Does it harm my 18650 battery to charge it thought USB?

[Vapenayshyall]

So I just ordered a istick pico which has one 18650 battery. I obviously ordered battery charger with it but I'm just wondering if I can charge it with a power bank without harming my battery. When I'm at home i can charge it with the charger obviously but when my battery dies and I'm not at home I would have to charge it trough USB.
Sorry if my English sucks its not my native language >.<

 

[classwife]

Moved you to batteries and Chargers from Ask The Veterans to get you faster replies.
(You kinda need answers now and not in several days)
Welcome to ECF !

 

[sawlight]

I occasionally charge mine through the USB port depending on what's going on, but I mostly use an outboard charger. I haven't noticed any ill effects so far using the USB port and feel alright doing so when needed.
But as you said, the outboard is certainly a better way to go when you can.

 

[Hitmetwice]

Should be no problemo.
My buddy broke his usb port on the Pico so be gentle. Cheers.

 

[sofarsogood]

So I just ordered a iStick pico which has one 18650 battery. I obviously ordered battery charger with it but I'm just wondering if I can charge it with a power bank without harming my battery. When I'm at home i can charge it with the charger obviously but when my battery dies and I'm not at home I would have to charge it trough USB.
Sorry if my English sucks its not my native language >.<

You charge your phone through the USB port. It's the same thing. One thing about the Pico, the USB port is not the most robust out there. Be sure the connector goes in and out smoothly. Be gentle.

 

[r77r7r]

Prior to purchasing, I asked around recently. Many owners use it solely and successfully.

 

[Assi]

You charge your phone through the USB port. It's the same thing.

"Same same but different". There are some several differences regarding charging between the 2 devices:
1. In a mobile phone you have a battery with protection (PCB) against over-charge, over-discharge and over-current. Using a bare cell in your Box, you have no additional protection on the battery.

2. In most of mobile phones I know, the Charging socket is connected to a charge Controller, that is designed especially for this function. In eCigarettes the Micro-USB-Socket is mainly designed for date interchnage (Firmware etc.).

Beside of my remarks I agree with all the above

 

[sofarsogood]

"Same same but different". There are some several differences regarding charging between the 2 devices:
1. In a mobile phone you have a battery with protection (PCB) against over-charge, over-discharge and over-current. Using a bare cell in your Box, you have no additional protection on the battery.

2. In most of mobile phones I know, the Charging socket is connected to a charge Controller, that is designed especially for this function. In eCigarettes the Micro-USB-Socket is mainly designed for date interchnage (Firmware etc.).

Beside of my remarks I agree with all the above

The micro usb socket in the phone also can be used for data. They would need to be wired the same as a mod. My understanding is most of the type of 18650 we buy end up in battery packs that have to be recharged. Nearly all the accidents I read about involve mech mods. Charging accidents in the US seem to be far and few between. There is always some risk with recharging these batteries but I'm not noticing that it's higher than phones. This is an area where our dear government could make a difference for everyone's benefit. The Consumer Product Safety Comission could investigate ecig power issues. They have been asked to do that and they have refused. They say they don't have the authority to do that, huh? This gives the appearance the government hopes people get hurt to strengthen the case against vaping.

 

[Assi]

The micro usb socket in the phone also can be used for data. They would need to be wired the same as a mod. My understanding is most of the type of 18650 we buy end up in battery packs that have to be recharged. Nearly all the accidents I read about involve mech mods. Charging accidents in the US seem to be far and few between.

My answered didn´t refer to a safety problem. I don´t think there is any safety issue on charging via USB-Socket. Just the quality of charging as well as performance of the battery as a result are not as good as on an external good charger.

 

[sofarsogood]

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/members/sofarsogood.229304/
My answered didn´t refer to a safety problem. I don´t think there is any safety issue on charging via USB-Socket. Just the quality of charging as well as performance of the battery as a result are not as good as on an external good charger.

Many many mods have build in batteries that can only be charged via USB. I think they are safer for beginners who can't do a watts law calculation to be sure the battery being used has a sufficient amps rating for their intended watts. I never go above 40 watts. My hard limit setting is 30 watts. I wish I could downgrade the firmware on my Pico and vtc mini to 40 watts in return for a slightly lower cut off voltage, meaning a bit more battery endurance.

 

[AtmizrOpin]

some external chargers, not all, use the same charging circuitry (components) as single battery mods that have usb charging capabilities. for ex. the TP4056 ic is a constant current, constant voltage lithium ion charging chip that is in both box mods and external chargers.
so yes, perfectly fine to recharge inside the mod. i own a pico and found it draws no more than .92 amps when charging. gets warm, but safe. just don't forget about and walk away when recharging any batteries. check in on them now then. safety is key!

