Battery charger question
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Read the description on the sites where you are looking to buy a charger. If no description, then google the type of charger to find info.
And use sites that cater to vapers. There are a few that are popular here at ecf. Such as illum or Liion
Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery/cell distributor
And use sites that cater to vapers. There are a few that are popular here at ecf. Such as illum or Liion
Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery/cell distributor
I actually bought some batteries and a charger from liion wholesale the charger I have is the xtar vc4 it doesn’t list NMC in the description on their website so I guess it can’t charge the Sony vtc5a batteries?
The differences between the chemistries of cells we use are quite minor when it comes to how they should be charged.
There are three variables for a Li-ion charging algorithm.
1) The charge current for the bulk portion of the cycle. Most chargers will allow you to select from several, but even the highest will be low enough to be safe for an 18650 or larger cell. However, your cells may last longer if you charge them at a lower current. Personally, I prefer to charge at 0.5A rather that 1A.
2) The peak voltage it charges to. This is generally fixed at 4.2v, which is low enough to be safe for all the chemistries we use. Some chemistries are rated higher (up to 4.35v), and a few chargers do have a setting for that. I'm not aware of any cells in common use by vapers that are have rated charge voltages above 4.2v, so if your charger has such a setting, make sure it's not selected.
3) The cut-off current. Once the cell reaches peak charging voltage, the charger monitors the current the cell is drawing at that voltage. When this current falls below a certain level, the charger stops applying voltage and considers the charge complete. This value is fixed in most consumer chargers at at a high enough value to be safe for just about any cell. Stopping too soon is safer than continuing to apply voltage for too long.
There are three variables for a Li-ion charging algorithm.
1) The charge current for the bulk portion of the cycle. Most chargers will allow you to select from several, but even the highest will be low enough to be safe for an 18650 or larger cell. However, your cells may last longer if you charge them at a lower current. Personally, I prefer to charge at 0.5A rather that 1A.
2) The peak voltage it charges to. This is generally fixed at 4.2v, which is low enough to be safe for all the chemistries we use. Some chemistries are rated higher (up to 4.35v), and a few chargers do have a setting for that. I'm not aware of any cells in common use by vapers that are have rated charge voltages above 4.2v, so if your charger has such a setting, make sure it's not selected.
3) The cut-off current. Once the cell reaches peak charging voltage, the charger monitors the current the cell is drawing at that voltage. When this current falls below a certain level, the charger stops applying voltage and considers the charge complete. This value is fixed in most consumer chargers at at a high enough value to be safe for just about any cell. Stopping too soon is safer than continuing to apply voltage for too long.
Going to the manufacturer's specs may help if you are unsure re: a charger. Also, most chargers (since you already have one) will list, on the back ,the types of batteries they support. I was kind of surprised to see that my nitecore intellecharger was compatible with all the 27-- series of batteries, but it is, and it does indeed charge them.
You just want a trusted brand (ililum, xtrar, nitecore) and there will be a lot of different options For example some folks want/need a 4 bay charger and etc., while other folks like me are perfectly happy using a 2 bay.
Reading some reviews can also be helpful. Best of luck. Some folks have a backup charger and as my nitecore ages, I am considering one. Not that it's doing anything wonky, I just would hate to be left without a charger at a time I needed one.
Best of luck,
Anna
You just want a trusted brand (ililum, xtrar, nitecore) and there will be a lot of different options For example some folks want/need a 4 bay charger and etc., while other folks like me are perfectly happy using a 2 bay.
Reading some reviews can also be helpful. Best of luck. Some folks have a backup charger and as my nitecore ages, I am considering one. Not that it's doing anything wonky, I just would hate to be left without a charger at a time I needed one.
Best of luck,
Anna
Thanks for all the help everyone so basically the chemical composition of li-on batteries are all charged the same way so as long as the charger supports li-ion batteries it would be able to charge any chemical type ?
No. You have to check the specific charger. The ones most commonly used can charge the batteries usually used for vaping, but they can't necessarily charge LiFePO4s.
NMCs are also known as INRs, and I think the Xtar VC4 lists them under that name. You can read about some naming conventions here:
Battery chemistry FINALLY explained
As others have said, the Xtar VC4 will charge Sony VTC5As just fine. Your vendor, batteries and charger are all good picks and are recommended by our battery guru, Mooch. You may well have found his blog by now, but just in case you haven't it's here:
Index | E-Cigarette Forum
Oh I didn’t know that NMC and INR were the same I’m actually using some ijoy 26650 INRs right now batteries can be a bit confusing sometimes lol. Yeah Mooch has taught me a lot that’s why I picked up the VTC5As it was on his best battery list. Thanks again for the help
I thought the naming might be the missing link. There are a lot of things to wrap your head around when it comes to batteries, but Mooch is a great resource and you're asking good questions - better to find out for sure than assume things will work out. Good luck!
Yes, lithium iron phosphate cell are very much an exception. They are a derivative of traditional Li-ion chemistry, but aren't usually considered to be "Lithium Ion" and easily be identified because they will be labelled "3.2V" instead of "3.6V' or "3.7V". They should never be charged to more than 3.6v. Some chargers (e.g. the XTAR VP2) do have a setting for them, but I don't know anyone that uses these cells for vaping.
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