IPV3 Charger?

[Fictitious Character]

I just received a reply from Eva with P4U and she said 9v 2A, not sure how accurate that info is but I find it interesting that it is again another different answer.

The safest and easiest way to do this is just to mod the box with magnets instead of screws and use an external charger.

I agree that at this point it is the safest way to go. Except I hear that any type of modification will void the warranty.

Eciggity mentioned on their FB page that they should be getting the charges but do not have an eta at this time. Once ppl start getting the chargers we will know what they really are. Until then the best bet is to swap out batteries.

 

[wrice4]

I just received a reply from Eva with P4U and she said 9v 2A, not sure how accurate that info is but I find it interesting that it is again another different answer.



I agree that at this point it is the safest way to go. Except I hear that any type of modification will void the warranty.

Eciggity mentioned on their FB page that they should be getting the charges but do not have an eta at this time. Once ppl start getting the chargers we will know what they really are. Until then the best bet is to swap out batteries.

Thanks for the update. Also, thats weird you got a response, I emailed them twice about all the issues their product has and they don't seem to want to answer me.

 

[tfraley]

@Fictitious Character

Thanks for sharing, I have yet to hear back from Denny @P4Y since mentioning the chargers I tested didn't work. At this point I will be surprised if he does.
With that being said, if it's really 2a that would be nice if the IPV3 can handle it means faster charging then we thought.

Will be nice to see one people get their chargers but at the same time I was sent an image of their charger specs. But would be nice one someone get this if they throw it on a meter for us. This way we know if its really 9vdc or a bad manufactured unit putting out 12vdc

 

[tehdarkaura]

What is this based on?

Laptop batteries, while it is a different application, are series connected cells and they charge just fine?

laptop batteries also have balance charge circuitry built in to them, just like RC batteries have balance connections that need to be used.

 

[Confuzzled1969]

laptop batteries also have balance charge circuitry built in to them, just like RC batteries have balance connections that need to be used.

Could be built into the IPV3 as well, I just don't know. But I fail to see what, if anything, rotating the batteries will do for you?

I agree that the two batteries in use should always be used and charged together in this one device, I just have no clue what purpose "rotating" the batteries serves. Please enlighten me....

 

[wrice4]

Could be built into the IPV3 as well, I just don't know. But I fail to see what, if anything, rotating the batteries will do for you?

I agree that the two batteries in use should always be used and charged together in this one device, I just have no clue what purpose "rotating" the batteries serves. Please enlighten me....

Check out the other thread " ipv3 first look" , a member dissects his ipv3 and shows you the inside.

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Check out the other thread " ipv3 first look" , a member dissects his ipv3 and shows you the inside.

Are you referring to this thread? http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/variable-voltage-apv-discussion/613210-ipv3-closer-look.html

If not please link it.

If it is this one, I have seen nothing that says that it doesn't have balanced charging, just that his doesn't work.

With that said, if it had balanced charging, I am not sure why they would not use a micro USB charger?

I guess I will check mine out when I get it tomorrow.

 

[wrice4]

Are you referring to this thread? http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/variable-voltage-apv-discussion/613210-ipv3-closer-look.html

If not please link it.

If it is this one, I have seen nothing that says that it doesn't have balanced charging, just that his doesn't work.

With that said, if it had balanced charging, I am not sure why they would not use a micro USB charger?

I guess I will check mine out when I get it tomorrow.

Yes I am referring to that thread. Also, I would assume it would take forever with a USB cable to charge 2 batteries, just assuming.

 

[wrice4]

Mine just came in. Does anyone recommend a specific build to vape around 100 watts? Garage wire? Wraps? Ohms?

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Yes I am referring to that thread. Also, I would assume it would take forever with a USB cable to charge 2 batteries, just assuming.

If balanced it shouldn't, it would be about the same as charging 1 so long as the current is sufficient.

If this thing is just supplying a 8.4Vdc float to charge two batteries in series, then I agree that charging in the mod is a bad idea. And it is likely to cause a house fire eventually.

 

[WeirdWillie]

If balanced it shouldn't, it would be about the same as charging 1 so long as the current is sufficient.

If this thing is just supplying a 8.4Vdc float to charge two batteries in series, then I agree that charging in the mod is a bad idea. And it is likely to cause a house fire eventually.

Allot of things "could" happen but 8.4vdc or even 24vdc is seriously unlikely to cause a house fire.
Could it pop your batteries? ....sure
Could it fry your board? ...sure
Could it cause physical harm if the batteries pop near you? ......sure
Will it cause a nuclear meltdown with a mushroom cloud...... No
Now I do agree with the need for balanced charging, cells in series get recharged every day i.e. laptop batteries, cordless drill batteries and such do it every day, but there is no need to go off the deep end and be a doomsayer telling people they are going to burn down their house if they try it, many things will happen long before it would get that extreme.
Years ago I was in a lab when a 90v battery was blown up on purpose, yeah it made one hell of boom, but came nowhere near setting anything on fire.

 

[tehdarkaura]

Could be built into the IPV3 as well, I just don't know. But I fail to see what, if anything, rotating the batteries will do for you?

I agree that the two batteries in use should always be used and charged together in this one device, I just have no clue what purpose "rotating" the batteries serves. Please enlighten me....

I wish it was built in to the IPV3 -- but it's not -- in order to balance the batteries as they charge it needs a connection to the center of those batteries (for two like we are talking about here... one point at each intersection of the cells if more than 2)

the batteries in the IPV3 only have 2 connections coming off the bay -- so in order to balance you would 1 need a balance charging circuit and 2 have an addition lead going over to the center of the batteries so it can actually ballance.

