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If the mod has a charging enabled USB port, yes, you can. The real question is "should you charge a dual batt mod via USB?" The answer to that will depend greatly on the mod and the charger, but in general, it's not recommended. Why? It's more wear on the mod through the charger, and potentially (again, depends on the mod and the wall charger), more wear on the batteries. A decent 2-bay charger can be had under $15, and a spare set of 18650 cells can be had under $15 as well. Why risk damaging a $50 mod with a $15 set of batteries AND being tethered to the wall while doing it when for $30, you can roam freely, swap batteries at will, and save wear and tear on the mod and the batteries?
That was probably more answer than you wanted... sorry.
More or less what @Shawn Hoefer said, but I’ll add that IMHO the biggest stumbling block to in device charging other than the fact that you have to leave it there to charge for multiple hours as well as trusting the board inside the mod to do its job well, is The microUSB2 port. They’re fragile. When you charge via USB you risk wrecking the port. My personal solution for the last using a magnetic microUSB2 adaptor cable, and simply leaving the adaptor plugged into the device permanently. As to the board issue there’s internet research. For the first problem I got nothing. I find that one annoying enough that I only port charge my therion (because changing batteries on it is a pita) and my releaux 2/3 because it’s got a silicone jacket on it which also makes battery replacement a pita.
As a general rule charging devices and spare batteries are just better. The solitary advantage port charging has is there’s one less device to deal with. Everything else about it is loss.
I have to agree with post above. But to add to it, while you can charge your batteries in a dual battery mod through the usb port, the charging function is more for emergency than daily use.
The charging feature in most of the mods out there are not effective at balancing the cells properly and can wear the batteries out quickly by putting more stress on one cell rather than equally draining the batteries at the same rate.
It is highly recommended to use an external charger and leave the usb charging for emergency use when you have no other option.
The charging feature in most of the mods out there are not effective at balancing the cells properly and can wear the batteries out quickly by putting more stress on one cell rather than equally draining the batteries at the same rate.
It is highly recommended to use an external charger and leave the usb charging for emergency use when you have no other option.
Thank you for the replies, I was just wondering if it would be ok to temporarily charge my dual batt mod temporarily for one week until I can go purchase an external charger.
Shouldn't be a problem. I do that when I go away for a few days so I don't have to pack a charger.
@Larzmarz, I think that with a lot of mods on the market. The charging circuit is only an afterthought. So if you need to use it, use it sparingly.
I do the same. It's OK for short trips. I mostly vaped in TC on DNA mods. Those boards were designed to provide balanced charging as they were originally meant to recharge internal Lipo batteries. Now that I use mostly squonkers I'm kinda stuck. The single battery regulated squonks are OK, but I obviously hit a wall on the mechs.
But balanced charging really is important. I believe recent mods are far better at that than a few years ago, but external is just plain better for that. You also have better heat dissipation with an open external charger. As heat is the enemy of both batteries and circuit boards, anything that mitigates that issue is a big plus.
There are many mods with built in batteries that have to be charged via a USB port. You probably charge your phone via a USB port. May be it's okay to charge via a USB port if that's convenient for you.
As many have pointed out charging via USB should be safe. But that does not mean one should not proceed without a level of caution. The charging circuitry within many of these devices are unknown. Does it regulate the power properly or even cut off charging when the batteries reach their 4.2 volt limit? It has been found that some devices apply a trickle charge once the cells reach 4.2 volts, and in some cases this trickle charge can reach concerning voltages.
Also note that not all USB power sources are the same. The USB 2.0 spec is 5 volts, 0.5 amps or 2.5 watts. But many “Fast Chargers” that are made for specific phones can output much greater than that to which you now rely on how well your mod is able to regulate that power.
Monitor your device while it is charging. Should it get hot, stop charging immediately and would probably be a good idea not to use that USB power source again. Once the device reaches full charge, unplug from its power source. Do not leave a charging device unattended!
Also note that not all USB power sources are the same. The USB 2.0 spec is 5 volts, 0.5 amps or 2.5 watts. But many “Fast Chargers” that are made for specific phones can output much greater than that to which you now rely on how well your mod is able to regulate that power.
Monitor your device while it is charging. Should it get hot, stop charging immediately and would probably be a good idea not to use that USB power source again. Once the device reaches full charge, unplug from its power source. Do not leave a charging device unattended!
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Just to add, charging batteries in an external charger allows you to monitor battery temperature by touch. Charging can create heat. Batteries do not like heat and can react quite violently. You can't easily monitor battery temperature by touching a mod's surface when charging by USB, that's very unreliable.
Always charge batteries on a fire resistant surface; never charge on a bed, couch, or while sleeping.
Most battery explosions occur during charging.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
The good:
Always charge batteries on a fire resistant surface; never charge on a bed, couch, or while sleeping.
Most battery explosions occur during charging.
E-Cigarette Explosions: Comprehensive List
There have been 50 major incidents this year (2016) alone and that's just the ones which make the news. They also go on to say...
"It is interesting to note that the nature of e-cigarette explosions has changed over the years. The FEMA document cited above suggests that approximately 80 percent of e-cigarette explosions happen during charging."
There have been 50 major incidents this year (2016) alone and that's just the ones which make the news. They also go on to say...
"It is interesting to note that the nature of e-cigarette explosions has changed over the years. The FEMA document cited above suggests that approximately 80 percent of e-cigarette explosions happen during charging."
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
The good:
Smoke detector batteries were charged and smoke detector worked.
Mod was being charged on a flame resistant surface.
Owner was present in same room as the charger so that he could react immediately to the danger.
The bad: Mod was being charged on a flame resistant surface.
Owner was present in same room as the charger so that he could react immediately to the danger.
Owner was charging battery while asleep.
Mod manufacturer was SMOK. That's like using a battery with the word "fire" in it (Trustfire, Ultra Fire, Sure Fire).
And the ugly: Mod manufacturer was SMOK. That's like using a battery with the word "fire" in it (Trustfire, Ultra Fire, Sure Fire).
Had the smoke alarm not gone off, the owner and his family might have become trapped in their home by the time they discovered their house was on fire.
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Just to throw out a point we do use about charging our phones that way and all, most of the cellphones we use, especially "smartphones", or say tablets, are significantly more expensive than a $40 mod. They can afford the extra few dollars for a decent charging circuit ( they also use custom Lipo batteries so they really have to). But our stuff generally isn't built to those electrical safety standards. It is still very much the "you get what you pay for " system at work.
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