Which is better for batteries or does it matter? I like the fast charge but i read something about a trickle charge and can't remember what it means.
Fast, medium or slow charge?
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Slower is supposed to be better....half amp I believe...normal is 1 amp...usually half amp is for 18350s. When a battery has been discharched too low sometimes it needs a jump start to get charging again...that's where the 1 amp comes in handy.
Trickle charge is something the nicer chargers do...once a battery is charged the charger will make sure it stays topped off with a trickle charge.
Trickle charge is something the nicer chargers do...once a battery is charged the charger will make sure it stays topped off with a trickle charge.
My normal rutine is I use a fully charged batt in the morning when I go to work, when I come home at around dinner I will swap it out with a fresh one then repeat. I leave my charger on .5A since I go many hours before charging. If I need a quick charge I will use the 2A setting. I noticed that if I am using the 2A the battery will charge very quickly, but once it is done I will take it off and put it right back on the charger and change the setting to .5A, and it usually take 15min to say that its done.
The .5A charge seems to be more reliable and will last longer.
Info from the interwebs:
"Like most batteries, Li-Ion cells go by "nominal" voltage. For a battery that charges to 4.2V, nominal is 3.7V. It's fully charged at 4.2V and fully discharged at 3.2V. Nominal voltage is the average which is 3.7V.
Other battery types do the same thing, but there's not as much difference between nominal and fully charged. For example, a NiMH cell comes off the charger at 1.3V and is fully discharged at 1.1V. They're called 1.2V batteries. A lead-acid car battery comes off the charger at 14 Volts and is fully discharged at 10V, they're called 12V batteries.
In terms of battery damage, other battery types are also damaged by over-charging and over-dishcarging. Like Li-Ion batteries, Lead-acid batteries can be hazardous if over-charged. Since they emit large amounts of hydrogen when over-charged, they can explode quite horribly. What makes Li-Ions different is the much higher sensitivity to charging faults.
As far as charging rate and cell damage, you can safely charge any Li-Ion at 1C. Some Li-Ions can handle 2C. "1C" is one times the charge. So, a 1000mAh battery can be charged with a 1000mA (1A) rate. A 1C rate always works out to an hour plus about 10 to 20 minutes of overhead for any Li-Ion battery. A 1/2C rate always works out to 2 hours plus overhead, so on and so forth.
With your charger, you can use the 2A rate on cells over 2000mAh and the 1A rate on cells over 1000mAh. You can go under without issue, it just takes longer to charge. For example, you can charge your 18650's with a 500mA rate, but you wouldn't want to charge your 18350s with a 1A rate, that would be too high. However, charging a 3000mAh 18650 with a 500mA rate is going to take 6 hours plus overhead.
It's true the faster you charge the greater the wear, however, it's an exponential effect. The difference is minimal up to about 1C where it starts getting much higher after that. In other words, there's a small difference in wear between 1/2C and 1C, but a large difference in wear between 1C and 2C."
Everything I have found has indicated that charging slower will have no harmful effects, but the faster you charge the less life you will get from your battery. In my opinion, if you have the time charge slow, and if you need it charged fast bump it up. Also make sure you read the specs of your specific battery, it will indicate the maximum charge current.
AW IMR 1600: Max charge current = 4.5A
AW IMR 2000: Max charge current = 2A
The .5A charge seems to be more reliable and will last longer.
Info from the interwebs:
"Like most batteries, Li-Ion cells go by "nominal" voltage. For a battery that charges to 4.2V, nominal is 3.7V. It's fully charged at 4.2V and fully discharged at 3.2V. Nominal voltage is the average which is 3.7V.
Other battery types do the same thing, but there's not as much difference between nominal and fully charged. For example, a NiMH cell comes off the charger at 1.3V and is fully discharged at 1.1V. They're called 1.2V batteries. A lead-acid car battery comes off the charger at 14 Volts and is fully discharged at 10V, they're called 12V batteries.
