How many charges do batteries last?

[dbrandt01]

I have 2 26650 batteries. They're MNKE IMR - 26650.

Now, I use a battery a day maybe 2 a day depending on what I'm doing. I charge the batteries while I am using the other one. I've had the batteries for 2 months, and one is pretty much refusing to charge. On my charger, a "intellicharger i2" one battery charged. The other one is stuck on 2 solid lights and the 3rd light blinking. It has been this way for about 4 hours now and i Haven't left the area it's charging at. Do these batteries really go bad this quick? My typical build is in the .5 range if that is relevant to this.

I also don't think it's the charger because the one battery charged completely, just not the other one. Thanks for your time, Danny.

 

[DavidOck]

Typical rating it 250 - 300 charge cycles, but stressing any battery with a high current load will shorten it's life. Sometimes quite a bit.

 

[dbrandt01]

Might've been a stupid question. Just seemed odd. It seemed fine til I did a .9 build (which is the build with the device I took this battery out of) then all of a sudden it just doesn't charge. Maybe just a coincidence. Looks like I'm ordering new batteries, haha. Thanks DavidOck

 

[DavidOck]

Hey, the only "stupid" question is the one you don't ask. How else do you find out?

Might be they came from different lots, different age. Or one got hammered more than the other

Can't have too many batteries! No matter the state of mine, I get a few every few months, ink the date on 'em, and add 'em to the rotation.

 

[dbrandt01]

That's actually smarter to do with the date. I lost one battery so I bought one, But I believe the one that is still working is the older one. The words are almost rubbed off at least compared to the one not charging. I need to wholesale batteries haha but I'll be looking to order some more it seems then. Doesn't help I'm adding an 18650 box mod into the picture now. I need to invest in them battery cases

 

[dbrandt01]

Alright so here's a dumb thing to add. I took the battery off the charger and saw a piece of sand looking thing. I wiped it off and it all three lights turned solid. surely something that dumb didn't cause this? If so, I feel like the dumbest idiot right now.

 

[DavidOck]

I use a fine point sharpie type pen to write the date, then cover it with a piece of scotch tape, so it doesn't rub off. At my age, I need all the help I can get remembering things So if one starts to no longer hold a charge, it's age is pretty easy to read.

Keeping track of them is especially important to those who "stack" batteries, i.e. series configuration. The need to be kept in pairs, with matched voltage and matched charging histories, or they can fail in a very spectacular way, as one tries to handle the entire load and the other becomes a very low value resistor... (I don't stack, don't feel a need for the extra voltage for my style of vaping.)

 

[Rickajho]

Keep in mind than the Intellicharger i4 and i2 are multi-function Li-On and NiMh chargers. Because of that design they cannot successfully deal with Li-On batteries than have been allowed to go way under voltage, below two volts.

 

[nukleusx]

I have found that when a battery (I only use 18650s, though it shouldn't matter what size it is) has 2 solid bars and third flashing; after being on charger for as long as others that have finished charging but is still going; I swap what bay it is in and before too long it finishes charging.

Had this happen with my old i2 charger as well as with my i4 charger I now use. Not sure if it is the same battery that pulls this feat off, though it happens every couple/few days and I try to keep my batteries in rotation where I use them all in a row rather than picking favorites or using a VTC5 over a VTC4. That said, maybe it is the same battery pulling this stunt. Time to mark it with a sharpie next time I see this happen!

 

[DavidOck]

Alright so here's a dumb thing to add. I took the battery off the charger and saw a piece of sand looking thing. I wiped it off and it all three lights turned solid. surely something that dumb didn't cause this? If so, I feel like the dumbest idiot right now.

Don't feel too bad. Sometimes the obvious is so obvious we all miss it. And cleaning the contact areas isn't something you're ever going to forget now!