IPV3 Charger?

[tfraley]

@Adrian Ludvik

Ha I totally will keep everyone updated, Still have not gotten a response.
I sent the email Friday afternoon, I'm not sure what their work schedule is over their.

 

[Adrian Ludvik]

@Adrian Ludvik

Ha I totally will keep everyone updated, Still have not gotten a response.
I sent the email Friday afternoon, I'm not sure what their work schedule is over their.

I'll ask eciggity if they're online tonight. They're usually pretty helpful in finding out specifics.

 

[tfraley]

Ok I had another multi charger from radio shack in the garage, kinda old but put it on a meter and still works

Its variable voltage at 300ma (This is low and I know would take forever but more a test)

So I selected 9vdc and plugged it into the ipv and same results it lights up green for a few a hand full of seconds then turns off.

So its safe to say even at lower amps getting the same results.

I still have not ran my battery really low yet. Only think I can think of it either needs an upgrade to work or battery have to be really low to charge.
I'm am stumped and still awaiting a response back.

batteries have gotten down past half way going to keep letting them get lower and see what happens

 

[tfraley]

@Adrian Ludvik

that would be great however i've gotten the specs right from denny at pioneer4you. Even went as far as sending me an image of the chargers specs.
You know what let me post that here as well

here you go (received from Denny of Pioneer4you)

 

[Bean72]

What is the polarity of the charger? I noticed the charger in the picture supports a reverse polarity, depending on how the tip is plugged into the cord on the charger. Anyone wanting to risk plugging in their new ipv3 to try out?

 

[tfraley]

What is the polarity of the charger? I noticed the charger in the picture supports a reverse polarity, depending on how the tip is plugged into the cord on the charger. Anyone wanting to risk plugging in their new ipv3 to try out?

The image I was giving of the charger they are using shows an illustration on the charger. With center being +
Which is how i've been testing.

The image is little hard to see look under that square white box, illustrations are odd but thats what I made out.

 

[tfraley]

I've contacted Denny though Skype in hopes to expedite things, awaiting feedback.

 

[tehdarkaura]

I googled "gbc variable supply" and found that same power supply -- It looks like it is a constant current power supply -- maybe that's the problem?

That thing is not cheap either -- 22.91 pounds is like $50 i think, no wonder they decided to remove it from the kit.

I'm going to the store later to see if I can find something similar that delivers constant current with a 9V top-out rating.

here are the specs from the seller I found --
Variable voltage power supply for general purposes.
Selectable output voltages from 3/4.5/5/6/7.5/9/12 VDC.
Maximum output power 12W.
Constant output current of 1000mA.
6 interchangeable plugs Kit included.
Minimum weight and dimensions, with technology and power switching, certified to the new European standard of energy saving.
Input from 100 to 240Vca for worldwide use.

 

[tfraley]

@tehdarkaura

Please let me know what you find out.

I don't know much about constant current I thought it has something to do with it being a variable voltage supply.

Please let me know how it goes.. still have not heard back from denny yet..

 

[Whistle_Pig]

Battery charge time goes by how many amps it can do. Also from what I learned from flashlight batties is if you charge them slower they will last longer. not sure if it holds the same with the batteries we use vaping.

That being said the radio shack charger is charging at 1.5a now thats more then the 1A charger I have but its also charging two batteries.

Just because the AC/DC adapter is rated at 1500mA, doesn't mean that that's what the charging circuit is drawing. Have you put an ammeter in series to see what the actual current draw is? The fact that the charging circuit can run with 6-9VDC as input is unsurprising, because while the charging operation is largely current controlled, it will also be voltage limited -- I haven't looked this up for a while, but for lithium chemistries, it's under 5V, IIRC.

There have been flashlights on the market for a while now, that will use 18650 batteries. Some will run on multiple battery types, which is cool. I have a Nitecore SRT3 which will use AA, 14500, CR123, or 16340 (LiFePho). I like it because I have a Mako Midi, and lots of 14500 batteries on hand. So I occassionally rotate the battery out of flashlight into the vape routine, and my flashlight battery is always fresh.

As far as charge rate affecting battery life, I suspect that within limits, it won't matter much. With higher charge and discharge rates, there's more heat, and that could be something affecting lifetime. But I also suspect that over-discharge is a bigger problem. That said, I've abused my AW IMR batteries somtimes, and they just keep working.

 

[tfraley]

OK,

stopped by a local electronic shop picked up a regulated charger went home plugged it in had same results.
Ran back to the store and tested one other multi with same results.

Again it lights up green for like 5 seconds then turns off.. Never lights up RED light manuel suggests when charging.
here is an image of the one I tested today..

