I need battery help

[NicLiq]

How can you tell if an AW IMR battery is going bad? Does it start to not fully charge? or take a long time to charge? Do you notice that they aren't lasting as long?

Also, is it safe to put them in the battery recycling boxes at stores?

Thanks in advance

 

[nerak]

Do you have a multimeter to check the battery? I recently had a charger that was not fully charging. When the batteries were done (green light on) and they were checked, they were not reading right. I used another charger and the batteries were perfectly charged to 4.2v. You should not be letting the AW IMR fully discharge. With a multimeter you can take the battery out and check when you notice a drop. Pull them out when they are no lower than 3.5v.

How can you tell if an AW IMR battery is going bad? Does it start to not fully charge? or take a long time to charge? Do you notice that they aren't lasting as long?

Also, is it safe to put them in the battery recycling boxes at stores?

Thanks in advance

 

[NicLiq]

Thanks nerak, I do have a multimeter and I don't let them get even as low as 3.5v.

One battery won't charge over 4.13v now, and I don't know if that's a sign that it's going bad or dying - I guess I don't know what I'm supposed to expect.

 

[nerak]

How long have you been using it? I mean since new? Is it just the one battery? I have not had problems with mine yet, been using some since March. And before I had a multimeter I know I let them run down too low. Don't know what others have experienced with theirs over longer time.

Thanks nerak, I do have a multimeter and I don't let them get even as low as 3.5v.

One battery won't charge over 4.13v now, and I don't know if that's a sign that it's going bad or dying - I guess I don't know what I'm supposed to expect.

 

[NicLiq]

I've been using the multimeter since I started using the AW IMR batteries. I bought a charger and 2 AW IMR 18650 batteries a little over 2 months ago, then I got the mini and got two AW IMR 14500s a little over a month ago. I have two more 14500s that I got a few weeks ago and they charge great.

It's just the one 18650 that is weird, but the other is taking a much longer time to charge, and the month-old 14500s seem like they are taking longer to charge, but the newer ones charge normal.

I had first posted more detail on the general board today and tonight a few answered and they thought it was the charger, so I just ordered a PILA, which I wanted anyway. Maybe the charger is flaky, but you'd think it would act the same for all the batteries.

I just don't want to do anything to push these batteries more than they should be. Since I only have one grand and two batteries, maybe it's possible that I've used one up? Do you have a bunch of batteries, or do you switch yours between your REOs?

 

[nerak]

I have eight batteries total, for four REO's. I always rotate them. Bought them at different times. All of them now charging great. I got a Pila also, they seem to charge faster, and all the same. My other charger was doing great, I was not testing them when they came off until I noticed a much shorter charge time. It was bought in March, so no idea what happened in that short period of time. Now if they are at 3.5v they won't even begin to charge. The light turns green.

 

[mlinky]

The AW batteries are made well and are rated for over 500 charges, so my best guess is your charger is wonky.

 

[NicLiq]

I have eight batteries total, for four REO's. I always rotate them. Bought them at different times. All of them now charging great. I got a Pila also, they seem to charge faster, and all the same. My other charger was doing great, I was not testing them when they came off until I noticed a much shorter charge time. It was bought in March, so no idea what happened in that short period of time. Now if they are at 3.5v they won't even begin to charge. The light turns green.

The AW batteries are made well and are rated for over 500 charges, so my best guess is your charger is wonky.

Then it has to be my charger (Ultrafire WF-188). I feel much better now knowing that I have the PILA ordered, hopefully they will ship it on Monday because I'm going to be miserable if I can't use either REO.

I just felt panicky thinking that this might have happened while I was on vacation LOL

 

[Mvgratz]

Where did you buy the battery in question? I ask not for degrading a vendor, but to see if its one of the few that "honors" the AW warranty...

 

[NicLiq]

Where did you buy the battery in question? I ask not for degrading a vendor, but to see if its one of the few that "honors" the AW warranty...

