How long do batteries charge for first time

[buccaneersfan]

I got chargers and batteries from liion Wholesale how long they take to charge for first time.

18650 batteries and nitecore new i4 charger . I have kept the charging couple of hours ago and still only 1 light is blinking for all my 4 batteries. Is it slow first time to charge

 

[bombastinator]

It will depend on how low they were to begin with. I’ve personally found Batteries commonly come from distributors around half full. It’s common for a battery to need at least several hours to charge. It’s going to vary a lot though. My personal behavior (which others are going to say is less than safe and they’re not wrong) is to leave them to charge overnight and if they’re not charged by morning there’s probably some sort of issue.

 

[Punk In Drublic]

Not familiar with your charger, but some will output at different current levels depending on how many cells are loaded. 1 or 2 cells loaded, it may output at 1amp – 4 cells it maybe 0.5amps (simple example)

 

[Zazie]

I wouldn't worry yet. I generally charge my batteries at 0.5 amp when they're around 3.7v and it takes hours for them to reach 4.2.

 

[Baditude]

Nitecore i4 is a notoriously slow charger, especially if charging more than 2 batteries simultaneously.

Nitecore advertises it as having 4 "independent" charging bays, but in reality two bays share charging duties between the other two; so in effect it takes twice as long to charge as a true 4 independent bay charger.

Chargers which have 4 truly independent charging bays are significantly more expensive than a Nitecore Intellicharger i4. They are not as commonly available, either.

Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger

 

[greek mule]

Output current: 1.5A x 1 / 0.75A x 2 / 0.5A x 3 / 0.375A x 4
Better charge one or two batteries at a time.Four batteries in there takes a loooong time to charge.(I have one).

 

[Coyote628]

It will depend on how low they were to begin with. I’ve personally found Batteries commonly come from distributors around half full. It’s common for a battery to need at least several hours to charge. It’s going to vary a lot though. My personal behavior (which others are going to say is less than safe and they’re not wrong) is to leave them to charge overnight and if they’re not charged by morning there’s probably some sort of issue.

The good thing about the i4 is it stops when the batteries are fully charged. I leave mine on it till i need them. So i always have 2 fully charged and 2 in my mod. Remembering to swap out before i leave for work, now thats a different story.

 

[Eskie]

The only advantage to the Nitecore i4 and D4 (which I have) is while it seems to take forever, and I only charge my triple polygamous married battery sets in more than 2 slots and your batteries never get hot. Not even warm. Not to say a faster charger is bad, but I have batteries almost 3 years old that still hold a charge just fine. I don't know if that would be true if they were recharged at 1.5 or 2A like newer chargers. Then again, batteries are pretty cheap (yes, the good ones from reliable vendors too) so it's a balance of saving time or spending an extra few dollars a year on fresh sets.

 

[70olds]

Hello,
Slow battery charging is probably better for the batteries and not for you.

I use the Nitecore UMS4 - the charging power depends on input power, and how many batteries you are charging.
4 batteries and plugged into a computer standard usb, charging is low and slow.
4 batteries and plugged into a computer high power USB 3, charging is faster.
4 batteries and plugged into a QC 3 usb wall wart, quick full power level charging.

Mark your batteries to keep them in married sets.

 

[Northstar6]

I usually charge at 0.5 or occasionally 1 amp if I'm in a hurry. Just depends on your charger and how drained the batteries are.

 

[DaveP]

18650's are still in a safe range at 1A charge. Most are rated for up to 4A, but at that level there's going to be some heat and a shorter usable life.

Here's an informative thread discussion that Mooch was involved in. It's closed now, but still very relevant.

Charging 18650's recommended charging current?

 

[F-machine]

I have nitecore i4 too and 5 VTC4. What I find faulty about this old charger is if I use all 4 slots, one of them will "false full" (all three LED lights up)... SO when charging, I only use two or three slots, not all four. From empty to full, it takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to charge those VTC4. I have no idea about your battery though.

I also have two I-JOY INR 26650... Both can off center fit in the i4 charger but the same fault will happen. One will "false full"... So I charge them one at a time. Six hours from empty to full. That's from the day I bought them, or "initial charge". After that, I was never able to use up the 26650s and charge them even though they are still have full. From half full to full charge, 2 hours give or take.

