.7-1.1 volts higher than the cells are rated for (to get the rated number of cycles) and a cell can easily dip below this during a vape because of its internal resistance. Even if it's still 50% charged.

[oops, I type too slow]

 

[Papillon61]

I've been using the battery, off and on, for about four hours. I just placed it in the charger and it's on the second light. So I suppose that's ok. I'll try to get all the equipment I need to be safe but even as Thrasher suggested this will eventually become second nature.

 

[puffon]

I use one of these:
$1.87 V20D 0.36" LED Two Line 3-Digital Direct-Current Volt Meter Module - measurement range: DC 2.5~30V at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
A lot quicker than getting out the multi meter.
After awhile you can tell when your vape drops off to around 3.7.........

 

[Papillon61]

BTW - I have one of these, though I am not using it at the moment. Would using it keep my batteries (and me) safe?

$9.07 Authentic Sigelei Variable Wattage Kick Module for Mechanical Mod - 5-15W at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Papillon61]

I use one of these:
$1.87 V20D 0.36" LED Two Line 3-Digital Direct-Current Volt Meter Module - measurement range: DC 2.5~30V at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping
A lot quicker than getting out the multi meter.
After awhile you can tell when your vape drops off to around 3.7.........

So you hold the red wire to the positive and the black to the negative end and Bob's your uncle? If that is so, that's simple enough. Thanks.

 

[ElConquistador]

If you have a Harbor Freight near you, you can often find a coupon for a free multi-meter. If no coupon, they can be had for about $5-$10. Not the best quality, but fine for checking your batteries and I've confirmed that for coil resistance, it matches my Provari's resistivity reading.

 

[Papillon61]

If you have a Harbor Freight near you, you can often find a coupon for a free multi-meter. If no coupon, they can be had for about $5-$10. Not the best quality, but fine for checking your batteries and I've confirmed that for coil resistance, it matches my Provari's resistivity reading.

Thanks but I don't live in the US. My nearest hardware/electrical store is Joe up the road.

 

[Mooch]

Thanks but I don't live in the US. My nearest hardware/electrical store is Joe up the road.

A perfect excuse for a trip to Sicilia!

 

[Edward Aiz]

Why do you recommend such a high cutoff voltage?
It's anywhere from 0.7-1.1 volts higher than the cells are rated for (to get the rated number of cycles) and a cell can easily dip below this during a vape because of its internal resistance. Even if it's still 50% charged.

[oops, I type too slow]

Of course you can go lower than 3.6 volts but you are risking the battery's life. A battery is not only about safety (though this is by far the most important point) but it is also about longevity. I have had batteries last longer than a year because I never let any battery dip below 3.6 volts.

If you don't mind buying more batteries after each year anniversary of whichever battery you are using (though I can't attest to efest, I do not care for these batteries...I am only attesting to Samsung 25R, LG HE2, Sony VTC4 & Sony VTC3 batteries) then once the voltage drops down to 3.6 it's time to recharge.

But if you like to drop the voltage lower than 3.6 this is your choice and I respect this.

 

[Rule62]

The first thing I would recommend is to get a digital multi meter.
Second, get a charger that shows voltage as it's charging, as well as options for charging amps. I use the Xtar VP1.
When using an inregulated mod, you'll soon get a feel for when your batteries are in need of charging; whether it's because of noticeable decrease in vapor, or by the amount of juice consumption.

 

[Thrasher]

Don't you have a regulated mod that can read batteries?.


Go ask Joe if he has a cheap battery meter. Or maybe a cheap meter from fasttech

 

[Thrasher]

Of course you can go lower than 3.6 volts but you are risking the battery's life. A battery is not only about safety (though this is by far the most important point) but it is also about longevity. I have had batteries last longer than a year because I never let any battery dip below 3.6 volts.

If you don't mind buying more batteries after each year anniversary of whichever battery you are using (though I can't attest to efest, I do not care for these batteries...I am only attesting to Samsung 25R, LG HE2, Sony VTC4 & Sony VTC3 batteries) then once the voltage drops down to 3.6 it's time to recharge.

But if you like to drop the voltage lower than 3.6 this is your choice and I respect this.

$6.50 for 500 cycles isn't exactly a waste , this is almost 13/4 years charged once every day

Several batteries in rotation and they last several years I have cells well over 2 years old and I use them the way they say I can use them lol.
But its cool to each their own.

 

[Edward Aiz]

I agree to each their own. Great attribute about the vaping community is variety except I am sure we can all agree that battery safety is by far the most important thing in the vaping community. Outside of this, I agree 100%, to each their own.