EGO usb charger necessary? Why?

[digital123]

Ok so I have a question what is the purpose of the usb charger that connects to the EGO/510 style batteries? Now I understand the wall wart must convert standard AC voltage to the 5v that comes from a USB port correct? Then what is the small box containing a circuit board on the actual EGO charger for? My question is essentially, could one run a wire directly from a USB port to an EGO battery, or is there some voltage conversion etc. that takes place in the charger itself and not the wall wart? If one were operating with standard 5v USB voltage or whatever it is, why does the charger require some type of electronic circuit board inside its connector, and without it what would happen running straight 5v or whatever to the EGO battery?? Thanks for your time guys Im sure there is a very easy to understand reason for this.


Oh. I just had the thought, is it possible the board's only purpose is to operate the charging status light? Does it serve any voltage modifying or resisting purpose or is it only there for charging status?? Thanks again for any answers!

 

[Stosh]

Yes, the circuit board does perform an important function. It limits the charging of the battery to 4.2v which is the maximum. Over charging the battery can cause it to explode, or catch fire. It also limits the ma rate the battery is charged with, also a safety, longevity issue.

 

[digital123]

Thank you very much! I was not aware that the voltage must be limited further from the USB voltage to 4.2v. Perhaps you will know, if a different voltage input, say 5.5v was supplied to the charger would it still safely charge the battery at 4.2v? I am working on a mod and need to know if my input of 5.5v can simply use the standard charger dongle to charge the battery or if I must use some other device regulated for 5.5 to 4.2v?

 

[digital123]

Also while I am at it, I understand the original 510 charger only supplied around 150mah to charge the battery. I understand with an adapter this can still be used on the ego battery without damage. So is there only an issue supplying TOO MUCH MAH to the battery during charging, or can too little also cause a problem (assuming the voltage is high enough to charge with, and the MAH exceeds the use of the LED and voltage drop etc??)

 

[Stosh]

Check out some of the older posts in the modders forum, there is extensive discussion on building charging circuits, different types of voltage regulation, and mod designs....you may be lost for days reading in there, but the safety information is invaluable and you may see a ready made design, with parts list for what you're trying to build...

New modders are always welcome, (you'll need 5 posts first, to post in the forum)

 

[Thrasher]

the dongle has a couple features, on top of supplying 4.2 charge it also stops charging when the battery is done, the Mah rate is because tha batteries are so small and it is unwise to try to power charge such a small battery with more current. every battery has a limit to what rate it can be safely charged.

 

[digital123]

You're right there is probably a better section for this, I do appreciate your help so far though!

 

[digital123]

I will make one more post to make it to 5, and then make my way to the modding section for some research, thank you for the help everyone and glad to have found this forum

 

[Stosh]

The modders are who pushed the vendors into making better mods, cartos, gennys, etc. and a noob with a new way to look at things is great, push the envelope even further!!!

 

[digital123]

Hm I seem to still be unable to post anywhere else, and I can't make a thread in the modding section to ask my questions. I thought it was just 5 posts but are there any other requirements?


In the meantime I'll ask another question. If my charging source has a voltage of 5.5v, but a very low MAH well below the maximum that the battery can accept, will this still damage the battery? Will the 5.5v need to be reduced, and thus I assume losing some MA in the process, even if it has a very low current/MA rating because the 5.5v will still damage the battery? Or will I be able to run 5.5v with a very low MAH of say 100 to charge the battery, without using some type of chip to reduce the voltage further and losing some current in the process I assume?

 

[digital123]

bump why can't I make a new thread in modders section?

 

[AttyPops]

You are literally playing with fire (well, electricity). You really need to know what you are doing to build a charger circuit into a mod. So read up. You'll be able to post after X # of posts and a forum refresh (happens once per hour...last I knew about 20 min after the hour but IDK exactly when).

The higher voltage could easily change the equation, but probably won't for .5 volts...even the USB wall wart probably isn't that perfect. Depends on the charger specs though. The extra voltage adds extra "pressure" and ups the watts...particularly since voltage is squared in the wattage calculation.

It's easiest if you're new to modding to use swappable batteries for a few builds. There's plenty of other things to worry about and having the battery swappable means you don't have to toss the mod when it dies. And if you're going to this much work...why toss it? And if it's swappable, just swap it and use an external charger to charge.

If you're even thinking about charge-while-use that's another can of worms. You really need to think about this more. And read up.

 

[digital123]

Thanks for your reply!


So I dont want to get into too much detail on my project, but assuming a charging input of 5.5v and a very low lets say 50mah, will this damage the battery without a charging board to reduce voltage? Even with such a small current? Or does the 5.5v only need to be reduced f the MAH is higher and be brought down to 4.2v to not damage the battery?

 

[DancingHeretik]

ECF only updates once an hour. So, wait an hour, and all should be well.

 

[AttyPops]

Thanks for your reply!


So I dont want to get into too much detail on my project, but assuming a charging input of 5.5v and a very low lets say 50mah, will this damage the battery without a charging board to reduce voltage? Even with such a small current? Or does the 5.5v only need to be reduced f the MAH is higher and be brought down to 4.2v to not damage the battery?

That will damage the battery don't do it. Use a proper charger that trickle charges the battery properly and checks and shuts off. Or you'll blow it up (fire/vent). Seriously, use an external charger for now. If you have to ask the question....you need to read up. Not being mean, just trying to make sure you don't have to re-decorate your entire house...after it burns down from the fire and you rebuild it. OK, worst case. But still.

 

[digital123]

I appreciate your concern lol and I won't be trying anything until I have a better understanding of course.


The issue with using a proper charger, is that I'm essentially trying to construct a proper charger from a 5.5v solar panel. The output is very low, and I could very well use the standard Ego charger's dongle to reduce the voltage, but I am trying to eliminate as much extra cost/weight from the design as possible. If I need to use a proper pcb designed to reduce voltage and shut off when charging is done etc. I will do so of course, I just didn't want to if it wasn't necessary for the low amount of current generated by a solar panel

 

[AttyPops]

OK, at 50 mA (that's not mAh, that's mA....the amount of current per second = amps. The capacity of a battery is = mAh. The difference is ...one is a flow rate, the other a capacity volume).

So at 50 mA it will take you ...IDK...two days to charge the thing. Most "big battery" chargers have 450 mA input. That 9 times your 50 mA. So a three hour charge goes to 27....

You could hook 9 of those solar cells in parallel (not series) and, if they get max output and 3 hours of sunlight...and you feed it to an actual charger circuit...it could work. :/ That's not checking into it, that's just discussion here.

There are rigs that use solar to charge stuff. They have a built in battery. And a USB port. So you don't even have to reinvent that wheel. You could plug the charger into them. However, if you have a cell (or 9) and want to...that's a project in itself.

So don't just hook a battery up to a voltage source like that without some monitoring and conditioning provided by a charger circuit. IDK if it will even operate at 50 mA.