 

[Assi]

Many many mods have build in batteries that can only be charged via USB. I think they are safer for beginners who can't do a watts law calculation to be sure the battery being used has a sufficient amps rating for their intended watts. I never go above 40 watts. My hard limit setting is 30 watts. I wish I could downgrade the firmware on my Pico and vtc mini to 40 watts in return for a slightly lower cut off voltage, meaning a bit more battery endurance.

I guess you missunderstand my Point. I was never talking about safety, only about the Quality of charging via USB-Socket. Around 2 years ago most of the mods came with built-in Li-Pol battery and in the meanwhile most of the ones I know, are mods for 18650. If you think about it, for a manufacturer of a Mod it makes more sense (like Apple does) to offer their product with built-in battery. They earn more on a product in that way and can even offer after-market Service.

AtmizrOpin - I don´t daubt it. However and you admit it yourself, the battery inside such a mod becomes warm. SDI as well as Sony, or LG Chem recommend an Operating Temperature while charging between 0 to 45°C.

 

[Vapenayshyall]

So I got the charger and battery, I charged the battery in some ....ty Trustfire charger that has only 500mA output. Took around 18 hours to charge my Sony VTC5 2600mah full. Is that normal? Either way I have to get a new charger or charge it trough usb because 18 hours is way too long for me.

 

[sacullen]

Read on Reddit a test someone did on the Pico's charge capabilities and it turned out to be quite good. I wouldn't have any worries using it. I'll try to find the post.

 

[Baditude]

So I got the charger and battery, I charged the battery in some ....ty Trustfire charger that has only 500mA output. Took around 18 hours to charge my Sony VTC5 2600mah full. Is that normal? Either way I have to get a new charger or charge it trough usb because 18 hours is way too long for me.

First charge on new batteries may take longer than usual. Trustfire chargers would definitely not be a first choice in chargers.

It takes at least 6 hours to charge my three LG HG2 3000mAh 20 amp batteries on my Nitecore Intellicharger i4. It takes about 3 hours to charge a Sony VTC4 2100mAh 20 amp battery in the same charger.

Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger

• Guide to help a novice in choosing a charger. Covers recommended brands, suggestions for the number of charging bays you'll need, independent bays, LED or LCD models, and "smart chargers".

 

[T0mmy1977]

I have 2 iStick 100Ws. The micro USB port is solely for charging and no data throughput. I have been charging them via the USB port for 6 months or more without a single issue.

 

[AtmizrOpin]

I guess you missunderstand my Point. I was never talking about safety, only about the Quality of charging via USB-Socket. Around 2 years ago most of the mods came with built-in Li-Pol battery and in the meanwhile most of the ones I know, are mods for 18650. If you think about it, for a manufacturer of a Mod it makes more sense (like Apple does) to offer their product with built-in battery. They earn more on a product in that way and can even offer after-market Service.

AtmizrOpin - I don´t daubt it. However and you admit it yourself, the battery inside such a mod becomes warm. SDI as well as Sony, or LG Chem recommend an Operating Temperature while charging between 0 to 45°C.

the mod never went above 39c while charging any of my batts internally in my pico (while the mod is turned off, click fire button 10 timez to show internal temp. gives you a rough idea of batt temp). i keep the mod upright and in an open area. gets warm but battery doesn't while charging. i guess you could keep the milliamp charge low and only charge to 4.1 volts while charging externally to extend your batt life. i'm in the category of "shove a 2 amp charge at em and get em up to 4.2 asap". i don't mind sacrificing battery life for convenience. that's me tho.

 

[T0mmy1977]

I charged one of my iStick TC200W 3 x 18650 mods last night through a USB 3.0 port and had no issues.

 

[DaveP]

So I just ordered a iStick pico which has one 18650 battery. I obviously ordered battery charger with it but I'm just wondering if I can charge it with a power bank without harming my battery. When I'm at home i can charge it with the charger obviously but when my battery dies and I'm not at home I would have to charge it trough USB.
Sorry if my English sucks its not my native language >.<

I have a volt/amp digital meter that plugs into the USB power source and then you plug the mod or other device into it to measure the voltage and milliamp level that is being delivered to the device being charged.

What I see almost without exception is that phones or USB charged ecigs pull around 800ma (indicating a USB 3.0 port) from the USB charger. The one I use is a 4 port charger that plugs into a 110v outlet. It's capable of delivering a 2.4A charge rate.

USB devices that are designed to be charged from a USB port have a current limiter that restricts overcurrent charging to the device. The initial current draw is highest when you first plug it into the USB charger. As the battery charges it draws less and less until the current load reaches a preset low point, then the device will terminate the charge and the indicator on the device will change from red to green or go off to indicate charging is complete.

That may be too much info, but that's how it works.

 

[sawlight]

In other words, it's a very safe and efficient charging circuit, as I've heard others report as well.