E-cig charger for 220 volt socket marketed as for 110 volt socket

[Bill Godshall]

Potentially hazardous e-cigarette charger found being marketed in NB, Canada
E-cigarette charger sparks safety concern - New Brunswick - CBC News

I was under the impression that 110 volt electric plugs and sockets were different than 220 volt plugs and sockets (to prevent this very problem from occurring).

Am surprised the news story didn't mention that it was illegal to sell e-cigarettes in Canada.

Might this e-cig charger problem found in Canada be related to the note posted by rolygate yesterday at
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...oding-mods-current-situation.html#post5146201

 

[martinc]

It has a diff plug,check the huge yellow adaptor grafted to it.

Its a user problem,buying stuff w/o checking stats and w/o reading owners manuals and checking inscriptions on devices.

Who reads instructions anyways...on anything...ever.

 

[yvilla]

Might this e-cig charger problem found in Canada be related to the note posted by rolygate yesterday at
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...oding-mods-current-situation.html#post5146201

No Bill, the incident referred to involved a mod using 2 stacked Lith-Ion LifePo4 batteries. Mod batteries in general (and the chargers needed for them) are completely different from the proprietary batteries/proprietary charger combo used in the cig look alikes referred to in the story you point to.

 

[Ande]

Another thought- I'm about to follow the link and see what's up with this. I just wanted to chime in, though- Electronic cigarettes, at least according to my Canadian friends, are legal and available in Canada as long as they are the nicotine free variety.

Best,
Ande

 

[Ande]

Just had a glance at the link-

I really feel that someone is, yet again, reaching to find negatives on electronic cigarettes.

Putting a 220 charger into a 110 volt socket won't be dangerous, though it may not work, or not work well. (The reverse isn't true. Put a 110 volt charger into a 220 volt socket, and it could blow.)

In the article, they seem to be saying that it might be dangerous because it hasn't been tested/certified according to their local standards. I know nothing about Canadian standards, but if they have laws for testing/certification of imported electrical goods, of course these should be followed.

But it's common, and known not to be harmful in most cases, for manufacturers to simply use electronics that are rated for the highest voltage they are likely to encounter, and then sell them world wide knowing that the lower voltages won't present a problem.

If you're using a laptop computer to read this, read the transformer box on your cord. I'll bet money that it is rated "up to 240v" or "100-240v" or similar.

Best,
Ande

 

[Bill Godshall]

Thanks for clarifications.

Yvilla wrote

No Bill, the incident referred to involved a mod using 2 stacked Lith-Ion LifePo4 batteries. Mod batteries in general (and the chargers needed for them) are completely different from the proprietary batteries/proprietary charger combo used in the cig look alikes referred to in the story you point to.

Are you saying that batteries used for Mods are completely different than batteries used in e-cigarette products that use prefilled cartridges and/or disposable e-cigarettes?

And if so, which of these types of batteries are/might be more likely to be lacking UN battery certificates (per Legislative News thread on FAA agents investigating various e-cig companies for UN battery certification)?

 

[yvilla]

Bill the batteries used in mods (which are in essence simply battery holders with an atomizer/cartomizer connector) are the same batteries used in many other things like flashlights, radio controlled cars, etc. They can be bought at places totally unconnected with e-cigs, such as at, for example, All-Battery.com: Li-Ion Cylindrical Rechargeable Batteries (18650 3.7v), or Li-Ion Rechargeable Batteries. Many mod seller's sites now stock them as well though, such as Super T. David's battery page is here, for example: Super T Manufacturing, Innovative manufacturer of electronic cigarette products.

As such, mod batteries, although perhaps more likely to cause dangerous explosive incidents, especially when stacked for high voltage use, are not likely to be the ones the FAA agents are looking into. I would presume they are looking into the cigarette look-alike type e-cig batteries. For although inside of these proprietary e-cig battery tubes you would find the same type of LiIon chemistry batteries, the actual battery inside of the tube cannot be seen (without tearing the tube apart), and thus the typical markings you see on the outside of other kinds of batteries are not visible on such e-cig batteries.

Presumably then, since the actual battery cannot be seen in a cigarette look-alike type e-cig battery, the FAA might be worried that manufacturors could be sticking uncertified or cheaply made and dangerous batteries inside of them.

 

[Foxfur]

I'm not aware of any current models of cigarette sized e-cigs that use anything other than lithium battery chemistries. NiCd and NiMH's do not have the necessary voltage available due to the cell voltage particular to their chemistry, 1.2v / cell. Lithium batteries are a nominal 3v (actual voltage is 3.4 - 3.7v).
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who knows of a commercial product that uses NiCd or NiMH (excl. mods).

 

[Ande]

That's the thing- Ecig mod batteries are not entirely safe (and neither is anything else), but are more regulated and controlled, as they have been imported for a longer time and are imported for a wider variety of purposes.

If I run out of ecig batteries, I can borrow a set from my wife's camera. (one of my mod's and my wife's camera both take RCR123a batteries.) And I can buy them in the camera section of department stores.

Purpose built ecigs (egos, rivas, 510s etc) are the same chemistry (lithium ion) but are only used in ecigs. Maybe more significant to the FAA and others- these batteries aren't sold separately; they come combined in a single unit, containing a switch. The stability of this switch is a serious factor in product safety. (Some are automatic, some manual, some have safety features, some don't.)

Best,
Ande

 

[yvilla]

Maybe more significant to the FAA and others- these batteries aren't sold separately; they come combined in a single unit, containing a switch. The stability of this switch is a serious factor in product safety. (Some are automatic, some manual, some have safety features, some don't.)

Yeah, the above is probably also a concern, and is something I didn't think about in my last post.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Bill, most chargers these days are worldwide voltage (marked 100-240vAC 50~60hz) and will adjust automatically to the voltage supplied. Check the label which should on the charger itself. This means the majority will work fine on most domestic mains power voltages around the world. This applies to all sorts of electronic goods and not just e-cigs. For example, my laptop power supply is marked as such, and although it has a 3 pin UK plug, and we use 230v 50hz AC, with a suitable adapter I could safely use it on a 120v 60hz US outlet. See here for list of voltages worldwide - theres so many of them it would be pretty uneconomical for make different versions for every different voltage - Mains electricity by country - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

All of my e-cig chargers have similar markings. In fact the same kits are supplied worldwide, often just with a different adapter or lead where an AC charger is supplied.

 

[MattZuke]

Bill, most chargers these days are worldwide voltage (marked 100-240vAC 50~60hz) and will adjust automatically to the voltage supplied.
....

All of my e-cig chargers have similar markings. In fact the same kits are supplied worldwide, often just with a different adapter or lead where an AC charger is supplied.

To cover just Japan, one needs ~100 50-60hz. Pre-war grid is 50hz. To cover East Asia, one needs 110-240V ~50-60hz.
It makes sense to make one supply for everyone, which will cover Europe as well.

If they're going to skimp on Power Supplies, they'll make a special north american one, 110V 60hz. It's a big market, and a big area with a unified standard.

They have a legit concern, but it's not a e-cigarette specific issue. Yes, it's less likely to be an issue jacking in a 220V supply into 110V, but that's no excuse. There is no room for guess work with electricity.