battery charger cord failure

[Rocketman]

That's good reading but this thread could have the title revised by ECF staff. It will show up as written in Google searches.

The AW cell didn't blow up, nor did the charger like another thread states.
It seems it was a defective or abused power cord.

No need to dis the OP, AW, or the charger.

The supply chain put a poor power cord in the box and it didn't survive what the user thought was normal wear and tear.

 

[tinstar15]

I wasn't trying to play the sensationalist or trying to drum up attention with the title. I just posted the info I had at the moment I got it. I asked for theories in the event I had to explain this to my boss. I've used AW batteries for quite some time. They're the only brand I buy anymore. The batteries in question were genuine black coated silver label protected batteries. 18500 li-ion.

When he described the situation to me, he did so in the best way he could. Bear in mind, my boss never owned or used a mod before. He owns a local ecig shop and I was trying to convince him to carry mods from various vendors for local sales. He didn't see a point to mods or vv devices. I thought by getting him a simple setup, he might see a need for them. He was loving it, until this. From the start I was sure that the incident was either user error ( leaving the batts in prior to plugging it in) or charger malfunction. Since AW batts are known to be as good as can be had, I was at a loss to explain what happened. That is why I asked for theories in the event someone had more experience in this area. If I had an idea of where to start looking, I would be able to track down an answer faster.

In response to angler, I wasn't trying to scare up interest or hype. I assume people can read. They can go through the posts and read for themselves and see the timeline of information. Only a fool would read a thread title and start throwing their equipment away for some random paranoid fear. So it was an AW battery. You see that as important somehow? What difference would it have made if it was an Ultra fire or Trust fire or some no-name battle in the title? I could have left out the names and model numbers which would have led to a dozen posts asking for that info. If you have a problem, take it to a moderator.

 

[Lethalp]

Is having a timer on the charger a good idea? It sounds like it could help? Is it ok for the batteries to stay in the charger after they are charged if the timer has switched it off?

I never let my batts charge unattended, and I do take them off as soon as I see they turn green. I have only had my charger a few days, so I have not figured out yet how long it takes to charge. This one does charge faster then the one I had that was broke on one side. Here is what I will do to try to be safe

1)don't leave batteries unattended while charging
2) take them off as soon as possible after the light turns green
3) take a reading with a multimeter
4) carry full batters in a case, not my pocket

And this is a tip I picked up from another thread, I don't know if it works or it only gives me a false sense of security. When I put my fully charged batteries in my mod (I have a wooden box mod) I turn it off while I put them in then I

5) point the mod away from my face and hit the button several times before I put it near my face

The reason here being that some of the mishaps have happened with freshly charged batteries. Maybe it good, maybe it's hogwash, but it's just part of my routine.

 

[DaveP]

little batteries go pop. I had an ego type go thermal on me got very very hot, messed up the lamination on the table under it....

I hear rumors of protected IMR's that would be a great extra layer of safety in a mod.

Obviously, it blew the cap off the bottom. There's some question in peoples's minds about whether the blowout cap would pop or the threaded end would blow off. One or the other would give under pressure. Hopefully it would be the end that's not in your face at the time.

 

[Goldenkobold]

I think the OP did a good job from initial response, based on what his boss said, to following up with his own information. This thread isn't "a joke" it points out that failures can occur at multiple points in the process.

 

[Rocketman]

I also think the OP did a responsible thing by reporting, and updating as knowledge was gained.

I question leaving the title as is.
Not everyone will read all the posts here. Only a few of us read every post in a forum

Here's the result for AW Exploded on Google:

 

[deach]

I honestly think it's a simple AC cord malfunction. I highly doubt that either plugging in with the batteries in (which I do NOT recommend by the way) or the charger caused the malfunction. I just got to looking at one of my Trustfire cords and honestly I cannot imagine trying to make that any cheaper. The little tiny short cord going to my 510 charger is way better made and honestly has the CE rating on it. (the actual cord). Since I have at least 4 of these chargers in use at different locations I think as a safety precaution I will look for new AC cords for them. (when I can not an emergency) ...

I can easily see the cord arcing and causing the charger to jump and the spring loaded mechanism ejecting a battery, thus giving the impression of the battery ejecting out like a rocket. Again, the cord arcing could easily leave a burned mark.

This thread is anything but a joke. There are other threads about the cords that come with that particular charger (the CORD not the charger) It helps to establish a pattern, it's how defects are found, weak links in the chain. I salute the OP and thank him for sharing the INFO he got as he got it. **THANKS** Tinstar, I for one, appreciate the way you handled all of this.

 

[DaveP]

I don't have a problem with the OP stating what he knew from the start. I also appreciate him posting a correction as soon as he found out what really happened. The more we discuss battery issues, the more people will read and understand how to prevent them. Too many people plug in their chargers and go to sleep or go to work. This needs to stop, IMO, and the only way to educate people is through threads that talk about failures and list the reasons why.

Chargers are at fault, even with the good ones. QC is an issue these days with offshore manufacturing and could happen no matter where they are made.

ETA: There are lots of fake AW batteries in the supply chain. Most of these are reported to come from China. The Panasonic cells in a real AW battery are made in Japan. Who knows where the fakes from from. There's a thread on ECF that shows a fake AW alongside a real one. I'll try to find it and post the thread link here.