 

[Whistle_Pig]

It looks like it is a constant current power supply -- maybe that's the problem?

here are the specs from the seller I found --
Variable voltage power supply for general purposes.
Selectable output voltages from 3/4.5/5/6/7.5/9/12 VDC.
Maximum output power 12W.
Constant output current of 1000mA.

Very doubtful it's a current regulated supply. The "Constant current output" spec is likely just specifying the output current limit of the device, in constant usage. Lots of electronic devices, MOSFETs for example, will tolerate much higher current spikes momentarily than they can pass on a continuous basis. The fact that it's switchable for V out is another clue. A current-regulated device will vary its output voltage, in order to keep the current constant, with the limits of the device.

 

[tfraley]

@Whistle_Pig

Totally stumped at the moment. Tested 3 different plugs,
First - Radio shack plug (links in first post)
Second - The last image I posted
Third - This one was a variable voltage one in the electronic store.

At a loss at this point. Is my unit defective? did they tell us the wrong specs? does the IPV3 need a firmware update to work correctly? Is the instruction manual wrong by saying lights of RED when charging?

stumped hopefully will hear back from someone tomorrow. Just sent them another Skype as well.

 

[Whistle_Pig]

Ok got feedback from Denny Zhang of pioneer4you

He stated 6-9VDC at 1A would be food but 6V would take a long time (bit of broken english but thats what I took away from it)

Well, if that's what the vendor told you, and you did tip positive (looks like that's what the diagram shows), then I'd conclude the charging circuit is not working. One thing you can try is to open up the unit, and check the voltage across one of the batteries, while your power supply is plugged in. Should be around 4.2V. If it ain't, then it's not charging. But then there'd be the question of whether the charging circuit has other problems, if it isn't turning on the LED even when it's charging.

 

[tfraley]

@Whistle_Pig

Good thinking. I put my meeter on one of the battery while plugging it in, and saw now spike in voltage < 4v

As for the LED, The led lights up fine green for about 5 seconds when first plugging it in but then goes off. To my understand from the instructions is that it should light up RED indicating that it is charging.

For $150+ unit this is becoming more hassle then its worth..

 

[tehdarkaura]

Well I found a 9V supply also marked 1A constant output but got the same results -- the light comes on for a bit then goes out -- so I bit the bullet and looked at the charger board -- there is only a single LED one the board and only two leads on it and it doesn't look like a multi-color -- I'm thinking the manual might just be wrong about the color of the light changing -- I'll leave it plugged in overnight and see what happens.

No marking on the charger board but "ver. 1"

also there are only two battery leads coming off the board and they feed back into the sx330 -- im a little surprized they didn't get a center tap to go in between the batteries.

 

[tfraley]

@tehdarkaura

Thank you for posting that at least I know that it's not me i.e. a defective unit.

I have left my radioshack plug in over night and did not notice the battery charge.
I did not test with the other plug I bought today which was the regulated plug, Which I happened to return when I went back and tested other units.

 

[p7willm]

The batteries in this, and some other high watt regulated mods, are in series. Charging series batteries is not as easy or safe as charging a single battery or multiple batteries in parallel.

All the current for charging runs through both batteries and if one holds less of a charge it will get charged first and have the high current running through it while the second battery finishes it's charge. This is bad. The chances of the first battery failing, flames or vent, are increased. having a high current flow through an already charged battery will shorten the life of the battery, even if there are no flames.

Series batteries are also more dangerous than single or parallel in use. The batteries should match. Start with a fresh pair and keep them together. Test the voltage, after charge and after use, and if they differ get a new pair. Go look at the RC forums and see what those guys go through with batteries and remember we stick our batteries in our faces when we use them.

I do not know what Pioneer4you does inside for the charger. It should be more than just applying voltage to the batteries. It needs to tell haw full of charge the batteries are and stop charging when they are full. The problem is that they are probably not monitoring each battery and are treating them as one.

I would not charge batteries in series. I would take them out and charge them in a charger.

I am getting a sigelei 100 watt which also has batteries in parallel. There is no option for charging in the mod. I think this was a safety decision. Even if it did support charging in the mod I would not do it.

 

[alexknuckes]

I'm thinking the manual might just be wrong about the color of the light changing -- I'll leave it plugged in overnight and see what happens.

Did it work?

 

[tfraley]

@alexknuckes

I believe he posted a little whole ago, and stated he was going to leave it plugged in tonight (Oct, 12) and see what happens.
Currently having the same results as me so far. However I did not test a charge overnight with a regulated charger, However I have with a unRegulated charger with same results.