HELP Battery Charger is DEAD! (Tenergy TN270)

[cmccl]

Uh oh!

My battery charger lights don't come on when I plug it in (indicating that it is giving a charge - red; or all charged up - green). When there are no batteries in it the lights were green- now it doesn't light at all... Once my charged batteries die I am stuck with a crappy ego! Have any of you had a problem with this charger? It's the charger Provape sent with my Provari Mini!

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!


-- A desperate vaper

 

[cmccl]

Update... I banged it on my desk a few times and now the lights are blinking on and off green.... I'm afraid to put a battery in it!

 

[Traver]

If it is a new one send it back. If you had it for while it's time for something better.

 

[cmccl]

It is pretty new. I've had it since May.

Sigh... I have back-ups of everything except the charger. A warning to all of you - two battery chargers might be a good idea!

Do you think it's safe to put a battery in it and see if it charges? Like I said it now flashes green when I plug it in...

 

[Rickajho]

You could, but if it isn't supposed to be flashing green at all... at best it probably isn't working anyway. I wouldn't mess with it.

Lesson learned: if it's an important aspect of vaping, a "one" of anything is never a great place to be in.

Have you checked yet for (relatively) close by vape shops? Won't necessarily get a great charger but hey, in the position you are in right now... Better than nuttin.

 

[Leithan]

Battery chargers= one of, if not the most critical pieces of vape gear and probably the least thought about. I learned my lesson after two frustratingly inaccurate Efest Luc chargers. I now have two Pila chargers. We always have backups to our backups except for chargers. It doesn't matter how many backup Mods you have, they are just paperweights when your charger takes a dump on you. Chargers are complicated electronic devices and in most cases pretty cheaply made. Look at RC hobbies like RC Cars and electric RC helicopters. They take their battery chargers seriously. With those hobbies like vaping, battery performance is critical. I've been doing a lot of reading on charges recently and I'm toying with DIYing a battery holder so I can use one of the high end hobby chargers to charge my batts. I'd go with a Pila, it's fast and my batts meter out at 4.22v every time, unlike the Luc and Xtar chargers I have owned (the charger would say fully charged but the batts would meter between 3.8-4.1v).

 

[cmccl]

Does anyone know if I can pick up a charger at Radio Shack that will work for my AW IMR batteries? I want to use my Provari -- not my ego batteries :-(

 

[Baditude]

Not sure what chargers Radio Shack has. You could call and ask if they have a battery charger that can charge Lithium Ion batteries, as that is the type that we use in vaping.

I highly recommend having two chargers. More than likely, if you are like most of us, you'll end up with at least 2 - 4 mods within a year or two. Having a backup charger is no different than having a backup for everything else that you use in vaping. You wouldn't be caught without a backup battery or juice delivery attachment. A backup for your charger is no different.

If you can afford one, I highly recommend the Pila. I had mine for well over a year with excellent performance until the last couple of weeks one of the charging bays stopped working. I did have a backup (Xtar), but ordered a Nitecore i4 to replace the Pila. I'd love to get another Pila, but I currently have nine mods and literally a dozen or more batteries to keep charged, and the 2 bay Pila just wasn't pratical any longer.

 

[cmccl]

Thanks Baditude! I just ordered a Pila from Provape but it will take a few days at least. Will any Lithium Ion charger work? I will call RadioShack but I can't trust they will know much and I don't want to start a fire or anything ;-)

Here's one that is listed on the RadioShack website (not great reviews but I'm willing to try it!):

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3932592#tabsetBasic

 

[Baditude]

Thanks Baditude! I just ordered a Pila from Provape but it will take a few days at least. Will any Lithium Ion charger work? I will call RadioShack but I can't trust they will know much and I don't want to start a fire or anything ;-)

Here's one that is listed on the RadioShack website (not great reviews but I'm willing to try it!):

Enercell Universal Li-ion, Ni-Cd and Ni-MH Charger : Rechargeable Batteries | RadioShack.com

I wish that I could give a positive "yes" answer, but I can't. I read the description from the link you provided. It does say it can charge 3.7 volt Li-Ion batteries. I couldn't see the battery bay contacts to see if it uses spacers or a slider bar because of what looks like a cover that blocks viewing that area. The brand name is not one that I recognize. I saw no Li-Ion batteries like we use in vaping listed on the website (not surprising). $40 for a charger that may not work for your needs is pretty steep.