 

[DaveP]

I have nitecore i4 too and 5 VTC4. What I find faulty about this old charger is if I use all 4 slots, one of them will "false full" (all three LED lights up)... SO when charging, I only use two or three slots, not all four. From empty to full, it takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to charge those VTC4. I have no idea about your battery though.

I also have two I-JOY INR 26650... Both can off center fit in the i4 charger but the same fault will happen. One will "false full"... So I charge them one at a time. Six hours from empty to full. That's from the day I bought them, or "initial charge". After that, I was never able to use up the 26650s and charge them even though they are still have full. From half full to full charge, 2 hours give or take.

The Nitecore i4 was the first 4 bay charger I bought. It's fine, but with all bays full it's going to charge at a slow .375 amp rate. I prefer a 1A charge rate.

Efest LUC V4 is a great 4 bay charger that will charge all 4 bays at 1A or 2 bays at 2A. I also own and like the Xtar VC4 and the Zanflare C4. The Zanflare also gives you an approximate internal resistance reading. I say approximate because reviews find that its resistance readings vary a little from those calculated by voltage checks with a parallel resistor across with the cell. The Zanflare is great for monitoring cell condition. Once IR hits about 100 milliohms it's time to recycle it, maybe sooner if vape time is beginning to drop off significantly.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I've been using two Efest LUC2 chargers. They charge every cylindrical li-ion size up to 26mm diameter and you can choose 1.0A or 0.5A. I bought two because I sometimes need four-bay capacity and if one charger goes kaput I can still charge cells with the other one.

Not a day goes by without one of'em charging something.

 

[susieqz]

my i4 takes 4=5 hours to charge 4 batteries.
this makes batteries last longer.
i never use mine to charge 2 batteries because they charge in 2 hours
which will shorten life.

 

[Punk In Drublic]

Viewing the attached table, we can see the average charge rate to achieve “max life” for a 2000 mAh cell is approx. 0.5amps. And approx. 0.75amps for a 3000 mAh cell. As stated anything lower is not doing much.

In the case of the i4 charger (and many other chargers) our charge rate is limited. If you need to charge 4 batteries at once, you have no other choice but to accept a 0.37 amp charge rate. But if you have a choice, ask yourself how much further are you really extending your battery life by charging under 0.5 amps. And this does not take into account your discharge rate!

https://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/attachments/7306814d-0192-4d39-bf71-4d6fc4674cd5-jpeg.782887/

 

[DaveP]

I've charged 18650s at 1A for years with barely detectable warmth. I've only had to recycle 2 or 3 cells in the time. One pair was my first 18650's and those were Efests that finally reached the 100+ mark for internal resistance. I have about 15 Samsung, LG, and Sony that have been working for several years in rotation and the highest of the bunch is just in the mid 20 to 30 milliohm range.

I think that rotation is the key to long life. Maintain cells in pairs and single categories and don't mix and match with cells that are paired. Mark them and keep them together.

 

[stols001]

I have a lovely slow nitecore that charges like a snail. I use it when I'm around to monitor as there is absolutely no reason to charge batteries all speedy... Unless you have to.

Then I have speed demon of a charger that I will often use to charge up my larger batteries, if I ain't got all day.

Honestly though, the best strategy is to have enough batteries so if you can't charge a couple it's not big deal. Also, I sort of have this opinion that it is maybe good for the batteries to rest.

I base this on the fact that it is definitely good for ME to rest so hey.

Anna

 

[Mordacai]

Best charging practice I've heard round, is to charge at half the capacity.

For example, 2000mAh = 1A. It's the fastest you can do without stressing batteries.

 

[DaveP]

Best charging practice I've heard round, is to charge at half the capacity.

For example, 2000mAh = 1A. It's the fastest you can do without stressing batteries.

1A is my standard charge rate. If you are rotating cells in and out of the charger and your mod, you won't need a battery change before the charger is though, anyway. I get barely detectable warmth from 1A charging. If I read it with an infrared thermometer gun after removing it from a charger it's barely above room temp.