Battery Charging Question

[Little Brother]

OK I've got the standard Ego USB charger, what I want to know is if it will be safe to use it to charge 900mah ego batteries if it's plugged into a 5vdc 2.1 amp a.c. to d.c. adapter? Is this too much amperage and what about charging the Ego 18650 with it? I don't want to blow up a battery to find out. I see most chargers rated at about 500 - 750 ma, is this safer or just slower?
Thanks,
Little Brother

 

[NGIB]

The standard eGo charger is 5VDC at 420ma and will charge any eGo style battery from 650 to 1100mah. IIRC, the eGo 18650 uses a separate battery and it should be charged in a different unit. I use a xtar WP2 for my 14650 & 18350 batteries...

 

[Little Brother]

Ok, I know that the standard charger is 420ma as you stated, but isn't the output of a usb hub something like 1.8 - 2.0 amps? so what I want to know is if the standard charger has a limiting circuit for the amperage output, and if that will allow me to use the wall adapter (5v @ 2.1 amps) safely. I ran a search but get conflicting info.
thanks,
Little Brother

 

[DaveP]

Ok, I know that the standard charger is 420ma as you stated, but isn't the output of a usb hub something like 1.8 - 2.0 amps? so what I want to know is if the standard charger has a limiting circuit for the amperage output, and if that will allow me to use the wall adapter (5v @ 2.1 amps) safely. I ran a search but get conflicting info.
thanks,
Little Brother

Lithium ion batteries like slow charge. Charge them too fast and they generate greater internal heat. Internal heat both deteriorates the electrolyte and contributes to thermal runaway. I'd stay with the design characteristics of the supplied charger and not take a chance on one of your batteries going boom. It's not a pretty sight when they turn into firecrackers!

Standard computer USB ports supply up to 500ma output at 5vdc. There are two parts to an AC - DC wall charger. There's the wall adapter that supplies 5vdc with a USB port and there's the dongle that plugs into the USB port to adapt to and charge your particular battery at the correct rates. The dongle should supply 5vdc and be current regulated to 420ma output at the battery connector. That will supply the correct charge. The actual 110vac to 5vdc wall adapter isn't that critical. It's the charging cable that allows the correct current draw to charge the battery.

 

[Little Brother]

Thanks Dave, that answered my question perfectly. I sure don't want to blow-up a battery. Fortunately I've never experienced it first hand, but I've seen pics, and it's scary!

Vape On,
Little Brother

 

[the wind]

the eGo 18650 uses a separate battery and it should be charged in a different unit. I use a Xtar WP2 for my 14650 & 18350 batteries...

i read some where you can take it out and charge but you could also use the regular ego charger too.

 

[Little Brother]

i read some where you can take it out and charge but you could also use the regular ego charger too.

Yes, that was what was posted on all the websites I saw selling them.

Good Vapes,
Little Brother

 

[DaveP]

My Trustfire TR-001 charger is rated at 4.2v/500ma output and I use it to charger AW 18650 IMR batteries as well as standard Li-ion batteries. Depending on who you talk to, the TR-001 is a good charger for $16 or so. It rates well in the flashlight forums when tested and graphed against the $45 Pila charger. The Pila has some good features but the charging graph shows very similar rates of charge and cutoff.

 

[Little Brother]

Thanks again Dave, I'll check that one out for sure, got my mod today, it's on charge on USB port now, my ac adapter is still on order.

Good Vaping,
Little Brother