IMR vs Lion test and results

[RedAlert]

I finally got my load tester completed and figured I'd try it out and post the results here.

The two batteries I am testing are the AW 2200mah Lion 18650 and the AW IMR 1600mah 18650. I did three tests with each battery. All tests were done using a LR 306 1.5 ohm atty(that ohmed out at 1.51)

Test 1) Full charge
The Lion came of the pila charger at 4.21 volts. Under load it held 3.68v for 8 seconds
The IMR came of the pila charger at 4.20 volts. Under load it held 3.87v for 8 seconds

Test 2) Half used charge(aka "the mid day battery droop")
The Lion was at 3.98v. Under load it dropped down to 3.49v for 8 seconds
The IMR was also at 3.98v. Under load it held 3.69 for 8 seconds

Test 3) Almost dead ( aka "am I gonna make it home?")
The Lion was at 3.71v. Under load it managed to hold 3.26v for the 8 seconds
The IMR was at 3.73v. Under load it held 3.43v for 8 seconds.

I tried to keep the voltages even between the two batteries to make it as close as I could,
The only thing i didnt really pay attention to here was the times the batteries were in use. I had been using the Lion for almost 11 hours to get these tests done. The IMR was in use for about 8 hours.

I plan on doing another test like this soon, but between the IMR and the new AW 2600 LiCo battery, as soon as I find out if it will fire in a Reo, being its a flat top.
​

 

[studio52]

Interesting, love all the techy battery stuff.

 

[Diablo]

Nice test, I am using the AW 18650 2900mAH flat top and it works great in a Reo. I am looking forward to the next test on these bad boys.

There is no "wondering if I gonna make it home with that battery"

D

 

[DragonflyVaper]

I also have AW IMR 18650 batteries for my Reo testing around 4.5 off a Pila charger. My question: Is this 4.5 considered an overcharge on a 3.7 AW IMR 18650 1600mAh when using an LR 510 atty @ 1.8ohms ? Does anyone know the perfect battery / atty voltage mix for the Reo? This electronic stuff is still confusing to me even though I've learned how to use my MM. Thanks so much for any response in layman terms. I now completely understand "Ole Lady 50 Years Marlboro" 's thread statement on I really miss "take out a cigarette, light it.... smoke." lol

 

[mlinky]

I also have AW IMR 18650 batteries for my Reo testing around 4.5 off a Pila charger. My question: Is this 4.5 considered an overcharge on a 3.7 AW IMR 18650 1600mAh when using an LR 510 atty @ 1.8ohms ? Does anyone know the perfect battery / atty voltage mix for the Reo? This electronic stuff is still confusing to me even though I've learned how to use my MM. Thanks so much for any response in layman terms. I now completely understand "Ole Lady 50 Years Marlboro" 's thread statement on I really miss "take out a cigarette, light it.... smoke." lol

4.5v is too high. It should be testing at 4.2v, especially with a Pila charger. Can you try a different multimeter?

 

[RedAlert]

4.5v is too high. It should be testing at 4.2v, especially with a Pila charger. Can you try a different multimeter?

I'm betting your MM isnt 100% accurate. Without touching the leads to the battery, you should see very little voltage(.01 v or less) If your seeing .3v, theres the error in your multimeter

 

[DragonflyVaper]

No, I only have one MM.... it'a a cheapo but supposedly the cheap ones are just as reliable per ECF members. Are you saying with the 4.5 battery it will cause harm to attys @ 1.8..... or worse? Thank you

4.5v is too high. It should be testing at 4.2v, especially with a Pila charger. Can you try a different multimeter?

 

[DragonflyVaper]

When I turn the dial to DCV 20, the meter reads 0.00.... so, even though it's a cheapo could there be another problem with the MM reading? Also, when I purchased the Pila charger, I remember reading "use Pila Charger only with Pila Batteries" My batteries are not Pila, they are UltraFire 18650 & AW IMR 18650. But ECF members stated no problem with using non-Pila batteries because Pila uses that disclaimer for warranty on their charger, plus to sell their batteries.

Yikes! I just tested the AW IMR's and the reading is 4.15..... Is it possible the Pila is overcharging my non-Pila batteries? I purchased this expensive Pila based on ECF member's recomendations for overall safety.

I'm betting your MM isnt 100% accurate. Without touching the leads to the battery, you should see very little voltage(.01 v or less) If your seeing .3v, theres the error in your multimeter

 

[DragonflyVaper]

I'm guessing 4.15 MM reading on the AWR 18650 is okay coming off charge, right? Soooo confusing when you're not into electrical anything.

When I turn the dial to DCV 20, the meter reads 0.00.... so, even though it's a cheapo could there be another problem with the MM reading? Also, when I purchased the Pila charger, I remember reading "use Pila Charger only with Pila Batteries" My batteries are not Pila, they are UltraFire 18650 & AW IMR 18650. But ECF members stated no problem with using non-Pila batteries because Pila uses that disclaimer for warranty on their charger, plus to sell their batteries.

Yikes! I just tested the AW IMR's and the reading is 4.15..... Is it possible the Pila is overcharging my non-Pila batteries? I purchased this expensive Pila based on ECF member's recomendations for overall safety.

 

[DragonflyVaper]

Please forgive me... I didn't read the meter right the first time I posted stating 4.5 on batteries. I got all of the batteries out again and they are all testing 4.15 on my MM.... Is this okay for use with 1.8 ohm atties?

 

[buGG]

4.15 is not overcharging, but it's probably a little higher than that with a properly calibrated meter. The one thing the Pila is not doing is overcharging. 4.5V wouldn't give you too many cycles before the battery vented or popped and was no longer useable.

 

[mlinky]

A non-Pila battery should do just fine on a Pila charger, but you do need to figure out what is going on. An overcharged battery placed under load is more likely to fail (spectacularly), and overcharging shortens the battery life.

Whew...nevermind. It should be coming off the charger at 4.2. You are fine with 4.15, but I'm betting your multimeter is not correct. They have batteries, too...maybe it's bad.

 

[DragonflyVaper]

Thanks so much for your knowledge..... any recommendations on a good/calibrated Multi Meter? I got this MM after reading so much about them on ECF, knowing I didn't have a clue what I would be doing. I don't want to pay a lot of $$'s for a MM if I don't have too. The only reason I got the el cheapo was to test new attys since I've had a lot of DOA's lately.

Also, I got my Reo Grand in December 2010 and I've been using the same batteries interchanging since December 2010. Is there a shelf life to rechargeable batteries or do they just stop recharging? Thank you again for helping me understand this stuff.

 

[mlinky]

The AW IMR's are rated for over 500 charge cycles, unless you abuse them. They should not be allowed to drop below 3.5v, so the best thing to do is to keep them all in rotation and not sitting on the shelf. You don't need an expensive multimeter, but it does need to be a working multimeter. You might consider picking up the $5 special at Harbor Freight. It's probably cheaper than changing out the battery in yours, you can check to see if yours is accurate, and a back-up is never a bad thing.

 

[DragonflyVaper]

Thanks again.... When I purchased the MM, couldn't get it to work. Changed out the battery and it's still working. I will pick up an extra MM @ Harbor as back up..... great suggestion.