 

[markfm]

Thread with fake AW photo: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/super-t-manufacturing/250739-warning-fake-aw-batteries.html

 

[tinstar15]

I agree with the title change. That issue should be fixed shortly. If only the damn situation hadn't happened in the first place, I'd be a happier guy. As a result of this whole thing, my boss decided that carrying anything with removable batteries would be to high a liability. He makes a good deal of business selling Rivas and eGo devices. He had agreed to buy about 30 GLVs, a hand full of Super T mods, Silver Bullets and BBs, and a few of the Megalodons until this. I showed him how to check batteries, charge them, and everything else safety-wise. Never occurred to me that a charger cable would fail like this.

Since I never move my four bay trustfire charger, I'm not worried. I do, however, take my old two bay model with me on trips. This incident has left me somewhat distrustful of the cord, so at least I'll be keeping an eye on that.

 

[Rocketman]

Thanks Mark. ECF is so big it's really hard to keep track of what has been posted.
The counterfeiters will only get better at this.


BTW, I like the part in this thread about the Boss owning an e-cig business.
(sorry, just had to point this out)

 

[deach]

Is having a timer on the charger a good idea? It sounds like it could help? Is it ok for the batteries to stay in the charger after they are charged if the timer has switched it off?

I never let my batts charge unattended, and I do take them off as soon as I see they turn green. I have only had my charger a few days, so I have not figured out yet how long it takes to charge. This one does charge faster then the one I had that was broke on one side. Here is what I will do to try to be safe

1)don't leave batteries unattended while charging
2) take them off as soon as possible after the light turns green
3) take a reading with a multimeter
4) carry full batters in a case, not my pocket

And this is a tip I picked up from another thread, I don't know if it works or it only gives me a false sense of security. When I put my fully charged batteries in my mod (I have a wooden box mod) I turn it off while I put them in then I

5) point the mod away from my face and hit the button several times before I put it near my face

The reason here being that some of the mishaps have happened with freshly charged batteries. Maybe it good, maybe it's hogwash, but it's just part of my routine.

Personally (and this is just me) although the timer could help, I don't think I'd come to getting used to leaving the batteries in the charger. The Best policy is simply to keep an eye on them periodically and after the light turns green take them out. With LiOns it's always better to undercharge than overcharge them. The rest you have down pat. I will admit to not checking the batteries everytime they come off the charger (to be safe I honestly should get more meters I guess) but I do have chargers at places and do not always have my meter with me. I've charged countless cycles of 14500 batteries on my chargers and never had an incident yet. For the record I have not upped the money for any AW batteries. (that's just me, I think next time I might get a set just to see). I use more batteries in my flashlights than in my mod box so they're always in rotation (one day might be in a light, next day in the box) If in the process of checking them I find one that has over a couple hundredths of a volt different when fresh charged I take them and put them in the single cell light bin only.

You seem to have a pretty good start on how to safely use the batteries now. Don't worry, just be safe.

 

[Rocketman]

This thread isn't even a hundred posts long, and folks still jump in the middle and miss what really happened.

The title is just so darn attractive.

 

[buGG]

This thread isn't even a hundred posts long, and folks still jump in the middle and miss what really happened.

The title is just so darn attractive.

The nature of ECF. Find sensational title, read first few posts (maybe), submit reply.

 

[tinstar15]

This thread isn't even a hundred posts long, and folks still jump in the middle and miss what really happened.

The title is just so darn attractive.

I'm working on it . Would be a whole lot easier if I could do it myself. Kinda wonder why we can't.
Lot of good tips in it though. Never thought about using a timer switch. Kinda like the idea.

 

[Rocketman]

Oh we get good discussion, good tips, links to other good info.
Repeating stuff, hammering it in, until it makes sense is necessary sometimes.

So all isn't lost. Some have learn from this.

 

[markfm]

Just don't send your boss to the thread with the eGo-type battery having an issue on the charger

 

[Rocketman]

Just don't send your boss to the thread with the eGo-type battery having an issue on the charger

,
or where that Rocket dude implied 'anyone can start an e-cig business'.


Sounds like 'Tact' will be a valuable skill for you

 

[tinstar15]

BTW, I like the part in this thread about the Boss owning an e-cig business.
(sorry, just had to point this out)

You'd be surprised how many unknown ecig businesses there are out there. There's at least five that I know of in my town alone. That doesn't even include the quickie-marts and Walmarts. When I first ran into him, he had no idea how to test anything. Never heard of LR or VV or mods etc. He was still using carts and regular attys. Since I started working with him, we've got DCT tanks and low res dual coils and every other neat thingamabob you could want. Just got him into carrying custom made eliquids from various ecf vendors and was just about to get into carrying all the more popular mods until this crap. I got my work cut out for me.

No point in hiding the ego thread from him. He had one go off in the shop. Guy had run it over with his truck in the parking lot. All it did was pop the cap and ooze a little. Nothing spectacular. I've shown him some youtube vids with egos. Doesn't seem to phase him much. His charger popping next to him...thats got him freaked. It might take me a while, but i'll get him going again.

 

[DaveP]

Thread with fake AW photo: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/super-t-manufacturing/250739-warning-fake-aw-batteries.html

Thanks, Markfm, for posting that link.