Building a REAL charger

[RjG]

Those don't have integrated charge circuits they just have short and overcharge detection that prevents the battery from venting flame.

IC contains low voltage cutuff, charge termination, and short detection
Here's one with the pcb shown:
Photos of Protected Lithium Batteries - CandlePowerForums

Reading the DX threads on the various batteries, they are reported having a charge termination as low as 4.13 and as high as 4.2, depending which one you look at. SOME may NOT have all three - be careful which one you pick, read the specs and the peanut gallery comments.

It's not a terrible option, especially with a mod that wouldn't have a low voltage cutoff in it otherwise. One deep discharge, and these LiIon batts are hosed, but the "protected" version would survive.

If you are a techie - enough to want to build your OWN battery mgmt circuit - this is still a shortcut. It's already done - if you don't like the cutoff - peel the pcb out and change the divider. Still less work than starting from scratch

 

[kinabaloo]

They don't come with modder-opening protection though. And can spontaneously combust at the indignity of being unwrapped. So best done outdoors.

 

[RjG]

...And can spontaneously combust at the indignity of being unwrapped...

Why did my wife pop into my head when I read that ?

 

[ratfink]

It's not a terrible option, especially with a mod that wouldn't have a low voltage cutoff in it otherwise. One deep discharge, and these LiIon batts are hosed, but the "protected" version would survive.

Oh hey they are great, nothing wrong with them. The front end protection on the battery does not provide in any way shape or form the ability to charge the battery in itself. I just wanted to point out that they are not a complete solution before someone here tries charging them with plain DC and ruining the battery.

If you are a techie - enough to want to build your OWN battery mgmt circuit - this is still a shortcut. It's already done - if you don't like the cutoff - peel the pcb out and change the divider. Still less work than starting from scratch

Just to clarify _many_ of the safety features are taking care of a few are not including thermal protection. You will still need to monitor the temperature of the cells. And finally there is nothing on the battery that manages the charge cycle, you still need a circuit that contains some semblance of a battery charger, of which it is best to use an off the shelf ic designed for that purpose.

 

[puff-puff-pass]

If you're wanting to build a charger for a "MOD" device, you can skip a bunch of steps and start off with batteries with a charge controller built in already. They're cheap,
example: DealExtreme: $4.75 TrustFire Protected 14500 3.7V 900mAh Lithium Batteries (2-Pack Blue)

Then you have the advantage of a low power cutoff built in as well.

It's do-able..just not part of my ambitions. What "size" of batts are in our ecigs...AAA?

 

[invidregis]

It's do-able..just not part of my ambitions. What "size" of batts are in our ecigs...AAA?

There more like AAAA, tabbed ends. I have dissected, 801s, 901s, a dura or 2, and RN equivalents. They all look the same.

 

[puff-puff-pass]

Why did my wife pop into my head when I read that ?

Do you normally unwrap her outdoors?! If so...what do your neighbors think?!

 

[RjG]

LOL, no, the quote was "spontaneously combust at the indignity of being unwrapped"

I must be the only one in this thread that's been married a long time

 

[rmasu]

read up on a hobby forum, under chargers, I am a helicopter pilot (radio controlled) and have lith ion chargers then can charge the e-cig batteries, that comment about is right just make a lead out of a paper clip insulated of course and an alligator clip and you're done.
Doc

 

[Lakota]

read up on a hobby forum, under chargers, I am a helicopter pilot (radio controlled) and have lith ion chargers then can charge the e-cig batteries, that comment about is right just make a lead out of a paper clip insulated of course and an alligator clip and you're done.
Doc

I had thought about the alligator clip and paper clip myself and decided against it after fabbing up an insulator to keep the clip away from the neg side. Worried that I would trash my computerized charger if a clip let go somehow. Just took an e-cig usb charger and gutted it, chucked the board and soldered leads to a Dean's connector directly to the proper e-cig connector.

 

[puff-puff-pass]

read up on a hobby forum, under chargers, I am a helicopter pilot (radio controlled)...

I used to fly RC heli's too...my neighbors also used to have a shed!

 

[SSRob]

Are the batteries in these things Chinese cells or Japanese cells? I'm guessing Chinese. I wonder if Japanese cells would work better overall.

 

[puff-puff-pass]

Are the batteries in these things Chinese cells or Japanese cells? I'm guessing Chinese. I wonder if Japanese cells would work better overall.

And what would be the difference?

 

[JonHarm]

With all the new powermat charging systems that have been showing up at CES this year. It would be nice to have a carrying case that you could screw the batteries into. That way when you get home you could just toss the case down on the charging mat and it would begin charging the batteries. This way you wouldn't have to pull the batteries out, screw them into the charger, then make sure not to forget them the next day when you leave the house. You would just grab your case and go.

I'd pay big bucks for a cigarette carrying case for the m401 that had terminals for the batteries as you describe, but charged via USB (mini or micro)

 

[SSRob]

Chinese batteries are usually garbage.

And what would be the difference?

 

[puff-puff-pass]

I'd pay big bucks for a cigarette carrying case for the m401 that had terminals for the batteries as you describe, but charged via USB (mini or micro)

I like it! I will try to include that into my designs.

 

[elvinone]

How's the research coming along?

 

[raven9mm]

Here's my million bucks.

You need to design a charger with a clamping mechanism that does not rely on threads. Just a center electrode and an outer with some way to hold the battery in place. A "universal" charger for all battery types.

They are already available, in USB anyway. I have 4 of them. Instead of the threads, there is a dish that the outside threads hit for ground, then a little pin in the middle of it that hits positive. It uses a spring loaded lever on the side to "hold" the battery in place. Unfortunatly, they do a terrible job of doing so. I am sending mine back.

you can see them here



This charger can charge batteries of the following models:
DSE801 pen style e-cigarette
DSE901 mini e-cigarette
DSE101 mini e-cigarette
DSE103 mini e-cigarette
DSE201 mini e-cigarette
RN4075 mini e-cigarette

 

[SSRob]

The ideal charger would be a desktop model with several contact points. The weight of the battery against a lightweight spring mechanism would complete the circuit and you could charge 3-4+ batteries at once.

 

[stevo_tdo]

Building one is not the problem, a reliable connection between the battery and the charge output is. My mod has a built in charger, it could be scaled down to a 2 aa box, but a reliable universal connector that would be worth something.