In terms of battery damage, other battery types are also damaged by over-charging and over-dishcarging. Like Li-Ion batteries, Lead-acid batteries can be hazardous if over-charged. Since they emit large amounts of hydrogen when over-charged, they can explode quite horribly. What makes Li-Ions different is the much higher sensitivity to charging faults.
As far as charging rate and cell damage, you can safely charge any Li-Ion at 1C. Some Li-Ions can handle 2C. "1C" is one times the charge. So, a 1000mAh battery can be charged with a 1000mA (1A) rate. A 1C rate always works out to an hour plus about 10 to 20 minutes of overhead for any Li-Ion battery. A 1/2C rate always works out to 2 hours plus overhead, so on and so forth.
With your charger, you can use the 2A rate on cells over 2000mAh and the 1A rate on cells over 1000mAh. You can go under without issue, it just takes longer to charge. For example, you can charge your 18650's with a 500mA rate, but you wouldn't want to charge your 18350s with a 1A rate, that would be too high. However, charging a 3000mAh 18650 with a 500mA rate is going to take 6 hours plus overhead.
It's true the faster you charge the greater the wear, however, it's an exponential effect. The difference is minimal up to about 1C where it starts getting much higher after that. In other words, there's a small difference in wear between 1/2C and 1C, but a large difference in wear between 1C and 2C."
Everything I have found has indicated that charging slower will have no harmful effects, but the faster you charge the less life you will get from your battery. In my opinion, if you have the time charge slow, and if you need it charged fast bump it up. Also make sure you read the specs of your specific battery, it will indicate the maximum charge current.
AW IMR 1600: Max charge current = 4.5A
AW IMR 2000: Max charge current = 2A
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Ok thanks, i have the trickle charge i just didn't know it. Plus i have the 1 amp for fast charging and also my charger has a 0.25 amp and a 0.50 amp.
I have the Xtar with a digital read out on it.
I have the Xtar with a digital read out on it.
I have the VP1 also, I usually leave it at the .25 setting unless I'm in a rush. My thought is that it puts less strain on the battery.
I have mine set to charge at .5 amps. since my batteries can handle a charge at up to 2 amps, I figure it's well enough under max.
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I have a couple of good chargers but find the Xtar VP1 in a nice charger especially for "over-drained". Some of my batteries were brought back to life by the VP1.
As far as charging is concerned, agree with many above, the slow charge is the preferred way to put less strain on your batteries.
As far as charging is concerned, agree with many above, the slow charge is the preferred way to put less strain on your batteries.
This is from the Battery University:
The charge rate of a typical consumer Li-ion battery is between 0.5 and 1C in Stage 1, and the charge time is about three hours. Manufacturers recommend charging the 18650 cell at 0.8C or less. Charge efficiency is 97 to 99 percent and the cell remains cool during charge. Some Li-ion packs may experience a temperature rise of about 5ºC (9ºF) when reaching full charge. This could be due to the protection circuit and/or elevated internal resistance. Full charge occurs when the battery reaches the voltage threshold and the current drops to three percent of the rated current. A battery is also considered fully charged if the current levels off and cannot go down further. Elevated self-discharge might be the cause of this condition.
The link to the full article is: Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries
The charge rate of a typical consumer Li-ion battery is between 0.5 and 1C in Stage 1, and the charge time is about three hours. Manufacturers recommend charging the 18650 cell at 0.8C or less. Charge efficiency is 97 to 99 percent and the cell remains cool during charge. Some Li-ion packs may experience a temperature rise of about 5ºC (9ºF) when reaching full charge. This could be due to the protection circuit and/or elevated internal resistance. Full charge occurs when the battery reaches the voltage threshold and the current drops to three percent of the rated current. A battery is also considered fully charged if the current levels off and cannot go down further. Elevated self-discharge might be the cause of this condition.
The link to the full article is: Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries
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