Battery getting hot while charging?

[Adrienne1001]

I've been using a Kanger Evod Mega with a 1900 maH battery for just over a week. My husband has borrowed the charging cable that came with the Mega, so I'm improvising with a mini USB I have here at home. The base of the battery, where the cable inserts, gers more than a little warm. It's not burning my hand and the warmth doesn't climb more than my thumb's width up the battery. I don't recall the original cable causing this. Is this normal or dangerous? TIA

 

[Adrienne1001]

Well, I seem to have (hopefully) answered my own question. My husband has returned my charging cable and the base of my pass-through battery still gets hot to the touch. It hasn't caught fire or blown up, so I'm going to assume I'm okay.

 

[Mooch]

What are you using for charging? USB port? The Kangar AC power adapter (USB charger) plugged into the wall?

I think the recommended charging rate is 500mA. If you're using a charger/adapter that puts out more current than 500mA that could explain the heating.

 

[Adrienne1001]

Thank you for responding. That makes sense. The Mega came with the mini USB cable only, no outlet thingy. The 1st time I used it, I plugged it in to my computer at work. I didn't notice any warmth then, but I also wasn't using the pass-through feature at my desk. One of the two outlet adapters I used is labeled as 5V == 1A output, and the other is 5.3V == 2A. How does that translate to mA?
-Sorry. I forgot that I know math. 1A is equal to 1000 mA, so over by half the recommended charging rate. I'll have to see if I can't find one rated more appropriately for my digital.

 

[Mooch]

1A (amp) = 1000mA (milliamps)
2A = 2000mA

A typical computer USB port will only allow 500mA to be drawn from it. If the recommended charge rate is 500mA then, just to be safe, I would only charge it with your computer or a 500mA-rated adaptor. I definitely wouldn't use the 2A adaptor anymore. You might be OK with the 1A adaptor but heat is a battery's worst enemy and you'd be exceeding Kangar's recommended charging rate by a factor of two. The damage from overheating can be cumulative. I would err on the side of caution as the consequences can be dangerous if the battery overheats and vents.

 

[classwife]

Moved to New Members from Simple Solutions

 

[Thrasher]

The adaptor cannot force more then the device is asking for.just doesn't work that way. You can plug it into a 100 amp outlet yet it will still only run at 500mah
The ratings on adaptors is the maximum level they can run

The most likely scenario is the laptop port wasn't supplying the full amperage they can deliver. Now that its plugged into a better one it can pull at its full rate

 

[Mooch]

Good point, I agree. If there is a charging board in the Mega, and not just a couple of diodes to drop the coltage from the USB port, then the Mega would just draw what it needed.
I interpreted her heating issue as one where the Mega would allow enough current to flow to heat up the unit. Using passthrough mode (when not at her computer) could explain that. Since the Kangar charger was a 500mA unit I recommended charging current value that to keep the heating down. I should have explained it better, thanks!

 

[Thrasher]

If found in the end pass through use keeps the battery in a constant state off trickle charge which really isn't the best treatment for longevity.

I went and looked it up the mega states its a charging controller inside

So if being used in pass through mode the chip is always running.

Even the big batteries feel a little warm sometimes.


But in the end, whatever makes you feel safer is the correct choice

 

[DUBChaos]

The adaptor cannot force more then the device is asking for.just doesn't work that way. You can plug it into a 100 amp outlet yet it will still only run at 500mah
The ratings on adaptors is the maximum level they can run

The most likely scenario is the laptop port wasn't supplying the full amperage they can deliver. Now that its plugged into a better one it can pull at its full rate

Hey!
So I just started vaping a bit more than a week ago, and I have the same issue, currently my battery heats up a lot, just like Adrienne said, it doesn't do any damage so far, but I am a bit scared of it exploding... I've been charging it on my laptop, a dell inspirion, and as I said, it's been getting really hot, so I was thinking of trying to charge it on my USB adaptor from my fone which output is at 1500mA, so that should be fine according to your post, right???

 

[Thrasher]

Yea, you should be ok.

In the case of usb wall chargers in general, its usually better to have more then you need so the wallwart isnt always running at its limits