I got the charger and batteries from RTDVapor, so I know they were new, and they were charging exactly the same up until recently. If it is the charger, could the charger wear down a battery? (I am completely ignorant about batteries so forgive me if this is a really stupid question)

 

[Mvgratz]

I got the charger and batteries from RTDVapor, so I know they were new, and they were charging exactly the same up until recently. If it is the charger, could the charger wear down a battery? (I am completely ignorant about batteries so forgive me if this is a really stupid question)

I have one of the uf-188's also. If that charger is charging all of your other batts in both slots to a "normal" 4.2ish range, I'd lean toward it being related to the battery. I know Allen, "Lighthound" honors the 6month warranty that AW has. My advice to you would be to pm Randy and explain the problem, and see what he says...

 

[wyojoe]

This is a little off the subject but I have a 18650 battery that if I put in a charger it shows CHARGED then I measured the volts and it showed 3.7 volts, so i thought well it didn't need charged. But when I put it in my E-power it would not work. Replaced with another 18650 battery and it works fine. Put the weird one back in and it still doesn't work. Any Ideas??

 

[Mvgratz]

This is a little off the subject but I have a 18650 battery that if I put in a charger it shows CHARGED then I measured the volts and it showed 3.7 volts, so i thought well it didn't need charged. But when I put it in my E-power it would not work. Replaced with another 18650 battery and it works fine. Put the weird one back in and it still doesn't work. Any Ideas??

What name brand batt? Protected or not? What type/model charger?

 

[wyojoe]

What name brand batt? Protected or not? What type/model charger?

It is a wall charger that came with the E-Power (and works fine with other 18650 batteries) and it says SMOK 18650 2200 mAh YBT DL on the battery and it is a protected battery.

 

[Mvgratz]

It is a wall charger that came with the E-Power (and works fine with other 18650 batteries) and it says SMOK 18650 2200 mAh YBT DL on the battery and it is a protected battery.

Hmm, maybe the protection circuit has tripped on the pcb on that battery. "Sometimes" they will reset when put in a charger, sometimes not depending on "why" it "tripped"...

 

[wyojoe]

Hmm, maybe the protection circuit has tripped on the pcb on that battery. "Sometimes" they will reset when put in a charger, sometimes not depending on "why" it "tripped"...

Thanks I will try again to put it in the charger a couple of times but if that don't work I guess its bad, I only charged it 2 times. Im thinking the charger wont charge it if it reads 3.7 volts now. And I don't understand at that voltage why it won't work in the mod.

 

[Rhapsodies Fire]

I am aware this may not be completely relevant...but just in case... http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...cussion/204956-18650-battery-caught-fire.html

 

[NicLiq]

I have one of the uf-188's also. If that charger is charging all of your other batts in both slots to a "normal" 4.2ish range, I'd lean toward it being related to the battery. I know Allen, "Lighthound" honors the 6month warranty that AW has. My advice to you would be to pm Randy and explain the problem, and see what he says...

Thanks, I'm going to see what the PILA does and if it ends up being a bad battery, I'll send it to Randy and if he gets some credit for it, we can work it out on my next order.

I don't really know what to think about all this, it could be that the charger is going bad. Tonight I noticed that the left side seems to charge better than the right.

I am aware this may not be completely relevant...but just in case... http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...cussion/204956-18650-battery-caught-fire.html

Thanks, I will read through that thread (and maybe have nightmares lol) - I am already suffering from battery paranoia.

 

[NicLiq]

I am aware this may not be completely relevant...but just in case... http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...cussion/204956-18650-battery-caught-fire.html

I am so dense, I see now that you posted that for wyojoe - pretty scary stuff.

 

[Rhapsodies Fire]

I know it's spooky...but its good to be battery aware. We haven't had any of those problems, because we're really aware of our batteries most of the time. I wouldn't say we're paranoid, but reading something like that might help someone from making the same mistakes in the future.