Dead new LG HG2?

[krackpot]

I bought a new set of 4 LG HG2 18650 batteries and popped 3 of them into my Xtar VP4 charger for their initial charge. I forgot about them overnight and in the morning realized that the charge light had gone green but no voltage was displayed on the charger.

I am not sure what is wrong with the charger as it is supposed to stop overcharging, but somehow this morning they drained all 3? I took out a multimeter and tested the batteries. They read close to 140mV. If this is true, are these batteries gone? Are the batteries are a hazard now? The uncharged one reads 3.62V.

Any safe way to save them? I note that this charger has 0v activation of sleeping batteries but I have no idea how to make this work.

Side note: The charger did this to my Samsung 25Rs too. I thought the batteries were just old (bought back in May) and just died.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[Mooch]

I bought a new set of 4 LG HG2 18650 batteries and popped 3 of them into my Xtar VP4 charger for their initial charge. I forgot about them overnight and in the morning realized that the charge light had gone green but no voltage was displayed on the charger.

I am not sure what is wrong with the charger as it is supposed to stop overcharging, but somehow this morning they drained all 3? I took out a multimeter and tested the batteries. They read close to 140mV. If this is true, are these batteries gone? Are the batteries are a hazard now? The uncharged one reads 3.62V.

Any safe way to save them? I note that this charger has 0v activation of sleeping batteries but I have no idea how to make this work.

Side note: The charger did this to my Samsung 25Rs too. I thought the batteries were just old (bought back in May) and just died.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance.

I would advise not using that charger again, for anything.

Even if it was working though, I don't recommend trying to recover over-discharged li-ion batteries. When the voltage drops below about 2.0V it starts breaking down the copper electrode inside and does other assorted stuff that lowers the performance of the battery. Even if those batteries accepted a charge, they will never be the same again and could be unsafe to use.

Unfortunately, in this case it's best to just buy a new charger and batteries.

 

[krackpot]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Would you recommend getting the Xtar VP2 charger to replace?

 

[Mooch]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Would you recommend getting the Xtar VP2 charger to replace?

I don't know that charger specifically but the Xtar brand is one of the better ones for chargers. This would be a great question to ask in its own thread so lots of people see it and can chime in,

 

[krackpot]

Thanks again.

I saw a post on a different forum where they connected the batteries in parallel(?) - connecting both negatives together and then the positives with a resistor in the middle. Not sure if that would do it. But then I read about copper shunts forming inside and as you have mentioned.

This has been a bit of an expensive journey in the battery world.

 

[Mooch]

Thanks again.

I saw a post on a different forum where they connected the batteries in parallel(?) - connecting both negatives together and then the positives with a resistor in the middle. Not sure if that would do it. But then I read about copper shunts forming inside and as you have mentioned.

This has been a bit of an expensive journey in the battery world.

You can charge a battery up enough for the charger to "recognize" it that way but, unfortunately, you're still left with a damaged battery.