for me, as far as charging my MVP :
I follow the practice of short-charging my batteries
not allowing it to get to low (avoid yellow) when possible
and remove it from charge BEFORE it completes (early 4.1v)
(final saturation of charging puts stress on the battery)
http://innokin.com/manuals/iTaste%20MVP%202.0-1.pdf said:
1.Red LED light = battery voltage is lower than 3.61V
2.Yellow LED light = battery voltage between 3.61V
and 3.75V
3.Green LED light = battery voltage is more than 3.75 V
If you would like some info as to why...
The general consensus is to only charge from around 3.61/3.7V to up to 3.92/4V to get max lifespan from the battery. One example of this via testing is shown
here at Battery University.
Table 2: Cycle life as a function of depth of discharge
A partial discharge reduces stress and prolongs battery life. Elevated temperature and high currents also affect cycle life.
| Depth of discharge | Discharge cycles |
100% DoD
| 300 500
|
50% DoD
| 1,200 - 1,500
|
25% DoD
| 2,000 - 2,500
|
10% DoD
| 3,750 4,700
|
Table 4: Discharge cycles and capacity as a function of charge
Every 0.10V drop below 4.20V/cell doubles the cycle; the retained capacity drops accordingly. Raising the voltage above 4.20V/cell stresses the battery and compromises safety.
| Charge level | Discharge cycles | Capacity at full charge |
| 4.30 | 150 250 | ~110% |
| 4.20 | 300 500 | 100% |
| 4.10 | 600 1,000 | ~90% |
| 4.00 | 1,200 2,000 | ~80% |
| 3.92 | 2,400-4,000 | ~75% |
Since these batteries range from 3.2V to 4.2V... 25% charge is (((4.2 - 3.2) * 0.25) + 3.2) -> 3.45 and 50% is 3.70V. When they talk about lost capacity, they don't mean a memory effect like some other battery chemistries. What's being talked about is that you aren't using up all of your capacity because that advertised capacity is based on using it from 4.2V all the way down to 3.2V, sometimes even lower... but it really depends on the battery once you hit the exotics with protection circuits intended for 2.5V and top end charge levels of higher than 4.2V... that's not what's in these MVP2's though.
If we want to get approximately 1,200 discharge and recharge cycles... we would want to start charging the battery when it is around 50% (3.7V) and stop when it is around 80% (4V). You could either check the voltage levels, or just aim to start charging somewhere in the yellow zone and stop it by checking the voltage. Note: Doing it like this means you are only getting about 30% of that 2600mA total each charge cycle (2600*.3 ~> 780mA). That's still upwards of a 50% boost in total output over the lifetime compared to drawing out the full 2600mA each cycle!
We don't really care about the sheer number if charge cycles though... we want max output over time... which is another set of tables based on the capacity you allow yourself given the top and bottom voltages multiplied by how many charge/discharge cycles you can expect given that range and using the total expected capacity for the battery in 'new' condition (2600mAh).
Without getting deeper in to this... my suggestion would simply be to keep it in the yellow... and even in to the green a bit... well, if you want the battery to last years and years... if you don't mind buying a new one every year or so and would rather just charge it every night from wherever it is until it's full... that's completely your choice.
haha