I'm tempted to say it probably will work based on the product description, but I'm not sure enough to suggest that you purchase it, especially at that price. Having seen photos of chargers that have caused small fires, I don't believe it's worth the risk.

Perhaps bite the bullet and rely on your eGo for the 3 - 4 days it should take to get your Pila. Being safe and staying out of harm's way is my logic.
___

Are you certain that there are no vape shops within driving distance from you? I did a Google search for E-cigarettes Nevada and got these results: https://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&q=electronic+cigarette+nevada&oq=e+cigarette+nevada&gs_l=serp.1.0.0i22i30.6097.11564.0.14773.15.15.0.0.0.0.1663.3455.5j8j1j8-1.15.0....0...1c.1.23.psy-ab..4.11.2922.yxUX9XHf2OQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=a4111d8b6a178da6&biw=1152&bih=773&bvm=pv.xjs.s.en_US.jOYpRJj4zMA.O

 

[cmccl]

Baditude- thanks so much for answering! I appreciate it. The ego really sucks compared to my Provari... which just makes me realize I need two provari's in case something goes wrong with that!

 

[cmccl]

Posting the resolution (for those of you who search the forums someday because you have a similar problem!)

I went to Radio Shack and picked up the Enercel 23-972 Universal Battery Charger. While it's true the thing gets some bad reviews on the radio shack website it works fine for these AW IMR batteries! They are charging right now and I can't wait to get back to my Provari! The bad reviews are from people wo try to use the charger for camera batteries etc. since it's supposed to charge anything (universal). It's a bit pricey ($39) but I was in a bind! It also has a car charger which is nice.

I did order one of the highly recommended Pila chargers so this will serve as my backup (and car charger if needed). Hopefully this post will help someone in the the future when their charger dies and they don't have a backup!



Just one more bit of info... Provape emailed back and said they were sorry but they do not warranty the battery chargers. The thing is only 3 months old.... too bad.

 

[Baditude]

Posting the resolution (for those of you who search the forums someday because you have a similar problem!)

I went to Radio Shack and picked up the Enercel 23-972 Universal Battery Charger. While it's true the thing gets some bad reviews on the radio shack website it works fine for these AW IMR batteries! They are charging right now and I can't wait to get back to my Provari! The bad reviews are from people wo try to use the charger for camera batteries etc. since it's supposed to charge anything (universal). It's a bit pricey ($39) but I was in a bind! It also has a car charger which is nice.

I did order one of the highly recommended Pila chargers so this will serve as my backup (and car charger if needed). Hopefully this post will help someone in the the future when their charger dies and they don't have a backup!

View attachment 237352

Just one more bit of info... Provape emailed back and said they were sorry but they do not warranty the battery chargers. The thing is only 3 months old.... too bad.

Nice to see that you found a solution, and thanks for the photo.

Do us all a favor and measure the voltage of the fully charged batteries with your Provari. Interested in possibly suggesting this charger to others in a bind like you were.

Glad to hear that you also went with the Pila. You should be well set up for the future. Now just start saving for that second Provari.

 

[douglasp]

got me worried I just got an extra nitecore 4 bay charger for 19.95 free shipping on e-bay.

 

[cmccl]

Baditude - I measured the voltage and it's 4.2. I think that's what it's supposed to be right? And I am happily back to my Provari!

 

[cmccl]

got me worried I just got an extra nitecore 4 bay charger for 19.95 free shipping on e-bay.

Yes- there are definitely better deals than this RadioShack solution - as I explained in previous posts this is for emergencies only!

 

[Leithan]

4.2 is what you want, to be safe, check all your batts when they are done charging with a multimeter if you can. The biggest problem I have found with cheap chargers is really crappy peak detection and under charging. To get a batt to a full 4.2 you might have to take it off and put it back on a few times till the charger gets it right. That's what I like most about the PILA, it charges all my batts to exactly 4.22 volts every time. It's a very accurate charger. If it wasn't for the damn spacers and the blinky lights that will eventually give me a seizure, my quest for the perfect charger would be over. I think this will be my next purchase, just have to build a battery holder for it. Amazon.com: Tenergy TB6AC4 Intelligent Four-Channel Balance Charger for NiMH/NiCD/Li-PO/Li-Fe/SLA: Everything Else