I'm not sure I understand the idea of rotating them either... they danger comes if one degrades or behaves differently during the charge cycle than the other (even the drain cycle can cause issues but a faulty battery will typically not charge on a good balance charger since it can see one cell has collapsed or degraded and it will refuse to charge the unit so the danger only exists for a short time) -- just moving them back and forth isn't going to help you with that. Not that I'm aware of atleast...

That said I learned everything I know about electronics from my dad and building 3d printers and etching and building custom circuit boards... I'm no EE prof but I can spot BS when i see it

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Allot of things "could" happen but 8.4vdc or even 24vdc is seriously unlikely to cause a house fire.
Could it pop your batteries? ....sure
Could it fry your board? ...sure
Could it cause physical harm if the batteries pop near you? ......sure
Will it cause a nuclear meltdown with a mushroom cloud...... No
Now I do agree with the need for balanced charging, cells in series get recharged every day i.e. laptop batteries, cordless drill batteries and such do it every day, but there is no need to go off the deep end and be a doomsayer telling people they are going to burn down their house if they try it, many things will happen long before it would get that extreme.
Years ago I was in a lab when a 90v battery was blown up on purpose, yeah it made one hell of boom, but came nowhere near setting anything on fire.

I don't want to argue so please don't take this that way.

About 6 months ago one my landlords rental properties caught fire because the tenant left a LION battery for an RC car charging on the end table at the end of the couch. The battery failed and caught the junk mail and such that was on the table on fire and subsequently the couch. The entire unit had to be gutted and completely rebuilt on the interior and the vinyl siding on the exterior. Luckily a cat was the only unlucky victim in this one.
So yes it can happen, yes the chances are low, but it can and does happen.

And Tuesday morning I will be replacing a series connected string of 30 batteries floating at 405 V in a 50 KVA Mitsubishi UPS and on Wednesday I will do the same for a series connected string of 40 floated at 540 V in an 50 KVA Eaton Powerware UPS, so I know a thing or two about batteries.

And I hardly think I am going off the deep end when recommending not to charge the batteries in it if it does not have a balancing circuit.

Yes the chances of a fire are low statistically, but it is a chance I am not willing to take.

You had yours apart, does it have the required balancing circuitry or could it be determined?

 

[Confuzzled1969]

I wish it was built in to the IPV3 -- but it's not -- in order to balance the batteries as they charge it needs a connection to the center of those batteries (for two like we are talking about here... one point at each intersection of the cells if more than 2)

the batteries in the IPV3 only have 2 connections coming off the bay -- so in order to balance you would 1 need a balance charging circuit and 2 have an addition lead going over to the center of the batteries so it can actually ballance.

I'm not sure I understand the idea of rotating them either... they danger comes if one degrades or behaves differently during the charge cycle than the other (even the drain cycle can cause issues but a faulty battery will typically not charge on a good balance charger since it can see one cell has collapsed or degraded and it will refuse to charge the unit so the danger only exists for a short time) -- just moving them back and forth isn't going to help you with that. Not that I'm aware of atleast...

That said I learned everything I know about electronics from my dad and building 3d printers and etching and building custom circuit boards... I'm no EE prof but I can spot BS when i see it

I don't have mine yet so I can't tell if there is a connection between the cells or not? And the picture in the other thread are not detailed enough for me to tell. I will check mine and see. But if this thing doesn't have a balanced charger... I disagree with WeirdWillie, there is going to be someone out there without the proper knowledge who is going to just arbitrarily throw the batteries from a box of mismatched cells and it will not end well. It may only be one out of every hundred idiots that burn their house down or suffer physical harm, but it will happen.

I've actually been an electronics techy type for over 25 years professionally. Series connected batteries should always be from the same lot and once put in service, they should never be altered until they are removed from service. In UPS applications, if a battery fails prematurely, it is NOT replaced, it is removed from the string and the float voltage is reduced by 13.5V and you either deal with the decreased capacity or you replace the entire string with new ones.

 

[veiox]

I made my own charger last night. I found a 9v charger that actually puts out 9.5v on my meter but did not have the correct tip for the IPV3. I also found another charger with the correct tip but was only 6v/0.500mA. So I cut off the tip and spliced it into the 9v charger. I tested it and realized that I had it backwards because it registered -9.5v. So I switched the leads, made sure it was +9.5v and used it to charge my IPV3. The light came on green and stayed that way. I checked back two hours later and it was fully charged. Homemade charger from old spare parts =

 

[Confuzzled1969]

Has anyone been able to confirm if the charging circuit is balanced or not?
Or has anyone seen a schematic of the device?

 

[tfraley]

@veiox

Interesting
Makes me wonder about trying a higher Voltage. My 9Vdc plug is sitting at 9.27

Are you also using a regulated, Constant current charger?

 

[tfraley]

Has anyone been able to confirm if the charging circuit is balanced or not?
Or has anyone seen a schematic of the device?

I wouldn't know what I'm looking for when it comes to that, However I have cracked the seal and looked in their already

 

[veiox]

@veiox

Interesting
Makes me wonder about trying a higher Voltage. My 9Vdc plug is sitting at 9.27

Are you also using a regulated, Constant current charger?

I have no idea, here is the charger I found. I think it is for an old portable DVD player.

http://poweradapter.co/jm-science-jea1509v0a1-ac-adapter-9vdc-15a-15x4mm-100-p-1042.html

 

[lot17ss]

Well I read through most of this and am wondering if this charging problem is isolate to the first builds. I am going to attempt to buy the radio shack charger and see what happens on mine. They also have a 1 amp charger as well. Curious to see if the 1.5a is causing the problem.